The Sumpners Afloat

17th April – Summer Cruise 2026 is go!

It genuinely seemed like an eternity since we had last been out – it was in fact at the tail end of 2025, post Christmas ,with my brother Bruce.

As we slipped off the pontoon, I waved goodbye to my friend Karen on Coffin Dodger and we were off. Later than planned, of course, because that’s how we roll. But not by much.

It was a bit cloudy and none too warm, but it felt good to be on the water again. The boys seemed excited too, but they do seem to love their boating. We didn’t have a long cruise planned, as we have a whole weekend to kill. After a couple of hours, we arrived at the 3 locks at Hillmorton (which I love) whistled through them (no vollies on) and tied up at the top. Day 1 done! And plenty of Electrika admin to tackle!

Every day at the end of a day’s cruising, I used to send Uncle D our What3Words address. He used to like to use them to follow our route. So this year – in his memory, I’m going to include them every day we move. He’d have liked that.

///crimson.acquaint.upward

We had a nice quiet night (especially as I had my Loop Dream earbuds in!) and awoke to blue skies . That would do nicely – although there was still a chilly breeze, which meant we had our coats on and off more times than – well – something that is on and off a lot. I do have a simile in mind, but it’s a but coarse!

We saw all the lambs playing in the sunshine and the Barby Alpacas enjoying the weather, too. It was altogether pleasant and we also had a call from West Wittering. Chester and his Ma & Pa were at the beach and it looked lovely.

We had a bit of a conflab and decided we’d moor up early today and get some cleaning done, both outside and in. We could tackle the 6 Braunston Locks and the tunnel tomorrow – we are in no hurry. What I hadn’t allowed for (and which may have “unconsciously” biased the decision) was the fact that Pompey had a very important match that was being televised. Cleaning thus had to be suspended for a while. PUP.

///salaried.slope.mirroring

Pompey won (Yay!) which I believe means that they are less likely to be relegated, so that’s good. Cleaning ensued at full throttle and we soon had her sparkling again. We even cleaned the oven door, which is an irksome task. Something had boiled over and had gone between one of the 4 sheets of glass that make up the door. We have a Neff “Side and Hide” oven, which is perfect for a narrow boat galley as the door slides away, underneath the body of the oven. But it’s a little tricky to get off – especially if you can’t quite remember how to do it and have to find the darned manual every time. But we triumphed and I feel like the best housewife ever!

While we were working we chatted about what we wanted to do in the forthcoming week. We need to be at Crick by 29th April as we have to go home for UD’s funeral. But it’s not far – in fact we could be there tomorrow, probably, if we pushed it. So we have some time to kill. We decided that – rather than push on up through the Braunston locks – we’d turn right at Braunston turn, continuing along the Oxford canal, and hang out at our favourite bridge (100) for a few days. Decision made. Braunston locks would keep until next weekend.

We watched H is for Hawk that evening – such a beautiful film and of course I bawled my eyes out as it is about grief ,as much as hawking. Claire Foy plays a blinder – as does Mabel, her Goshawk. No – not a Falcon. Falcons and Hawks are as different as cats and dogs. See? I learnt something! But I’m not sure I 100% approve of keeping birds in captivity – even if you do let them fly sometimes.

It really is a lovely spot where we moored, with views of Braunston’s All Saints spire, which is illuminated at night. The church, as I may have said before, is sometimes known as the Cathedral of the Canals as Braunston is an important junction at the heart of the system and boaters gravitated towards it.

It was a beautiful sunny morning and we tucked into boiled eggs for breakfast – possibly for the first time this year, as we have done a lot of travelling on Sundays. Paul got to use his Border Terrier egg-cup, a birthday gift from my dear friend and ex-colleague, Eliie.

We stopped at the services – probably one of the worst spots on the entire system for mooring. We had to hang off the end, as another boat was already there watering. The rubbish bins were very full and had been so all weekend, we were told. This probably leads to scenes like this, where lazy people (possibly even boaters) dump their rubbish by the dog waste bin – see below. Bang out of order. If there is not room for our rubbish, we keep it until we can find somewhere, although, if the word on the street is to be believed, such places are becoming fewer and further between.

