Thursday 26^th April – Day 18. After being moored in the same spot for a few days we decided that we had better move the boat as we had now been on a 48-hour mooring for 3 days. Just up the canal are some 14-day moorings so we’re going to moor there but first we got the bus to Rugby. We needed banks, drill bits, engine hot water hose and some general shopping. The bus driver was a crazy driver there and back. It was a white knuckle ride both ways and on top of that Rugby was naff. Hardly any banks, no drill bits to be found anywhere, no decent food shops and we had to walk miles for 2 meters of hot water hose. We were so glad to get back to the boat.

It was time to move the boat. There are some 14-day moorings just up the canal at Braunston Junction. This is where the Grand Union Canal and the Oxford North Canal Meet, we headed off towards moorings. We got to Braunston Junction and turned left. BANG.! Oops I hit the wall. A guy on a passing boat shouted “don’t worry you’ll miss it next time”. We tried to moor just down from the junction but no chance, due to bank corrosion we couldn’t get within 3ft of the bank. We cruised down to the next turning point turned and came back. As we came back towards the junction I slowed right down and moved over so Mark could jump off, he run down to the junction to see what moorings were there. Mark shouted, “There are moorings to the left”. I moved off again, making a hire boat slow right down, hehe.! we turned left at the junction, that guy was right I missed the wall that time. Excellent we had found a mooring that should be easy to find, near a bridge and within walking distance of the pub. We planned on staying in the same spot for a few days as we had family and friends coming to visit.

After a great weekend showing family and friends around the sights of Braunston and consuming a few beers we decided that on Monday 30^th May we would go down the Oxford Canal to Cropredy, a quaint village famous for holding one of Europe’s largest folk festival that began in 1979 when Fairport Convention held their farewell concert there.

Before we left I had to see a man at Braunston bottom lock boatyard about our side hatch, I wanted the wooden doors replaced with steel ones. Now finding out he had been called away we had to wait till 2pm. We reversed the boat back round Braunston junction, without hitting it again.! and went back to the moorings near the marina to wait for the chap I needed to see to return. By now the wind had picked up and it was blowing us all over the place. Just after 2pm we took the boat to the yard and he said he could do it for us in about 4 weeks that will be the end of May. I then had to turn around. It was narrow, windy and with boats everywhere, which one would I hit.! But to my surprise and I think everybody else’s I managed to reverse round and off again without even getting close to another boat. My steering must be getting better. With how windy it had got and the time we had lost sorting out the side hatch we decided not to move today. We would stay on the 48-hour moorings outside the marina and move off in the morning, well that was the idea.

The following morning, Tuesday 1^st May – Day 23. I remembered it was my Birthday and thought I’d better have a few beers to drown my sorrows at being 36. A few hours later we had had a few beers and Mark had bought me a new tiller pin with a 3.5 inch high brass Hedgehog on it, now I’ve got to think of a name for him. After a couple more beers it was back to the boat for a snooze.

Wednesday we decided not to go to Cropredy as we need to be back by the weekend to meet visitors. We are going to wait until the new prop has been fitted on the 10^th May and go whilst waiting for the side hatch to be done at the end of May. Hopefully that will be all the big jobs done.

Whilst sitting at Braunston, which has been a couple of weeks now we’ve got to know some lovely people, especially one chap with a boat called Mr Sweep, we’ve had some beers and great laughs together. He’s moved on now but hopefully we’ll meet up again in Wales. We’re almost beginning to feel like locals now. The café boat knows the breakfast order, the locals all say hello and the barman is now saying “The usual.?”  Not that we’re in the pub that often, hehe..!

That us pretty much up to date just one thing to add, Cassie took her first swimming lesson yesterday (8th May), she jumped back from another dog straight into the canal. Dont think she will be doing that again in a hurry.

Sunday 22^nd April – Day 14. We’ve decided we would try and make it to Braunston today. We need to go up The Buckby Lock Flight, through Braunston Tunnel, which is 2042yards long and then down The Braunston Lock Flight. So that 7 locks, 1 tunnel and another 6 locks over 16 miles, we should make it today.

We left at 7.30am, it was a mild, sunny morning. We were about to join the main Grand Union Canal, at the junction, we need to turn right, it’s very narrow hoping there wasn’t a boat coming the other way, Mark shouts it’s all clear and we turn on to the Grand Union. There were boats moored both sides as far as the eye could see, not a cruiser in sight. It seems so narrow after being on the rivers.

We’ve finally made it to the Grand Union Canal and we’re on our way towards where “ONE WAY OF LIFE” originally came from. Ever since we bought her it’s been our dream to take her back to Braunston ourselves and today it may come true.

