Enough's enough

Our aim for the day, Monday 3rd October, was to get as near as we could to Foxton locks so that on Tuesday we would be able to have lunch with Harvey and Helen. However, after 9 locks and 5 miles we decided to call it a day and stop at Kilby Bridge overnight. We could have gone further but we are still doing the locks on our own and have only seen 4 boats going in the opposite direction. Working the locks on your own isn't a bad thing at times because there's only one boat to worry about and you don't have to wait for the second boat to enter and exit. But, a little help wouldn't have gone amiss.

Had a friendly heron join us for a spot of fishing in the first lock of the day.

And here's the captain on lock duty today, although we do share the work opening and closing gates and paddles. Many of these paddles have anti-vandal devices which need the C&RT Yale key to open them.

I said in an earlier post about bars at the end of the garden but just look at this one.

When we arrived at Kilby Bridge there were C&RT men all over the place.

Craft reversing along the canal.

With an empty barge in tow.

Larger than usual craft with crane onboard. (Not the one on the wharfside which is from a bygone era)

And us squidged in the middle trying to empty the loo and take on water. Oh yes, and three paddleboarders setting off at the same time. Here I must applaud C&RT for promoting wellbeing through various water activities, paddleboarding being one of them. 

As the title said, we decided that enough was enough for today and we reversed a little way back to pick up a secure mooring. In the next two miles there are another seven locks. We'll stay where we are tomorrow and ask Harvey and Helen to meet us here.

Looking back along the canal we are the 3rd boat along on the left. 

A slight disappointment, the Navigation, another pub that did homemade food, hasn't yet opened its kitchen after closing because of covid. They encourage punters to order takeaways and eat them in the garden but it's not quite the same, is it? Returned to the boat for pork risotto instead and a half hour of Strictly. Tad chilly so lit the fire just to take the edge off.