It’s a bit sad there now, with Midland Chandlers having shut up shop. They have gone fully online, which Is a shame, but I guess its the ways things are going, these days? But I very often used to pop in and end up with something I didn’t even know I needed. – they’ll miss that kind of trade. And as we were waiting, we saw our dear old pal Nigel Hocking’s sister, on her narrowboat.

Toilet emptied, we turned right and cruised along in the lovely sunshine down to our spot – nice wide towpath for washing and some great views. I recorded the bird song on my Merlin App as we went along and it was a right cacophony! We heard a Blue Tit, a Great Tit, a Goldcrest, a Reed Warbler, a Dunnock, plus the perennial Wren, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird and a Crow.

///bids.prowl.vibe

Once moored, I did a spot of baking – a cake and some cheese straws to have with our sundowners. And some lemon posset for dessert for a couple of evenings. If you like lemony desserts, then this is the one for you! And it really could not be simpler.

LEMON POSSET

Ingredients

• 600 ml double cream

• 5 oz/140g caster sugar

• Juice and zest of two lemons

Method

Heat the cream and sugar and lemon zest in a non-stick saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and then add the lemon juice. Stir well to distribute the juice, pop into ramekins/glasses and refrigerate for a few hours. It’s nice served with shortbread and a few raspberries.

Whilst I was busying myself in the kitchen, Paul was cracking on with some Electrika tasks. It’s only 3 months away, now, and work always ramps up, the closer we get.

We stayed at Bridge 100 until Thursday morning. Such a fab spot – and silent at night. Quite busy though, with boats making their way down to Napton Junction or Braunston Junction. It’s a 10 mile stretch and one of our favourite bits of canal – very rural, with lots of bird song – especially Sedge Warblers!

We had decided to reverse back to the nearest winding hole – not far, but as it is such a busy stretch, we needed an early start. On Thursday morning at 06.30 sharp, the alarm went off and we swung into silent action and had just cast off when, unbelievably, a boat came round the corner! We quickly manoeuvred back to the bank and set off again after he had passed. What were the chances of that, eh?

It was bitterly cold and, as we had already stowed the winter apparel, Paul resorted to the oven gloves, to keep his hands warm. Very amusing. We had winded and tied up again by 07:20 – mission accomplished and a new W3W address! Our first early shift of the season done, too.

///monkeys.waistcoat.soaps

Once the sun came fully up, the day warmed up considerably. I used the day productively, first defrosting the freezer, then I made a batch of Greek style yoghurt (which will be ready for breakfast tomorrow) and finally, I set a loaf off to bake in the breadmaker. Go me!

The day blossomed into a warm and sunny day and it was great to have the doors and side-hatch open – especially as there were some tiny ducklings swimming up and down with their proud mama.

Friday morning dawned sunny but a bit chilly and we enjoyed the cruise back down to Braunston Turn, where we turned right onto the Grand Union – big locks!

We arrived at the Braunston bottom lock to find vollies on duty. Bonus! There were quite a few boats going up and down and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the top lock. By this time the breeze had diminished in strength and it was a joy to be cruising in the warm sun. The birds were clearly happy too and we were treated to many joyful trills as we made our way along to the tunnel.

Braunston Tunnel is 2,042 yards (1,867 m) long. It was opened in 1796, has no towpath and is 16 ft (4.8 metres) wide, allowing room for boats to pass through both ways. Occasionally, normal traffic is stopped so that a widebeam can make its way up to Braunston and points North.

As you make your way through, you can’t help but marvel at the feat of engineering it represents, even though there is a slight S bend in it – probably due to soil movement. And – for a tunnel, it’s pretty dry. It has three ventilation shafts along it’s length. These are inclined to be a bit drippy. You are underground for about half an hour.

