Stoke Bruerne

We are awake quite early this morning, so we have breakfast and because the promised rain hasn't appeared yet we set off down the canal, with its open farmland stretching out on both sides of the canal, as we are gazing into the fields we spot two deers running across the land, and eventually jumping over a fence into woodland to hide.

Two deer in the field, if I would off been quicker with the camera.

The grand union is quite wide and makes navigating it so easier than the narrow canals whilst passing moored or oncoming boats, we approach Gayton Junction and turn right heading towards London, the other way goes towards Northampton River Nene and the middle navigation levels.

We pass the village of Blisworth and its old mill works which are now converted to apartments, a narrow stretch of woodland before the entrance of Blisworth Tunnel sits before us, this tunnel at 3057 yds is the third longest in the United Kingdom, some of you out there might of thought that yesterday I said the Braunston tunnel was the third longest but that is because I listened to Denise who told me that fact.....

Anyway the Grand Union Canal was opened in 1800 with the exception of Blisworth tunnel after the first excavation failed, so a tramway was built of the hill, the boats cargo was emptied on one side loaded on to the tram wagons which were pulled over the hill by horses and then loaded onto a waiting narrowboat to continue its journey. A second attempt of the tunnel excavation in 1805 was more successful, originally the boats would of been legged, the men would lie down on boards and walk the boat the 3057 yds though the tunnel.In 1984 a restoration took place and restored it as it is now,where two boats can comfortably pass each other in the tunnel.

One of the air vent which extend from the tunnel to the top of the hill

A little bit further is the best example of a canal village, Stoke Bruerne, with houses,warehouse, cottages and pubs on either side of the canal, the canal museum is also here, which we are  going to visit tomorrow. We have to negotiate a couple of locks with loads of Gongoozler http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gongoozler around us,

 

we then moor up just in the nick of time as a big thunderstorm opens right above us. As the storm passes we can see that a notice is stuck on the towpath stating that we can't moor at this location due to a fact that a hotel boat meeting is taking place over the weekend, so we move about thirty meters down the canal and moor up again, no pub tonight even up the towpath looks a nice one " The Boat" which we might sample tomorrow .

 

 

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