I was woken by strong sun through the porthole.
Certainly better than the hammering rain on the cabin roof yesterday morning.
I am up and rearing to go on this lovely morning and I am off at 07.08am. This is my earliest start.
I have planned a long day…………….aiming to get to the bottom of the Napton Flight and maybe Braunston.
I leave Fenny Compton and continue on my journey on the lockless summit.
There are a total of 11 miles in all. Although, I did some of these lockless miles yesterday.
It is a lonely trip. There were bend after bend as the canal tightly hugs the contour.
The scenery was stunning. Grazing flocks of sheep, some young horses and loads of wheat fields.
I did not see a moving boat until I had been travelling for 1 hour 40 minutes
Water levels on the summit is always limited and I knew there was frequently little water under the boat. Infact you could see we were down about a foot of water!
The Napton Flight consists of nine locks with a total drop of 55 feet and 3 inches.
There were problems at Napton Bottom Lock British Waterways were concerned about the water and one of the operatives was on hand trying to make some sort of adjustments. I arrived at 09.38am and he kindly helped me through the first two locks.
The flight starts at Marston Doles and the top lock also bears this name. It was an amazing journey down the flight. I had help in seven of the nine locks so I made very very good time. This was 2 hours and 41 minutes. I think it was different going the other ways as there were sometimes three or four boats waiting for the lock.
Throughout the trip down through the locks Napton was bathed in sunshine
Soon after the Napton Flight comes Napton Junction. Unusually for canal turns there is a signpost. I decide not to head for Warwick and Birmingham and to head back for London via Braunston.
On the way to Braunston I stopped at Napton Narrowboats for diesel and emptying the Elsan. The staff
were really helpful especially in assisting to get Hallmark backward facing on to the fuel pontoon.
The trip from Napton to Braunston was longer than expected. Much of it is through open country with hills on the east. There were loads and loads of moving boats and so there was lots of slowing and passing.
You finally come to the Braunston Turn, a triangular junction with twin Horseley Iron work towpath bridges. Left takes the Oxford Canal towards Rugby and right goes to the tunnel and London via the Grand Union.
After the turn I began to look for a mooring for the night. It was a bit late for such a busy busy place. So busy that some people call this stretch down to the tunnel as the M25 of canals.
Everywhere appears full…………..sometimes two boats deep. But then I see the Boat House Inn and in front a couple of empty moorings. I check with a waitress whether I can stop. She says ‘of course, as long as you are eating and drinking here tonight’. I moor up and I am in for my first half!
After a 'swift' half I weent back to do some tidying up...........
It was then time for evening meal.
The Boat House Inn was incredibly busy and the staff were reassuring about how long the order would take. The food was reasonable nothing like as good as the one in Thrupp on day one on the Oxford!
I went back to Hallmark to do some more planning and to get out the brass lamp for the trip through the 2042 yard tunnel. I was just sitting back and there was a phone call from Maggie amazingly she was standing on the tow path outside Hallmark. I was not expecting her until 8.00am on Thursday! We wnet back to the pub to celebrate her arrival and joining the cruise for a few days.
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