Tuesday 7th July; Calcutt to beyond Lower Shuckborough
We seem to have timed our latest trip to coincide with the third heatwave of the year, oh dear. The boat was 35 degrees inside when we opened up so once the car was unpacked and the boat semi-sorted we left everything open and decamped to the office to collect our keys and get an ice-cream.
 |
| Calcutt bottom lock |
We paused in the marina entrance for a Stockton-bound hire boat to leave the bottom lock and the waiting Calcutt boat to get into it before we followed. Calcutt now runs RYA helming courses, and the steerer had been doing some training though we’re not sure if he works at the marina or just has his boat moored there. At the middle lock we left him to reverse-moor onto the wharf in the top pound, delighted his crew (one of the engineers) had opened the top lock ready for us. We were able to leave the top gate for a boat that had just come off the water-point and were finally on our way.
The sun was scorchingly hot, but with a slight breeze it was just about ok. We turned towards Braunston at Napton Junction, wondering how far we’d get before the heat beat us. There is some shady mooring near the junction but it is close to the fast and noisy A road that bypasses the village so we cracked on – slowly, as this is a busy stretch of waterway. We passed our old share boat, but there was nobody around to wave to.
 |
| We had a share on Padworth until we retired. It wasn't that colour then. |
There was a short stretch of Armco in a good patch of shade shortly before bridge 103 so we bagged it. Away across the next bend we could see Flecknoe Fields Farm, which we wanted to avoid as sometimes lorry movements start very early in the morning. But our spot was delightfully quiet and the coolest place we could be. All the hoppers on the shady side came out of course, but I was too hot and bothered to even think of blogging. I should have made the effort though, as the next night the signal wasn’t good enough to do more than check emails before it dropped again. When we went to bed one hopper on the water side stayed out, the side hatch was partially open and the sliding hatch slightly open too. And it was still hot.
3 miles, 3 locks
