Tuesday 26th August; Little Addington to Ditchford FOTRN
We were woken at 6 by two swans having a dust-up right outside. The male from a neighbouring territory, or maybe a young one looking out for somewhere to claim, had strayed too close to the owner’s water! But as we hoped we wouldn’t have a long cruise today we went back to sleep. After breakfast I took Meg for a walk back towards the previous lock and found some good blackberries not far away, so returned for a bowl and came back with a decent haul. We finally left at about 10, and somehow I failed to take any photos of this pleasant mooring.
We passed Stanwick Lakes FOTRN mooring, which we would have hoped to use if Little Addington had been full, but we were glad we didn’t have to – it looks pleasant enough, but very close to an exciting looking zip-wire, the kind you see in play-parks which any age can use. We would probably have enjoyed having a go, but suspect it might have been a bit busy on a lovely summer’s evening in the school holidays! Our first lock was Irthlingborough, which is very deep.
 |
| Irthlingborough lock |
It’s a rise of 7’9”, which isn't huge in canal terms, but the water level in many of these locks is well below the top of the lock wall, way above the gunwales and far too high for the dog to jump on or off. So no way was I going to climb up the ladder when I wasn’t properly warmed up, so Dave dropped me at the lower landing. And the rungs in some locks have a fair bit of weed draped over them, so that’s another reason to be cautious. The lock was so deep that although Dave could throw me the centre line, I couldn’t reach the bow rope on top of the cratch with my grabber, even lying flat on my front! So I had to secure the centre line so he could come to the bow and lift the rope so I could reach it, secure it and then pass the centre line back to his control. The gate took a long time to lower too.
 |
| Hello up there! |
Judging by the time stamps on the photos, I reckon the lock had taken us at least half an hour, possibly more. Dave didn’t take the first photo until the boat was secure and I was lowering the guillotine behind him. Maybe I could have opened the paddles a little faster, but these deep locks and fierce paddles scare me silly. I think I would be even more anxious if we swapped roles!
It was still too early for lunch so we passed by the long EA moorings at Irthlingborough. The old road bridge (the A6 now crosses on a big modern one) looks as though it has caught many boaters out over the years, but in today’s low flow conditions we had no trouble keeping to the centre of the arch.
 |
| That arrow does not mean aim for the wall here! |
Higham Ferrers lock has canal-style pointing gates at top and bottom. The only disadvantage is that we have to tie up rather than cruising straight in beneath an open guillotine. But they are much quicker to operate, even if you do have to empty them first – there is no obligation to empty the lock and leave the gates open!
 |
| Higham Ferrers lock |
Our last lock for the day was Ditchford, with its radial gate. We didn’t really get to admire it properly on our way downriver, as a cruiser was waiting below. This time it was just us, so both of us had time to take photos at various stages of operation.
 |
| Bonjour entered below the open gate |
 |
| Holding in that button |
 |
| The beam that balances the operation moves up from level with the lock edge as the gate is closed |
 |
| Fully closed |
 |
| Job done - off we go again leaving the gate up |
But we didn’t go far this time. After I’d reopened the top gates for the approaching Dutch barge-style boat, we were relieved to see that the Ditchford FOTRN mooring was empty. So we relaxed over a late lunch, before Dave walked Meg, and I went for a walk/jog right round the lake, which seems to be about a mile and a half round. The far side isn’t as pleasant as the one nearer the river as the entire length is partitioned off for a clubhouse, private gardens (all with sheds) or boat parks. Dave started washing the port side while I got the tea cooking, then I went out to help him dry it off. Not easy, as the edge is very wavy. I missed an amazing photo opportunity a while later as the geese flew in to roost on the various lakes – a stunning sight against the crescent moon in the evening sky.
6 miles, 3 locks, 4 cruising hours – that’s more like it!
No comments:
Post a Comment