Back to Brinklow Marina

Our morning start was a very frosty and misty, but absolutely fantastic, affair.  There really is something very special about the canal on one of these mornings.  We understand it was about  -4 degrees last night (more than we expected!)

The view from our side hatch at 7 o’clock this morning.

After defrosting the rear deck area we started on our way back to Brinklow at 10:30 – this was the steerers’ view.

It was a good job we didn’t need our centre rope – it was far too pretty to disturb!

At bridge 79 we passed nb ‘Barbara-Anne’ coming the other way and they told us they enjoy reading our blog – that’s very nice of you guys – so sorry that we were the only two boats on the cut and we have to meet in a bridge hole! 

We trundled along past the new Barby Marina which has a few more boats than the last time we passed by but still woefully short of pontoons.   Each time we’ve passed the linear moorings at Barby we can’t  help but notice this little renovation project in the “garden” of one of the boats…….

 

……a 1963 (Bedford / Comma ?) ambulance – still in pretty good condition for it’s age!

Further on and we see the familiar wireless masts of the radio station at  Hillmorton…..

……these are just a few of them!  Some are 820 feet tall.  The station dates back to 1926 but today it transmits all over the world and also broadcasts the time signal to an accuracy of one second in three thousand years.  Amazing when you think we just dum dee dum dee dum our way along the canal at 4 mph!

Just after the radio station we come upon the lock flight at Hillmorton. 

Here’s Doug setting the middle lock.  Just as we were leaving the bottom lock another boat was coming the other way and was able to go straight in, so that was good timing for them.

We’ve had another fantastic sunny day to end our little mid winter excursion.  It’s been the most brilliant week weather wise and for meeting up with friends old and new (quite by ‘chance’) – we’ve been very lucky.  68 miles and 32 locks of a fun filled week.  We’re now back in the marina – toilet pumped out and some damage to the blacking already touched up.  It will be another cold night tonight and tomorrow we will finish a few more jobs, pack up the car and head home.