Two Weeks on the English Canals-day 4

Day Four
Tuesday
July 23

     The waterway at Braunston serves as a canal junction. We cast off this morning and immediately left the Oxford Canal and entered the Grand Union Canal. We navigated a bunch of locks today. I counted 16, mostly near the end of the day's run.   The terrain was generally pastoral, the grass green and farm animals abundant.   Minutes after getting underway we floated by several pastures dotted with grazing sheep. One of these fields, however, harbored wooly critters with a definite attitude. As we passed, seven sheep presented their backsides and walked away together, in unison and in a line. Perhaps they were simply headed for tastier grass and were oblivious to us, but the timing was exact.
      Since the first day, we had noticed the great popularity of fishing along these waterways. According to British Waterways, the governmental organization that administers the canals, about 100,000 anglers over the age of 12 fish the canals regularly. A number of fishing areas have been prepared with wheelchairs in mind. Catches include perch, bream, gudgeon, eels, pike, and chub, among others. Carp as large as 38 pounds have been hauled out of the very same canal we were chugging along today, the Grand Union.
     About two hours into the run, we reached Napton Junction, where the Grand Union meets the Oxford canal. Just after the junction, we pulled over to a watering point, hauled out our hoses and replenished our fresh water tanks.
     Then we came to the locks. The Calcutt group was first--three locks, one after another. Then two more, a bit separated from the rest and finally, less than an hour later, the eight Stockton locks, again closely grouped. Despite our relatively inexperienced crews, we had made good time navigating the 13 locks so we stopped for a break at the Blue Lias Inn. The Pub is named for blue lias clay, which has been found to contain a rich bounty of prehistoric fossils, from lowly ammonites to immense dinosaurs.
     The Blue Lias Inn was easily the most beautifully planted pub that I saw in England. Bright petunias and other colorful annuals abounded in raised beds as well as in baskets and window boxes hung along the sides of the Inn. One bit of lore that makes the pub interesting is that some people claim that that the establishment has its very own ghost!

Click here for more about the Blue Lias Ghost

Because it was still early, we did three more locks before we tied up, including one relatively rare staircase lock, a more complex type of multiple lock.

Click here for more on staircase locks
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/jim.shead/Staircase-Locks.html

By late afternoon, we were moored. It was into the van and off to visit Frog Island Brewery at Northampton.
Established in 1994, Frog Island Brewery is a small independent brewery that offers both cask-conditioned ales and bottled-conditioned beers. Owner Graham and his crew work to restore Northampton's once celebrated historical tradition of brewing.

Click here to go to Frog Island Brewery's website
http://www.frogislandbrewery.co.uk/

     When we arrived, Graham had fish, chips, and ale waiting. We sat at table by the fermentation vats and washed the food down with Frog Island ales. While we ate, Graham told us of the practical aspects of operating a small brewery, his personal philosophy of brewing, and some interesting particulars about the craft in the UK generally.
     Before we left, Graham allowed us a peek into one of the working vats. The sight and aroma of the frothy-topped ferment generated a deja-vu memory of my bachelor days of home brewing.
Then it was off to Grand Knight folk club where entertainers included Dave Webber, Anni Fentiman, Johnny Collins, the group Young no More, (Mr. Young had left the group), our own Mac & Leslie, and Tom Lewis. As people began to sing, the air around me was filled with harmonies, the audience enthusiastically singing in joyful interaction with the performers. Two entities, performers and audience, became one, unified by the song. The magic was familiar, the same as I was used to half a planet away.
      On my way through the door, I heard renewed singing and Tom's lively ukulele spontaneously springing up behind me. I did an about face and discovered Tom, ukulele, and a circle of enthusiastic singers belting out San Francisco Bay Blues: "Walking with my baby down by the San Francisco Bay!" It was a pleasant and upbeat way to cap a memorable day.