Napton to All Oaks Wood.

Saturday I took the hire car back to Enterprise at Daventry, they don't do lift's back to the marina on a Saturday - cost me £20 in a cab!. While I was gone Sue and Betty went to have a chat with Linda & Richard.

Final waved goodbye's as FL headed for the Junction the right-hand turn heads towards Braunston, we stopped on a good mooring after bridge 103. The sun is hot, shorts only for me today. We had a quiet night, Wrinkles is comfortable on the new sofa which she makes up herself each night, this puffs her out & ensures she stays quiet till morning.

Sunday we got up to another bright day, setting off to another unplanned destination, which turned out to be at bridge 100 a mile further along the canal from where we started .

Sue set off on foot to shop at the Braunston butcher which is handily open Sunday mornings. I MIL sat, got the bankside chair out for her to sit in the sun so she can wave to the passing boats, she moaned that I had placed it too close to the canal edge on purpose  - she did have a point. I pulled the chair back a few feet, this put her in danger of speeding towpath cyclists.. oh well. Sue arrived back on the boat with a leg of lamb and soon after the heavens opened and didn't stop all afternoon.

Monday - I  tipped got Wrinkly off the sofa at 07:30, wanted to cast off earlyish before the forecast rain turned up, it never did, just a few spots. We made our way into Braunston where I ordered two sausage and a bacon sandwich from Gongoozlers Rest while the water tank filled. The sandwiches were delivered as we untied to wind FL at the marina entrance.

We turned right at Braunston Turn towards Rugby, cruising through fields of cows, sheep and hay sloping down to the waters edge. Two hours later we have moored below Wise's bridge (No- 80). It has just started to tip down.

Tuesday - We pulled the pins at 07:50, the M45  was already noisy when we passed beneath and on to the Barby Straight, at  Hillmorton bottom lock a lock keeper is letting water down to a shallow pound below. Asked Wrinkles if she would like to get off the boat for a bit of exercise walking between the locks, she refused - finding it much harder to get her moving on this trip.

At Masters Bridge in Rugby, we pull a huge plastic fence out of the canal, a Willow Wren day boat nearly sideswipes us coming out of their boatyard cutting. We overtake them before the Newbold tunnel, Lime Farm Marina has a sign up for cheap diesel 65ppl for domestic and 115ppl for propulsion- we paid 107.9p for fuel for the hire car so not that cheap here. We moored half a mile north of Brinklow Marina on the boundary of All Oaks Wood just as the skies were darkening

View from the hatch.