Dashwood Lock to Thrupp Visitor Moorings
Still chilly, but not wet this morning. We needed to be moored up with good internet signal before 2pm today. As we descended Dashwood Lock I could see a Black Prince boat just setting off from below the lock. We caught them up at Northbrook Lock, it was obvious that they were very new to boating. The lady followed the chap around and she preferred to step into the welldeck and out again than cross the bottom gates. I helped (after asking!) and chatted to the lady. A boat approached from below so the gates could be left open, which was a touch confusing for the novice crew.
Jane’s Enchanted Garden looks to have had a bit of a spruce up, the tea rooms now run by someone else elsewhere. By Pigeons Lock the sun was out, the world starting to warm up, we dropped down and swapped with an uphill boat.
By the time we were nearing Enslow the sky had split itself, one side blue the other very very dark. Coats and waterproof trousers were needed again, but thankfully not for long.
Bakers Lock had a downhill boat in it, but not the Black Prince boat. A single hander who offered to come back once she’d pulled in below to help with the lock. We were fine, she could enjoy a cuppa instead.
The flow on the river section wasn’t really noticeable today, the bends still required some navigating though. We pulled at Shepton Weir Lock in just as the hire boat was about to leave the lock. The lady had been asking how far to the pubs earlier. I’d told her about the choice in Thrupp, but I wasn’t too sure about winding holes. I’d consulted my map by now. They could turn just before the lift bridge in Thrupp, after that it would be another two hours cruise to Dukes Cut for safe winding. Armed with the information they headed on their way. Would they carry on, maybe grabbing the last mooring in Thrupp or wind and moor a little out of the village?
We followed them in, trying to work out which space we’d had on the Cruising Club moorings a couple of years ago. Was our luck in, they seemed to have moored up at the services for water along with another hire boat. A lady from the cruising club walked up to the bridge to open it for everyone, all three boats, we were waved through first!
The line of boats on the moorings at first looked like they were nose to tail, would there be space for us never mind the two following boats? The 7 day moorings were full, but the 2 days empty! Brilliant, just where we wanted to be. We pulled in and tucked ourselves right up to the next boat, soon followed by the two hire boats, both taking up way too much space. They soon moved up when others arrived. Phew we’d made it and in time for some lunch before my meeting.
Time to go through the model and drawings with Gemma the production manager. Each item of set was talked about, construction wise and finish wise. Gemma should now have enough information to get quotes from builders and for the printing of cloths.
I then set about drawing out leaves to paint in a new version of the rainforest. I’m hoping doing it as a painted collage that then gets printed will give it a different feel from other years. Blimey there’s a LOT of leaves to trace out and paint before cutting them out and sticking them in position. All this whilst Tilly complained at the back doors, shore leave not allowed in Thrupp after a near collision with car tyres a few years!
5 locks, 6.7 miles, 2 lift bridges, 1 lufted holding some up, 2 hire boats overtaken, 1:15pm moored, 2 model zooms, 3 quotes required, 2 sheets of leaves, so far, 2 days TDF caught up with, 1 telepathic Tilly, 4 salmon steaks, 5000 hours!
