Saturday 18th Sept
Today we walked 3 miles along the towpath in to Nottingham, to the Company Inn, to watch the football. We were going to go on the bus but the weather was so nice we decided to walk.
It was a very nice walk which we enjoyed. We stopped off at Sainsbury’s in the way past to get a few bits of shopping. After the football we got the Skylink back to Beeston and walked the 1 mile from the main road back to the boat.
There is a bus which stops nearer to the moorings (the 18) but we didn’t really know what time they ran. As it happened the 18 was following the Skylink most of the way back! Never mind we need the exercise.
Sunday 19th Sept
Today was another lovely day and we moved on to Nottingham, by boat this time. We again stopped at Sainsbury’s and I stayed with the boat while Ken went and got a load of beer. Then we went off to County Hall steps via a sanitary station stop at Meadow Lane.
After mooring up we walked back (1.5 miles) to the Company Inn for football again.
Monday 20th Sept
I had intended cleaning the boat today as it was absolutely filthy. I got everything ready but just as I was about to step outside it started raining. I thought I would carry on regardless but it began to piss down and I decided to give it a miss.
Instead of cleaning I went with Ken to the tackle shop down the road. We intended to walk to West Bridgeford afterwards for a few bits of shopping which we forgot about the day before. However Ken’s directional skills completely deserted him and we ended up quite a long way from West Bridgeford in totally the wrong direction!
As it was still raining quite hard we abandonned the idea of going to West Bridgeford and returned to the boat. We had arranged to meet John and Kath in town so we could get the things we needed there later.
It was still raining when we wanted to leave to go to town so we got the bus from outside the County Hall. We got our shopping and met John and Kath in one of their favourite (but not one of ours) pubs. After a couple of drinks we persuaded them to go to The Lloyds No 1 in Hockley which is an all together nicer pub than The Old Dog and Partridge it has to be said.
It turned out that as an added bonus we could get a bus back to Trent Bridge from right outside the Lloyds No 1 and as it was still raining we did just that.
Tuesday 21st Sept
With better weather today we cleaned the boat. Ken got everything off the roof and did some serious rust treatment as well. He was galvanised into this action by the fact that a phone call to MGM revealed that they have put off our renovation work until the new year (unreliable twats!).
After we had finished our work we went off to The Trent Bridge for a rejuvenating pint of Abbot! When we got back Ken painted the bits of roof he had treated earlier.
Wednesday 22nd Sept
Today proved to be an ideal travelling day so we set off for Gunthorpe. We got to Holme Lock about 9 am and as the lock keeper doesn’t start until 9-30 am we had plenty of time to get water and do rubbish and loo. Well we would have had enough time to get water if the tap hadn’t been so pathetic!
The pressure was so low the water could hardly crawl out of the tap and we had to give up before we were full as the lock keeper had arrived and the lock was ready for us. At least we got some water.
We continued our journey through Stoke Lock as well and have moored on the pontoons at Gunthorpe. Where we are in splendid isolation! There were 2 boats on here when we arrived but one had done their 48 hours and the other was a Gunthorpe hire boat which was only moored there temporarily. They both left just after we arrived.
During the day we have seen only one other boat moving on the river. It will probably be busier this weekend with the promise of some nice weather though.
I have cleaned the other side of the boat this afternoon and Ken had been fishing. Tomorrow we are probably going to Hazelford.
