Tunnels and locks and Dave is my hero

Away nice and early today...straight into the dark. Braunston tunnel opened in 1796 and is 2042 yards long, with a sort of an S bend in the middle. Long and damp, but at least not as drippy as Blissworth. Strange to start the morning in the depths, but how lovely to emerge into the light. ( Oh there was more singing...love the acoustics 😆). We emerge at Braunston top lock...6 locks in this flight. Happily there were many hands locking through and we had lots of assistance. The holiday boats are now in evidence. Luckily we only encountered the one boat full of drunken yahoos...gods help them not drown.
Through Braunston with its iron sided bridges and the 18C dry dock...pretty as a picture...and past a place I hold in high regard. A lovely boat called Gongoozerlers Rest which is fitted out as a Cafe. It holds my regard for two reasons. Firstly, when Dave and I were talking about buying a boat I found a series of books by Maree Brown about moving onto a narrowboat with her family...she mentioned this cafe and recommended the bacon butty (awesome!), And secondly, it was the first place I had heard the term gongoozerler. It means someone who watches canal boats...l think the term marvelous and such good fun to say.
We turned under one of the bridges onto the Braunston puddle banks...a later addition to the canal ...and headed to Napton Junction where we would say goodbye to the Grand Union Canal and Hello to the Oxford Canal.
He he he...today's giggle place name is Flecknoe...gonna use that one!

Heading to Napton are long stretches of countryside...quiet and beautiful...Augusta chugged away till lunchtime with nary a care, then Napton on the Hill came into view. So many boats, such big marinas! Then...another flight of locks.
The Napton locks are single locks...room for one boat...just. New for us and with me not on par Dave was about to become lock master. 9 single locks, managed singlehandedly and of course in the pouring rain...HERO!!!
Sidenote...arthritis has wrecked my hands today...can barely hold a cup of tea...so after the morning locks I was benched for being elderly. Which was fine with me until I saw the Napton locks. Guilt and Panadol weren't enough however....so three cheers for my badger husband!!!

A few bridges later and an isolated mooring for the night discovered, day 3 of the adventure ends. Hot shower, pasta for dinner, a beer or three, and an early night.

Tunnels and rain and the man who called me flower

Day 2 in our cruise began late. Not only because I'm still in the naughty corner, but because some other numpty ( not me), had left a lock open and drained the pound. So a nice man from Canal and River Trust was running water through the flight and we had to wait. Dave loves to wait. He did take some photos though and talked to dogs (which is one of his super powers). So we didn't get away until after 10. Still we got through the last couple of locks and headed to the Blissworth Tunnel.

The Blissworth Tunnel is 3057 yards long, the third longest, completed in 1805 and boats were legged through. There's just enough room for two narrowboats to pass...just. The acoustics are spectacular...we sang The Tunnel Tigers and Poison Train ( for the "there's a light" chorus goodness) a couple of times even.
 Tunnels are wet. This one is full of leaks, showers of pouring water at fairly regular intervals, cold and unexpected random water. Took us about half an hour to get to the other side. Very glad to see the light again.
Rural England loveliness followed...even lovely when damp and showery. More place names that tickled me...Bugbrooke, Netherlands Heyford, and Weedon Beck ....
A highlight for us was going past Rugby Boats. We spent months watching their video sales...drooling over narrowboats, deciding what we would buy. A bit surreal to see it in real life.

There was one more surreal moment for me today. For just a small section I could see the A5 (the old Roman road), then the train line, the canal and then the motorway...1800 years of transportation, all running together. I think we had the best bit.

