Bugbrooke to Blisworth

We stayed at Bugbrooke for the best part of a week, we had our BSC booked in at Blisworth and as we both like Bugbrooke we decided to sit it out there and continue with the pen making.

I do enjoy the walks around the area, my favourite one takes you over the railway bridge and up through fields where you are rewarded with some fantastic views, I then follow the stream back to the canal and home again.

We had visitors whilst there, Maffi and Molly moored up opposite us at The Wharf and popped over for coffee the following morning - Dudley had a Goldilocks and the three bears moment - someone's been sleeping in my bed!

We were lucky enough to get some lovely weather too with the weekend being extremely hot.

On Sunday we set off to be in Blisworth for our appointment with the BSS Examiner, just a couple of small things to sort, one of which we needed to find someone on route to do as we had to get going to be in Linslade for our Easter Market.

4.5 miles and 0 locks

TOTAL 63.5 miles and 78 locks

Blisworth Canal Festival

Wow what a busy weekend and soooo many people. The organisers did a fantastic job and as Festival HQ was in front of us we could see and hear all the hard work going on throughout the weekend.

Friday evening Peter and Heather came round, complete with cider, wine and crisps and we sat on our back deck listening to the music from Blisworth Marina opposite. We had a lovely evening catching up.

Peter and Heather emerging from Blisworth Tunnel

Saturday we were up early and headed off to the Chapel for the Boaters Breakfast, again very well organised and a fantastic fry up that would keep us going for a while. We got back to LJ and started setting up our displays, it wasn't long before the bells rang at the church indicating that the festival was open. Dudley was on meeting and greeting duty as usual until it got too hot. Again we met lots of lovely people who have been following us on Facebook and many sales were made.

We're behind the gazebo on the towpath

Busy with people stopping to look

Sunday morning started cloudy but still warm but it wasn't long before the sun made an appearance but luckily it wasn't as hot as Saturday. There seemed to be more people around and at times the pathway got very congested. More sales were made and we had our busiest day to date, leaving our displays looking quite empty by the end of the day, not that I'm complaining.

Another busy day

During the weekend there were reports that the A43 was gridlocked due to the amount of people flooding to Blisworth. This has to be one of the best festivals around and it's free to visitors. Three distinct areas choc a bloc with things to do. A festival field full of entertainment, a village full of open gardens, breakfasts in chapels and cream teas in churches and to top it of rows of decorated historic and trading narrowboats. We had a fantastic time and received a warm welcome from the organisers, villagers and festival attendees (all 58,000 of them).

On Monday we set off just after 8am just after Kit and Mike had passed by, we didn't get far as there was a wide beam coming through the tunnel from Stoke Bruerne and we had to wait, good thing though there was also a widebeam in the queue ahead of us which meant that we wouldn't be passing anything in the tunnel. So after a delay we set off and shared the Stoke Bruerne locks with Kit and Mike, we continued on to Cosgrove passing through the lock and stopping at the bottom before the aqueduct.

Horse tunnel under the canal

Moored at Cosgrove

Tuesday we continued our journey to Fenny Stratford as James had a DPD delivery to Halfords in Bletchley and I had a couple of Ebay items being delivered to Argos. We decided to moor up in our allocated spot for this weekends first ever Fenny Stratford Festival, so we would both get on with getting stocks of pens and cases made.

Over the River Great Ouse

On this aqueduct

Amazing to think we're only a few miles from Milton Keynes

21 miles and 9 locks

TOTAL 406.5 miles and 388 locks

Bugbrooke to Blisworth

We stayed a few days in Bugbrooke, the only downside here is the noise from the Virgin trains as they hurtle by, but you do tend to get used to it. It's been quite a windy few days but luckily no rain which meant James could get on with a few more pens ready for the Blisworth Canal Festival. 

I do like the walks around Bugbrooke, they are well signposted and the farmers do keep the footpaths very clear. They seem mostly crop fields here, the occasional one with sheep but no sign of cows, as much as I love cows I don't like crossing fields with them in. 

This path took us under the canal aqueduct, it was dated 1809

We moved off yesterday with the wind quite strong which made it a bit tricky, we stopped at the facilities wharf at Gayton Junction, Olly on Queen Mauve passed by, a few minutes later he sent James a Facebook message saying he had spotted us but it was too windy to slow, I don't blame him we had fun and games reversing back out and on our way again.

Olly took this photo of LJ as he passed 

Nick, the boat organiser for the Blisworth festival had told us roughly where our spot was and that they had marked them all out, we arrived and found it fairly easily. Nick popped over in the evening to introduce himself and say hello. So first impressions are nice, friendly and organised. I'm now just waiting for my Tesco delivery.

