Above Crofton now

Friday 27th September

This was a lovely mooring except for the trains which are ok except when you can’t sleep!  We decided to move to the top of the flight then decide what to do.  We started off taking on water at the awkward water point where we chatted further to the steam roller owner and took some photos.  Two steam rollers had arrived for the steaming weekend and you can just see the smoke coming from the pumping station chimney.

I can’t give you any more info about the steam rollers but they were certainly getting a good polish ready for the weekend;

     As we left the water point we were hailed by a volunteer who had spotted a boat leaving the moorings so we waited for them in the second lock.  We were joined by Helio, which we moored behind last night.  With two crew and the volunteer we fairly sped up the locks.  I had the exciting novelty of a ride on another boat – my first time on a cruiser stern amazingly – and took this picture of Chuffed up ahead;

Greg and Lizzie were good company but were moving on at the top so we said goodbye;

We moored up shortly before Wolf Hall bridge.  This is the same Wolf Hall as in Hilary Mantel’s Booker–winning novel about Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII.  Unfortunately the manor is hidden in the woods and not open to the public.  The volunteer Chris told us that there is sometimes an unexplained water loss from the summit pound, and he reckons it is disappearing into the tunnel which connected Wolf Hall with Tottenham House the other side of the canal.  The tunnel was in the path of the canal and was cut through during construction.

After lunch we walked down the hill to visit the pumping station.  The boilers were lit last night and are still warming up, but we had the chance to chat to some of the volunteers preparing for the weekend and enjoyed the  visit.  Here is a selection of photos but I offer little explanation I am afraid!  The first is the well at the very bottom;

Dave admires the beams;

Some parts which will be working tomorrow ;

The firebricks on the boiler were already warm;

and the Honeystreet clock.

We walked back up to Chuffed, picking blackberries as we went.  We decided to stay put.  Dave fitted another ceiling light above the table in the latest improvement to the dreadful lighting we had when we first bought Chuffed, and I made a pie with the blackberries and apples from home in our new pie dish bought in Newbury.

6 locks, 1 mile.