Public transport

We went all the way home, a 5 hour journey on a bus, train, underground and another train. All for less than one days car hire! The bus was free for us and booking early on line got us a good discount complete with reserved seats. Our friend Sue did that difficult job for us sorting out the best route and timing the connections. It all went like clockwork with plenty of time to walk between bus and trains. The train north of London operated by National Express was packed both ways. It would have been ‘The Flying Scotsman’ years ago and ours was probably faster. Had to tolerate the crowded underground going down in those noisy tunnels trying to navigate our way to the next train. We used the Northern and Piccadilly lines. Our train tickets were used in automatic barriers to gain access from start to finish of our entire journey. South West trains were only half full so no need to find those reserved seats.
Went home to celebrate our son’s 40th birthday. A family gathering enabling us to catch up with their activities and play with our grand children.

A summer’s day

Travelling by boat with all mod cons means that you can be where you like without the road stress. Especially when everybody is out and about on a bank holiday! If the sun is hot and there is a cool breeze you can sit outside like it’s your own garden by the banks of a river or canal. At Wadenhoe the car park is full at the local pub and many have gone off in boats. We sat in the garden between pub and river enjoying an expensive burger bun washed down with strong drink. A few trees providing welcome shade.

Next day we moved the boats up and were obliged to tie up alongside a boat hogging the water point. When we connected our pipe to the tap the boat owner inconsiderately puffed blue smoke towards us as he started his engine! Once both our tanks were filled we moved to the bank and waited for the Tesco delivery. The rest of the day was spent cruising down river through four locks and five miles to Ashdon.. Had fun and games getting in and out of Oundel Marina for diesel, gas and facilities on the way.

Moorings and post

Continuing our journey with Sue n Vic we passed through a couple of locks and down the Nene to Little Irchester. Here we stopped for water while the girls went off to stock up with bread n milk etc. As we approached those ‘new’ moorings the boat ground to a stop on something underneath! The old Victorian mill of Whitworths is still making bread here bit is quite noisy so not a place to stay overnight. Three more locks passing many manmade lakes and old gravel pits get us to Rushden & Diamonds football ground at Irthingborough. Thankfully playing away this Saturday. E A have provided boaters with a long stretch of mooring where at least 6 narrowboats can stay for 48 hours. Just enough room for us as 4 were already there. Dot came out from ‘Gypsy Rover’ to catch our rope. We stayed only to use the facilities and get a midday sandwich before continuing to Denford, a lovely mooring with a field for the dogs. We all walked the mile to Ringstead to pick up some post. This PO mistress being so helpful and remembering Sue n Vic and Lucy collecting post 2 years ago.
Our post has been returned from that man at Cogenhoe. Our next stop is at Thrapston so we rang that PO to ask if he would keep our post. “You have to come and see me first” was his reply. Called Post Office Counters to complain about our postal problems and got them to tell Thrapston to hold on to our post. ‘Poste Restante’ and ‘To be called for’ is a service that the PO provide but it seems that some PO masters do not cooperate. After a few anxious days we eventually collected our post a full two weeks after it had been originally sent.

We had moored at the ‘new’ moorings near Islip Mill. Room for 3 boats and occupied by 2. We squeezed in with No Problem along side. By the time we left 7 boats were tied 3 abreast. The river is getting popular.

The river has been high after several days of rain and one boater reversed back to the mooring, unable to get under the next low bridge. So before we left we removed our satellite dish and other tall objects from the roof. The level had gone down a bit and we just got under those bridges.

The next lock at Titchmarsh Mill was overflowing so much so that the boats were in danger of being pushed out before the guillotine had been fully raised. Only the two ropes tied to the back bollard preventing disaster as we went down. All aboard and let go to drift out with the flow.

The journey to Wadenhoe was calm and peaceful after that excitement and we stopped below the church for the weekend. The stone and thatched cottages here are well kept by a trust arrangement.

The things you see

Sheep and lambs are investigating a swan on the banks of the river Nene. Then the swan chased them away. A heard of cows and bullocks gathering on the muddy edge of the river. When the farmer arrived in his van they all turned to watch. The strange sight of two boats moving. Saw them as we were walking back from the lakes of Summerleys Nature Reserve. They turned the corner, under the bridge and stopped just beyond our boats.

We knew them. The magic of the internet, reading boaters blogs and following the progress of Dot and Derek on Gypsy Rover travelling with their friends Derek and Christina on Kalimera. We were soon all aboard No Problem for tea, cake n biscuits!

