For a change it's me who's woken by a passing boat at stupid o'clock! It's 0530. I wake again at 0630 as a second boat is passing by, I get up, have a bacon roll and coffee and join them. I'm on tickover for the first mile and a half as I pass the many moored boats at Willington. Always a popular stopping off spot this, must be something to do with the three pubs, a Coop and a Chinese takeaway. It must be one of the few canalside villages to really profit from boats. Through Willington and I cross the River Dove on an aquaduct, there are quite a few moored boats out here too, a few showing signs of setting off. Some moorhens benefit from a stale bread roll and I approach Burton-Upon-Trent. All is pretty quiet still, but I can see at least two boats behind me. I pass 'The Navigation' pub at Horninglow Wharf, the first canal trip pub I ever visited!
The Navigation PH:
I pull on to the lock landing at Dallow Lock and recall that it was the first canal lock I ever did. It's the first narrow one since Foxton.
Dallow Lock:
There's been a few boats up and down already and I can see the 'N' moorings start from the end of the lock landing, not many boats here yet which is a surprise! However, upon exiting the lock I can see the festival taking shape and many boats both sides of the canal, some breasted up. I tickover through and find my mooring 'S18' which is just beyond the Marstons pipe bridge.
The Marstons pipe bridge:
I seem to have been here before! Several times!!! All tied up, I go to check in to see if any help is required today, apparently not but there's a harbourmasters meeting at 1600. Ok. I walk to Morrissons for at least some milk, spend £60 and find it's an awful long way back!! 'S18A' arrives, my buddy for a few days, it tries to get in beside me, but it's a deep drafted boat and can't get to the edge. They have dogs and want to be on the towpath, so disappear to try to get another mooring. I tie the boat up for a second time. I tend to the petunias and use the garden shears to trim the towpath a bit. Then off to the 1600 meeting.
Today: 6.5 miles - 1 lock - 3 hours
So Far: 589.5 miles - 463 locks - 299.5 hours (don't know why, but I wish I'd hung around somewhere for 30 minutes to get round 300 in!)
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