Saturday/Sunday 14/15 March 09. Whilton Marina to the other side of Braunston. 13 locks, 7 hours.

Saturday heralded the arrival of our new cushions for the front seating/bedding area, they are as good if not better than we were hoping for. Any guests will have a comfy night now.

Tesco delivered on time again (This really is a boon finding they can do this) all we needed was a pump out of the waste tanks and we were off. This was not to be, after three attempts to get to the pump out berth and being beaten every time by boats that seemed to come from nowhere we gave up. We are in no rush, and as they say in Jamaica "Soon come, Soon come".
Polished some brass and fired up the sound system with no one to moan at us... Bliss!!


Sunday, pump out done and we are away, T shirt and centre doors open weather. These seven locks are very deep and the gates are heavy and hard work but who cares when you are on the tiller. (I didn't really say that, nobody heard me).
We met our first canal snob today, this is the person who thinks that when they are on the waterway everyone else shouldn't be.
She actually said "Do you mean that we are going to have to wait for another boat to come through before we can proceed?" the old man at the tiller of his highly painted "ship" had a white
captains style hat on............ Say no more.

The picture above might appeal to Neil & Sharon, this is where that old barge was moored across the corner when we left the pub all those moons ago. What a difference a bit of water and sunshine can make.

Not another one,

this is the Braunston tunnel, slightly shorter than the shower tube at Blisworth but there are warnings of water falling from the roof in the canal bible (Nicholson).

They don't know they are born in this one, water? what water? there we were dressed for the monsoon, gloves, hats, boots, hatches battened down torches at the ready........ nothing, not a thing, an absolute doddle, there were also warnings of a kink in the tunnel which might cause problems, the less said about a slight curve the better.

Here's D dancing across a lock beam watched by two "Gongoozlers" scoffing ice cream.

The Pub was all boarded up but still had all the benches out at both sides of the bridge. Maybe it is just seasonal.

Our mooring for the night.



Tomorrow....................