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In 1977 we hired our first narrowboat from Anglo Welsh at Market Harborough.From that moment our destiny was set. In 2006 we finally purchased our own brand new 57' narrowboat which we named 'Free Spirit'. Our aim is to travel the length and breadth of all the navigable rivers and canals of the UK. This will be our story as it unfolds.

Friday 10 July 2020

Another battle with the wind at Campbell Wharf Marina

Gosh, the landscape has changed at Newlands. A massive amount of building work and a new footbridge over the canal, what a blot on the landscape. Milton Keynes green spaces are rapidly disappearing, mores the pity!


Still, the new marina is very impressive although the entrance in from the canal was a little tight. And if we hadn't looked on the plans last night I also would have struggled to see where the service point was.





The wind didn't help either, marinas are renowned for being like wind tunnels and once the service point was located it would have been easy to get onto on a still day. As it was I ended up on the opposite pontoon and a good job there wasn't a boat moored 'cos no way would I have missed it.

I should have gone to the left but the wind had other ideas.

Wrong side
After paying, getting codes for the gates and electric sorted, the pontoon allocated to us was ideal for Curry's to drop off the fridge and we have permission to leave the old one on our pontoon until the van arrives (one of the rules of this marina is for nothing to be left on the pontoon staging).


 Now we await the arrival of our son and to pack the frozen food in our freezer bag so we can take it back to his house. Although nothing has been mentioned I'm pretty sure we will stay at his for the weekend. In the meantime, we went for a walk. Newlands will no longer be part of our prefered moorings, there is only room for three boats, but because right next to it is a pub being built!

New Pub being built on left and the Newland moorings on the right. Looks like a nice long length to moor but the winding hole is just past that tree on the right.
And can you see FS's bum sticking out?


Looking forward to Monday to receive the new fridge but as yet no time has been allocated. The delivery website only states it could be anytime between 7am and 7pm on Monday!

This weekends mooring


Right across the towpath and I don't think it was a fisherman!

If he overstays his welcome he may well be Toad!
Amazing what can be made from a dumped shopping trolly

2 comments:

Dave Ward said...

I can remember when Milton Keynes was a building site! It was back in the mid 70's, and I was traveling down to Bletchley Park as part of my apprenticeship with the Post Office Telephones. I did several, month long, residential courses over the space of 3 years. I looked at the museum website the other day, and may pay a visit now they are open again. I'm going to try and do as much of the journey on the old roads as possible - a lot of bypasses have been built since I last went that way!

Ian and Irene Jameison said...

Hi, Dave, The thing I notice most about Milton Keynes is the roundabouts....lots and lots of roundabouts! No good if you suffer from Vertigo!

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