The highlight of today was seeing R’s cousin David and having a slap up Sunday roast at a small village called Hardwick. R even managed a Bailey’s cheesecake and icecream in honour of mum! Two of her favourites.
We started back along the Aylesbury Arm at about 2.15 aiming to get halfway along if possible as there was limited option for mooring along the way. There was a young lad who showed an interest in how the locks worked so R invited him to help him work the paddles and open and close the doors. He then rode at the front of the boat, with his mother walking along the towpath ( I think he told her to!) and helped us with the next lock. Even with his help, the journey was fairly slow and we managed to do the final lock as night was falling and were relieved to find a mooring still available. We went for a drink at the Half Moon Pub in Wilstone, were we were given a very kind welcome and a really good strong cup of tea. Food had finished but as we were still full from lunch that was not an issue! R managed some beer and whisky so was quite content by the time we retired to the boat.
NarrowboatTLC 