Day 29: 17 August - Barby to Braunston

 

Setting off from Barby with ducklings in pursuit...

So sweet!
Sunhat weather

Two venerable working boats Hyperion and Hyades owned by linocut artist Charlotte Ashman

A pair of tall bridges

Quite unconcerned by the boats

Not much canalside housing this stretch, but this is newly built.  Like all the others we've seen it has NO solar panels!

Beautifully painted replica working boat, with characteristic upturned tiller and painted jug and pole

Nearing Braunston

Grasshopper hitching a lift

Braunston church steeple ahead

No comment!

How very congested the canal at Braunston is, often with boats moored either side and many blind bends.  So we have to pick our way slowly along

Looking for the water point amongst the boats - there's often not much space left there to stop and fill up. While we were holding Catnap in, two boats went past far too fast, claiming that was as slow as they could go... hmm!

The building in the distance is the Stop House, built in 1796 for collecting tolls.  There's an official 'winding hole' just beyond it where we plan to turn round and come back.  This turned out to be a tricky manoevre due to the floating cafe moored in the way! 

Canalside pub with its own mooring, but no room to stop

Historic unmotorised craft Cygnus and its partner Andromeda - now used as hotel boats.  Doubled up, so extra careful steering to pass them

The poet? “On yonder hill there stood a coo / It’s no’ there noo / It must’a shif’ted”.

Leaving Braunston - a flying visit this time as nowhere to stop

Very traditional paintwork

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