Locked out

 Same thing happened this morning. Ian took the dog. I stomped through a sleeping Vicky and Alex. Glorious day. After breakfast Misty and I walked along the canal for a while and hopped aboard near Bathampton. A woman sunning herself on the moorings nearly got her legs amputated as Ian swooped in, but she shouldn’t have been so stupid. Once again we chilled in the Bank Holiday sun. 

Although who would have thought the Kennet and Avon canal would be as busy as the M25. There was a bit of canal rage on the Dundas aqueduct with poling required. 

Take that!

After that the river quietened off a bit so we moored for lunch. Setting off again we approached the Avoncliff aqueduct and found ourselves behind The Hotel Boat! The biggest boat on the canal. And the slowest. Ian did a sterling job of manoeuvring across at snail speed. We filled up with water again, which may have been a mistake. Not far to the lock now. As we motored on down a boat coming the other way said, “it’s carnage at the lock!” We saw that as we arrived to find ourselves in a boat queue stretching down the canal. We found ourselves tied to a nice old mans boat. 

Needless to say he and Alex struck up a friendship. Ian got talking to and ex army gypsy who had been in an altercation with some cyclists re a near accidental running over of a small child. Me and the lady in the boat behind decided we would be a pair. But alas, it was not to be as another boat had been queuing that we didn’t notice. Over an hour later it was our turn!

At last we were able to moor for the night amongst loads of nettles. No worries as Alex is a good jumper. We also managed to find a nice pub, next to the lock as a matter of fact, for tea.