Sunday 14 August 2011

Welford to Foxton…

Yesterday morning we left Welford for Foxton.  It was another damp and mizzley morning, with the promise of sunshine later.  We had an uneventful morning, apart from some idiot we met at a bridge.  We spotted him and went immediately into reverse well before he saw us.  On doing so he sounded his horn very aggressively, (not the ‘Oops,  have you seen me’  type beep, more the ‘Get out of my bloody way, I’m coming through and and bugger you’ type beeeeep) and continued coming at high speed through the bridge, straight for us.  Rog had to reverse hard to avoid him hitting us!  Then he had the cheek to smile sweetly as he zoomed past us.  Needless to say, he got the ‘Pippy Death Stare’!  I managed to keep my comments to myself until he was out of ear-shot!  We arrived at Foxton in one piece, and moored up behind the Chandlery boat.

SDC11195We could see a long way when we got the chance in between the trees which line the towpath on this stretch

SDC11196A little work need with a chainsaw here

This morning we started down Foxton Locks at about 9 am to get to the bottom before the gongoozlers arrived and we had to fend off stupid questions.  We didn’t have to queue, but there were two boats in front of us and one coming the other way, whom we passed in the centre pound.  I was at the helm at the bottom, and totally cocked up the turn towards the swing bridge onto the Harborough Arm.  In my defence, there was a boat moored very close to the lock, waiting to go up.  Anyway, I managed to turn without hitting him, so that’s a bonus (I don’t usually do that sort of manoeuvring as I’m not very good at it!)  We moored up just into the Harborough Arm and walked back up the locks to treat ourselves to breakfast from the cafe.  The locky said I did very well in the locks, but I could only have one sausage as I cocked up the turn!  I threatened to insert my windlass without anaesthetic, somewhere that the sun doesn’t shine!  He laughed and said that someone did that to him last week, and he liked it!  I have to admit that I called a halt to the conversation at that point!

It has been a very busy weekend here at Foxton, plenty of boats, and lots of people as it’s ‘Buskers Weekend’.  Some buskers much better than others!

Tomorrow we are heading to Debdale Marina to leave the boat for a few days while we check out a few house to rent near Market Harborough.  We will de-camp to Mum’s in Northampton so we can leave Cassie with her during the day then we won’t have to worry about leaving her alone on the boat for too long.

SDC11197Nice and quiet when we started down the locks this morning

SDC11201Little plant struggling to grow halfway down a lock wall

SDC11204Really leaky gates to one to the locks in the staircase

SDC11205Just about to enter the last lock

Saturday 8.7 miles and 1 lock

Sunday 0.3 miles and 10 locks

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