Day 148 – what a day. Our day for doing a good turn (or three). It started drizzly and progress was slow due to number of moored boats. J spoke to some later who said they had counted well over a hundred on the 17 mile “long pound”. Got delayed at our third lock helping out a boat which had become grounded by the passing of a hired broadbeam boat. It took three of us with pole and ropes to get the boat moving again. Made good progress over the summit and the water level was better than when we went the other way but still about 20cm below normal if the depth gauges are to be believed. Caught up a hired broadbeam just as we reached the Crofton locks going down from the summit. They were going really slowly. J was on lock duty and went to help, as you do. It became apparent that the antipodean crew had yet to go down any locks and were completely flummoxed by the fact that the lower gate was open and the paddles were up (this is a requirement on this flight). J talked them through what they needed to do (lesson one) and then went ahead to the next lock to set it for them in the hope of getting them at least one lock ahead of us. By the time we arrived at the second lock they were getting back on the boat; although we had strongly suggested that, as the locks are only a few hundred metres apart, it would be better to walk. We caught them up before the third lock. They told J that they had had some complicated explanation from another boat as to why they couldn’t go any further and it wasn’t their fault. J went on and found a very large widebeam moored on the lock mooring above the next lock. He was refusing to go past a working boat, another widebeamed boat, moored just beyond the lock mooring as he might scratch his paintwork. Another narrow boat was just coming up through the lock. J went back to the antipodeans and explained that they would have to moor up as they wouldn’t be able to pass the boat on the lock mooring, but that we could so we would go past them. She then had to help them with the logistics of getting the boat moored; put the bow into the side and use the power to bring the stern in – lesson two for the day. The narrow boat coming up which was shorter than us just managed to squeeze past the moored boats. When D brought SH down we brushed past the moored boat and then suggested that if he didn’t want to get his paint damaged he might move as far from the lock as possible. Made good time down to Crofton, but decided to stop as wind was getting up and a bit tired. Fed the pigs which live near lock 61 with windfall apples.Later when D was resting his eyes J decided to go for a short walk but didn’t get far as ran into a couple from Dorset we had met the previous day and then the Antipodeans appeared, about four hours after we left them. They nearly missed then only mooring slot big enough for them, the ensuing emergency stop left them way away from the towpath. J reminded them of lesson two this morning and we managed to get them safely moored – without too much entertainment for the other boats.

Day 149 – we had been woken a number of times through the night, not just by the trains but by the creaking of lines and fenders as the wind really got up over night. Left promptly and had a really good run into Hungerford. Met a string of single boats coming the other way, obviously no-one was waiting to see if anyone else turned up. The last swing bridge at Hungerford was really hard to shift, it took two of us to move it both to open and close it. Moored above the town lock in Hungerford which surprised J as moments before D had asked if she was going to walk to it. Turned out to be just behind Ocho who we had come up the Caen Hill flight with. Went out for coffee and cake in the town later. A really nice café, which had gone totally vegan for the day so J’s coffee got changed to a smoothie – really don’t like nut milks!