Now the bit of the day I wasn't looking forward to...Buckby locks climbing upward to Norton Junction. Of course now the damp and drizzle turned to heavy rain...of course it did. I  was let out of the boat briefly to assist with the locks (after a mobile and walkie talkie check). At the bottom lock we met a lovely couple who offered to lock through with us...half the wok...yes please. Oh youth and energy...vigour and vim...l was so happy to let you do the work.
"let me do that flower", "you all right there flower?". " Oh flower...why don't you get back on the boat and let me do this for you"
I love the man who called me flower. I got out of the pouring rain and muddy slippery towpath. I hope I meet another man who calls me something charmingly English. Preferably before Braunston locks in the morning but definitely before Napton locks in the evening.
Wish me luck

Dumb decision and a long wet walk

So...Day 1 of our travels started off with sunshine melting the frost from the jetty, and a good bump into the canal. It felt quite wonderful to be on our way nice and early.

We cruised gently through Milton Keynes, past Great Linford and Wolverton and names that make my Australian head giggle with delight, such as Thrupp and Yardley Gobion. Once past Cosgrove lock, the canal winds through pastures and fields....tiny lambs bleating, protesting the noise of our passing, and all manner of water birds gliding out of our path.the rain came 

However!

It was a day of distinct halves.

We got to our first flight of locks at Stoke Bruerne and I ended up on the wrong side of the towpath Now...instead of sensibly walking back to the bottom lock to cross to the side I needed to be on, I thought..."I will just keep walking ahead...they'll be a place further down" oh dear!

All of a sudden I am walking down the A508 and the canal is nowhere to be seen. I've already walked for half a mile and the sign says another half a mile to the top lock at Stoke Bruerne. Okay I thought...I'll get to the top and wait for Augusta and Dave. 

Oh so dumb

The rain buckets down

Soaked to the bone

I sit on a bench and wait.

And wait

And wait

Meanwhile poor Dave has not continued to lock through. I have disappeared. He goes walking trying to find me. Friendly boaters try to find me. I am lost. Dave is getting very worried and eventually tries calling the police.

By now the rain has stopped, I'm freezing and wet and getting worried myself. So I begin to walk back down the towpath to be met with "are you Lonnie? Your husband is very concerned " oh God's! I am so embarrassed and ashamed. What a dumb dumb move.

Dave only shouts for a little while.

I am grounded.

Not allowed off the boat without phone or walkie talkie...or perhaps a leash.

Still warm and dry now...tea and dinner in front of the fire.

Fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow.

Augusta Dave and Me

Today's the last day at Peartree Bridge Marina, where we have been moored since we bought our Narrowboat Augusta. Milton Keynes had been convenient, not ideal by any means, but easy. A good place to wait while we worked out visas and intentions. Now it's time to move forward and start our real adventure.

We chose Thames and Kennet marina outside Reading as our next home. Close enough to London for Dave's work but closer to friends and family. Surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary, close to lots of interesting boating destinations and most importantly away from the motorway and sirens of Milton Keynes.

Now to put our adventure into some context....
To drive from Milton Keynes to Reading is a journey of under two hours by car...by narrowboat we will cruise for about seven hours a day for eight days.
Augusta will cover 73 locks, 22 moveable bridges, 9 small aqueducts and 2 tunnels on the Grand Union Canal onto the Oxford Canal and from there onto the Thames.
Phew!

Now a little bit of information about Augusta
Augusta is a traditional stern, 62 foot long 7 foot wide narrowboat, built by Stoke on Trent with a Russell Newbury DM2 engine. She makes the most marvelous chugging sound as we cruise at around 2 miles an hour. She provides us with all the comforts of home but we haven't done much real boating beyond a few scattered weekends and the odd day trip. This adventure will be our first real journey.

Dave is excited to be cruising soon and is doing all the last minute running around. Not the least of which is moving the car to Reading today. It's raining here of course, so traffic will be an issue then he will train back to Milton Keynes. I expect to see him back by early evening.
I'm excited as well....new sights to be seen, new canals and more of the glory that is England in the Spring. I still have a few things to do to be ready...l want to be ship shape for travel...so more storing bits and bobs, sorting through odds and sods, and doing the last bits of shopping.
Fueled up and ready to go in the morning.
Let's hope that it stops raining.