Tuesday 14th August 2007
Sideway Bridge 108 - Salt (11¾ miles, 11 locks)
It was dull and overcast, raining on and off all day, so I had no incentive to get the camera out. Jen and Robert did most of the locks while Lucy and Rosemary stayed dry. Don't be fooled by the sunshine in this photograph, it was taken earlier in the trip.
At Stone, we flushed the foul tasting water out of the tank and re-filled, but the taste lingered on for the next two days. Lucy, Robert and Rosemary walked into the town for lunch and then Jen and I did the same later.
We reached Salt in the early evening and went for a walk up the hill behind the village, making sure the dogs were exhausted. Jen had already chosen what she wanted from the menu at the Hollybush Inn, and the rest of us headed for he pub to order the food with Jen following on later so that the dogs would be alone on the boat for as short a time as possible. We left the radio on as a substitute for human company and there were no problems. The food at the pub was as wonderful as ever.
Back at the boat, the conditions were perfect for watching the shooting stars. The sky was clear with more stars visible that I have seen for a long time, probably because we were in the middle of nowhere and there was no light pollution.