Brampton Mill GOBA Mooring to Brampton Park GOBA mooring

Shade hopping is likely to be a regular occurrence over the next week with temperatures set to soar. Why did we decide to cruise the area set to get the highest temperatures in the country?!

The cruisers in front of us had already headed off this morning and a narrowboat had just pulled up in the vacant space, making use of the very good shady tree to sit under for breakfast.

Our 48hours were up and it was time for us to move on. Leaving too early in the morning would mean arriving at a suitable mooring before it had been vacated, arriving too late would mean someone else would have grabbed the shade before us. Waterway Routes, Google maps, Google Earth and Ordnance Survey all come in handy for checking out prospective moorings. We hoped that the next GOBA mooring would be as good as it looked.

The route to Brampton Mill Lock is confusing. Our map showed a route around an island, avoiding currents from the weir. A sign suggested up stream boats should stay to the right. This could mean keep to the right on the narrow channel around the island, or keep to the right and head straight for the lock. Hidden deep behind nettles stood the Lock ‘This Way’ sign, it was only when we were going the right way that we could see which way the arrow pointed.

A couple sunned themselves by the lock with their Yorkshire Terrier who had to bark at anyone or thing that came by. The lock was full, needed resetting so this meant I got barked at several times as I walked too and froe.

The entrances to the locks are not quite wide enough for two narrowboats side by side, which means that both gates need to be opened to get one boat into the chamber, then closed, walking all the way round the lock to do so.

By the time the four minute timer was counting it’s way down, delaying the top gate from being lifted too quickly, there were three cruisers waiting to come down. The river would be busy again today.

The mooring we’d got our eyes on came into view, a narrowboat just pulling away, we’d be jumping straight into their spot, pulling as far along as we could to get into the shade as early in the day as possible.

Tilly spent the day exploring and trying to get back to the boat as differing boats came to join us. One stopping for lunch, another two for a very noisy swim, the next for some fishing and their evening meal before they pushed away and left us on our own.

A barbeque this evening, tucking ourselves into the hedges and shade. The still evening brought a hot air balloon over head, gradually drifting towards the A14. Here’s hoping the boat doesn’t get too hot tomorrow before the shade starts to come over.

1 lock, 1.5 miles, 3 neighbours, 6 hours shore leave, 1 edited reference folder, 2 cobs of corn, 4 veg kebabs, 2 salmon steaks, shade by 1pm, 28C.

https://goo.gl/maps/NpaRPux6AoH8FrVb9