A little bit cooler today, but not much. It was even quite warm when I took Macc for his early walk.
We left our shady mooring at about 8.45. This reach really has no flow on it at all, so big islands of weed are building up.
On the approach to Bablock Hythe, there’s a massive caravan park. The early bits look more spaciously laid out than the more recent sections.
Northmoor Lock was on self service, and there was a boat in the lock coming down. We think it was a boat we also passed at a lock on the Wey several weeks ago. When we went in, Adrian did the paddles and gates which are all manual at this end of the river.
Along the next reach there’s a skinny footbridge, and we also saw a very smart launch which judging by the name, Empress Electra, is probably electric.
Newbridge Is apparently actually the second-oldest bridge on the river. There are pubs on both sides, one upstream and one downstream.
Beyond the bridge there are some tight bends and also some places where the trees are right out into the river. I was glad we were a narrowboat and not a widebeam; some of the places had barely enough room for us to get through, especially when the river twists and turns so much you can’t be sure which way you’ll be turning next!
We passed another boat we’ve seen a fair bit of, Cazza, at one of the better places. We shared the Stoke Bruerne locks with him way back just after Crick, then also saw him in Berkhamsted, Little Venice, and somewhere on the Wey. At Shifford Lock, the sign said a lockie was on duty but we couldn’t see one so Adrian went to investigate. There was a boat to come down, and then we could go up. This lock is relatively deep, but looks even deeper because of the big wooden risers.
As we went up, Adrian asked about the mooring on the lock island. The lockie said it was free but that electric boats have priority. Adrian said we were electric, although we didn’t need to plug in because we were already back up to 100 per cent. The lockie said there’s technically a charge for the mooring, but during the lock restrictions people are being allowed to moor on lock landings overnight at the moment, so he said he didn’t feel he could impose a charge on the other mooring. We filled with water at the tap, and then reversed into the weir stream. At first we thought we’d have to go round a moored Environment Agency boat, but there didn’t seem to any space after it. Adrian went to ask the lock keeper, who admitted he’d failed to spot that the EA boat had returned! We’ve ended up moored outside it, which isn’t ideal but it’s a nice spot.
After lunch, Adrian spotted a widebeam heading for the lock and recognised the name, Cobwebs Afloat. It’s owned by a now retired BA captain that Adrian flew with once and who we also met at the Crick Show last year. He dashed out to say hello, and then Mark and Neil stopped on the lock landing below the lock to come and have a look at KV. Then we went to look at their boat, which is 60ft long and 12ft 6in wide and built by ColeCraft. They tend to moor up for a week at a time, so we may see them again on our way back.
The lock island has a nice orchard, so we’ve spent time this afternoon sitting outside in the shade of the trees. The lockie also said to help ourselves to apples and plums, so we’ve got a bit of a stash in the fruit bowl.
9 miles, 2 locks, free mooring. (99 miles, 37 locks, £124.50)