Thank you to Tom from the CRT

Having written enthusiastically about visiting Northampton by boat, here is the flip-side of the Northampton arm of the Grand Union canal.

We set off early in the morning, as we’d planned not only to get back to the Grand Union, but also stop off at Blisworth, go through the Blisworth tunnel and explore Stoke Bruerne museum.

Halfway up the flight of 13 locks, some walkers warned us that one of the pounds was empty. No matter, we thought, we’ll fill it from the next pound. However, filling one pound only empties the next one, and it wasn’t only one pound that was empty for four or five.

Steve quite wisely phoned the CRT as soon as we got to the first empty pound and they promised to send someone out within the next couple of hours. We knew then that Steve, who was responsible for doing the locks that day, wasn’t going to beat my record of 2 ½ hours for 13 locks which I set on the way down.

We did manage to go up two more locks before Tom, the CRT man arrived, but it was hard and slow work, and it was hot, and we could see that it would take an awfully long time for us to keep filling one pound at a time.

When Tom arrived, we weren’t only stuck at an empty pound, but the boat had also got wedged in a not quite open lock gate. Tom put on his dry suit and managed to clear out some dislodged bricks which had wedged themselves behind the gate, then helped us push the boat back into the lock, before he went off to “turn on the tap” further up the flight. What he actually did was divert water from the Grand Union mainline down the Northampton Arm. We found out later that it significantly influenced the water levels through the Blisworth Tunnel.

As we were stuck until we had more water in the pounds, we decided to moor up inside a lock and enjoyed a most wonderful ploughman’s lunch. Walkers must have thought we were mad, mooring in a lock for lunch!

Half an hour after Tom arrived, the pounds were full enough for us to proceed, but Tom hovered until he could see that we were able to progress. Throughout he was cheerful and helpful and it was a pleasure to have met him. Thank you CRT for responding so quickly, and thank you Tom for being so lovely!