We had a pleasant trip on the train from London and John and Lyn were there to meet us when we arrived at Bedford. They whisked us home and fed us delicious sandwiches for lunch. It was great to see such interesting people again and they made us very welcome.
Glenn outside the front of Lyn and John's House in Bedford and below is view from the rear where the narrow boat is moored when they are at home. You can see the bike path, part of an extensive dedicated cycle and walking pathway. Beautiful.
After lunch we drove to March Marina where the boat was moored and John and Lyn explained the basic mechanism of the boat and showed us where everything was stored. We then chugged off for a demonstration of steering and negotiating and operating the locks. There was a huge volume of information to absorb but we talked through it over dinner and had our questions answered.
Then we left them with the boat and took the car back to Bedford, getting miserably lost in the dark once we hit the town. Eventually, at midnight, we found the house! We had two days to relax and explore the local area which is very pretty.
Next day we washed, explored the bank of the River Great Ouse and walked into Bedford. Then we rode the bikes in the opposite direction to the market and bought some food. The river bank is alive with newly hatched goslings and cygnets, so fluffy and capable on the water. Three families of swans cruise past the house which is beside the river, each morning with twelve cygnets between them. They are so cute and the young frolic and squabble as they go. There are moor hens and their young as well. I can watch them for ages.
Today we drove the car to a pre- arranged meeting place in the marina at Oundle, where we met Lyn and John again. We had a lesson with them on how to handle the first lock on the river, Upper Barnwell .... Glenn operating the lock while I moved the boat into the lock, secured it while the water level changed and then moved out of the lock while Glenn closed it behind me. There was a lot to remember but we managed. Then Glenn and I chugged along to the next lock by ourselves and manouvered through it while they watched and photographed us from a bridge as we came through below them. We passed the test I guess because they left us to it and drove home.
We went through another two locks before we arrived at the 18th.c King's Head Pub at Wadenhoe. We moored alongside the lush, grassy flat below the pub with two other narrow boats for company and made our way up to the pub for dinner. The food was excellent and we chatted to a few of the locals and the guy in the boat behind us. After a game of cards which Glenn won (game score 46 all), we read and then hit the sack at 9 pm. Tired after our challenging day!
In the morning we explored the lovely village and walked up to the church and graveyard on the hill.
Then we continued through the locks at Titchmarsh and Islip and then tied up for the night.
Next day we managed the locks at Thrapston, Denford and Woodford before entering the Lower Ringstead Marina where we had power, water and an Elsen dump point. We chatted to our neighbours who were washing one of their three dogs which had rolled in rotten fish!!!! All three lived inside the narrow boat with their owners. How the English love their dogs.
We were getting better and faster at the locks and the next day chugged through Upper Ringstead, Irthlingborough, Higham, Ditchford then Lower Wellingborough where we used the town moorings on the edge of the park. We walked to the Crown Hotel, recommended by a passerby and had Manns Real Ale which Glenn enjoyed. There wasn't any food being served because it was Kar-a-o-ke night so we ate peanuts and enjoyed the noisy, friendly people and the 'singing', stayed too late, then wobbled home and ate some food.
A little the worse for wear, we ambled into town the next morning, bought meat and vegies at the market and a few things at Tesco. Onwards through locks at Upper Wellingborough, Wallaston, Doddington, Barton and White Mills before mooring at Mill Caravan site. We asked permission to moor outside instead of inside which would have cost £7 for power we didn't need, and the very cheerful lady said fine and proceeded to say we could use the facilities anyway .. Showers, toilets etc. Excellent!
Three boats in the lock together.
The narrow boat is very comfortable and not unlike our caravan except it has a bit more room and it floats. It also looks so pretty with flowers in pots at the front and on the roof. It has diesel motor which is noisy and a rudder at the back for steering. The great difference is that you don't have to secure everything before you move on because it's smooth cruising all the way.
So far we have negotiated .... locks on the Nene River, explored villages along the way and sampled the local ales in the pubs. The locks come thick and fast and the day is busy preparing to enter, entering, and then leaving each one. We are getting faster as we become more comfortable with the procedure and don't sideswipe the docks so much. Generally Glenn operates the lock while I get the boat in and out.
