Another hot day as we cruise to Calcutt marina

Friday July 19^th; Braunston to Calcutt marina

Today was sunny and warm.  We waited for enough boats to have come past to ensure there would be somewhere to moor in Braunston, and pulled in just past bridge 89.  We all walked up to the village again over the bridge – Jess has been this way just the once, but she knows exactly where to go now, at least to the good bit where you can play ball.

Whack!  Luckily the sheep were elsewhere

But they had been here earlier, leaving some of their winter coats behind

We went up to get the paper and visit the butchers before walking back to the towpath down Nibitt’s Lane.  Sadly in the garden on the corner, the oil tank, which used to have an amusing painting of Dennis’s Gnasher eyeing up a cat above his head, has been painted and it’s boring black now.

It looked like this in 2016.  We definitely saw it in its full glory some years earlier, but that would have been before we got a digital camera!

We were looking forward to getting something refreshing at the Gongoozler’s rest, but with no luck – it is closed for a couple of weeks, so I expect they are on holiday. 

There is a defibrillator fitted here now at the entrance to the seating area.

So back to the boat we went, and at least it wasn’t as far as yesterday!  We left the mooring and continued to Braunston Turn, noting that the service point and the chandlery mooring were both now occupied, so we were glad we had gone to the chandlery yesterday.

Thank goodness CRT has suspended mooring opposite the water point.  It’s just before Braunston Turn and in the past it could be chaos with boats moored, others waiting for water, and more trying to pass - in both directions at once!

We went right at the turn, towards Napton Junction.

Can't resist a photo of these beautiful old bridges

We were glad there is a lot of tree cover on the first stretch as the sun was now blisteringly hot again.  There were plenty of boats on the move.

We found a patch of shade for a lunch stop.  It would have been a pleasant place to stay, but we didn’t; partly because Dave needs to fetch the car tomorrow from Springwood Haven so we want to be much closer to Calcutt marina, but also because the tree is a Crack Willow.  There have been enough trees down around the network recently because of the drought and heat, and crack willows have been known to, well, crack unexpectedly.

It was slow going as we wended our way towards Napton Junction.  There are plenty of good spots for mooring and lots of boats had taken advantage.  Add to that the stretches of permanent mooring and the constant stream of boats coming towards us, and we were in tickover as often as not.  Many of the boats on the move were Napton hirers who had just picked up their boats - with restrictions already in place on the South Oxford (and the Napton flight will close completely in three days' time) they all seemed to be going to Braunston instead.  We saw the boat in front of us turn towards Calcutt locks and thought good, we have a locking partner as we were now on the Grand Union with its double-width locks.  Even if a boat had been waiting for them, there was another behind us to pair up with, so we would all be making the best use of water.  Two boats had just come out of the top lock and in we slid, next to NB Polly Perkins, which also moors at Calcutt.

Bonjour with Pretty little Polly Perkins from Paddington Green, and I still have the tune in my head.

Two boats were coming up the middle lock and there were two more waiting in the third.  Everyone got everything right and no-one got stuck on the offside mud in the bottom pound.

You can see the reeds sticking up to the left of the picture.  A wide expanse of mud is often exposed when a lockful of water is taken from the  pound.

We moored where we had been told when I called the marina the other day – a perfect reverse into the slot, having to pass the other boat already moored on this double-length pontoon - only to have to move again once we had checked in at the office.  But with little wind it was easy enough, and now we can see boats moving along the canal.  Unfortunately most of the marina has terrible reception for phones even if you stand outside your boat, and we have never been able to get a wifi signal here either, not on the marina wifi, our boat wifi nor even by tethering a phone.  We did manage to book a taxi for the morning.  It’s likely to be wet and it’s a mile to the bus stop so Dave would like to start the journey dry!

Braunston bangers for tea, mmm.

6½ miles, 3 locks.