Date - 20/04/08 Day - Sunday Start - 10 am The Bridge Inn Napton End - 1630 Norton Junction What a mucky day it was today weather wise, it was like all over low cloud with a very fine drizzle which didn't clear at all until lunch time and then it still remained dull. The Anglo Welch hire boat had his engine running again this morning when we got up, I don't think it was running all night and he left about the same time as us. We must have met 20 boats before we reached Braunston centre, several of them stacked into convoys of about 6, we met one right under bridge 107 at Lower Shuckburgh, plenty of room to pass so long as both boats have the confidence to keep going and hold the right line. Luckily this one did. It was just after this that I saw my first Swallow of the year, it proves the saying is correct."One Swallow doesn't make a summer" it didn't even make spring today. Between bridges 107 and 108 BW have been protecting the offside bank with wooden stakes and fine plastic netting, I don't know whether the will back fill this afterwards or just wait until it fills naturally. We tucked in at Braunston and filled with water and then moved on to just by the marina entrance to moor for lunch. The Narrowboat Kyle now has a large notice on the front of the accommodation saying it has a Russell Newberry engine fuelled on filtered engine oil. I wonder what the situation will be on paying duty on this in the new year. When we set off again the weather had improved very slightly and we were all alone going up the Braunston flight but we did meet 4 boats coming down. One pair and two singles a lock apart which saved on our gate movements a bit. The towing path is in a right state just prior to the tunnel and the undergrowth has been cut back on the off side where the land slip occurred. I wonder if BW have ever considered extending the tunnel through this section, it could well be a cost effective repair using concrete rings similar to Blisworth. Once through the tunnel the towing path is still in a bad state with long lengths of bright orange pvc barrier mesh just lying on the path waiting to trip someone up. We moored for the night at Norton Junction between all the BW working boats. -- Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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