Stupidity at Stoke Bruerne

Giffard Park turned out to be a much better mooring than we had expected it to be. It was very peaceful, and the towing-path was little used. There was open parkland opposite us, and quiet housing next to us on our side. It was clean and tidy. We've marked it as a favourite on our map.

It was flipping cold that night. 11° C in the cabin when we woke up. Thank goodness for the stove! It was milder when we left Giffard Park, but got progressively colder as the day got older. With no locks until the one at Cosgrove, I had time to enjoy the serene beauty of the canal; wide, peaceful, lined on one side by full leaf and early flower, and farmland on the other. Duck mothers were out with their ducklings, moorhens with their chicks, and herons on the lookout for feathery breakfasts. Have vegans ever noticed that a lot of birds are not vegan? Many other animals, too. Hmmm. It's sort of letting the side down, isn't it?

At Cosgrove Lock there was a goose nest, cordoned off by some thoughtful soul to keep idiots away. Mum was sitting, and raised one wing as I approached, to reveal several goslings nestled there in a yellow huddle, on display to be adored by enchanted onlookers.

We had intended to moor at Yardley Gobion for the night, and to visit the ancient church and its village, but we couldn't remember if there's any decent mooring there, so we played safe and stopped a couple of miles before, where mooring was good. It was a lovely, remote spot. We thought that perhaps we'd stop off at Gobion if we could when we moved on the next day.

It wasn't as cold the next morning as it had been the day before. It was all of 12° in the boat. We donned multiple layers of clothing against the chill and ambled up to Stoke Bruerne. We didn't stop at Yardley Gobion. We didn't want to delay our arrival at Stoke Bruerne and risk not finding a mooring there. We'll visit the village by car another time.

The five locks at Stoke Bruerne were easy going. There was no other boat to share with, and no vollies in sight. There were several very interested gongoozlers, however, and a lot of conversation most of the way up.

But my enjoyment of the day was very nearly ruined by an couple of elderly tandemists. While I was filling one of the locks, the pair of them crossed the top gates carrying their old (and therefore heavy) tandem bike. They were hindered by the paddle mechanisms and, ironically, the handrail. The top of the gate was too narrow for them to wheel it across, so they manhandled it across, slowly and very precariously. If I'd seen them start I'd have stood in their way and insisted they cycled on to the nearest bridge, but they were half-way across when I saw them. I was too alarmed to think to take photos apart from this one, snapped as they stepped down. It could so easily have resulted in a fatal accident.

Shaken but not stirred, we carried on to tie up below lock 15, next to the Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve, then hurried up to the wharf for some much-needed lunch. The wharf was unsurprisingly full of Bank Holiday visitors, and The Boat Inn was packed, so we had to wait forty minutes for our food. But it was well worth the wait!

 

Spring has sprung

Tuesday morning was distinctly cold, so we set out very well wrapped. At least it wasn't raining. The smiles on our faces were widened as we passed the boat with the best name - Jeriatrix! It was a lazy day for me. There were no locks, so I had plenty of time to watch the passing countryside. Spring is in more than just the air. Blackthorn blossom, Marsh Marigolds, daffodils, lambs and calves all displayed under a blue sky and bright sun. I wouldn't have called it warm, though! We made only slow progress because of the large number of moored boats we passed, but we were in no hurry.

We were through Blisworth Tunnel (1¾ miles long) in 25 minutes. Strangely, the sign outside both portals say that that is the average passage time. We've know people take 45 minutes and more, so the fastest must be ballistic! Arriving in sunny Stoke Bruerne, we moored and settled down for a quiet afternoon while the temperature rose.

It was a chilly morning we awoke to, though, but the wharf was beautiful under the bright sun. It really is a lovely place to relax in.

While Grace did some painting I went for a walk. First of all up to the tunnel and across the top of it...

I had intended to walk to the other end of it, along the road that would have been taken by the boat horses back on the day, while their barges were being legged through the tunnel - a 1½  hour job! However, when it joined a main road I couldn't see where it continued on the other side, so I turned back and carried on down the lock flight.

After a couple of pints and a very good lunch at The Boat, we relaxed and enjoyed an afternoon doing very little, but being very content.