Day 11 - On The Narrowboat - Foxton Locks

Waking up early as Paul seems to be very excited to get the canal boat adventure started, we leave the hotel and go into Market Harborough to do some shopping for provisions for our boat trip.

Sainsbury's is a fantastic experience. So many choices! Lots of yummy things to eat. We buy a few things and then do some shopping around the trendy shops.  It is pouring with rain, we are drenched! The water is dripping from my face and hair, but what can you do if the universe decides this is going to be a wet day?  We discover some amazing kitchen shops, and spend some time browsing.  Also managed to buy the little ones, some beautiful raincoats, which are hard to find in SA.

We then proceed to the Union Wharf offices to book in.

We get assigned a boat called "Mine's a Pint" and load our luggage onto the boat.  It is cute inside, like a water caravan.  Needless to say I can't stop bumping into everything! There is literally one small cupboard in the bedroom to unpack all our clothes! OMG! Can you imagine that some people live on these boats?

 Our trainer arrives and proceeds to spend 1.5 hours training Paul on the technicalities of this boat.  Thank goodness he understands what the hell the guy is talking about.  If it was up to me, I would have handed the keys right back and said "goodbye!"

And so we embark on our waterway adventure.  It continues to rain the whole day.  Paul and I are absolutely soaked through.  At one point, we have to go through the locks at Foxton Locks.  There are 10 locks. Guess who drives the boat? ...Paul  ...and guess who has to hop off the boat and open and close all the frigging locks???  ...Yeah right... me!   

I have to open two paddles per gate, then open the gate, then close the two paddles, then close the gate, and this is PER LOCK.   By the time we are at the very top lock, I am so exhausted and drenched in rain, my clothes can be rung out, my nose is running, and my gloves are dripping wet!

We moor the boat for the night.  I can't wait to get into a hot shower and get warm.  After which we walk down to the pub at the bottom of the Foxton locks and have a delicious pie supper.  Best fish pie I have ever eaten!  Paul samples the shepherds pie... AND the chicken, ham and leek pie AS WELL AS the beef pie!  Hungry boy!

By 8pm we are in bed.  Not too comfortable, and if the lady who supposedly made the bed were in front of me, she would be getting such a blast from me!  Very badly made!