Weedon Weed

We took Patience for her last trip of the season, heading for Weedon to see the fire engine collection. Unfortunately that seems to have moved to Hampshire since we last visited. More details here.
Nevertheless we set off on a cold morning, warmed by the sun as it emerged and with the leaves turning and falling into the canal our passage to Crick was very tranquil - with one exception.
John noticed that the ammeter wasn't showing its usual reading which suggested the batteries were not being correctly charged. After a while scratching our heads and pondering awful possibilities the fridge, briefly silenced, started up automatically and the ammeter now gave its normal reading.
What happened was that because the fridge was left on when the battery was switched off, when we switched the batteries on again the fridge safety switch had been triggered to protect the batteries being run down. After 15 minutes it started up again on its own and we have solved the mystery. Our fridge is too clever for us!
Next day, even colder and now overcast, we go through Crick tunnel and join the queue at Watford, noting that water shortages are restricting opening hours to 10am to 3pm. No problem for us in this direction, but we'll have to take care coming back up. Through the heavy double width locks at Buckby we pause at Whilton Marina for a valuation of Patience while we consider whether our time with Patience is drawing to a close. Mr Steele is very optimistic about her and of course we know she's a reliable boat. Maybe after nine years of ownership it's time for a change.
Further south there are obvious signs of towpath work: grass mixes with leaves and twigs across the canal. And it is this, we think, that causes us to slow down as we approach Weedon. The first warning sign is when, after keeping up with an elderly lady stumbling down the towpath, we find we are falling behind, even while the prop goes round faster our progress gets slower. After a bit of a panic, revving the engine back and forth a few times and clearing a few stray weeds from the prop, we set off at a regular speed, convinced it was weed at Weedon. Shortly afterwards I spy a sign saying dredging is to be carried out in the area, which seems to confirm that the cause was weed plus shallow water. Beware the area around Weedon!
We feed well at the Chef and Brewer, "proper" pubs seeming to be short on food, and next morning set off before breakfast to ensure we can pass through the flights at Buckby and Watford in good time, given their restricted opening.
Our previous diagnosis is confirmed as we pass sluggishly through a mile or so north of Weedon before picking up speed again.

Here Nebulae is twinned as both boats head through the double width locks at Buckby.

We arrive at Watford bottom lock at 12.30 and start up at 1pm. The lock keeper says that last entry is at 3.15 but that yesterday it was so busy that people arriving at 2pm didn't make it through and so didn't start in until 10am this morning! And there's nothing to do overnight at Watford top lock!

Here we are at the edge of the pound half way up the Watford flight.

Fortunately we emerge and arrive at Crick for 2.30 where we rest overnight.
Next day is easy travel over familiar territory and we pass the Welford arm to pop in to North Kilworth for a top up of fuel and a final pump out for the year. The new marina is filling up with boats, but Welford is still our home and it's with some regret that we load up the car with perishables and bedding before winter maintenance.

Relaxed return

The out bound journey is chronicled here. The return to Welford from Napton boasted new crew, with wife Jenny and brother in law Peter tackling the locks while Duncan was at the helm.
Dropping off the second car at Napton was made easy by the good people at Crossroads Garage (thank you!) on the Shuckburgh Road at Napton, who let us park for a few days in their forecourt in return for a donation to Air Ambulance, while we took to the canal. Our temporary mooring was by Bridge 110 just 5 minutes walk away, so we carried our stuff and set off straight after an onboard lunch.
And so just a couple of hours later we made our entrance to Braunston. Torn between mooring in the main line or knocking off a few locks to make tomorrow's work easier we first took in the sights of the marina then compromised and went through three locks to moor above The Admiral.
As a useful aside it's worth pointing out that some of the Braunston locks have ground paddles as well as gate paddles. The former are very stiff and hard to work. For those unaccustomed to them the idea is to avoid a surge of water by opening the ground paddles gradually - ideally the paddle opposite the boat first, if there is only a single boat in the lock. You then reassess the situation before completely opening the ground paddles. Don't use the gate paddles until the boat is above their level. This should avoid water in your bow. Here's a gate paddle when the water was very low at Braunston.

Unfortunately The Admiral is not currently serving cooked food on Monday or Tuesday so apart from a few drinks we couldn't give them our custom; otherwise we found ourselves in a good spot.

Lock Keepers' cabin, Watford flight top lock

Next day was a bit more like hard work, with the remaining three locks and the tunnel at Braunston, then turning at Norton junction, the usual queue at Watford locks followed by the staircase, and finally Crick tunnel to moor at Crick itself. A full day.
An evening meal at the Red Lion (excellent fish crumble) finished off a good day.

