Moral Dilemmas in the sun

12th & 13th September

A straightforward run yesterday, from our mooring just North of Braunston to the top of Hillmorton Locks. When we came this way in the Spring, there were very few boats tied on the various bits of Armco piling on the way, but now there were a good number. Some of these were holiday boats that had chosen to stop for the night in the country and were making a leisurely start, but a lot looked like boats that used to moor on the other side of Braunston, on the puddle banks and beyond. Looks as if some moving on has been done.

This issue of towpath squatters continues to exercise me – on the one hand, it makes it difficult to do a decent bit of cruising if you can’t get more than five minutes at a time before you have to ease back to tick over for moored boats. On the other, one of the joys of the cut is the variety of boats and people you meet, and as long as people are paying their dues in the form of licence fees, why shouldn’t they drift about in a confined area?

As I say, it’s a difficult one to come to a firm conclusion on, especially for us see-both-sides-of-the-argument Librans.

Arriving at Hillmorton in good time for lunch, we spent the afternoon washing the roof and port side of the boat. It was hard work in pleasant sunshine that quickly made the metal too hot to touch or kneel on.

Today we made an early start and followed a small Ashby and a large Valley Cruisers hire boat down the paired Hillmorton Locks. Both sets of hirers were taking their time, but we were happy just to poddle along behind. At the bottom of the three locks, the Ashby boat set off along the pound, but the Valley cruiser stopped to water. There are two taps and enough mooring for two boats, so we pulled in behind them and filled up as well, taking the opportunity to run a wash load at the same time.

The taps here are not fast, and the washing machine was half way through the rinse cycle before we got away. It was another glorious day for boating as we chugged round to the Tesco mooring. It’s been a while since the last serious supermarket, Morrison’s in Northampton, so the shopping list was pretty long.

This is another quandary. I’m all for the concept of supporting local shops, and do my best to do so, but it’s really hard these days to find good fruit and veg (and I don’t mean fancy stuff – we’re talking onions and tomatoes, mushrooms and cabbage here) in small shops. Hillmorton is typical – there is a newsagent and “convenience” store, but it’s only good for milk, basic bread and a bottle of wine – no fresh stuff at all.

Any way, we got everything I needed to restock the galley, including loads of veg, sandwich fillings and a wine box, in one trip, filling both daysacks, four reusable bags and one carrier bag. Good job it’s a short stagger to the moorings.

Then it was a case of throw everything into the boat, and Sheila steered round to Newbold while I put it all away.

We got to Newbold just in time for lunch (again), and spent this afternoon cleaning brass and then coating the mushrooms, portholes, and the tunnel light with three coats of Incralac lacquer, so less polishing in future, hopefully.

Tomorrow All Oaks Wood, the mooring for Brinklow, and then a long day on through Ansty, Hawkesbury and Nuneaton to Hartshill, where Elanor is coming to see us on Sunday.