An uneventful day…..

We had a pleasant and uneventful day’s cruising today, no rammings or bum cleavages to report.  We set off around 9.30 am from Norton Junction and made good time to Watford Locks.  No delays here, we were straight up the first 2 locks and then just a few minutes wait for the first of the staircase for a boat coming down.  The ‘lockie’, Phil, was a chatty sort, and accompanied us up the staircase – I had the tiller as it was about time Rog did some work!  These locks are always a real pleasure to work, after the horrible ones in the Buckby flight.  I allowed Rog to drive the boat into the last lock, as it was a bit windy!  We made full use of the ‘felicities’ at the top to fill with water, dump rubbish and other ‘unmentionables’, and were on our way just after 12.30.

In the last lock at Watford

Next was Crick tunnel, and we only met one boat when we were almost through.  His headlight was broken and he was shining a torch down the side of the boat, although we could see him perfectly well.  Crick itself was quite busy with moored boats, almost all the visitor moorings were taken.  Then out into the quiet and peaceful countryside.  We had a slow trip for a while as parts of the canal are very overgrown, passage reduced to a single boat’s width in some places – of course we met one coming the other way in the narrowest section!

One of the narrower bits

We are moored now in probably one of my most favourite mooring spots on the whole system – just below Downtown Hill.  It’s a lovely spot – this is the third time we’ve moored here and it’s always empty – goodness knows why?  Not much of a view from the mooring itself, but from the bridge just behind us you can see for miles!

That’s Windsong in the centre of the picture

One view from the bridge

Another view a little further over, with the reservoir and wind farm in the distance.

 

And lastly, Ozzy seems to have settled! 

13.2 miles and 7 locks