Back to Calcutt

Saturday 25th August; Napton to Calcutt Marina

We spent a couple of hours cleaning and packing before making our way back to Calcutt.  We much prefer doing this by the towpath, where you usually have a pleasant view and room to breathe.  The boats waiting for the locks to open had long gone and the one behind us – which had an illuminated duck on the roof last night – had also left.  It was a lovely sunshiny morning.

Our return to the marina was fairly uneventful to start with.  This steep field near Napton hill often has horses in it.

There was still a fair bit of floating vegetation around, apparently from the strimming that was going on yesterday afternoon.  The towpath further on from the moorings is pretty narrow and not in the best of conditions, so this has to be done, though it’s a shame the bits all seem to end up in the water.  A couple of years ago we reported a collapsing stretch of path near bridge 112.  Red plastic fencing soon went up to mark the holes but nothing more has been done.  The fencing appears to have been damaged by a strimmer and is probably destined to end up round someone’s prop.

All was going smoothly till we came round a bend and suddenly there was something in the way!  We weren't expecting a widebeam this side of Napton junction!

Dave was slowing and adjusting our line to see what was behind the tree when another bow appeared right beside the widebeam.  After rather a lot of reverse gear and manoeuvring by both boats – and the one behind them having to stop too – we all agreed that this was once of the most inconsiderate choices of mooring spot we had seen.  I’m not sure we would moor here even if the overhanging tree had been removed though if you don’t actually meet anyone it is ok.

The widebeam is being fitted out – not a lot was inside and it was all locked up.  Is the owner aware they can’t go beyond Napton?  Do they even know whether they will fit through the bridges and narrow bits and get round the bends to the only winding hole long enough for them?  Or are they intending to reverse back to the junction?

After that little hold-up we were able to share the descent of Calcutt locks with a single-hander and he didn’t even need to get off his boat after he closed the first top gate as there was plenty of crew from the boats coming up.

We didn’t rush to start the drive home, not leaving till mid-afternoon.  Our son had sent us details of the massive hold-ups on the M5 - it’s bank holiday weekend, after all – but by the time we hit the motorway everything had cleared.

2 miles, 3 locks

Trip stats

98 miles 6½ furlongs narrow canals, 1 miles 3¾ furlongs broad canal, 100 miles 2¼ furlongs in total.

76 narrow locks, 6 broad (actually 38 narrow and 3 broad, twice).

40 (20, twice each) moveable bridges, some open, some key-operated, some absolute bu**ers.

Canalplanner says there was a small aqueduct or underbridge but I can’t recall having seen it.