The Toughest Day Aboard Our NARROWBOAT – Locks, Tunnels and FOG!

What a day, Bruce Tunnel, the summit of the K&A and Cofton Beam Engines!

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About our boat:
1980 Harborough Marine/Black Prince
50′ Cruiser Stern
1.5 BMC Diesel Engine
Completely empty, soon to be our water based retreat

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Danni & Joe

Good morning from Wootton Rivers we were a little bit naughty last night we had to stay on the lock Landing but the locks are actually shut so we couldn’t go any further and those behind this are all private Mooring so we had to stay we should be first up though

Come and unlock it about 9 30 and it shuts again at three o’clock We’ve got a massive day ahead of us of cruising aiming for Hungerford but according to a little Canal companion book that’s about seven to nine hours cruising about 20 Lots I don’t think that’s very realistic okay first up yeah come on big day cold you’ve got 20 locks to do today oh

With your new belt there’s no belt on I’m gonna put my belt on all right come on we’ve got half an hour until you open that boy So after Hungerford would be mostly on the river Kenneth then until we join the Thames Advantage get a bit spicy around lock Landings and stuff from the Weirs February it’s not even from it’s up in the river also after four locks we’ll then reach the summit which is the highest point of

The k a 457 feet then we’ll slowly be going downhill then Also got our first proper tunnel today which I’m really excited about Bruce tunnel it’s not that long it’s like half a kilometer or something I’ve been liking starting recently it’s getting colder oh and there’s some of the glow plugs aren’t working the cable come out I have to redo them Or is it just the fuel supply that’s the fuel cable there we go Foreign CRT man just said that there’s a time restriction on Crofton flight as well which is about three hours Cruise away you have to make sure we get there by 10 past up to 20 past three we are that waterfall Point got another lock then another two then we’ve got Bruce tunnel

Exciting and this is um crafted top block there we should be finally Yeah slow down again yeah before we start reversing beautiful it’s really trying to get Danny for more confidence on the boat and I really don’t think I help I’m just trying to tell her what to do but I don’t even know if I’m right because I’ve got any training so it’s a

Really tough to get some Helmsman course um days in us just to know what the right way to do because we can land on locks fine but I just don’t know it’s just take over a little bit if I panic when I see Danny somewhat not doing it the right way I

Don’t know but she did that fine did that really good [Applause] I think it was last week I mentioned we haven’t got a permanent tunnel light because our crotch cover is in the way of the original one so I was on Amazon I picked up this which plugs into the RICO flow

I’m gonna carry this all up the front at the bow you’re supposed to point these at the ceiling of the tunnel to not blind someone nice the camera’s all over the place this Bruce tunnel um is four meters wide which is over 12 feet so we should be able to um pass any

Boats coming through but I think you still give away if you can see one coming but you can actually pass two narrow boats if there’s a wide beam come in your bucket it’s a fairy lights on as well for decoration that should go on let’s hold down just press that

Yeah so when we get close to the tunnel there’s a little button on that thing you just got to turn that tunnel light on I’ve got some head torches as well just in case it’ll be all right well prepared we ain’t got a horn though so you might have to go up

We’ve got an air horn that’s not fit it yet boring love a good train at you yeah This is Thank you It’s not coming back Another successful drone flight getting slightly more confidence with it again that was crash in the last one and break in the one before that nearly at the tunnel gonna go put the light on at the front actually put that on where’s Joe put the light

I can’t really tell how do you tell if it’s on how do you tell if it’s on ah I pressed I done it yes on how exciting how exciting you can see right through it yeah some of them are coming it’s long aren’t they yeah you need to book proper Passage through them

I can’t remember it’s cool but it’s a yeah it’s a lot it’s like a few kilometers thank you yeah oh yeah so these things about it you just have to pull the boats through on the narrow tunnels they would have led on the front on the bow of the boat and

Walked along because this is a wider now this is four meters do you want to change the light yeah all right falling down my face yeah I can see why don’t you tighten that up because you told me to get off it don’t I can’t talk creep in it Foreign I was like panicking that was getting too close to the side yeah it’s hard to say Oh look he’s on the thing look at our big fashion I was gonna say let’s get the projectile we could film on but it’s not that long is it [Applause] fun it let there be light it’s fun Bruce so this is the highest point on the k a

The water is still running back that way when we reach a certain point I’m guessing it’ll start going that way it should be a bit weird and then we’ve got I think Seven Locks on the Crofton flight I could be wildly wrong there but it’s a fair few branch

Very distracted nearly took the bloody camera and then there’s the famous Crofton pumpkin engines Crofton beam engines I think the one of the engines that’s in there is the oldest continuously working beam engine is still in service for its original purpose but they’re only active on certain

Weekends so it won’t be steaming or anything but you can actually go on a Saturday and Sunday and book tickets and have a look John wouldn’t mind coming back and doing actually but it’s Thursday now as we might be around actually might be even from Hunger for doing come back

What kind of airplane is that if it’s got two Wings it’s a boy playing or like four time you’re looking you’re letting lunch will be ready lovely perfect lovely all downhill from here it’s all downhill from there ow oh does the water actually flow that way

It does I’ve gone past I was trying to find the point where it stopped because it back there just a minute ago it’s going that way now it’s going this way ah y’all missed it Summit 457 feet above sea level I’ve cycled higher than that yeah it’s

