Stockton Top Lock (Grand Union) to Crick Marina (Leicester Line)

Cleddau had squeezed through the narrow entrance of Kate Boats. One of the work force, James, had been summoned to help guide the boat in. With a nudge here, a foot push there and with Boatwif fending off on the other side, somehow the difficult arrival was successfully managed.

To everyone’s satisfaction the newly painted red boat remained untouched!

Cleddau was guided to a mooring in front of the dry and wet docks.

After a conflab with the management the Captain set about stripping everything off the roof (bar the solar panels) to prepare the boat for a good wash and polish.

It was to be a day-long job, done partly outside and partly under cover. The crew needed to be off the boat by 9am – and off the site… There is no lounge or waiting area for customers or visitors, but there is pedestrian access from the marina to The Boat Inn.

The pub doesn’t open until midday, so the only option was to use the 63 bus that stops at the pub, going in one direction to Rugby and in the other to Royal Leamington Spa.

Personal bus passes were located. Bus timetables were studied. The bus stop was identified. The direction of travel was established.

Despite their “homework” the Captain and Boatwif spent an hour waiting for a 63 bus to travel to Leamington Spa, another hour mid-afternoon waiting for one to return, a 10 minute period stationary at the second bus stop during the return journey (driver out of hours /shift change) and about 70 minutes on buses when the wheels were actually turning… Major roadworks at both ends of Leamington seemed to be playing havoc with the timetable…

Jephson Gardens is a beautiful formal Victorian era park in the heart of the town. Highlights are the Glasshouse,

the Sensory Garden,

the Clock Tower,

the Mill Suspension Bridge across the River Leam

– (and this memorial seat, does the name strike a chord with anyone else?

There’s an intriguing elephant history in Leamington (see here: ) and to discover where the elephants used to be taken for a wash in the river was rather fun…

Prominent on the Parade are the Pump Rooms, another good place to lurk and spend some time. Here there is a museum,

an art gallery

and a busy library.

There was a run for the bus (sadly, not fast enough, and another hour’s wait, much of it in heavy rain) before eventually arriving back at Kate Boats, being bundled into the boat in the undercover dock via the side hatch, being reversed back onto the visitor berth, tied up – and abandoned…

Did Cleddau look improved after her makeover? Yes, she did!

The following morning there was a reverse out of the Kate Boats Marina

a swing to the right and a chug along the Grand Union (past all the skeletons) to the three Calcutt Locks.

Smoke was rising ahead – as was a breasted-up pair of boats, a motor boat and a butty, setting off on a jaunt to see whether the butty could get through narrow locks…

At the top of the locks the pair reconfigured to a motor boat in towing mode

while across the lock gates streamed a Wednesday morning rambling group…

Cleddau and crew chugged on to Napton Junction, bore left – and as the weather worsened pulled in to spend a bitter afternoon inside (apart from one brief towpath scuttle).

The route ahead was familiar now; in sunny blackberry-picking conditions next day

Braunston was reached (for a look at the windmill and an overnight stop).

It was slow progress up the busy 6 Braunston double locks next day (a queue at the start) and further up a wait for water to be let down from the Top Lock.

On then, through the Braunston Tunnel,

to find a mooring (with a view) at Norton Junction.

There was one more cruise along now very familiar waters: at Norton Junction

the large swan family is still thriving.

At the Watford narrow locks timing was right – there may have been six boats ahead but they had already progressed up the flight. “Carry straight on,” said the duty lock keeper, and there was just chance to catch these dates on the bridge over the bottom lock…