The day started really bright, with plenty of blue sky but cloud soon appeared and most of the day was overcast but remarkably warm. Quite comfortble really, unless you want great photos!
Most of the gardens along here are very well kept indeed.
We set off at our usual time but had to wait at the top lock for a boat coming down.
At the junction, by the CaRT maintenance depot, were a couple of pans (non-powered boats) loaded with hardcore.
We could just see the towpath and bank repairs underway just beyond the first bridge in the Braunston direction. Our photo captured the warning sign on the towpath but we were a couple of seconds to soon to get the working boats themselves.
Once through we almost immediately turned right onto the Leicester Branch.
Arriving at the bottom of the Watford Flight our hopes were quite high when we saw that there was only one boat ahead of us that had just arrived. However, whilst Mike tied up, Christine went to check in with a lock keeper (all volunteers on today) and returned with the news that we would have to wait for a block of three to descend before we could start off.
The locks are just one field away from the very busy motorway - which itself crosses the canal just above the flight.
The middle four locks of the flight of seven form a staircase so once a boat has entered at one end, boats cannot come the other direction until all the locks in the staircase are clear.
Later we were asked to move up the first two single locks - a bit unusually the keepers asked to to come up the first lock and wait in the next pound. Since it does not really help speed up passages, they usually like to avoid more than one waiting boat per pound.
At the top lock we stopped on the service landing and made the usual disposals as well as filling up with water.
During the morning we had received an email from Phil, the boat builder, to say that he had made arrangements for us to call at Crick so that an engineer could attend to our fractured gas locker hinges. During the very hot weather, the hinges had seized up and then sheared through. Not the end of the world immediately but something that needed fixing. We tried to get it done when we were at Buckden but that did not work out. Then, we mentioned it to Phil and he obtained the parts and sent them to the engineer he has worked with who is at Crick Wharf. However the email was a bit ambiguous over which Tuesday was meant but we could get there by mid afternoon even having a lunch break above the Watford Locks.
Setting off once more with just under an hour's cruise to go, we soon found that the pound above the locks is very much slower than the one below.
Despite the proximity top the M1, various busy roads and railways, it was a pleasant rural stretch. We made good time and after coming through Crick Tunnel we tied up at the wharf.a short distance beyond.
Neil took a bit of tracking down but before long he was on the case. Meanwhile Christine walked to the village and picked up a newspaper.
The old hinge bolts still needed to be drilled out from the hinge mountings but their construction does nit take much account of the requirements for maintenance. Eventually, all of the remains were removed and the brand new bolts, just arrived in the post today, could be fitted. That was the easy part of the job!
By now we were getting towards time to look for a mooring. There are few shops along this part of the canal and so we wanted to take advantage here of those in Crick village - but that will wait to the morning. Fortunately we just fitted into a slot just large enough for us that was not very far from the road bridge into the village.
5.3 Miles - 8 Locks
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