Our 2013 cruise is here at last. We’re finally off! About a fortnight later than we usually are, but a combination of family and other events have delayed our departure. We also have to be back at High House for the end of June for another 2 or 3 events, so it will be a split and shortened cruise this year.

Over the last few weeks we have been watching weather forecast with even more interest than we usually do. The winter has been awful, to say the least, and has extended right up to the beginning of April, so we are only just seeing daffodils out in flower and there are still snowdrops out in the lane up to Stowe Hill.

Fortunately, spring finally seemed to arrive at the end of last week, and we (like everybody else) are hoping for a better late spring, summer and autumn than last year.

We had a leisurely start today. Elaine had set off to walk to Nether Heyford to get the newspaper whilst I finished off the last jobs, untied and set off to pick her up at Furnace Lane Wharf. As our hoped for destination of Llangollen is in the other direction, we turned at Furnace Wharf winding hole and retraced our steps to High House. By this time it was gone 10.00.

The weather was bright, but with a very stiff breeze blowing that at the more exposed areas was more like a gale force 10. But it felt good to be on the move again after such a depressing winter and we thoroughly enjoyed our first meaningful cruise of the year.

Buds were appearing in the trees, wild flowers were out in bloom, lambs were bleating and Elaine was happy seeing her first fluffy ducklings of the year. Me? I hate b****y ducks. Noisy, birds that think nothing of waking you up at 2.00 in the morning as they attack the sides of your boat like a gaggle of pneumatic drills just a few inches away from your head as you try to ignore them and get back to sleep. S****y birds that leave their calling card on your roof or cabin sides. I hate b****y ducks!

As we approached the bottom of the lock flight at Whilton the boat that was in front of us (and which we were hoping we would be able to team up with up the locks) pulled in for their elevenses. At the same time we saw a boat pull off the lock mooring and enter the bottom lock through the single gate that had been opened.

Had he seen us? Would he wait for us?

Yes he had! Yes, he did!

It was a single handed boater who was moving his somewhat scruffy boat from Leighton Buzzard where he had just bought it to a mooring at Nottingham where he was going to work on it. By the sound of the engine, it needed some TLC!

However, he worked hard helping Elaine with the gates & paddles, although we had a relatively slow ascent up the seven locks thanks to boats in front of us. We met one pair coming down, but that was it.

The crews off that pair were a bit put out as they helped to work us through Lock 11. We had left one gate at the lock below open for them. However, when we looked there was a lockwheeler at the lock, evidently off a boat behind us, calmly raising a bottom paddle whilst the top gate remained open. It was only after they had crossed the lock gate to raise the other bottom paddle that they realised the top gate was open and they were emptying the pound above.

So our lock helpers were going to have to negotiate a pound that would be low and have to wait for the upcoming boat to work through. They were not best pleased.

Finally we reached the now unfamiliar surroundings of Buckby Top Lock. Unfamiliar as the once popular New Inn, with its patio tables on the lock side, has been closed for some time due to a dispute between the owner and HM Customs & Excise over his unpaid VAT. We have heard that it has been sold and a decorating van has been seen there, so hopefully it will be open again before too long.

Our friend was turning right at Norton Junction and heading up the Leicester Line, and, with lunch time more upon us, we had decided to tie up at the Junction, either on the official moorings betwixt lock and junction, or just beyond the junction. To our surprise the usually full visitor moorings were more or less deserted – just one boat occupying them. So it was here that we pulled in and tied up to the rings.

It had taken us about 3¾ hours to get to the mooring from High House today. It normally takes us 10 minutes in the car!