Back on the Grand Union

After a very wet Saturday in Northampton the sun shone on Sunday and I headed off the river onto the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union canal through the first of 17 narrow locks.  These always come a surprise after the wide river locks and fitting a 6' 10" wide boat into a 7' lock is like threading a needle.  I quickly got my eye in and was soon making good progress up the flight.  The advantages of narrow locks are that they fill much more quickly and the smaller gates are much easier to operate.

Lock 1 of 17

Around 4 hours later I emerged from the top lock and onto the main GU heading north towards Braunston.  By late afternoon I had reached a quiet mooring spot a little south of Weedon and decided to call it a day.

Mooring littered with crab apples

Monday's weather was horrendous with heavy rain and gale force winds. I poked my head out briefly and decided staying put was the best plan. I'm in no hurry and see no point in getting soaked unless really necessary. Instead I spent the day catching up on little chores like cleaning the bathroom tiles.

This morning the forecast was better and I headed off toward the Buckby flight of 7 lock under an overcast sky with a chilly breeze. By the time I reached the locks the sun was popping out between clouds and the sky was looking brighter. The GU is a broad canal and the Buckby lock gates are particularly heavy making it hard work on my own. I was hoping to share the locks but no one else seemed to be moving in my direction.  Fortunately there were several boats coming down the flight so most of the locks were in my favour which helped a fairly quick transit.

Once up the flight the trip across the summit passes through lovely wooded sections before reaching Braunston tunnel.

GU

I'm not great fan of tunnels.  The novelty has worn off and they tend to be dark damp places where you need to keep your wits about you to avoid hitting the side or an oncoming boat.

Braunston tunnel entrance

 The tunnel is a little over a mile long and takes around 30 minutes to pass through. The end of the tunnel is a welcome sight but it does herald the arrival of the 6 lock Braunston flight.

Light at the end of the tunnel

I had a fairly simple trip down the locks which were all set in my favour due to the many boats heading south.  I noticed this lovely restored shepherds hut in a field alongside the canal. I always think of Tiffany Aching, one of Terry Pratchett's characters, when I see these.

Shepherds Hut

As I write this I'm moored outside the marina a Braunston where Mr Bunbury and I met 3 years ago. I can't believe how the time has flown by but I'm looking forward to spend many more years in his company.