What an unexpected treat we found at lunchtime! Here we are in the middle of nowhere, it feels to me, although Northampton is only four miles up the road, or along the ‘arm of the canal’. We started our late morning (Saturday lie in) by travelling towards Gayton Marina and then turning right into the Northampton arm. After about half a mile, although I am no good judge of distance, we reached the flight of locks towards Northampton so we turned in the turning circle and retreated to a mooring on the left, still on the arm, having enjoyed a cruise of about an hour, enough to heat the water and warm the boat.
We then took a walk into the village of Blisworth which turned out to be very picturesque. I was impressed to find a shelter, underneath which was an open air community shop. It seemed to be full of books, dvds, toys, toiletries and was available for all. What a great idea and a lovely central hub. Right outside was a sign offering TakeAway food in the barn of the pub garden. That was the treat! Although unable to sell alcohol we were able to buy Irish coffee, mine laced with brandy. It was delicious (R infact had a cup of tea!) and left me feeling strangely mellow as we continued our walk through the village and eventually back to the boat.
A quiet afternoon although R, sawing wood on the bow of the boat, spoke to plenty of people passing by. This is obviously a very popular walking spot and everyone was very friendly. Not a surprise as we have been told by other boaters that once you hit the Midlands people are much more inclined to stop for a natter. A Zoom call for me followed by two lengthy chats with good friends meant it was soon time to prepare supper and then find a film to watch. We actually watched two episodes of ‘Modern Love’ which was a bit different to the detective series we usually get embroiled in. Finished off with ‘Keeping up Appearances’ which, although funny, is also cringingly embarrassing at times. It is also sobering to think how dated it is, leaving me feeling incredibly old!
NarrowboatTLC 