Word has it!

7 locks and 1 ½ miles. Now moored at Norton Junction

According to the latest towpath telegraph the notorious Mr Finch has given himself up to the Daventry police at the weekend and is currently in custody, for how long who knows. Glad tidings for the boaters in the area that Finch haunts.

After a noisy night we were only too glad to start off up the Buckby flight. The last time we came through here the locks were in a sad state but now they are in what can only be called dilapidated. One lock gate took 2 people to open, another was chained up so that it couldn't be opened being the reason for the wide beam ban through this flight since October 2007. One sluice was blocked and the top lock by the BW workers hut took 5 men to open and close. Luckily the BW guys were just finishing their lunch break so were on hand to operate the lock for us. Hopefully all this will be fixed after the flight closure starting on the 4th Feb.

One of the reasons for the lock closure next week

After we watered up we only had to move the boat 50 feet onto the 48 hour moorings on the end of a line of boats. We had not had time to go for a walk when there was a knock on the boat which turned out to be Chas from N/b Moore 2 Life. After a quick chat we were invited onboard for a coffee and spent the next hour or so having a good old chinwag. We will see Chas and Ann again in the morning before we head off to Braunston and they head off to Foxton on the Leiceister  line.

884 locks, 1196 ½ miles, 34 Tunnels, 40 swing bridges and 19 lift bridges since Nov 2006