Saturday, 26 August 2017

Into the darkness......

....that is Blisworth Tunnel.

My mooring at Stoke Bruerne was 2 days which fitted in with my plans nicely, yesterday I became surrounded by trading boats, behind me the boat was selling bits and bobs, another selling paintings, another was selling ‘canalware’, ahead of me an ice cream, cake and tea boat, I was definitely the odd boat out and I think a lot of the gongoozlers must have wondered what I was doing there in the middle of was looked like a floating market!

I wanted to move on today anyway, but not too far, the Belgian F1 qualifying started at 11:55 and I did not want to miss it, so it was around 9:40 when I set the washing machine going again, donned my lifebelt and set off towards the tunnel.

The tunnel is two way, with wide beam boats being permitted transit through at 8am on Mondays to Fridays by arrangement only, it wouldn't do to meet one of them half way through, and it's another reason to buy a ‘narra’, Blisworth tunnel is the 3rd longest in the UK at 3,076 yards, there is no towpath through (hence the lifebelt) and it has airshafts to provide ventilation, it takes about 30 minutes to get through, picture time!
Southern portal.
In the gloom, it's actually not as bad as it looks but my tunnel light
doesn't show up in the pictures, I can see ahead!
Looking up at the roof of the tunnel and an airshaft, this one is concrete lined.
Still gloomy!
Another airshaft, this one doesn't look lined, I paused to take this picture,
it was very wet with a stream of water coming through it!
Daylight again.

Blisworth Tunnel Hut, adopted and restored by Blisworth Canal Partnership
in 2013. I wonder what they use it for.
Northern portal
Having re-emerged into the sunlight I passed by Blisworth Tunnel Boats
and was immediately on the lookout for a suitable mooring, pilings, open to the sun and not too busy being the criteria, a nice section appeared between bridge 50 and 49.

Current Mooring:
Boat on the loose
As I'd approached the mooring I could see a boat adrift at the bow, a few boats had passed me just prior and obviously none though it worth stopping to re-secure him, so after I sorted myself out I walked back, checked there was no-one aboard and re-fixed his mooring pin which was luckily still attached to the mooring line.
All secure again
Totals today: 3 miles : 1 Tunnel


I’ve got the washing out in the sunshine and someone in the distance has lit a nice big smoky bonfire, the joys of being in the countryside, somehow I just don’t care!



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