Monday 7th June - Buckby Top Lock to Gayton Marina
We left Buckby Visitor Moorings behind two solo boaters sharing a lock together. We were lucky to pair up with another boat, Al and her partner on nbClarence and gradually worked our way down the locks.
We passed nbToby on our way, another one to add to the family!!!
We had to stop at Lock 9 for 20 minutes as the pounds ahead of us were drained and the Canal and River Trust person was working his way up the lock gradually refilling the pounds.
I was really impressed with the flower and vegetable garden on the roof and bow of this boat, apparently all the work of the lady driving the boat!
At the final lock, I met a boat from the Llangollen Canal and a boat that we were moored along side in the Aylesbury Arm 2 years ago.
This looked extremely hot work, a sheep shearing station in the middle of a field. We got a cheery wave from one of the shearers as he was having sunscreen applied and taking a cooling drink!
There have been many of these trees along the canal bank, covered in white fluff, a friend has told me they are a female aspen, but the breeze takes the fluff and blows it in all directions getting caught in every nook and cranny. Sometimes it is like cruising through snow drifting on the breeze.
12.25 miles, 7 locks, 7 hrs.
Tuesday 8th June - Gayton Marina to Northampton Marina
We left our mooring before 9am to make an early start on the Northampton Locks. This heron stood still beautifully for me as we cruised past, didn’t seem in the least bit concerned about our presence.
There are 17 locks on this flight of locks most of which are close together. There are also 3 moveable bridges, one which was up, one that was dismantled and this one which was down. It comes immediately after the lock and it took some working out as to the order in which to do the lock and the bridge!
I like this photo as it shows the slow river cruising with the speeding lorries going over the top and in the distance there is a white lorry on a bridge which has stationary traffic on it, we were going faster than they were!
We are coming down towards Northampton here, it was beautiful, still, quite incredibly green and not a soul to be seen. We didn’t pass a single boat throughout the whole flight, and it was really most enjoyable.
A lovely mural under a bridge painted by local school children with help from a local art group, certainly cheers up an otherwise gloomy space.
We passed this last year as a building site, now it is an empty Landrover/Jaguar showroom with a huge car park.
At one of the locks we disturbed a very large group of Canada Geese and goslings. There were 4 adults and some where in the region of 20 goslings. Canada geese goslings will form large groups. These nursery groups, or creches, provide protection for the chicks (safety in numbers) and teach them how to work as a group (important during migration). Usually one pair tends the crèche while the other parents remain nearby.
Our approach to Northampton and tonight we are going to stay in Northampton Marina, where we stayed last year. The town mooring is quite high and makes it difficult to get Toby on and off the boat, especially with Dave’s bad back so it is easier to moor in the Marina.
We went for a walk into the town and were fascinated by this building. Northampton’s Guildhall speaks volumes of the thriving economy and cultural aspirations of the town in the mid 19th century. The building is triumphal and richly decorated, in the Gothic idiom. The architect was one of Britain’s most innovative designers of the second half of the century, who won the competition aged only 28. Edward Godwin was strongly influenced by John Ruskin’s book The Stones of Venice which accounts for the continental style of the building and its varied use of different coloured stones.
Wednesday 9th June - Northampton Marina to White Mills Marina
A lovely sunny day, and a good start to our cruise along the River Nene, as we leave Northampton behind the river becomes very wide, it is known as the Northampton Washlands and the site is important for the numbers and diversity of over-wintering waders and ducks, especially Golden Plover and Gadwall. In the summer there are vulnerable breeding birds including Redshank and Lapwing.
Weston Favell lock is the first of the guillotine locks, the mitred gates at the top are operated with a windlass and the bottom is a guillotine gate that is lowered and raised using motor power. One of the hazards is the drips off the gate as you pass under it!
We are moored on the lock landing waiting for the lock to be ready. In the background is Billing Aquadrome, last year this place was packed to the gunnels but today it is empty and very quiet. Perhaps it is early in the season. Many years ago we brought our very young family here and stayed in our own tent so we could visit family!
We moored up for the evening at White Mills Marina, we stayed here last year on our return journey and found it very pleasant. From the Marina we were able to walk into Earls Barton, a large village with a shoe-making heritage. Scenes from the 2005 film ‘Kinky Boots’ were shot here. All Saints Church has an amazing Saxon church tower which is meant to be the oldest Saxon tower in England.
Inside the church is a delightful rood screen with illustrations of the saints dressed in 1930’s dress.
8 miles, 8 locks, 5 hrs 18 mins.
