Northampton

 

Here I am Rune

Distance 0.2 miles

Total 4161 Locks  264 Tunnels

Running total mileage 6,399.1 miles

 

Well after sorting out our repairs we got back on the move today….well sort of, only a few yards (0.2 miles!) out of the marina onto the Northampton Town moorings, but it’s a start. The fact is that the weather forecast for today was rubbish and the forecast for tomorrow is OK, so we deferred the trip up the Northampton 17 locks until the better weather, like tomorrow.

As far as the repairs went, things were OK until I broke the alternator hinge bolt, meaning I couldn’t refit the alternator before we went back to Devon in a hire car. Fortunately there is a Lister main dealer not far from our coastal address so I was able to get a replacement there. Looking back this is the 4^th time (at least) I have repaired/replaced the alternator on the boat, the marine environment doesn’t seem to agree with them very much.

Tomorrow will involve a bit of work up the flight and for the first time since July we’ll be back on the canal system proper.

Northampton

Here I am Rune

Distance 2.9 miles

Total 4161 Locks  264 Tunnels

Running total mileage 6,398.9 miles

 

And now we are safely back into Northampton, hooked up onto a shoreline so no need to worry about the domestic alternator failure for a day or two. We’ll stay here for a while whilst we get repairs sorted out and then when we come to leave, the baptism of fire, having not done that much work on locks for the last couple of month, it’ll be up the 17 locks of the Northampton flight to get us back onto the main system.

It has been interesting having spent the (very hot) summer almost exclusively on rivers so it’ll be a change to be back onto narrow canals. Whilst the scenery has been good, albeit a bit flat, I think my preference is for canals over rivers, although being on a river did give the opportunity to go swimming, something I wouldn’t choose to do in a canal!

 

Northampton Washlands

Here I am Rune

Distance 7.1 miles

Total 4158 Locks  264 Tunnels

Running total mileage 6,396 miles

 

Found a mooring on the Northampton Washlands Environment Agency moorings so here we are for the night. It is close to the main A45 Nene Valley Way so it isn’t a quiet mooring, it has quite a lot of traffic noise. This was the mooring I bailed out of using on the way down because there was a strong southerly wind and we’d have got on the moorings easily enough, but we’d never have got off them and turned quick enough to get into Weston Favel lock before being pushed ashore by the wind. Hoping there isn’t too much wind tomorrow when we come to leave.

Once again, a pleasant cruise on a picturesque piece of river, with the added frisson of some interesting wildlife, like a waterborne Grass Snake! Rather worryingly it was whilst we were in Whiston Lock and, whilst I was confident he wouldn’t be able to climb up the back of the boat, getting in through one of the drainage scuppers at the front was well within his ability. Kept an eye on him (and he was clearly keeping an eye on us) and when we left the lock he’d hidden himself in the gate.

 

Tomorrow we should be into Northampton.