Day 7 - Newbury to Woolhampton Greyish morning - just right for Lynne to shop and Baz to polish the brass - hard going as it hadn't been done for 2 months or more. Kim & Aggie's tip about using sour milk totally useless - probably because there's nothing in skimmed milk to ferment a decent amount of acid. Finally untied at about 12:50 and though we were able to share the first 2 locks, we spent the rest of the afternoon pottering on solo in increasing sunshine. Re-filled Widmead Lock after passing through at the behest of a terribly well spoken group of teenage swimmers. Found a guy, windlass in hand, helping folk through Monkey Marsh Lock - he was there 4 years ago when we last came this way and claims he has nothing better to do. Below Midgham Lock we past a ricketly looking steam driven narrowboat which it's steerer claimed to be the last wooden boat built in England. They must've been short of timber, then, because it was pretty short - but it sported a huge funnel, probably 15' above water level. Old Heale's Lock has been fettled recently and its top gate paddles emasculated - presumably in the interests of fewer carpet drying bills for Reading Marine's hire operation. It took almost 15 mins to fill [with no boat in it to require circumspection] and, with one bottom paddle out of action, nearly as long to empty. Arrived at Woolhampton to find posh boats neatly spaced out on the VMs but we have a nice bankside mooring just to the west. 8/8 cloud cover tonight so no view of the Perseids. Tomorrow? Burghfield or bust.
6mi, 5fl; 9 locks; 5 bridges; 4.78 engine hours Baz
