Wednesday 28 May 2008


This is what we saw from our dinner table last night. Moorhen chicks hatching as we watched.... Amazing. We left Buckby top lock just after breakfast then descended the six more locks to Wilton Marina. Elizabeth went to the shop as Pete held Bella to, engine running. It was important. The bread machine was not finished, and stopped energy would be a wasted loaf. As it was, it was ready for a lovely lunch and dinner, moored up in Blisworth, a lovely little canal village.
The morning saw us, up and breakfasted, facing a damp day, but prepared for the third longest canal tunnel in the UK. Pete was fully prepped - in full wet gear and hat. We had been warned of the in-tunnel rain fall. "The most stressful navigation" says Pete. Elizabeth remarks how weird it is to have the interior lights on and to watch the brick wall passing slowly, only centimeters from the window. In just under two miles, we passed five boats, each with their headlamps on as did we, so that we could see each other. We were both grateful to reach the other side, just north of Stoke Bruerne, a stunning canalside village, the canal virtually the High Street.

After a bit of a rest, we continued our descent on the Grand, Elizabeth lockside, Pete helmside. Elizabeth bought a swish windlass handle (the thing we use to get the lock gates paddles open and closed) in Wilton lock stores, one which has the handle sort of spin around the core, so she can fix her hands, but the windlass spins - fewer blisters! 7 locks down, we were on today's homeword pound, mooring up at a booked temporary slot in Kingfisher Marina, Yardly Gobion.

We have both decided that working locks and navigating through them is more exercise than our gym membership ever allowed. Then, when we moor up, the hot water created from an engine running all day means a hotter shower than a steam room!!!