Not a white Christmas, but a wet one. It had rained all night, and was still raining when we slipped away from our mooring at about 9am. We were soon starting our ascent of the day's locks, including picking our way through the boats moored above Broadmoor Lock.
By the time we'd reached the top of the Claydon Locks, at about 11am, the rain had stopped. There was plenty of water flowing into the canal from all the feeders. At the Fenny Compton "tunnel", the water coming down one feeder was leaving a rather unpleasant looking scum on top of the water.
We carried on moving until we reached our chosen mooring (identified on the outward journey), between Bridges 130 and 129. When we passed here in the summer, it was completely full. Today, there was just one other boat, belonging to the canal artist Jane Selkirk. As the day wore on, two more boats joined us.
It was about 2pm when we stopped, so we cracked open the champagne, started cooking the turkey, and opened our presents. It was a bit of a struggle fitting everything in the oven, and the roast potatoes seemed to take longer than expected, but it was a great Christmas dinner, eaten to a spectacular sunset.
9 miles, 8 locks. (29, 30)
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1 comment:
My boat! you passed my boat at Broadmoor lock, I can see it in the background. I'm hoping it's still there when I get back to it tomorrow!
I enjoyed your Christmas cruise account, especially as I've been on this stretch of the water a few times now and recognise the places.
Best wishes for the new year.
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