The countryside is so green and lush, with buttercups sprinkled across the pastures like gold dust. Trees and flowers are in bloom and we passed hedges of briar roses on our walk this afternoon. The sun is actually warm on our backs as we sit at the pub at 6.30 pm...... a rare treat this week.
Cooking in the boat is on a one burner Coleman gas cooker or in the crock pot which runs off the 12volt system as we putt along. Tonight we are having a pot roast with vegies already cooked in the crock pot.
One of the joys of the trip on the river has been watching the water birds.The swans are numerous, proud and beautifully graceful and they totally ignore us. They are nesting in the reeds and many have a trail of cygnets behind, little fluff balls which sometimes catch a ride on their mothers back, snuggled down under her wings. The larger, earlier hatchlings are like bickering children, pushing and rushing around. The geese are nesting and rearing their young too but are much shyer.
All of this time we have been on the Nene River with beautiful rural views, but after another five locks we left it at Northampton lock and entered the Grand Union Canal which is a manmade system. Although this section is not as picturesque, it is more interesting and busy and there are lots of towns and villages which have existed for centuries along this trade route. The tow paths, once used by horses to drag the boats, are now widely utilized for walking and bike riding. They are well maintained and edged with trees and flowering shrubs and provide us with opportunities to meet the local people.
We moored off the dock at the Brittania, an old riverside pub recently redecorated in a rustic style and had a few quiet ales on the terrace, inches from our boat. It was Father's Day in England and the pub was full of people. Eventually, we were lulled to sleep by music from the pub and woke bright and early to complete the next stage.
Now for our biggest challenge .... A flight of twelve locks, close together, which once started, have to be completed. We are travelling upstream so each lock gate has to be opened ahead of us before we can move into the lock, closed behind us and the one in front opened before the lock can be filled with water from the one immediately upstream, so we are then lifted to the new water level. The gate in front is then opened and we move to the next lock and the procedure is repeated 12 times. Each lock is about 20cms wider than the narrow boat, which makes trying to stay off the walls of the lock fraught with anxiety .. especially as the boat has a new paint job!
We had some unexpected help from Leon, a very colourful local, who, beer in hand, sped up the process enormously but doing one side of the gates while Glenn did the other. He has had to deal with a lot of sorrow in his life and is going into rehab in two weeks with determination and high hopes. We wish him well.
Our next adventure was the Blisworth Tunnel, which at 3057 yds is the longest canal tunnel open to navigation in Britian. There is no tow path but the channel is wide enough to allow two 7ft. boats to pass ...just I might add. The tunnel is pitch black and boats must have headlights and a rear light. We passed two boats on the way through and Glenn very carefully kept off the wall on the right of the tunnel in the process. At intervals there are gaping skylights in the roof through which water gushes down on your head. Needless to say, we took the advice offered and wore our wet weather gear!
The Grand Junction Canal was completed and opened in 1800 with the exception of this tunnel. The first attempt at excavation failed and so a tramway was built over Blisworth Hill linking the two termini. Boats arriving at either end had to be unloaded onto horses drawn wagons which were then pulled over the hill and then reloaded onto the boats. A second attempt at the tunnel was more successful and it opened in 1805. Originally boats were 'legged' through by two men lying on the roof, propelling the boat forward by pushing against the tunnel walls. Imagine those calf muscles!
Our final night on the boat was spent moored in the pretty village of Stoke Bruerne. We had lunch in the Navigator Hotel and then walked the narrow streets, up to the churchyard with its ancient, tilting headstones, down narrow pathways past cottages with thatched roofs and names like Rose Cottage. It was small, tranquil and beautiful. The woodland Walk was especially gentle. It looped past the end of the tunnel we had come through and passed the Blacksmith's workshop.
Our time on the boat has been an adventure, an experience quite different from any before. Our hosts Lyn and John have done everything possible to make our time here perfect and we thank them. The weather could have been kinder but the last three days particularly, have been great.... some sun, no wind and no rain. The people have been friendly and the landscape lush and filled with flowers and birds. The pace has suited these grey nomads, as those of you who know us will appreciate!