Thursday 10th June - White Mills Marina to Ditchford Moorings
We left the Marina to continue on our way, after buying cake from the cafe for later in the day! We passed this family of swans and for the first time I saw 2 cygnets riding on the back of the adult swan, it gives the babies a bit of a rest and the chance to warm up after being in the river.
We came through a lock and in the field were several horses and their foals. There are 2 foals here standing in the shade of the tree, it does look rather a strange photo, but it was the best angle I could get!
Just outside Wellingborough, there looked to be a new set of moorings, but unfortunately they were closed and roped off, seems a shame but maybe the farmer has refused permission for them to be used.
We moored for the evening at Ditchford Moorings, just space for us, a lovely quiet mooring with lots of open water sports on the near by lakes. I love these bright blue damselflies, there are two in this photo, one a more green colour.
6.5 miles, 6 locks, 4 hrs 24 mins.
Friday 11th June - Ditchford Moorings to Woodford Mooring
I know this is yet another swan and cygnet photo, but I was taken by the fact that 2 of these cygnets are all white. According to the RSPB website ‘Cygnets are generally dingy brown above and whitish below. Occasionally' cygnets may be all white and are known as 'Polish swans'.’
The lock at Ditchford has a radial bottom gate instead of the usual guillotine gate, it is the only one on the River Nene. It looks vast and I wonder why the design was changed for this one lock?
A lovely old bridge at Irthlingborough dates back to the 14th century. The arches are very narrow and only one is navigable, but it is on a tight corner so needs to be done very carefully.
Saw these lovely wading birds on the river bank, I think they are a species of oystercatcher, very pretty.
We first saw ‘Black Rose’ in White Mills Marina, and have been passing each other ever since.
We moored up for the evening at Woodford Moorings, somewhere we have wanted to moor at since last year. I wanted to walk into the village and have a look at the church, one of the largest on the River Nene. However, we discovered that the field was barbed wired and you could’nt get out onto the Nene Way. A phone call to Friends of The River Nene whose mooring this is, confirmed that the farmer had blocked off access because of the unruly behaviour of young people during the lockdown! He also put young bullocks in the field as well! We decided to stay anyway and have a quiet afternoon.
8.25 miles, 5 locks, 3 hrs 54 mins.
Saturday 12th June - Woodford Moorings to Wadenhoe
The old bridge at Thrapston dates from medieval times and has very narrow arches on a difficult bend, very picturesque though. Much of the bridge was rebuilt towards the end of the 18th century when the original structure was swept away in a flood.
We were fortunate to collect a river cruiser who shared a couple of locks with us before stopping at Pear Tree Farm Moorings. The size difference is obvious, but it is more the fact that we are 17 tons of steel and they are fibre glass, so we have to take the locks nice and gently.
Titchmarsh Lock is very picturesque, we were lucky that we arrived in time as another narrowboat was leaving the lock. Dave also managed to catch a gull flying in this photo.
We got to Wadenhoe and moored up at the bottom of the King’s Head pub grounds. We sat in the garden and had a lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing outside whilst it was so hot. When it was cooler we walked across to Achurch through the meadows.
Toby had cooled off in the stream flowing through Wadenhoe and enjoyed a run through the meadows.
8.25 miles, 4 locks, 4 hrs 6 mins.
Sunday 13th June - Wadenhoe to Fotheringhay
An early start this morning, it is going to be a hot day so we want to get to Fotheringhay and secure a mooring and have a quiet afternoon.
The lock at Wadenhoe is incredibly slow, the original motor failed on the automated guillotine and has been replaced by a much less powerful one because they haven’t been able to source an identical one. Rather than 20 minutes for a lock this one was nearer 40 minutes!!
Lilford Lock is one of the prettiest locks on this stretch of the River Nene, as you leave the lock you pass under Lilford Bridge with its ornate balustrade.
Lilford Hall is a Jacobean Mansion with 100 rooms. The massive chimney stacks are linked by arches and its origins lie in the 17th century. It’s most famous occupant was the 4th Baron Lilford who was responsible for introducing the Little Owl to England in the 1880’s.
Fotheringhay Church stands reflected in the River Nene, the castle mound is still apparent , but there is very little left of the actual castle itself. The church that remains is a third of the size it used to be.
Later in the afternoon we went for a walk into the village and stopped for a drink at the Falcon. On the way back Dave lost his boat keys and no matter how many times he retraced his steps he couldn’t find them. He has left his details with the mooring man in case they are handed in at a later date. In a last ditch attempt, a different set of eyes, I set out and retraced our steps - and yes there they were in a field one up from when he realised that he had lost them! Panic over - but we will get an extra spare set cut just in case!
11 miles, 7 locks, 5 hrs 24 mins.
