Although it rained overnight and was threatened for today, we had quite pleasant weather, some blue sky spells, dry apart from five minutes and still remarkably warm. We did not plan going very far today, so that worked out correctly!
Just as we were lazily thinking about moving off, a boat came down the top lock and so we offered to share with them. Not that it mattered about saving water as the problem today was too much.
However, at the third lock a single-hander heard about the first boat from the volunteer lock keepers and waited with the gates open. This meant that we were back on our own again. The lockies then told us that two boats were already sharing behind us.
Lock 9 looked great in newly-arrived sunshine but there is a worrying gap opening up behind the coping stones along the edge of the lock - let's hope that it is repaired before it joins Wolverhampton and Aylesbury we collapsed walls.
Dark and varied clouds mixed with deep blue patches made for some tremendous backdrops to the canal.
Alongside the bottom lock, almost hidden in the bushes, is a seat decorated in the style of a narrowboat and with the names Forget Me Not and Sarah Jane. No doubt someone will know the story . . .
As well as having a queue, the excess water meant that each lock took longer to fill and empty than usual, especially one which only had one bottom paddle operational. Altogether, it took two hours and 20 minutes for us to complete the six remaining locks in the flight (we did the top lock yesterday)
Leaving the Buckby locks behind us as well as Whilton Marina, we set off on the long pound. Our aim was to reach Weedon, only a short distance. It is possible that, as we have some spare time, we might take a bus into Northampton first thing tomorrow.
A pair of boats were moored just before Bridge 21.
A little later we passed Baltic, originally an icebreaker on the BCN, built around 1840 and converted in the late 1970's.
We pulled in to the side just before the A45 road bridge at Weedon for lunch. Christine noticed that the mushroom air vent in the bathroom looked as if it had leaked rain in during the night and Mike took a look outside. For a while we have been disappointed after the paint job two years ago that there was rust around this vent on the roof. As Mike dismantled it he found that one of the four bolts fixing it to the roof had sheared but been left in place, held only by the sealant. As a result, the vent had lifted partly away from the roof to allow water ingress. Rust was the inevitable consequence.
Mike cleaned around the opening as best as he could and then applied some red oxide primer paint. However, we must hope to track down a replacement brass bolt tomorrow as well as some suitable sealant. A plastic bag in the hole will have to suffice for tonight so let's hope it does not rain too heavily!
Mid afternoon we took a walk to the village - firstly down to the main cross roads (guess what: Crossroads Hotel!) as Christine remembered a garage with newspapers from a previous trip. It is obvious that this place was once an important location with many shops and several pubs. Alas, only some of the buildings once used as shops are still open, mostly concentrating on specialist stock as well as several antique shops.
From there we walked into the other part of the village which also was once much more vibrant than than the quiet sleepy place it is now. The church looked striking in the sunshine - we were envious of the attached modern meeting room which blends well with the historic building. Sadly, the church was locked so we could not see inside.
On the way back to the boat we came across Weedon Bec Pocket Park - an tiny oasis which was obviously a special project for a local group - let's hope it is well used.
We passed over the River Nene, much to small to be navigable at this stage, as it passed underneath the canal high on an embankment above. (The railing over the portal is the footpath and the canal is twice as high)
Back at the boat Mike set about completing the installation of a dual USB charging port to make it a little easier and neater to charge tablets and phones. At the moment mostly they add to the jumble alongside the table in the main cabin but this point is in a corner in the second bedroom. When we are on our own this section is often used for temporary store!
It may seem a very small thing but a lot of effort went into it to hide the power lead behind the panelling!
3.8 miles - 6 locks
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