I heart BW

This is the start of our first proper trip of the year, with two weeks off work to hit the Thames Ring via Brentford for the first time. We've got out of the hire-boating habit of spending long days making the most of every minute on board, packing in the maximum available cruising, and latterly have settled into a bit of a pattern of leisurely days and long lunchbreaks (hic!). So this fortnight will be a bit of a change from our usual routine but well worth the effort.

Sooo... an early start on Saturday, after a quck trip to Daventry for emergency supplies, then off up the locks. The doomsayers all said that once Ventnor Farm and then Calcutt first built their marinas, then extended them, that the three Calcutt locks would be forever gridlocked. But as one of the causes of the hideous congestion, I can honestly say that we have never had too long a wait there. We shared the locks with a very nice Kate Boat and were though in no time.

Beautiful blustery weather through to Napton, and then – ta da! THE HITCH – a broken balance beam at lock 11, meaning a long wait until it could be fixed. “Several hours” said the guys from BW. Oh Dear, we thought, tying up across from the pub to wait. But it was all very civilised and after lunch, and a stoppage of only about 3 hours (and a pint or two of Old Hooky), together with a very tidy short-term repair effected with a couple of lengths of Armco railing bolted to the broken beam, we were all on our way again – with a very speedy passage up the locks because of the steady stream of boaters waiting to come down as well as up. Hurrah for the lovely lock-keepers at Napton.

We carried on to a spot just short of the curly-wurly stretch of the South Oxford at Wormleighton to moor for the night.