Napton to Weedon

Tue 7th September  Napton to Braunston

We set off early, hoping to avoid convoys on the lock-free section to Braunston. We also hoped to travel while it was cool.

Leaving our Napton mooring by nb Aldgate

The Napton windmill

We passed the house that used to be the Bridge Inn, a popular pub a few years ago. We passed Napton Narrowboats, where there were very few boats left at the base – they are all out for hire.

The Bridge Inn that was

Passing empty berths at Napton Narrowboats

At Wigrams Turn, the Oxford Canal joins the Grand Union for a few miles, until they separate again at Braunston Turn.

Wigrams Turn

The Grand Union to Birmingham

Back to widebeam territory

Approaching Braunston Turn

We needed to visit Midland Chandlers, so we turned right at the junction, and then reversed up to the mooring, which is opposite the triangle at Braunston Turn. We bought some draught excluder for the side doors. We also emptied two cassettes at the facilities next door.

Moored at Midland Chandlers

Braunston Turn

We started our slow tickover run through Braunston, being ready for other boaters doing strange things, like stopping in front of you, or going in reverse, or turning in to one of the two entrances to the marina. We found a mooring just where we wanted to be, in some shade, after the footbridge up to the village.

After a cold drink, we climbed the steep path and visited the butchers and the convenience store. James found some proper English plums, rather than the dark red, picked too early, hard as nails things that are often sold as ready to eat.

Back on the boat, we sat out the heat of the day in the shade.

Shady mooring in Braunston

Richard and Elizabeth Martin (BCF) went past on Dutch Courage. Strangely we had met them yesterday in the Folly at Napton, where they had gone by car.

Richard Martin on Dutch Courage

When it cooled down a bit, we decided to go up the locks. We shared with a hire boat, and they were not sure whether to visit the Nelson or not. There was space for them between locks 2 and 3, where there is piling, but they decided to carry on. They moored instead above lock 2, where they had to bang in mooring spikes.

Sharing Lock 1

In lock 5 we met two boats coming down, one of which had a group of young men who had been drinking heavily. Loud music and shouting.

In the top lock, there was one boat coming down, with a crew of four. One guy was hauling the boat manually into the lock. He didn’t stay on board despite James offering to lock him through. When the lock was empty, he hauled the boat out again, very slowly, before starting the engine. We could then go into the lock.

Boat hauling

Braunston Top Lock

There was no space available on the visitor moorings above the lock, and the section a little further along had several streams running into the canal through pipes. We decided to move on through the tunnel, and we moored just before Bridge 6 at Welton Wharf.

Braunston Tunnel

Hazel at the helm

Into the tunnel

Leaving the tunnel Eastern Portal

We moored in the shady wooded cutting, and we heard owls later.

6 locks, 9 miles. Dep 0725, arr 0955 Midland Chandlers. Dep 1015, arr 1035 Bridge 1. Dep 1650, arr 1850 Welton Wharf.

Wed 8^th September  Welton to Weedon

Our mooring near Welton Wharf

In sight of the tunnel

We managed a very early start, before breakfast, to avoid the heat of the day on the locks.

Early morning cruise at Bridge 8

Norton Junction

The Leicester Arm

As we arrived at the top lock at Buckby, we saw that it was empty, with the bottom gates left open. We hoped we weren’t behind someone else going down and leaving gates open. Nothing was coming up, so we reset the lock. These must be the heaviest lock gates in the land.

Leaving Top Lock 7 and the A5

Thankfully, all the other locks were in our favour, as we descended the flight, past the noisy M1. We met one boat coming up, and there was one waiting at the bottom lock.

Leaving Lock 8

Overgrown steps

Entering Lock 9

We moored up and went to the Lockgate Café at Whilton Marina for a full English, which was delightful. We popped next door to the chandlery and established that they had gas in stock, so we moved across the canal to their fuel pontoon, and collected a bottle. Gas has not always been available this year as they are running short of gas bottles, apparently.

We set off once more for a further hour’s sunny boating to Weedon, where we moored on rings in the shade. Later the sun moved round, and it became very warm.

Sunny morning and welcome shade

Under the A5 again

Bideford out of the water

We went for a meal at the Indian restaurant Brinjol, where they offer a banquet special on Sundays and Wednesdays, for £10.95. Starter, Main, side dish and rice or nan. Very good value and lovely food.

We followed this with our weekly Canal Ministries Zoom meeting.

Moored at Weedon

7 locks, 6 miles. Dep 0630, arr 0850 Whilton Marina. Dep 0950, arr 1100 Weedon.

Next: continuing our journey south down the Grand Union, seeing Kathryn in Stoke Bruerne and Chris and Sally in Milton Keynes.