We had a couple of trips to the boat in the weeks after it arrived – to take our daughter and partner to have a look and a pootle to the nearest winding hole and back, and to do some preparation for out first trip and to start on the Odd Jobs list.
Saturday 7th August 2021
On 7th August arrived at Gayton on a warm but showery day to a boat with 4 full gas bottles, at least half a tank of diesel and an empty pump-out. After putting in the new bedding and the dry cleaned seat covers and a lot of cleaning from Fiona, we set off North at 2pm. This was the same direction as we had gone on our first day, but we were heading for Weedon.
Once past Bugbrooke, the first thing to notice was a big, new to us, Marina at Heyford Fields. There was no sign of this when we owned Pollyanna. We turned at the winding hole just before Weedon Bec and moored up opposite some contented cows – 3 hours 45 minutes.
Walking into Weedon, we soon found our old favourite pub, The Crossroads. Now a few weeks after the ending of most Covid restrictions, the staff and very few people moving about were wearing masks, so apart from the perspex screens between the table, it was almost back to normal. Pork Belly and Pie were order of the day.
It was 9:15pm by the time we got back to the boat. A discussion about the merits of Warm White LED bulbs ensued, then it was time to test the battery power. With the TV successfully playing a show from iPlayer, we got about 10 minutes in and then the inverter switched itself off. Then the fridge started flashing a low power warning. So, new batteries needed, as Glenn had said! I switched the fridge off and we retired to bed about 10:30pm and after getting over the strangeness, slept well. The bed was extremely comfortable and overnight visits to the loo were convenient, the main reasons for choosing the Canaltime style layout.
Sunday 8th August 2021
Getting up about 8, I noticed the power levels had crept back up a bit due to the solar panels, so I switched the fridge back on. After breakfast we set off back to Gayton in light rain, which soon cleared up.
The return trip was uneventful, although there were a lot of boats on the move. There are no locks on this stretch, making it ideal for a short trip. We pulled over at Bugbrook for some lunch – heated pastries from the oven. We had also tested the central heating in case the weather turned cold. Arrived at the marina about 2:30 and set off from home after a successful trip. Next weekend we will start moving Midnight Star to Aylesbury.