Day 14 - On The Narrowboat - Braunston back to Crick

Thursday dawns with clear skies, and after a hearty breakfast, we cast off from our mooring at the Braunston Turn and start making our way back towards the start of our boating journey, Market Harborough. 

Making our way through the Braunston locks, I am steering again and Paul is doing the running! We join up with another boat to make life easier. Two men and two dogs, sharing the trip, we chat as we are going along.  One guy was in the Cape Town in 1960 with the Royal Navy.  The other guy, retired 7 years ago, bought his boat and has been cruising the canals ever since with his loyal terrier by his side.  Everyone is very friendly on the canals.

After the Braunston Locks and the 2 kilometer Braunston Tunnel, it is just a short run to the Norton junction, where the wind was blowing the boat off direction so strongly, we landed up floating down the canal vertically! We had to get some old guy to hold our boats' bow at the shore so we could swing it in the right direction.  Always a laugh on the canals.  But everyone is so obliging and willing to help and give advice.

  
Then it is traveling further up the canal back towards Watford Locks.  On the way we see a farmer rounding up his sheep with a quad-bike!

At the locks we meet up again with our friendly lock-keeper, Ian, who was very patient and helpful.  Guiding me through the  7 locks.The rain starts with gusto, and we wrap up in our rain jackets, getting drenched.  I still managed to drive straight into a wall on the side of a lock and once again cause everything on the boat to go flying, even broke the bathroom shelf off the wall!  Perhaps it is not a good idea that I steer the boat. 

We then travel through the Crick Tunnel again, and into Crick, where we once again moor for the night.

We go for a nice walk into town, to the Co-Op supermarket, to get some supplies.  We decide to cook on board tonight as we are both feeling a bit "pub'd out".

I manage to speak to both Emily and Chloe this evening as we are walking back from town. So sweet to hear their voices, and I miss them so much.

Back to the boat and we get dinner ready.  We have some leek and potato soup, then a little quiche and salad. Accompanied by some pear cider. Lovely!

And after reading for a while, we close up for the night. 

Sleep tight.