Sells Green

After yesterday’s exercise we had a deep sleep in a quiet location. Jan was up early and awoke me in time for the regular Sunday call back to Australia.  By 8.30am we were preparing Waiouru for a morning cruise.  One of the volunteer lock keepers we met yesterday appeared at the bottom of the lock and mentioned “You’re still here!”  He informed us that no one was coming down the flight and it was a usually quiet day.  To our surprise he mentioned it was a busy day when they saw boat numbers go into double figures.  I did query this and was told the Kennet & Avon doesn’t go anywhere which meant there were only four types of boater.  The locals who don’t make a habit of going up and down the flight; hirers; the 14 day movers who try to avoid the flight; and a small number like us cruising the network.  Apart from the Caen Hill flight, I haven’t seen anything that would make me want to return. 

It was a quiet morning slowly cruising down the seven locks to reach Sells Green.  Along the way we noticed a couple of boating projects.

New cabin to an old boat

CRT have a solar farm at the bottom of the locks.  The electricity is used to drive pumps pushing water back to the top of the flight.

There is an information board and digital display showing the output from the panels beside the towpath.

By 11am we had reached the water point mooring at Sells Green to find it vacant so we stopped to top up the tank whilst also disposing of the rubbish.  There was a vacant spot on the 48 hour moorings just beyond the water point and as soon as the tank was full (excellent water pressure) we bow hauled Waiouru forward so her bow fender was just touching the boat in front.  This left room for two small boats between us and the water point.   By noon both those moorings had been taken.

Sunday lunch was our usual roast.  The Three Magpies pub is about 200 metres from the canal.

It was a lovely sunny day and the beer garden was being enjoyed.  We went inside the pub to find a vacant table.  Jan chose the beef whilst I had the lamb.

I enjoyed my lamb but Jan thought her beef was slightly over cooked.  She likes it pink in the middle!

We wandered back to Waiouru just in time to avoid several heavy showers.  It would be very easy to become smug watching poor soaking hire boaters going past in the rain.  One gave up and moored on the water point.