Nearly blown back to Napton

Wednesday 20^th May; Napton Adkins to past Ladder bridge (the radio mast mooring)

It’s a quiet spot here and we awoke to some dry weather at last, though the towpath was still very wet.  We left for Napton Adkins lock at about 9.20.  Once we had got past the end of the bushes on the offside we could see who had been our neighbours overnight.

Good morning

Once we had gone round the bend we could see where the towpath works were.  New Armco has been fitted to the lock landing and beyond, but it’s currently unusable as there is a lot of infill to be added before it is fit for use.

It’s quite a distance to the last two locks at Marston Doles so I got back on the boat.  Both the locks needed turning (emptying) but the gear and gates were easy enough and we were soon up.  The water point at the top was free so we stopped for a top-up and to get the kettle on.

Connaught Historic Racing is still here.  The Reliant Scimitar is centre stage (almost) as we used to have one.

I steered for a while so Dave could give Jess a walk.  He was wearing shorts but I was well wrapped up and still cold in the strong headwind.  Well it was a headwind at times but the canal is quite bendy along here so it was a case of constant adjustment of the tiller.  Every time I tried to take a photo or even have a sip of coffee I lost my line, the wind was so strong.  I was a little concerned about bridge 122 – it’s on a bend and we have noted on our Nicholson’s ‘line up early’ – but I couldn’t get round far enough and ended up having to deploy reverse gear to avoid hitting the bridge.  The second approach was fine thank goodness and I didn’t make contact with anything.  Once Dave was back steering I could take some photos. 

The lambs are growing up.  Their mum has lost chunks of her fleece, I think they sometimes lose it from the stress of feeding two growing youngsters

Around bridge 125 we started to wonder when we would see evidence of the HS2 works.  Way across the fields to our right we could see our destination – the radio mast, still 2 twisty canal miles away.  We got to the U-shape and once we had switched to be travelling west we started to see the HS2 works. 

Nicholson’s extract

The viaduct isn’t here though – the line passes close to the water where the canal bends to the north, and then goes off across the fields.

This must be an ‘accommodation tunnel’ so the farmer can get access to the fields again once the work is done.  One day.

Waterway Routes shows that the crossing is next to bridge 128.  We knew that one of the two temporary work bridges had recently been removed as delays were notified in the stoppage notices.

The viaduct is now in place but it’s not joined to anything yet

We left the wasteland behind and made for the mast.  This is one of the loveliest moorings on the system, peaceful, open, views – enjoy it while you can folks, HS2 will be running just a few hundred yards away in eleven years’ time… maybe… it said on the radio yesterday it would be operational in 2037, or maybe a year or two later.  What a monumental waste of our money.  We’ll be in our mid to late 80s by then and quite probably no longer boating independently. 

Anyway, there was plenty of room to moor, and although a couple more boats arrived to join the few already there it wasn’t at all crowded.  Our neighbours spent some time staring across the fields to the HS2 line through a gap in the hedge.  I took Jess for a walk later on.  The towpath is narrow and uneven and at one point I nearly fell in.

Moored in the distance

We had heard sedge warblers, a yellowhammer and seen a reed bunting while we cruised today.  While Dave was cooking I caught sight of an unusual shape flying away over the hill.  Could it possibly have been a barn owl?  Yes it could – it flew straight past on the offside a little while later, a lovely sight.

3 locks, 4½ miles, HS2 (boo), a barn owl (hurray!)