The weather was mixed today, but it started grey. David went off on a fact finding mission. Namely to suss out if the boats on the 48hr moorings on the other side were looking like vacating. He fell into conversation with a hire boat along the way with six Geordies aboard. They have hired for years and had been on all of the canals they reckoned. The K&A is their least favourite…. just telling what they said.
Anyway as the four men stood there yabbering a wee boat slipped away and these four men all reckoned that WaL would fit into the gap left. So with that we moved off and yes we did fit in so that was loverley.
Jobs to do this morning, washing, cleaning bird poo off the roof and washed the back and pointy end of the boat. Coffees and newspaper later we were ready to go. I really love it when we go biking in the sun. The best thing for me about the K&A is the fantastically quiet lanes in this county, not totally sure which county we are in today but the lanes are very quiet here. So much so that on today's ride back to fetch the car we didn’t have a car pass us in either direction.
We went by an ex-dairy farm that was thoroughly inspected, then the lane eased nicely down into Little Bedwyn. Rubbish moorings here but there was this nice house. Notice the windows…..?
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| The top left and right are painted on. |
We carried on the single mile to Great Bedwyn, (Happy to retire here if can’t have Marlborough).
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| Saw these pretties outside this stunning cottage.... (Below) |
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| How pretty is this? |
Found the car, not clamped, keyed or any rude notes left on it. Its a bit nerve wracking leaving your car in strange places.
First stop was to a little thatched cottage with an ancient pram parked outside and a table, overflowing on these were posies in different colours tied up with coloured ribbon. Brought one. Actually my second this week, (Very important to support local industries).
Then we drove back towards the boat we went further on to try to spot some friends who were coming this way, had they of been there I would have deposited David as an extra pair of hands for the poor lady, they had done in one day what we took three days crusing to do. But then we ARE semi retired hahaha..
We asked a man on a parked boat and he had seen two boats go through about 40 mins earlier, so then we drove back to Hungerford, parked the car up, got out the bikes again and raced down to be in position when they arrived which they did with 5 mins to spare. We had already told them to breast up if space was limited and this is what they did.
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| Finally they arrive. |
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| Sneaked this one of camera shy Pauline. |
Pauline was exhausted, I totally understood the feeling even though I had only done a third of the milage that she had done. Neil too had had a hard day, steering can be tough on the elbow.
I made the tea. Supper was quickly decided upon at ours and I sent her back to her boat NB Waterlily to have a nap. She didn’t, but decorated a plate of fairy cakes with fresh cream, raspberries and crumbled chocolate for dessert. Nice.
We had met Pauline & Neil last year at Teddington on the Thames as we waited for the lock to open to allow us all onto the tidal Thames for the dash to Brentford. We stopped together on the GU and then they turned off the GU to go to Limehouse where they went out to the Thames Barrier. Massive adventure for them.
Understandably they had an early night Pauline is camera shy, so we knew we had to be up early the next morning to see them off, no stopping for them they have a schedule to keep. They even declined a trip by car to Marlborough and Polly’s Tearooms imagine that!!
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| This was printed on a Tee Shirt in Marlborough the other day |
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| This sign was in the same shop window.... |
Pauline begged to be allowed to do the washing up, but that would have been unfair, on David, that’s his job in the mornings. I can’t possibly, I have a blog to write.
Supper was Sausages, new potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes and cream filled fairy cakes. I gave Pauline the flowers.
Stats update:
47.63 metres, zero locks, no arguments.
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