Captain's Log - Saturday 16th October

We start the day needing to make up three hours if we want to be at Stoke Bruene for the evening, This means a start at first light, 7am and a 6.30pm finish, going straight through lunch.

We set off to a clear blue sky, the early sunlight is fantastic on the countryside.

Early morning fisherman

Early sunlight on bridge

We make good progress quickly passing through the Soulbury flight of three locks and one or two more, in between I make breakfast, smoked salmon, caviar and toast with some fresh berries from the hedgerows bacon and mushroom sandwiches. I then bake a loaf of bread, this was somewhat compromised by going through the lock during the process, but all ok.

We reach the outskirts of Milton Keynes by 11am the weather by now very cloudy and looking like rain.

Swing bridge in middle of lock at Fenny Stratford

We pick up Marilyn and Janet late morning near Central Milton Keynes, and eat lunch on the run. I by now had a very swollen wrist after a rachet on a lock slipped and the winding handle smacked my wrist. We had lunch on the run, I had some of my bread which was fine.

Yet another heron

The Moose Drool  - A nice boat

Autumn leaves and light in Milton Keynes

The Black Horse - Great Linford

A Robot Sculpture

Old Stratford Junction

Cosgrove Aqueduct - Very wet and windy

As we came to the Cosgrove Aqueduct the wind was very gusty the man on the rights umbrella has blown inside out

View from Aqueduct

Cosgrove bridge

Another nice weir

Another Duck

Another Heron

Glyn and Marilyn

Me with glass of savignon blanc

Winter Service

Marilyn drinking tea

Another pretty weir

House by canal in evening sunlight

Stoke Bruene Lock 13 - our mooring for evening

After the pub.

 After passing through Milton Keynes we steadily made our way to Stoke Bruene arriving at the first lock at 4.45pm, we intended to pass through all 7, but in the end we moored at a nice spot 2 locks down about 80 metres  from the Navigator pub where we were going to spend the evening.

We met up with Glyn's family, Jamie, Sophie, Angie and Marcia, also our friends Sue and Gill came along too, the meal was nice, then we went back to the boat for a drink with Sue and Gill.

A satisfying day as we had caught back up with our itinerary, we now have two relaxing 6 hour days ahead. Through our home villages of Bugbrooke and Heyford tomorrow, with lunch at the wharf about 12.30.