Our spot marked out

Just need to get the banner and bunting up now

4.5 miles and 0 locks

TOTAL 385.5 miles and 379 locks

BUSY IN BLIZZY...

We left for the bottom lock early doors, well early for us at the moment at just after seven. All the locks were against us but the sun was out, the wind low and it was looking like it was going to be a fine day again.

First Lock of The Day

Approaching Stoke Bruerne we passed all the boats that had passed us the evening before most of whom, no doubt, were soon to be off and head for the top lock and then the Blisworth tunnel. In the pound for the top lock us early morning travellers were causing a bit of a hold up. 

We had shared the penultimate lock with father and son team Simon and Robert on board a Wyvern hire boat. Dad Simon was steering and Robert doing a great job with the heavy lock gates. Once up into the top pound there were two more boats waiting to go up and one on their way down. 

The boat on its way down was another Wyvern, glad to see them having a good rental season. In with the little hire boat was an even smaller GRP cruiser, they were taking a time exiting the lock and we had to do a bit of shuffling around. The two narrowboat in front were still not going into the lock, that was because there were more plastic boats coming out, three altogether and all being hauled by rope. I think if I was the hire boat I would have let them go down the rest of the flight on their own.

As Blisworth was to be Simon and Roberts first tunnel we volunteered to go through first, it was still only about 8.15 so I wasn't expecting many, if any, other boats coming through. It was a fairly dry passage until about three quarters of the way through then we had a bit of a shower! Deb even had a go steering so I could take a couple of pics from the front. My photo session was cut short though as Deb headed for the tunnel wall. 

Atmospheric in Blizzy Tunnel

Yes Simon we could hear you singing

Simon and Robert heading back to port

Blisworth was getting ready for the festival at the weekend and all the moorings were either taken or reserved. We plodded past the moored boats and left our locking partners at Gayton junction where they winded and headed back to the tunnel and a couple of long days cruising to get back to Wyvern. At least our mooring at Gayton would make it easy for Deb's mum to get to us the next day, and the wide towpath means that I would be able to get on with a couple of boaty jobs that I was itching to do.  

We walked the mile or so back in to Blizzy for the festival late Saturday morning. Blisworth festival isn't really like any others I've been to, its like a hybrid between a good old canal show full of trade boats, and a village fate with a bit of car boot sale and country show thrown in for good measure. It sounds like its a bit of a mess but it works and it was brilliant, and busy.

Money for new rope

The trade boats looked like they were having a good trading day and there were a few marquee'd stalls canal side as well. Walking up through the village we saw pavement side bric a brac stalls and an excellent mini second hand market in the back of someones lovely garden. The church opposite had a campanology display in the churchyard, and the church itself was opened as a cafe! It was quite novel to be sitting in the pews with a slice of cake and a mug of tea.

Even though she had to stand on a box to reach she was really good, deffo had the rhythm. 

Deb a bit bemused by tea in the pews. 

Lots of Brasso there

The steam engine owner also had a car or two

Behind the church lies the beautiful Blisworth manor house that had opened its gardens to stalls, craft displays of fencing and wood turning and a small petting farm area.

Lots of nice houses

View across the village

One of the display sheep looked a bit warm, I think it was a black Leicester long wool that apparently was rarer than a panda, shame that the next stall along was selling sheepskin rugs. We treated ourselves to a rare breed scotch egg and back over the canal a pint in the mobile bar within the grounds of the Blisworth tunnel boat yard.

Rasta Ram

Turner at work

The band, the beer tent and the area where parents get kids to do embarrassing poses

The last area to look around was the show field at the top of the hill. There were more stalls and displays as well as a little camping area for the oldies.

Nice pair

Old Renault

These were actually cafe's - what a great idea

We sat in the warm afternoon sun watching the dog show. As I sat thinking about the festival I thought how it was all very 'Vicar of Dibley' the whole village made a great effort. Definitely one to come back to.

'Do we have a winner?'
'No, no..no......no....... YES we have a winner!'

Bugbrooke to Blisworth...

Bugbrooke to Blisworth...

We made it in good time to Blisworth tunnel entrance and prepared ourselves for a soaking in this notoriously wet tunnel. 

Entering the tunnel

Looking up at a vent shaft 

Narrowly missing a soaking

At 3,076 yards (2,813m) long it is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel on the UK canal network after Standedge Tunnel and Dudley Tunnel (and the ninth-longest canal tunnel in the world). At its deepest point it is ca.143 feet (ca.43m) below ground level.

There was some major rebuilding of the tunnel in the 1980s, with sections lined with pre-cast concrete rings. It was also used to test out the materials that were later used on the Channel Tunnel. One of the unused rings is on display just outside the south portal.

