Norton to Rugby

It was an early start for us, in fact we left just as there was enough daylight to cruise.. There was frost all over the ground and the roof on Derwent6 was white. We left Norton Junction and crept past all the other boats here.

It has been busy with moored boats due to the lock closures at Watford Locks, but in fact the canal has been very quiet.

We made our way up to Braunston Tunnel and as it was so cold we never got wet due to the fact it had turned to ice..

We never saw a thing as we got to the locks and it was a bonus that it was in our favour as well..

Al had some problems freeing off the paddles, as they were frozen, but she did manage it with a lot of care..

The gates were slippy and treacherous, so we just took our time going down them..

We then went on the water point for a top up of water and did some last minute washing while on the tap, again it was so quiet.

Al popped up to the butchers and the convenience store for some bits and pieces, and when we were full we set off again.. The plan was to stop at the Chandlers, but two boats were already on the moorings so we carried on heading towards Rugby.. It had warmed up just a tad and the scenery was stunning, we never get bored of this section.

It did seem a bit busier here as we passed a few boats, but when you looked at the normal busy moorings they seemed empty.
After a couple of hours we got to Hillmorton locks and we sailed through these with time to help a boat behind us..
We moored at the bottom and felt we had done a good days work (if you can call it work).

We now have time to plan for Christmas and getting this engine sorted. It has still been losing water and we still have oil in the water, but its weird that it doesn't seem to be getting any worse.. It might just be a good idea to go on shoreline for a few days and get it done then.. We'll see!