Friday 11th November 2005
Calcutt Bottom Lock - Stockton Top Marina (2 miles, 0 locks)
Arriving back at the marina just before 9am. We moored near Birdingbury Bridge to load up the car and I dropped off the end-of-holiday report at the office. We had requested valet mooring as usual, but Barbara asked if we could bring the boat to the marina and tie-up next to Sylph. When we got there, it was chaotic with boats moving in all directions and another boat tying onto Sylph already, so we tied onto her. It transpired that the volunteers who operate the valet mooring service were looking forward to moving Hawksmoor and had told Barbara off for doing them out of a job.
It was a different kind of holiday for us this time, especially nice in the cooler weather with the coal stove to keep the boat warm, and once again the weather was better than we had hoped for. We shall not be back on Hawksmoor until next February, but will get our next waterways "fix" when we use Tanglewood as a floating hotel during a family visit to relatives prior to Christmas.