An Environment Agency patrol boat went by and then on Sunday we might have thought we were back on the canals with many boats going by.

Cruising down the river

It is so different, not just because that wind has blown away. The boats are short & white, the river is wide & deep, there is no towpath and the river follows its natural course. Flood defences are obvious with manmade banks to allow the water to spread out and automatic weirs to control the flow. We passed through a flood barrier to the first guillotine lock on the Nene. Two top gates with the water falling over them and the massive sheet of steel raised to allow the water to pass through. A bypass weir letting most of the flow go that way.

Billing Lock (not the first)
All we need to do is press a button to lower that sheet of steel and the lock just fills up. Open the gates and drive both boats in, closing the gates behind them. Crack open the guillotine and suddenly the boats jerk forwards as the water goes down. Once the steel is fully raised the boats and crew leave. Three locks and three miles get us to Cogenhoe (Cookno), our stop today.

It was here that we had our post sent. Various phone numbers found on the internet failed to make contact. Went up to the Post Office only to find that our post had been ‘returned to sender’! They did not understand or know that ‘Poste Restante’ meant ‘to be collected’. It was unfortunate that we could not contact them first but now have their correct phone number.
Cogenhoe has an old Mill where the river bypasses the lock, the old millers using ‘green’ power to make the flour. There is a Chalet Village set high above the river level with boats moored below and we filled our water tank here.

The longest day

We joined Sue n Vic at the top of the Rothersthorp locks which take the canal down to Northampton and stayed the night. Woke early in the morning only to find that all the water had been drained between the locks. A lazy boater had failed to close the gates or paddles the night before. An hour later than planned we were on our way thanks to the BW men coming to help. Our thanks to Paul who also came to help both us and No Problem down the locks. 17 locks in 5 miles got both boats down to the city by early afternoon in time for shopping at Morrisons, passing under the ugliest M1 motorway bridge ever seen. The lower half of the canal is quite rural with the River Nene along side. Then as we approached the outskirts of that city it got rough with rubbish and ‘poisoned dwarfs’ chucking stuff in the canal. “Do not need their aggravation”. Health and safety is ignored as they jump around the empty lock. Carrying on down on to the river we passed under a low bridge to moor near the walk bridge. We have decided to pack away our ‘biminy’ for the summer as there are too many low bridges over the rivers.

Progressed on through a few more locks to the open and exposed River Nene heading East against that cold wind in our faces, finally finding a safe haven at Weston Favel opposite the washlands.

But not before Sue n Vic pulled us off the mud when that wind had blown the boat away from the pontoon!

Looking after the birds

We stayed at Bugbrooke for a few days. The little birds are making their nests in the hedgerows. Our cat’s fir is providing them with cosy warm bedding. Watching as a Blue Tit gathered it all up and flew away with a beak full. Went for a walk round one of our favourite villages in calm sunshine with a Sky Lark singing over head and took our glass bottles to a recycle bank only to find that it was gone. Had found it many years ago just by the church car park and had used it many times in the past. Then later found that the recycling bins at Gayton Junction had also gone. Apparently BW chose to charge the provider so they stopped! What is it about this government, trying to encourage us all to be good about our rubbish and then not helping.

Moving on is better ?

Sue n Vic joined us to go up the double locks at Braunston. Waited for one boat to come out of the lock as more boats queued up behind us. Once in the lock we saw that yet another single boat was waiting to come down. “What an unsociable attitude and waist of water.” At least 4 other boats came down the next lock, taking it from us twice before we could go up. All that water going down past the bottom lock without any boats going up. We would all enjoy ‘locking’ if only boaters would help each other. The uninitiated seem to be so independent. Oh well, once at the top we only met one boat half way through that tunnel which is still restricted by the land slide.
Moorings at Norton Jn. were limited and we were obliged to moor alongside No Problem for a while. Then we took a bus ride on the Daventry Dart. A bus full of ‘free riders’ with their new bus passes. The poor driver not getting a penny from us so just hope that the government is funding the bus company. Otherwise there will be less busses to catch.
Back on the boat we moved on down the Buckby flight of locks now open after a prolonged winter maintenance program. Stopped at the bottom and consumed Ann’s homemade vegetable soup with Sue n Vic joining us at the table. Later in the day we continued on to Nether Heyford and met up with Terry n Myra on Juno. Then we enjoyed a Sunday roast at ‘The Sun’ in Nether Heyford.