Norton Junction

Again we were away before 10 am but not far, just to the Stop House to take on water where a reader of this Blog took the trouble to say hello just as we left. As we approached the bottom lock a boat had just come out but didn’t see us and closed the gates, as we went up in the lock a single boat was entering number 2 going up ahead, we thought we had caught their attention but about 3” from opening the top gates we saw the bottom gate of lock 2 close. Needless to say we were below the lock before he left and we did the rest together. I noticed this in the stone work on the top of the lock wall and can only assume it was a stone pinched from another lock.

Just above the second lock this lovely old ice breaking tug is moored up, I bet she rolls all over the place.

The towpath up to the tunnel mouth has always been problematic wit flooding due to the water springs in the higher bank, CRT now seemed to have got on top of it with drains under the top surface.

We didn’t meet any boats in the tunnel but one was waiting at the far end for us to emerge, he also waited for the single hander who was quite slower. I think the reason he waited was he only had a torch for a head lamp.

Since we were last this way they have built a complete housing estate just behind the towpath.

I posted yesterday about the new “No Fishing danger of Electricity” signs on North Oxford, well they are also in use along the Grand Union Canal.

Its not far from here where the Daventry Arm is/was planned to join the canal, there is absolutely nothing to be seen, whether it will ever get dug who knows, maybe its been quietly forgotten about.

When we got to Norton Junction we turned left up the Leicester Line and moored on the 14 day moorings now designated “Winter Moorings”

Todays Journey 4¾ Miles, 6 lock in 3 hours

After we had moored up we took a short walk down the Buckby Locks, just above the top lock this old butty was moored, It had obviously been sunk at some point, the back end was smashed and the fore end top planks replaced with steel. Laying inside the hull was a virtually complete 6 cylinder Gardner engine all in component parts .