Sunday morning we woke bright to a bright day and took the remainder of the day to get back to Blue Haven. Two tunnels (Crick and Braunston), 13 locks and 15.5 miles to do what would have take about, what, 15 minutes and a shorter route by car? But what an experience! We did the Crick tunnel easily, Elizabeth driving most of it, then we entered the queue to go down the Watford flight. Elizabeth knitted out the wait as Pete wandered about, did the Elsan, chatted to the Lock-keeper and generally had fun. A lovely Dalmation puppy bounced around the towpath and our Jose just sat tight.
We went down the flight with some frustration. :-) You know that we swap lock work; one drives in with the other having worked the paddles and gates, then we swap when the lock level is at the same as the lock side towpath, so that the other drives out while the original driver shuts the gates and moves to set the next lock. Going down the flight, with the top gate of the lower lock being the lower gate of the upper one, the stern (driving position) ends up being in a deep hole when the water level is the same as the lock side towpath. So there was no chance of changing! Pete ended up lockside and Elizabeth ended up tiller only.
Around Norton junction again, in the Brauston Tunnel (listening to very loud singing from the boat ahead) then out to Braunston locks. We were met up with by Zenobia, who we realised had been moored up in Blue Haven when we first moored there. She had been in repair following some damage as a result of the 2007 floods. Today she was fit and well and managed an elegant pair with Bella. Side by side, close but not touching, they entered and left each lock as a pair. Once, Bella went to one side of a pound and Zenobia to the other to allow a single boat to travel between them to the lock they just left. Otherwise, you'd have thought they knew each other quite well and shared a story or two as they were let down each lock. Zenobia was crewed by five men finishing up their annual weekend out, so with our crew of two, the locks were a doddle!
We made our way back up the north Oxford Canal with Elizabeth sat knitting in a deck chair on the deck, Josie curled up at the side of the chair and leant on Pete's foot, and Pete grinned while at the tiller. All enjoyed the feeling of a lazy day. We were amazed how much actual exercise we ended up doing in one weekend! A total of 26 locks, tunnels 4 times and 31 miles. But it felt like heaven. We were back in Blue Haven by 6pm in time to do Sunday dinner. We need to get out again....
