Lincoln to Keadby

 There has been a delay between the movements and the blog as the speed of getting on line has been bad in places so I have waited til it was better than logging in and going off to make a cup of tea while it did something other other :-)

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Not a bad day for the move.  It looks as though the sun is coming out soon so by 1200 I was ready to get a few feet further on

  

 First stop was the middle of Lincoln to get some bits and pieces to live off during the next few days.  Didn't buy any tobacco as I have now been a non-smoker again for a fortnight.

  

Decided to empty everything that needed emptying while I had the chance and leave the rubbish behind.

  

A friend Jan has a house in the Burton Water complex.  Sadly I never had chance to try out her mooring.  She had told me that the mooring had never had a boat on it but I wonder if  it was built for plastic rather than a 60 ft narrowboat. Sorry Jan I did wave as I went past :-)

 

All the way from the Pyewipe Inn to almost Saxilby there is work going on to improve the footpath and make it (it seems) a cycleway.  It looks as though they are making a good job of it too.

 

Not the sort of thing you expect as you chug along.  Hundreds of chandeliers burning brightly.  Didnt see one that would suit a narrowboat though. 

  

 Saxilby is looking brilliant with all the blossom out on the cherry and apple trees.  Stayed here the night and topped up with gas and derv from Tongs DIY.

A bunch of youngsters had a BBQ next to the boat and there was the usual noise and lots of beer.  BUT when they had finished and left I looked out and you wouldnt know that they had been near.  They had either deposited their rubbish in the bins or taken it home with them.  Nice one.

 

 Its long straights almost the whole way to Torksey.

  

I met up with Sid and Heidi and moored the boat near to the lock to either pick them up and go back to visitor moorings or have a cuppa at the very popular cafe that has been open for a while now. Theres another book exchange here too so do your bit and drop in. Had a word with Neil who is on duty and he says that there is no-one else coming in so as long as I keep away from the water point I should be ok here for the night.

 

0900 the next morning its out onto the Trent.  Its quite high today.

 

 For the first hour I am fighting the tide which is still coming in.  It takes me and hour to do 3 km.

Its not long before the speed is up to 10 kph and slowly creeps up to 12 and on a couple of occasions I see that I am doing 14 kph.

Up in the break in the trees is the folly at Gate Burton.  You can stay there the night if you have a good piece of plastic to pay with.

Around a bend appears the Little Kirkby with a large empty barge in front of it. Plenty of splashing up at the bows as it goes past.

Knaith looking as idyllic as usual but even more so in the fine weather.

Where there is a nice flat face to the sandy banks the Sand-martins have moved in.  Hundreds of them in places. and the flour mills of Gainsborough looming up in the background for what seems like for ever.

But finally its about half way through the journey to Keadby with the bridge at Gainsborough and the traffic jams on the bridge.

Aftyer a bit of high speed travel its West Stockwith and the access to the Chesterfield canal.  One of my favourites with all the meandering and a pub at every lock :-) At least thats how I remember it.

Several small villages are along the Trent banks to break the monotony. No where to stop though.

You know you are getting near the end when the M180 bridge comes into to view.

Once you are under it the next bridge - the old lift bridge at Gunness -  is not so far away.

Just the other side of the bridge is the wharf where the big boys play but never mind its only a short distance now to the lock at Keadby.  A turn around mid stream and then its a matter of sidling up to the lock entrance and trying to get the bows inside while the stern is still being dragged past by the tide.

Keep well back from the gates.  If you get too close - see the blog for last year - you can end up with several inches of water inside the boat.

At last its time to moor up and make a cup of tea.  Thats the problem of single boating.  If you don't have down the stern when you start you don't have it till you finish.

Now its just a wait until Abz arrives later this evening to help with the trip up to Thorne tomorrow.