Hatton and on and on

The mental hurdle of 21 large double locks actually proved to be a rather nice day out on the canal.  We teamed up with another boat, possibly appropriately named 'Pacemaker'. And up we went in just under four hours.  Luckily for us we met a couple of lock volunteers half way up and they were of great help.  The sun shone and the locks proved remarkably easy to operate considering their size.
Once on the top we pootled for a bit and found a lovely quiet spot to moor up in and try out the new barbeque that I had acquired from Sainsburys in Warwick for a massive eight pounds.
This morning we left the Grand Union for the Stratford canal.  This is another narrow canal with locks with single gates like the Oxford.  However, unlike the Oxford they are really hard to open and close.  I can't work out why but we had been warned.

Busy morning on the Hatton flight especially when you meet two boats coming down. 

The sunset was rather special.

The turn into the Stratford was blind and narrow and so these two old working boats decided to raft up just inside.

 Navigating is just a little easier than when at sea.

Guess where we will be tomorrow lunchtime?