It’s always nice to emerge from a tunnel into the sunshine and today was no exception. We went the short hop down to Norton Junction, where we turned left onto the Leicester Line. Our first stop was at Welton Hythe Marina. We’d stopped off to pay for and get instructions for an overnight stay at Welton Haven Marina, a little further down the Leicester line. This pair of small Marinas are collectively known as “Weltonfield Marinas” and are in a very pleasant location, overlooking the beautiful countryside – although very slightly marred by the road roar from the adjacent M1. I don’t think it would stop me from mooring there, if I were to look for a new spot. But we are very happy at the Marina of Dreams, so that won’t be anytime soon!

We are once again on a narrow beam canal, so only a brief flirt with wide locks, this trip. We made it onto our berth, hooked up and prepared for our shopping delivery, before settling down for the evening. But not before taking our the power pole that we shared with the gent next door!. Paul had forgotten to set the Quattro AC input current limit from 15 Amps down to 10.4 Amps – the lowest we can set it too. Ooopsee!

We showered, dumped the rubbish and the loo and filled up with water, before leaving. Everything that was full now empty and everything that was empty or depleted now full. Nice work.

The chilly breeze was absent today which made for a lovely warm and sunny cruise along to the mini miracle that is Watford Locks, passing the famous Watford Gap services on the way, accompanied by the drone of very smart choppers, presumably taking VIPs to Silverstone for the GT Championships, being held this weekend?

Watford Locks opened in 1814, the 7 locks raise the canal just over 64ft (16m) to the summit, which runs for roughly 20 miles. They consist of two single locks, a 4 lock staircase and a single lock at the top. The staircase locks have side pounds – a water efficiency measure. To avoid confusion, the paddles that control the side pounds are coloured red. Although this means you have to remember whether it is the red-coloured paddles or the white paddles first. There is a little rhyme to remind you

Red before white and you’re doing it right, white before red and you’ll end up dead!

It’s a bit over dramatic as it’s not actually the end of the world if you do it the wrong way – you just waste a lot of water!

There are always Vlockies on this flight and they are unfailingly friendly and helpful. Half way up the flight, Bill decided to fling himself off the lock and land on the deck. We were at the very bottom of the pretty deep lock. How he did not injure himself we’ll never know. The lady who saw it happen said it looked like he jumped, but this seems very unlikely as he has to be encouraged to jump aboard the boat at the best of times. It all happened very quickly and my heart was in my mouth when I picked him up, as he had bounced off the bench on the way down. Somewhat incredibly, he seemed completely unscathed by his acrobatics. Mad!

We left the locks and continued on our way along towards Crick and beyond. I was secretly hoping that a spot that we had stayed on for a few days the last time we had come up here, in 2022, would be ours to nab. Unlucky me! Someone already there, dagnammit! So we soldiered on – but not very far. As we tied up I noted that the SOC was 98%. All that manoeuvring in and out of locks and only 2% of our battery used. That’ll be the solar – we are heading towards the peak period for solar, which is June in the UK, and have already had a just-under-10KWh day.

///punctual.motel.jacuzzi

Sunday morning was a bit on the chilly side – the breeze was back. I wasn’t looking forward to Crick Tunnel – dry as a bone for the first two thirds of the way and the remaining third? It’s like it’s raining indoors! Luckily it’s not a particularly long tunnell!

Bill seems completely unscathed by his mishap yesterday. I wondered if he might be a bit stiff/achy but no. He was his usual bouncy self. All I can say is, he’s a very lucky boy!

We came out of the tunnel and as the morning wore on, the day warmed up and I was finally able to remove my padded gilet. We passed Crick Marina, where we’ll be heading back to later this week, so that we can safely leave the boat for Uncle D’s funeral, which is on Friday. We’ve had to delay it because of Bruce’s work commitments.

We went as far as the first winding hole (Elkington nr B28) and will take until Wednesday to very slowly make our way back to Crick. We’ve spotted a few nice spots on the way down. We moored on the stretch between Bridge 28 and 27. A nice quiet spot, where a couple of friends, Ali and Del from Brinklow were also moored on their very smart looking boat, Derwent 6.

///bunkers.demand.selection

And that’s the first week (and a bit) over and done. Looking ahead, we’ll be going towards Leicester, but I’ll speak more about our plans next week,. It’s a bit complex!

Miles	Locks
17-26 April	30	16
Cumulative 2026	30	16