Onto The Trent and Mersey Canal

This trip that we are doing from Devizes to Aston Marina at Stone reminds me of the motorcycle trips that I used to go on with my mates back in Oz.  We used to ride for thousands of Ks but saw nothing but the road, petrol stations and the pub at night.  This trip is a bit slower, but because we are doing such long hours every day there is no time left to have a look around wherever we stop.  Never mind, needs must and all that, plus we just want to get into the marina, hook up with shore power, pick up the car and get our heads around it all and get sorted!

So to today, just a couple of easy locks then into Fazely Junction, I wonder if it will ever be finished?



We will go north then ...

We met these guys a lot last year.  This time it was a quick 'hello, how ya going and goodbye' ...

Nice moggie ute (one for El's brother, Trev) ...

I love this part of the canal at Hopwas.  Apart from being very pretty, its supposed to be inhabited  by....

....naked witches, we didnt see any today though ...

They would have to be a bit careful though cavorting about in those wood though ...

Passing through Huddlesford where we lost out precious little Sammie for a few hours last June ...

Another first for Bombo, he wanted to sit on my knee whilst I was steering!

This place is up for sale soon...very nice position.

 

I wondered the other day about how close we can get to a pub.  I reckon at full throttle we would just about get into the front door of The Mucky Duck!

But we didn't, we went up the locks instead, and as you can see by the sky the sun was out and it felt warm again so the shorts were back on....woohoo.

When Elaine goes ahead to set a lock poor Bombo starts to panic, so he walks to the front of the boat looking for her - he is a real mummy's boy ...

Where is she....

There she is, you can relax now ...

We finished up at Handsacre, where we went to the Crown for drinks and dinner, except that the kitchen is being renovated, so it was just a drink then next door to the chippie.

We will have to stop somewhere nice tomorrow night as it will be our last night of our mammoth trip.

Big news ... we have blown a bulb!!!  So in over 18 months of owning Caxton, apart from routine servicing. we have blown one inverter fuse and one bulb!  She really is a bloody fantastic, reliable boat.  I spent 20 years in Oz fixing boats, and believe me they generally are a most unreliable mode of transport :)