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Sunday 2 September 2012

Sunday 2 Sept 2012 Barton Lock

Last night we had a very quiet night in the marina, it’s only about half full and all the boats are on 60ft finger moorings on a a smallDSCF2909backbone that sticks out into the lake. I think quite a few of the boaters are live aboards and it looked a very social place with people gathering around the bows of the boats till well into the night. We weren't there during the evening as we were having diner at the Axe and Compass in the village. A new chef started a couple of weeks ago and he seams very good.

This morning we set of at our normal 10 o’clock with everyone wishing us a good trip and waving goodbye. After the first lock we met 5 Narrowboats so the morning started busy but we were to see only 1 cruiser all day. We passed the canoe hire base foa smallDSCF9789r Canoes 2 at Ditchford Lock. We shared this lock with an Australian couple who spend the summer boating and the winter back home. Diana told me after we had parted company with them at Wellingborough that the man was 76, I would have guessed at least 12 years less. We were to meet several of the canoes coming downstream heading back to base as the day continued.

Wellingborough was full of swans, we counted 100 in to large a smallDSCF9792flocks. Just above Wellingborough, by the prison there is an old bridge that crosses a side arm. This arm must have been important once as the bridge looks as if the centre section use to raise on cables at one time.a smallDSCF9794 
Hearing a couple of planes overhead I looked up to see a pair ofa smallDSCF9797 biplanes going over.
We decided that we would try to moor above Barton Lock and as I entered the lock I looked round to my right to see that I was being closely watched.a small DSCF9810 The were completely invisible to me until I was in the lock. Once clear of the lock we pulled into the bank about 20 yards above the lock moorings, leaving the lock was another surprise as our friends on K2 were moored about 100 yards ahead of where we intended pulling in.

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