Sarah's entry - We are sitting in The Brownsover Hall Hotel. A gothic castle of a place. Our most exclusive hotspot so far. The lap of luxury, and our only brush with excellence in our trip so far. Unless you include our boating skills of course. Our etiquette at locks being of particular note. Which is more than can be said for some of those cruising the Grand Union and the Oxford canal...
In this neck of the waters, we find ourselves in the world of floating gin palaces, as stoney faced couples of fat pride and sunbed leathered skin bask in the glare of their over sized over painted narrowboat mansions. Many have their names on the side, and in this stretch of the waterways, there is a most definite feel of 'my turf your turf' so to speak. And lock etiquette usually means standing and watching rather than assisting. Few words exchanged in most cases. Today. Our last full day. Last night we moored at Braunston outside the Admiral Nelson pub. I was too knackered to cook so we went to the pub and ate heartily and drank heartily too. The night became our first typical British weather night as the winds drew in and we even had a few drops of rain. After a few hours inside the pub, we wound our way back to the boat, quite literally in my case, as two pints and a brandy was enough to get me legless, and I tripped on the bank, fell against the boat, created a human ladder between boat and bank, lunged for support, slipped again, and eventually was pulled to safety within inches of an icy fate. No preperations for sleep were made that night - I launched myself straight into the bunk and fell asleep instantly. Today, we left Braunston at about 9.00am. Not long into our journey, we discovered that the last set of locks we needed to get through were closed for renovation until Friday. Shortly afterwards, I was called by Dad to wish me a happy solstice. At that precise minute, the sun was rising to her highest point in the sky for the year. 1pm. She was peeping through the clouds. It seemed incredible that she would be making her descent from there on in. But I had little time to dwell. I went back down into the cabin to be greeted by clouds of black smoke and the distinct smell of burning wood coming from the engine...to be continued... Penny's entry - Meanwhile I had been intent on getting a move on so we could moor up in the queue for the locks - when they eventually opened. I was oblivious to burning smells and billowing clouds of smoke! Suddenly Sarah's face appeared from below and she demanded that we moor up forthwith - I didn't immediately see the urgency! Having been convinced, mother and daughter (or daughter and mother?!) sprang into emergency action. We moored, rapidly moved all bedding, and in fact everything, from the back of the boat to the front, turned off the gas and the battery, and investigated the source of the fire. The cladding around the exhaust pipe had split and was burning, as were the wooden panels to either side. Help was urgently requested from Willow Wren boatyard (Gosling's halfway temporary mooring) whilst we doused the fire with water from the river. We were apprehensive of using the fire extinguisher because of the danger of explosion so very near to the fuel tank. Lap tops, camera, phones (oh yes, and my indispensable vanity case!) were hoicked along the towpath to safety under a bridge. A few minutes later, two young men came dashing (well, walking purposefully actually) down the towpath having driven from the other side of the town. Their fire extinguishers were unnecessary but their checkover of the engine and subsequent reassurance were gratefully received. Drama over, but repair costs to follow! Now a few odds and ends before signing off until August. We have downloaded a photo of a Polish family in Northampton. They were entranced with Gosling and asked if we could take a photo of them standing near to the boat. We offered them a short ride and Cornelia's face shone with anticipation and delight! Sarah and I settled into an excellent working routine on the boat, summoning each other from the tiller by ringing the bell! We managed to keep up with all domestic chores, including washing clothes (if not ourselves!) and hanging them up in our tiny bow. We tackled all locks and flights, however daunting, with determination and we were successful most of the time. Braunston Tunnel was a great experience. We turned off our headlight several times to see what it was like to cruise in almost complete darkness - it was exciting! And we loved the narrow 'tunnels' through the roof, reaching to the sky above. We have become totally familiar with Gosling and can climb with ease all over and around her when cruising. The areas we have travelled through have been fascinating. We didn't know that boaters have the equivalent to beach huts at the seaside or sheds on allotments. River huts of all sizes, design and colour line the river banks wherever there are permanent moorings. We have cruised through idyllic countryside on the River Great Ouse and parts of the River Nene, through lonely emptiness on the Middle Levels, and through industrial areas of towns. The Grand Union Canal is wonderfully peaceful for miles, and then suddenly runs between the M1 and the main railway line. The noise is deafening! We had a minor mishap with our long handled windlass. On one short flight, some rather supercilious boaters took over in a lock and so Sarah put her windlass back on to Gosling and waited to push open the gate. Later one of these boaters remarked that Sarah would find it useful to use a windlass for the rest of the flight and implied that maybe she didn't possess one! Sarah and I joked about their sarcasm as we set off in the opposite direction and, as Sarah started out for the next lock, I laughed and said she'd better not forget her windlass! I then proceeded to throw it merrily on to the bank for her. It chose to bounce elegantly off the grass and then quietly disappeared between boat and bank! Lesson learnt! I sheepishly returned to the chandlers to buy another one, and who should be standing at the counter as I paid for it? Yes, the very man! Explanation was impossible! We have met very, very few unpleasant people. As can be seen from these diary pages and the photos, nearly everyone we've encountered has been friendly, interesting, helpful and sunny. They have made this journey into an unexpectedly rich and surprising adventure. |