Not that high it’s like 275 meters It feels really bizarre going downwards in a lot literally been going uphill since Bristol every Lock’s been up a lot smoother going down just gotta be careful with Phil markers As high as we’re both just rushing through these next couple of locks before we get stopped for the night when they lock them we’ve got this one and two more until we reach the Crofton beam engines Come on That I’ve never known Crofton pumping station that’s us through the restricted part of me um opening hours now so up to our own devices how far we go until it gets dark I guess but then we’ve still gotta cycle back to pick the car up and then he’s got work tomorrow long day

So I should probably have to leave here caught by six in the morning I think we’ve got another two here done a short bit and we’ll be if anyone’s interested in that light I used for the tunnel the tunnel like with cigarette socket I’ll put a link to it

On Amazon in the description that’s really quite good especially like short-term fix I can move it anywhere so if you wanted a working light if you’re doing something on a boat at night for some reason you like move it around your boat handy I bet that would be permanent now

It’s not temporary at all Stone Crofton pumpkin station the water point we’re just doing this one now [Applause] and then we’re on to these two little Crews and then you start doing great Bedouin there’s more into a water Point here so we might decide to stop here I guess

Because Danny wants some full water before she gets the hunger bird after I go with my dad for the weekend with a friend so if we fill up I don’t know a bit tired doesn’t really make sense at all I haven’t left you something for yourself get you out

Just shared the last few locks with a family who’ve moved over from New Zealand bought a boat as you do now heading up towards Oxford so yeah just shared a few locks we’re not sure where to stop now because we sort of want a full tank of water whilst I leave Danny

Over the weekend but hungerford’s I can have a look how many hours it is yeah it’s four o’clock now probably got a good three hours of cruising still might do it might be right you know draw me to count the locks six six I think that ain’t too bad

Once we get to hungry though that is when the river Kenneth starts interacting with it and you start getting a bit of wash from the lot landing connect itself we got stuck in a lot one of the lock guys we’re both leaving um one of the lock Gates wouldn’t open

Fully so we got wedged in by Danny got Winston Danny got stuck I do rescue did I wouldn’t barge probably lost my barge pole trying to wedge it out I don’t think you’ve fixed it I didn’t think me and the guy fixed no I was I was can’t I was lever in the

Door away from the thing you couldn’t see where it was stuck give me some credit well you got stuck and then I rescued it [Applause] All right these are my pickles they’ve been pickled for about 24 hours now I think well you can leave them and definitely can’t you but I’m going to see how pickled they are we’re only gonna share one because I don’t want to use them all but I showed my recipe on

The on our stories on our Instagram I don’t know where to open these you want to steer and not open it yeah oh it’s so pretty fresh lovely pickle enough the last bit you want it five one yeah I have no point in making pickles if you’re not allowed to eat Locks locks more locked one more of this mini flight past Foxfield Foxfield um I think it’s three more to hunt for then it’s like 25 six but stopping at the train in a minute I think we’re gonna get the train or go to Hungerford walk to Hungerford

Or cycle to hunger forget the train back to get the cars we’d have missed the last train and we could drive and then Park up in hugford with the boat us a plan whether it turns out a way unlikely if we miss this train it’s an hour and

20 or an hour and a half cycle back to the car so I really don’t want to miss it thank you this is literally two miles just ain’t got quite enough time because it’s over three locks after this one or this might be the third then two

More but it just ain’t got time I’m gonna get the bike ready quite a bit fine now all right I hope that’s not my train A little bit creepy I’m gonna lie [Applause] there she is I could have stayed this morning hello you sure don’t want me to move 20 minute walk in the morning ridiculous what time are you gonna have to leave here good morning about five to seven Danny

Left work about an hour ago just over an hour get a steak that’s more rimmer on last night I was just worried about missing the train I know if the train wasn’t delayed I probably would have missed it but we just got a bit carried away did the one

More lock than we should have I don’t end up panicking because when we were coming up to more there’s a whole row of boats and we’re worried if we went too far we’d go past all mornings and have to go after another log cross down the lock Landing

Um anyway it all works on the end but I’m gonna move um in a second just before any boats come on past because probably pull our pins out that one’s okay but we’ve just got a Center Line couldn’t get a barrel lining um looking get on the Move now it’s cold

Cold and Misty morning Thank you Foreign This is the lock with a swing bridge over it any boats over 30 foot I think already you have to do the swing Bridge first so you can clear it Thank you Not too eventful of a cruise just a lost windlass um that’s about it oh and some stinging nettle stings I mean dire need of a coffee yeah yes Joe let me just get rid of this mole someone left the SATA in the fridge open it’s got mortgage without check-ins you

Tipped out into my passata sauce that I made it’s a big bit of mold example oh that’s gross sorry about the rather abrupt end we’ve had quite a busy weekend I took my dad up to shellsley Walsh for his 70th birthday to watch some Hill Climb Racing

Fun yeah I’ve just not really done that much in Hungerford together have we you had a friend over um yeah beautiful little town it’s got a really nice Bridge um Great Western Railway excuse me I can’t remember when it’s from 1861 I want to say uh really

Beautiful some really nice pubs but yeah we’re just gonna be making our way now we need to go get water so we’re gonna go get water so catch us next week and then hopefully we’ll be a Newbury that’s the plan the plan keeps going on we need to fix

That I think it’s your hair has got stuck down and it says touching the sensor how are we gonna get that out we’ll have to unplug it all that’d be for next week join us next week thank you top actions as well we’ll see you next week Oh yeah