Day 4

Charlie arrived splendidly early and we set off from fenny Compton prompto. We pootled through the tunnel behind a hire boat but as we were on the home straight it got stuck. A boat coming the other way pretended not to notice and got it more stuck. We told the stuck boat to fling it in reverse as we slowly, and vaguely smugly overtook it. Half way along we realised it wasn't going anywhere so we took a snatch. It all happened so smoothly and quickly that the whole process took seconds and we heaved them off the mud back into the channel and stole their place for the locks. All with barely a blink of time!

Now being followed by a very grateful hir boat we joined our queue at the locks.

I locked while Charlie steered and we flew down the locks. 4hours later we were in the red lion cropredy surrounded by coke cans eating lunch feeling rather dazed at how quickly and smoothly everything had gone.

Suitably replenished we went through one lock, filled with water, purchased sherbert and icecream and collapsed indoors for 2hours with a short interlude when we realised the boat was on a ledge and we couldn't stand up! A venture into the now pouring rain, a liaison with tyre fenders and a taste of sherbet sorted it ou and then Sonflower arrived so we stood around helpfully watching them moor up in the rain.

A glorious day that left us both dribbling at the end. Glorious.