Slow travel

 5pm the lock keeper said. Tide'll be right. So that's that. First we drive across England to retrieve the heating unit, 200 + miles round trip, in the only hire vehicle available- a van! With the unit in the cavernous van, a dash back to Selby, an old abbey town on the banks of the Ouse. At 5 we are dropped metres down in the tidal lock  to start the slog to safety at Mg Auburn lock, 6 miles from York. The river is liquid mud, logs, branches, planks. One such wedged under our bows so the Cap'n pushed it off with our boat hook. 3 hours later,  the tide had turned and we finally reached the lock. Cap'n used his new VHF (very high frequency) radio to communicate with the Locke, meaning the VWC (very wet crew) could seek a wine, dry clothes, much relief. Overnighted in the tree lined calm of the pound at Naburn. Phew.

  From the bottom photo up, the strange, one of the only 2 in the world, a sliding railway bridge. It retracts like a bent elbow to one side of the canal. At 9.30 sharp yesterday, the operator retracted the bridge, after 5 trains in 40 min had raced across it. Open at last, the assembled convoy moved west, with the first boat stopping at a swing bridge, key operated, allowing all in the line to proceed.  At the next bridge, maybe a lift one with a huge counterweight as pictured, the new first placed boat opened it. And so for most of the day, cooperative boating. Dinner in the Pollington Kings Head, a club like atmosphere into which we were absorbed. Drinks on the house for the Capn's birthday. 

 Metal boat, a large sardine can, not great for a heat wave. The rather poor snap above shows the max temp, 41.8! Forewarned, we visited air con establishments - the great Lincoln library (thank you Andrew Carnegie), the Usher Gallery, cinema, shops.  Late afternoon back to boat, moored on the R Witham with some shade, across from the old oil mill of Doughty's  we opened all doors, hatches, hopper glass removed. Chairs out on the verge under the trees. Wet washer tastefully draped around 1st mate's neck. Cold showers, lots of water. And coped. Lovely little city, Lincoln. The cathedral atop the hill visible from all quarters. Even on the canal approaches it appears floating above the trees. Now returning to the Trent, to exit the big tidal lock on a falling tide, head downstream at speed (!) to another lock for tonight's mooring.

  We moored last night at Cromwell Lock, the last lock on the R Trent before you launch on to the tidal Trent. The snap above taken late evening, the large orange bollards strung like  giant's necklace above the weir. This morning JJ  chambers up the ladder to the top of the lock approach wall where we moored overnight, a good 2 metres above the boat.  The other snaps show the size of the lock, as we leave. All these tidal locks are manned, with craft marshalled by the lock keeper in to his lock when the incoming tide allows sufficient time for the boats to reach the next lock. There are few moorings on the river, just one, so we must reach the safety of the first lock some 16 miles north. We are running against the tide for much of the way, Santiago's engine a satisfying rumble as the river curls and winds, swans, grey legged geese, gulls along the banks, an occasional windmill, old wharves, a Roman fort. Now traffic on the river is sparse, mostly pleasure craft, bu...

 A beautiful late afternoon, mooring on a pontoon at Gunthorpe on the Trent, above a weir. A cruise from Nottingham  some deep locks.

 At the SW end of Nottingham you leave the river for the Nottingham Canal. We moored immediately above the lock to lunch, home made celery soup and cheese on toast....we're running short on supplies.  The next stop therefore,  a big supermarket hit...a handy one half way to the city. Well stocked we motored along to a very civilised mooring,in the city centre. After a superb dinner prepared by friend Rod, we walked into town,  to have a pint at 'the oldest pub in England', built partly in caves under the castle  Today we visited the castle, high on a sandstone bluff above the city, with a 19th C palace atop the Norman castle, housing an interesting gallery. Includes lace work, a speciality of Nottingham.  Now we're forging NE, heading for Newark. Photos of the Trent Bridge.

 On 12 July we reach the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal. 92 miles from its beginning in the west, to meet the R Trent at its navigable end in the east.  Hence Shardlow has many large 18th-19th C warehouses, including one spanning the canal so transhipment could be done efficiently.  A pleasant pub meal at the New (!) Inn with a neighbouring couple and their dog. A red kelpie! Called Aussie. From Shardlow we ventured on to the Trent, no flooding as we'd experienced in 2019. Next stop, Nottingham .