Long pole fishermen. Don't know if you can see their carbon fibre, very expensive fishing poles. The poles are 13metres long, the fishing line and hook on the end is about 3 foot long and any fish they catch they put back - very weird the English. The fishermen have two methods of getting their poles out of a boats way. They either pull the rods in, breaking them into what looks like 1.5-2 metre lengths as they go, or they lift the rods as in the photo. If you come across a lone of pole fishermen and they employ the lift method in a Mexican wave motion, you get the feeling the you are taking part in some sort of arcane ceremony.
First up today were the Stockton Locks, a flight of 8 wide locks (the locks are all wide on the GUC)
We joined up with 2 couples on another hire boat, to tackle the locks together.
Peter, the skipper has had a lot of nbing experience so working down the Stockton 8'and the following Shop and Itchington Bottom Locks was a real pleasure (plus there were 4 of us working the locks).
We met some interesting boats coming up. This tiny little narrowboat that is nearly as wide as it is long, is called Piglet and as her owner looked a bit like a slim Winston Churchill, I thought the name, Piglet, very whimsical
Piglet would go into the lock first 'Winny' would scale the ladder to secure Piglet so the incoming boat wouldn't bash her around too much
Then 'Winny' would shut the gate behind Piglet and as the lockers on the accompanying boat opened the front paddles, he would have to rush back to Piglet and haul in the rope to stop her from being sucked forward as the lock filled.
And he must have repeated the performance at least 10 times today. The next boat coming up the locks after Piglet and co caused much conversation between Peter and Lawrence; it was a wide beam hotel boat and some logistics needed to be worked out re how to pass it in the pound. The plan worked and the wide beam was passed without a hitch.
We left our lock companions at the bottom of Itchington Bottom Lock where they were stopping to fill with water. At the top of Bascote Locks, a flight of 4, 2 of which form a staircase, we joined up (with some trepidation after our Oxford Canal experience with youth) with two young blokes and a girl. it just goes to show we shouldn't prejudge. They were three really nice mid 20yo on the boat of the skipper, Tom's mother. Not only was he a good and careful operator, he was considerate of us.
BUT because Toms two lockers were young and fit (the girl in particular had one of those honed bodies most of us only dreamt about when we were that age) I was hard pressed to keep up and do Aqualifes share of the lock work. So there was no time for pictures and after sharing ten locks with them I was so buggered we stopped at the first spot we could find after the final lock. So just after 2.00pm we moored up and Lawrence very kindly cooked bacon and eggs with toms and mushiness, while I sat on the back deck with a cup of chai and tried to find a muscle in my body that wasn't sore.
Tom and his crew were aiming to get to the top of Hatton flight before stopping for the day - another 23 locks!
Upon consulting the canal guide we discovered that we are only a couple of hours out of Warwick. Therefore we decided to stay put for the night and get into the city about 10 tomorrow when some of the better moorings should be available.
We had two visitors this evening, who made themselves known; another tapping swan, maybe it was the same one and a squaring duck and her ducklings
Two things were very unusual about this duck - she still had nine ducklings. Normally when ducklings have reached this size there are only 1-3 left. The other was that she didn't compete with her ducklings for the bread I gave them - maybe that is why she still has 9.
We are now on the lowest stretch of the GUC between Braunston and Birmingham.
Re Quiz. They are not Welsh Blacks. Anyone else care to have a go?
Re the tapping swan. I initially thought the same Rhonda, but then I realised that kitchens can be at the front, back or middle of a narrowboat. I think that maybe they can smell the sink drain.
7 miles, 20 locks, 6 hours
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