Wednesday 15th May
Today’s trip of 8 miles and 3 locks began at 8-30 am (early for us!) with a quick trip to the water point. We had only filled up yesterday so it didn’t take long to fill the tank again. Then we were off over the summit from Fenny Compton to Napton on the Hill. There are just over 7 miles of twisting, turning canal from Fenny to the start of Napton Locks at Marston Doles and in this morning’s wind and rain, traversing them was a pretty unpleasant affair. By the time we arrived at the start of the locks we were freezing.
We had intended to do all 9 locks at Napton and moor at the bottom but as we started them we decided to do 3 and moor just downstream of Adkin’s Lock, in the same spot where we had moored when we went up in April. It was snowing that day and to be honest it didn’t feel much warmer today!
It was still raining, but not too hard, when we walked down to The Folly for a nice pint of Old Hooky. On the way down the locks we passed a field of water buffalo (see photo), which belong to Brookend Farm . You can purchase Buffalo burgers, sausages and yoghurt, all made locally, in the shop adjacent to the Folly. Or you could if it wasn’t shut (due to circumstances beyond their control) at the moment.
In the pub we met a couple who had been behind us yesterday when we left Cropredy. They moor on the K and A and we swapped a few ‘Thames Tales’, then they asked us if we had been on the Shroppie. We have, so we gave them a few pointers for when they do it soon.
It had finally stopped raining when we came out of The Folly and although still chilly it had cheered up a lot. However, the clearing skies will herald a cold night no doubt, good job we haven’t let the fire go out!
Tomorrow we are off again, to Braunston.
