We wanted to chug through the tunnel with as few boaats around as possible!
Maggie took the helm and we headed up towards the Braunston Flight of six locks that would take up 35 feet and six inches to the famous tunnel I was excited and aprehensive!.
As you would expect by such an important canal centre there were loads of moored boats lining both side of the cut. There were also lots of old building related to canal industry new and old.
There appeared to be lots of boats waiting at Braunston Bottom Lock but infact they were moored overnight in the lock approach and Hallmark made its way alongside the front boat which and out came Audrey of Fiery Elias . She would be ready in ten minutes and with her crew she would join us on the flight.
So we had a really good climb through the six wide Grand Union style locks. They seem so wide after the narrow 7 foot ones on the Oxford. Maggie sterred Hallamrk and I did the gates with Audrey.
As we cam out of the Top Lock we were at the tunnel entrance.
Hallmark’s spot light and navigation lights were on and we followed Fiery Elias into the long long tunnel. It was dark drippy and smelt very smokey. We met five boats coming in the other direction but Maggie’s steering was brilliant .
After the tunnel we were back in the open countryside looking north to Welton.
Before too long we were at Norton Junction which is the turn onto the Leicester section of the Grand Union. Audrey and her boat turned here heading for Crick.
We were heading now the short distance to the top of the Buckley Flight (seven locks dropping 63 feet) We moored up after a short day near The New Inn.
Maggie’s car was still in Braunston so out came the Bromptons and we cycled back along the tow path and over the top of the tunnel to get it!
We had a great meal to finish off the day at the New Inn at Buckley Top Lock. This is the home of the famous Buckley Can which canal people of old used for carrying their water. The inn was has a resident ghost called Matilda who sits in the bar at table 11. By all account history says that it was Matilda who painted designs on the orginal cans. We did not see any ghosts but the food was amazing! The Desperate Dan steak pie will take some beating!
The evening had another highlight. We decided to walk of our great meal by checking out some of the locks down the flight. One the way we met George a wonderful 1926 working boat and what a great Bolinger engine it. Its owner was very willing to talk about the family boat which his dad had acquired in the 1960s. George was off for a family holiday with the two children sleeping in bunks where the cargo went!.
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