6 kilometres and 5 locks

!0 am start today and my services were surplus to requirements for the first 3 locks as they were operated by a VNF man following us in a van. It became apparent that they were controlling the water at a lower level whilst they were re-enforcing the banks – a stunning job they were making of it too. I had to laugh though, one man was passing a pole down to a man in the water who held the pole vertically whilst the man on the digger hammered it in with his bucket – the lady on the bank in a hard hat, like me, also appeared to be surplus to requirements. Perhaps she was supervising and making sure the man rammed the poles in and not the man holding the poles.

A lovely quiet mooring surrounded by woodland (so no satellite) makes an idyllic stop for Daisy who returned with a mouse within 5 minutes of mooring. We had intended to linger here a little but, having walked into town after lunch, we quickly booked passage for the morning! It has a massive pharmacy – probably so large because of the vast stocks of anti-depressants it has to hold for the poor sods who have to live here; I say, ‘have to’ live here as it’s not something you’d do by choice. It also has a railway station which should contain a government health warning advising people not to get off the train. If you’re reading this and live here then I’m sorry – not for what I said, but that you have to live here.

To add to the ambience is this power station – you’d think amongst this lot they’d be a socket for a bit of shore power somewhere!

So, although the mooring is lovely, it’s pastures new for us in the morning. That’ll be 3 days on the trot we’ve moved; albeit only for 2 or 3 hours (plenty out the back in this weather) and try to find somewhere nice to spend a couple of days for the weekend.