A cross section of tunnel

We took a quick stroll through to Stoke Bruerne and the afternoon sun came out for a couple of photos. We'll spend a bit more time here on the way back up the GU but we wanted to press on a bit on Thursday as the forecast isn't too good for the next few days, back to wind and rain unfortunately. 

Stoke Bruerne in the sun shine

Museum and visitor moorings

Now look, I've had a belly full of gongoozlers all weekend, it's time for a bit of me time. Got any bread...

We stuck to the plan on Thursday based on the fact that the sky would be clear and the winds light first thing but getting worse as the day went on. We pulled pins at 06.15 and whispered through the village and first and second locks. Rather surprisingly we meet a single handed boater at the third lock and shared the work down.  Another tough set of locks with several upper gates well under water and pounds overflowing. I thought at one stage we would have to start letting water through to lower the pound level. 

Downwards and onwards

Plenty of spare water here. 

By 08.00 we were through the locks, moored up at the facilities block emptying and filling the required tanks and tucking into breakie and insulated mugs of tea. The wind had picked up and through spots of rain we could see torrential downpours on the horizon. Luckily we skirted most of them.

Around a picturesque corner I spied activity outside a familiarly named boat. It was Mick readying parisien star for the off. I have read a couple of times of Mick's confusion as boaters he's never met greet him as a long lost friend. You see its Elly's blog and Mick admitted not being a blog reader, so apologies to Mick but I had to join in with the confusion. We managed a quick wave to Elly and look forward to meeting them on the GU later on. Elly and Mick are on their way to Gary and Dave for a new drive plate and an engine service. Even though we haven't properly met its amazing what you can find out on other people's blogs - no secrets here :-) 

We made it as far as Cosgrove and moored up for the day with the wind getting steadily stronger and the sky steadily darker, time to get the fire lit. 

Doing her bit for the local community...

Doing her bit for the local community...

Back in Bugbrooke for the night and the bilge looks dry, morning will be the test though. We usually woke to about four litres sloshing around. Just a quick stroll into the village needed to pick up my usual monthly meds and we would be off towards 'the' tunnel. 

Deb felt that as everyone had been so pleasant during our stop that she would dearly like to show her thanks to the community. But what to do? The only thing that sprang to mind was to support the local community cafe    'what, volunteer for the day says l' no apparently something more along the lines of a bacon sarnie and a cuppa coffee.

Should have seen that one coming really. I found it hard to disagree with this noble exercise so we wandered in to the Victorian Sunday school on church lane. I told Deb we will be the only ones there and sure enough, apart from the five staff/volunteer's we were met with several empty tables. 

Wanting to help Deb out with her good deed for the day I ordered a mug of tea and a mini cooked breakfast. Deb upgraded her bacon sarnie to the same. The cafe, known as badgers break to the locals, has only limited opening hours due to the fact that it has to fit in with all the other hall activities so Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday they are open from 09.00 to 12.30 and on Saturdays until four. 

In a village where the only foodie alternatives are a couple of quite expensive pubs the cafe was most welcome. Our breakfasts came with toast, and quite unusually we were asked if we wanted our drinks straight away or with our food. My default setting is always the latter, there's nothing worse than getting half way through breakie to have to stare into an empty mug, well apart from emptying the mug before the food even arrives! The grand total came to a more than reasonable £6.70 considering the quality (no nasty catering bangers) and even left room in the budget for a treat of a takeaway slice of cake for later. Bizarrely, and unconnected to the cafe part there were six new camera cases on a table for sale, possibly excess stock from a photography course or club. I'm not sure which, but after a little humming and haring I decide to treat myself with an easier way to store my SLR, lenses, charger and kit for £2. At three for £5 I nearly took the lot to put on eBay :-) 

Without the need to stop and eat back on LJ we pulled pins and we headed for Blisworth tunnel and Stoke Bruerne. Not as hot as the previous day on the marina but warm enough and with no more than a stiff breeze. 

This section of canal has seemed like two very different ones either side of the bank holiday weekend. On the way up to Gayton  the first time hedges were very neat and showing the merest hints of green. Fields having been immaculately ploughed and sown were dusty and dry, church spires and rooftops could be spied through trees. Our journey up today saw lush green hedgerows, fields with the merest hint of brown with crops sprouting and trees in full leaf for the next several months. 

The bank holiday brought out the big guns as well, we had only spotted one wide beam on the move so far this spring and heading towards Bugbrooke we saw two in a row. Funny how all us narrow boats headed in to the safety of the bank as soon a you see fifty tons of steel heading your way.

Moored up ready to go into the marina the next day

Now that is a wide beam narrowboat!

And then another one

All still very new and tidy in that marina waiting for Gary to fix our leak