t was a short run up to the tunnel, the last part is in a deep cutting.. At the Blisworth end the entrance is blue brick whilsts at the Stoke Bruene end its red matching the local brickwork.
This was to be my first long tunnel. Blisworth at 3067 yards (about one and a half miles) is the third longest navigable in England. The longest is Dudley and Netherton second.) Like Braunston Tunnel it is two way.
I was really apprehensive and needed convincing I would be able to steer straight enough and keep Hallmark from bumping the starboard side all the way through. I was totally useless at first and Hallmark’s side seemed to thump … thump ….. thump for the first 50 yards (or more) I was worried about an approaching boat which must have been a good half mile away. With great encouragement from Captain Byte I finalised understood I need to place Hallmark in the centre of the ‘tough’ and steer straight. And when an approaching boat got say 15 yards away to slow right down and move over to the starboard edge. Once I got this it was ‘relatively easy’ although it took enormous concentration. Passing the one boat we met was far simplier than I ‘feared’ and there was no bump.
Going through the tunnel was extremely tiring and the last 400 yards needed lots of concentration. The light at the end got larger and larger and brighter and brighter and then we were out. Hallmark with Pugwash at the helm had made it!. Great!
Stoke Bruerne was bustling with life within 20 yards of the tunnel exit.
How sleepy and peace Blisworth at the other end seemed!
There were narrow boats closely moored on both sides and boats coming the other way. The one ‘chance’ of a collision was avoided ………………
Soon the cut widened and there was the famous Canal Museum with a café, three pubs (one with a sort of shop) and a canal shop which did not seem to have ‘much stuff’
Our plan was not to stop and press on down the Stoke Bruerne flight of seven locks and stop beyond the bottom lock. All went to plan.
We did the first three locks with a boat from Battlebridge Basin in Islington which was bound for Milton Keynes and the last four with a recently purchased boat heading for Uxbridge.
We had an excellent non-eventful trip down the flight.which drops 40 foot in all. The gate at lock 16 was badly damaged and was being operated by British Waterways (to be fixed early next week)
The middle three locks are really close together and luckily no one was coming up and it was only a question of a ‘light fill’ to top up the leaks!
We moored up as planned about 200 yards from Stoke Bruerne Bottom Lock and had a great breakfast!
We then had a clear-up and did a bit of packing. This was because Captain Byte was going back to London by a much faster route
We then went back up the flight on foot (me) or on one of the Bromptons to visit the museum and have a cuppa in the café.
Sadly it was time for me to go solo again………………..
But it was so great to have totally competent crew aboard for a few night!
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