Weekend at Stoke Bruerne then back to Gayton..

Today – Stoke Bruerne to Nr Gayton Junction, Grand Union Canal, 4miles 0 locks
Weekend – Moored Stoke Bruerne

Once Kiera had boarded the bus…

We settled at Stoke Bruerne for the weekend.. although arriving on Friday on the 48 hour mooring, technically we should have moved on Sunday at the same time.. the warden for the area had ‘clocked’ us on Saturday morning.. we decided to cheat the system and stay till Monday morning.. anyway if the warden had wanted us to move on Sunday we could have gone down a couple of locks and moored on the visitor moorings there.. it was empty.. enough room for maybe 30 boats there was.. but for only 24 hours!!  Sometimes I wonder at British Waterways..!

We had Sunday lunch at the Boat Inn.. firstly we went to the restaurant.. a fine affair built onto the original Boat Inn, but at £20 a head for a two course Sunday lunch was a bit above what we normally would like to pay, so we opted for a ‘bar Sunday lunch’ at £6.95 in the pub itself.. anyway the atmosphere was better!

Pulled the pins today to return through the tunnel.. had to reverse back to the turning point about 200yds behind our mooring.. that took at bit of time, and I let a boat past to enter the tunnel ahead.. “I’ll give you a ten minute start”.. ha, not particularly for his reassurance, but for mine!!.. didn’t tell him that though!

Looked at the watch… 10, 9, 8, 7, etc… go!!

My normal speed through the tunnel.. flat out.  Can’t see the point in being in there any longer than necessary… of course if there is a boat coming then I would slow right down.. but…….

I had been in the tunnel 15 minutes and caught up the narrowboat that went through before me… oh it scared me.. there was also a boat coming the other way and my eyes were playing tricks on me.. this guy had actually stopped to wait for the boat to pass.. I had to go in major reverse to stop hitting him!.. the boat coming the other way was a good 5 minutes getting to us..

More boats coming the opposite way.. more stupid tactics… I shouted at him in the end to keep his boat moving.. at a tickover speed we exited the tunnel, and as he moored at Blisworth I vented my nervous frustration at him…

I do wish the weather would warm a little.. I lost my friend, my walking stick of 5 years, last week… today I found it.. more of that tomorrow