Retirement with No Problem

Wilton to Norton Junction, Grand Union Canal, 1.5 miles 7 locks

I stuck my head out this morning ready to take Lucy and Meg for a stroll along the towpath and quickly stuck my head back in again!  Brrrrrr it was freezing.  So with a lot more clothes on than my earlier departure I ambled along the towpath enjoying the sunshine.. Oh boy that motorway was noisy though, and I was thinking that all those poor people on their way to work would have no idea of little ol’ me walking along beside the canal just a stones throw away from them..

A geocache this morning before pulling the pins and tackling our first wide locks for over 6 months.. the Buckby flight of seven..

Sharing the locks today with Moore2Life, but Vic found the bottom gates very hard to close.. and he is a strong lad too.. maybe we are just spoilt with all the push button guillotine locks of the rivers in the east, or maybe I need to send him to the gym!

Shhhh, don’t tell him I said that.. I forget you know, he is 70 this year.. He doesn’t do too bad really for a crew member! 

Lots of leaves in the canal too at the moment, and they do get round the prop.  But a quick reverse gear usually shifts any build up.. but the leaves are pretty spectacular, I love these beautiful red ones…

Here we are almost at the top now, just a couple to go before filling with water after the top lock and putting the pins in close to Norton Junction.

We had a late lunch then I took Lucy and Meg across the fields then across that railway and that motorway to walk close to Buckby village itself before turning back aiming for Welton Hythe Marina and eventually walking along the towpath back to No Problem.

Tonight we are off out for a meal at the New Inn.  We shall share the evening with our good friends Chas and Ann.  We have been travelling together this summer and this is our last night together ‘till Christmas.. so we shall part in style!

Tomorrow we turn north towards Leicester, while Ann and Chas turn south towards Braunston, we shall meet up again later on the Trent and Mersey Canal I would think.

I sign up for the British Waterways stoppage lists sent by email.  Sometimes they send me emergency notices of stoppages, and I had to smile at this one…

Bridge 20, near Stenson – Following an incident on the above bridge it is necessary to close the navigation whilst masonry and items of farm machinery are removed from the canal. Boaters are advised that the navigation will be closed between Stenson Lock and Willington village until further notice.

Oh dear, it doesn’t take to much brain power to work out what might have happened.. but I do hope the farmer didn’t get wet too!