Left the mooring at 09:00, the sun was up and had already warmed FL's steel so it was hot to touch. First lock of the day was the isolated Newark lock with a view of the priory ruins. Youngsters are fishing off the bank, the river meanders, carelessly leaving shallows on the inside of bends.
It was while being distracted trying to keep a horsefly from using it's fangs on my leg that I run FL aground on the deposition at Broad Oak weir; I used the boat pole to break the suction on the base plate while Sue gave the throttle some wellie in reverse to get FL off the silt. Scratching the new itch on my ankle we cruise on.
It was at Stoke Lock that Sue opened the already closed gates to let Sunset Song and crew share the lock. Usual banter with the Welsh crew ensued, turns out the skipper is an ex TT rider. We stopped at Dapdune Wharf to get rid of dumpables. The skipper of Sunset calls out that he will wait for us at the next lock, by the time we arrived at Millmead lock Sunset Song was in the lock and we sailed in along side her. The skipper then presented us with an IOM flag, how kind is that.
Guildford is a typical city; a cathedral, outskirts of outlets including B&Q, Screwfix and Next. Closer to the centre are the graffiti, bench drunks with associated carrier bags of tins, then comes the looked after clean smart city centre with floral displays and sculptured art. We cruise to its southern extremity and put the pins in on meadow land
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| Alice in Wonderland Scupture |
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| Newark Priory |
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| Newark lock |
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| Papercourt lock and weir |
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| Papercourt lock cottage |
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| Lock cottage |
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| Plenty of colour on the banks |
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| 1882 iron bridge in Guildford |
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| I don't get to use the paddles very often. |
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