We did very little yesterday evening, boats kept coming and going but eventually everything quietened down and we went to bed. We were awake by six thirty so we decided to get up and get going. We were underway before seven and crept past the line of boats moored to the corner below the bottom lock of the Napton flight. We pulled up and filled the water tank, ready for the ascent that lay before us. It took half an hour to fill the tank and then we were off again and into the chamber of the bottom lock which was already empty. We made great progress as we worked the locks between us, Sue preparing each lock and me finishing off. We had help at the sixth lock from someone who was camping there, as a reward we filled his water bottle and gave him some milk. We only had to turn the last two locks and we were able to leave the top lock open as we left for a boat about to start the descent. The nine locks had taken exactly two hours, not bad going at all.

It’s three years since our last trip along here and it’s our first time with Caxton, a boat sixteen feet longer than our last boat, Phoenix III. This shallow canal twists and turns its way across the summit through overgrown areas and around tight blind corners, not easy in a boat of this length. However, we spend a lot of time on the Ashby canal so none of this is new to us and as a result we reached Fenny Compton unscathed. Surprisingly enough, we were able to find a prime mooring at the start of the fourteen day stretch so we tied up, closed up and went to the Wharf Inn for lunch. If yesterday’s meals at the Folly were very good, then today’s by definition must have been excellent. Home made steak pie, mash and veg, all cooked to perfection. Nothing like a flight of locks to build up an appetite but we went for a long walk straight after to burn up some of the calories!

Back to the boat to relax again in the evening. Like yesterday, the boats keep coming and going late into the day. Each to their own but we much prefer to do our travelling  in the morning so that we can secure a good mooring early enough and then give ourselves options for the rest of the day.