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Category: Narrowboat

Bonny not Journey

Bonny not Journey

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Storm force winds and wind and rain for the next seven days have put paid to the 0.2 version of this journey.

It’s not going to happen. Certainly not in a round-a-bout the UK waterways way.

Metoffice & BBC weather

After hearing the longer term radio forecast in the evening, I started to get the idea that the weather might not be that good… I re-checked the Metoffice whilst taking my evening walk. 7-day forecast. It was indeed rain and dark clouds. ‘Storm’ conditions according to the radio.

Not what I signed up for.

Maybe another time….

Now, I’m heading back toward the Oxford canal, and back up the Grand Union, as per my original plan.

Nelson's Wharf - Stockton
Nelson’s Wharf – Stockton
Better out than in

I’m just going to go to a new section of canal, so, more about the journey there.

No holiday.

Bye bye Northamptonshire

Bye bye Northamptonshire

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It was my home for 3 or so years. The time has come to move-on.

Here’s some visual highlights from my time on the Grand Union from Milton Keynes upward.

  • View to Grafton Regis Church
    View to Grafton Regis Church
  • Braunston – Borderlands
  • Blissworth Mill
    Blissworth Mill
  • Nene Valley Way
    Nene valley
  • Nene Valley Way
    Nene Valley – Flore
  • All Saints Chapel - Flore
    All Saints Chapel – Flore
  • Dodford - Grand Union
    Dodford – Grand Union
  • Northampton to Banbury railway
    Northampton to Banbury railway
  • Walking from Weedon to Whilton along the towpath
  • M1 Bridge Brockhall Northamptonshire
    M1 Bridge Brockhall Northamptonshire
  • Long Buckby
  • Braunston
  • Drying clothes in the May sunshine
  • Sunset over Nene Valley near Flore
    Sunset over Nene Valley near Flore
  • Beast from the East on a narrowboat
  • Dodford
  • Winter sun in Weedon
  • Winter Weedon
  • Boats in Blisworh
  • A45 – Bypass
  • Canard Mead Wharf
  • Beast from

Bonny Journey .2

Seeing as now I am work-less. I’ve decided it’s time to explore some more of the UK waterways.

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Welcome to the Nasty Nexus

Welcome to the Nasty Nexus

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Or Braunston as some people call it. A place where;

  • Boating neighbors ignore you when you greet them.
  • Villagers call you ‘spaz’ on the towpath as you pass.
  • Random boaters assault you.
  • Your car is vandalised when you leave it overnight.
  • Fishermen give you death stares as you approach them.

Boaters paradise… Good value eh?

Apart from writing a blog post about the place and spending my winter mooring here in 2017, I don’t think I’ve done anything TO the place.

The people vandalise, assault, steal and are generally as unpleasant as they can be without resorting to violence. Which is not always true….

Assault
Assault

Remember this guy? He decided he didn’t like me when I was eating dinner al-fresco, and he was retrieving a tyre from the other side of the canal.

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Michael Tyler
Muscott

Muscott

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Wind turbines
Cancer

Death windmill cancer zombies

Close to the lost village. Apparently lost during the time of the black death. As so much of the population was destroyed at this time, many small villages ceased to exist. Their residents turned into zombies. Muscottities still haunt the hills and dales near the M1. I even heard it was them that put up the windmills…. Although that could be ‘fake news’… Windmills cause cancer… We all know that…

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Dodford -> Brockhall

Dodford -> Brockhall

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I used to call it ‘Muscott’, but it’s much closer to ‘Brockhall’ than the deserted village of Muscott.

One of the residents, or I assume it was one of the residents, accosted me whilst walking through the hamlet of Brockhall 2 nights ago.

Brockhall busy body

The road across from Brockhall to Long Buckby is what’s known as a ‘gated road’. It’s a rural kind of road with free roaming cattle and two gates or cattle grids at either end.

This road takes in the lost village of Muscott, skirts across a couple of hill tops, then goes through the hamlet of Brockhall.

Brockhall itself used to be home to a large manor house, Brockhall Hall, which due to lack of an heir, was sold off in 1969 and re-developed over the course of time into a set of self contained flats.

This large manor is set opposite Brockhall Manor, a large and still functioning farm operation, with a few thatched crofters cottages set in between.

Brockhall Northamptonshire
Brockhall Northamptonshire

Just prior to these cottages is the gate leading toward Buckby and the canal.

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Dodford Meadows
Covid on the socially distanced cut – Dodford Meadows

Covid on the socially distanced cut – Dodford Meadows

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Continuous cruising rules are back in operation, meaning I have to move. The boat, not my personage.

I’ve moved 2 stops down, skipping my usual stop in Weedon Bec.

I decided that the excess of pedestrian traffic around that area was probably best avoided at this time.

I’ve moved a little further to this spot which is closest to a village called Dodford. I call it Dodford Meadows.

I’m moored opposite Canna Mead Wharf‘s boat crane. Sometimes they lift the odd boat out here to do a bit of work on.

They have a day boat for hire nowadays, but no website.

There used to be more boats moored up here. Some of them appear to have moved off.

From 2017

I took this picture at the end of 2017. Actually, I’ve been here a few times.

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