On our third day we headed straight up the Leicester line and down the arm to Welford, finally driving back to Napton taking both cars back home.
We all enjoyed a relaxed three day trip in very good weather (no rain) and I think we converted Peter to narrow boating. He'll certainly be invited again!

Welford to Crick

Tuesday 23rd September and there is still warmth in the sun and energy in our bones. On a pleasant day for late September we make an uneventful journey from Welford to Crick in 4 1/2 hours.
There is time to reflect (ho ho) on watery things, such as Pink Floyd's new album "The Endless River" and Peter Ackroyd's meandering book "Thames - Sacred River". Of which more later.

We take an evening stroll up the prominent Crack's Hill (a glacial moraine), from which there are extensive views, then on to The Red Lion in Crick. On our last visit the place was crammed and hot, then we were soaked in a deluge while returning to the boat. This time we chose from a good range of food and Adnam's beer in pleasant surroundings, busy though not too much so, puzzled only by their decision to charge Debit as well as Credit card users an extra 50p - and their website which seems to consist of a single page and uses the suffixes eu and pn. Quirky!

Through to Crick

Day 4: Weedon Bec to Crick
Leaving Weedon Bec will take us along the Grand Union main line for a while before turning right at Norton Junction up the Leicester arm.
It rained last night, heavily at times, and just as several things have already malfunctioned (shower pump, engine mounting, the log ...) we realise there is a faint drip around the chimney and the fridge is warming instead of cooling. The milk is already sour.
After a body and hair wash in the basin we're off, sandwiched at times between west coast trains and M1 traffic but heading north towards Braunston as all the milestones tell us. We spot a surprising number of old working boats with their long cargo holds and small cabins and we shoot through seven locks partnered by a young couple with an immaculate working boat - A and N Buckle from The Nene - to reach the New Inn at Norton Junction for lunch at 12.30.

Norton Junction

The Fish and chips are good, the waitress hard working, the barman lugubrious and often disappearing as soon as customers enter the pub. We attempt to bid him a cheery farewell but he avoids our gaze as if we'd taken advantage of him. Don't go there if you're looking for bonhomie.
Now the decision is whether to crack on and climb the seven locks at Watford or to moor at the bottom and reserve the pleasure of climbing to the next day. At this point the insistent rain clears for awhile and we decide to motor on.

Watford locks is a set of six partly in a staircase (where the top of one acts as the bottom of the other) and as I opt to do the locking for a change I'm greatly relieved to find that there is a lock keeper willing to help us on our way. Malcolm is a friendly and able CRT volunteer who knows what he's doing and guides me through the red and white side paddles as we work our way slowly uphill.

Crick Tunnel

And so to the top and on a short way to Crick through the Crick Tunnel, gloomy and dripping but literally with a light at the end of the tunnel, which is reassuring. Do wear waterproofs as you go through.

The Moorings restaurant at Crick

And finally we are out at the Crick marina with only a short trip to Welford tomorrow.
Apart from lunchtime the rain has held off, but the fridge has definitely given up the ghost. Nevertheless Patience has done well and the end of the journey is in sight. It's been attractive country scenes and tow path all the way and tonight we can relax in peaceful moorings (it's quietest after the bridge and a little away from it).
In the evening to a very busy Friday evening at the Red Lion, where it is too hot to stay long, and we are thoroughly soaked in a sudden downpour on the way back to the boat.
Today: 10 miles, 14 locks, 6.5 hours

Crick Boat Show

First the Royal Pageant and now the Crick Boat Show, I'm making up for not taking Patience out during this dull weather.
Lots of helpful people at Crick. The first was the chap on the door, looking down at my shoes and muttering  in a doom-laden voice that I should have brought wellies and I'd be up to my knees in mud when it started to rain come midday. Well I should have done, but the rain didn't come, so it wasn't as bad as Sunday must have been, amidst downpours.
Nevertheless I think the threatening skies put some people off so the crowds were thin, giving us good access to many splendid boats.
Calcutt Marine were very helpful and knowledgeable with John's questions about our engine cooling  and the prospect of a new instrument panel (we feel the need for something to tell us engine speed). We bought some Miracle Wax in an optimistic gesture to encourage the beautification of Patience, and a splendid tea towel from the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust whose mission is to bridge that frustrating river gap between the two cities, linking the Great Ouse and The Grand Union.
We also tracked down someone who has LED bulbs shaped like fluorescent tubes, so you can swap them out and gain the more efficient lighting of an LED without changing your fittings.
No sign of any meters for showing water and foul waste levels (any suggestions, readers?) but apart from that a fair day out in dull weather which could have been a great deal worse ....
Let the boats speak for themselves:

Note this last one and its raised prow, shaped like a sea-going vessel. An interesting shape but while it means the double bed in the forward section is wider than usual, there's no easy access to the bow area. Tricky for mooring, we thought.