We cruised for a couple of hours then stop to fill up with water and have breakfast. We set off about an hour later towards the locks, lets hope we meet another boat to lock up with. We get to the locks with no other boats that want to go up so we go it alone. We reach the top lock about 2.30pm, as I walked up to the lock there’s a pub right on the lock, with loads of people to watch as we go through, this will be the spot if something is to go wrong. We get the boat through the lock without any mistakes, so no entertainment for the onlookers. It’s thirsty work doing them locks so we decide to stop for a cold beer, we get chatting to a couple with a boat so we have another and another by this time it’s nearly 6.00pm OOPS.! Guess we’re not going to make Braunston today, the tunnel will have to wait until tomorrow.

Monday 23^rd April – Day 15. Up early this morning after yesterdays unscheduled stop at the pub. Today we have Braunston tunnel and Braunston Locks to do. Leaving early we’re hoping we won’t meet another boat in the tunnel. We left Buckby Lock at about 7.00am, weather not great as there’s rain in the air. The closer we get to the tunnel the more I’m hoping we won’t meet another boat coming the other way. When the tunnel was being built around 1790 they came across quicksand’s, which led to a mistake in direction leaving it with an s-bend in the middle. The previous day we had spoken to a couple that had their side hatch door catch taken off as they tried to pass a boat at the s-bend.

The tunnel was in sight, as we enter I cannot see a thing, waiting for my eyes to adjust. The further we went in the less I could see. Mark got the big torch out, that was a bit better. With the engine just off tick over it felt the tunnel would take forever. As we chugged through, the entrance still only seemed a stones through away and the exit was nowhere to be seen. Eventually we turn the s-bend and I’m sure a very faint glimmer could be seen at the end. I upped the pace a bit as I know the tunnel was straight now. The exit is getting bigger, I up the pace again and again, it was getting lighter and lighter. We finally reached the exit approximately 30mins later. I’m glad that’s over.!

We head on to the Braunston Lock Flight, we had six locks to go down. We moor to go and sort the first lock. As we got to the lock we realise that the pounds between the locks are very shallow, infect about 3-4ft lower than they should be. We would get stuck if we go through. Quick call to British Waterways and there’s a chap on his way to sort things out. He arrived and flooded the pounds for us. We were on the move again. They were wide locks so two boats could go in together. We joined up with another boat called Gray Boots to go down the locks. At the bottom we cruised up to Braunston Marina and moored in the exact spot that we originally bought the boat from. We’ve made it. Our dream has come true.

For the next few days we stayed in the same place watching the comings and goings on one of the busiest parts of the canal network.

The next couple of days were going to be spent relaxing, meeting up with friends and possibly having a few beers. Thought we would be able to have a lay-in but Cassie decided we’re not so still up bright and early.

We had spoken to the guys at Gayton Marina about putting a bigger prop on the boat for us but they couldn’t do any thing till the end of May so we decide to carry on ringing around. I rang Braunston Marina and to my surprise they say they could do it on the 10^th May. They needed to know loads of information about the boat to make sure they ordered the right prop. Whilst gathering the information Mark came across a snapped bracket that holds the expansion tank to the cooling system, that was not good but at least we were in the right place to hopefully get it sorted. Off with the bracket and over to the marina we went. They could weld it for us but not right now as they had to get the hire fleet ready to go out, it would be done by about 2.30pm. Excellent, that gave us time to take Cassie for a walk and an excuse for a cold pint, the first time in a pub for several days. On the walk back we called in at a farm for fresh eggs and there were several very young lambs running around Marks legs, Cassie was not sure what to make of them.

As the cold beer had been so nice we got back to the marina just a little later than anticipated, the hire fleet had gone and the bracket was all done. Back at the boat and the bracket fits perfect, so that was that problem sorted.

It was a lovely day wandering around the canals, watching the boats coming and going, chatting to the passers-by about their adventures on the canals.

The following day we met up with friends who had a boat moored at Gayton Marina. They offered to take us out on their boat. I was looking forward to that as it meant I didn’t have to steer, time to relax and take in the views. We left Gayton Marina and headed north up the Grand Union Canal. It was lovely cruising along in the sunshine. The way we had gone was the way we would be taking our boat soon so I knew what to expect. After about an hours cruise “yes you’ve guessed it” we reach a pub, it was The Wharf at Bugbrooke, that’s good timing, it’s 12 o’clock, opening time. After a bite to eat and a few beers we continued cruising north for a while but then it was time to turnaround and head home, not all bad thought we still had a two-hour cruise back home.

It had been a great day, catching up with friends, cruising the canals in the sunshine.