Slapton Lock to Marsworth Junction

Slapton Lock to Marsworth Junction : 5 miles, 8 locks, 1 swing bridge
To date : 335 miles, 183 locks

The weather forecast predicted rain for today and rain we got.  When we woke up the ground outside was boggy and the rain was pelting on the roof of the boat.  The "hour by hour" forecast on my phone said there'd be a brief break in the rain after midday and a clear few hours at the end of the day. 

Perhaps it was a silly idea but when the rain stopped about 1.30pm we headed through the lock.... a pair of boats had just come down so it was in our favour.... and filled water tanks at the water point above.  In the middle of this process the heavens re-opened and down it came again.  By the time we moved off the water point we were all soaked so decided we might as well continue on.  We ended up cruising in the rain through 8 locks, all the way to Marsworth Junction.  There was a bit of mumbling and grumbling along the way but we survived.  Not long after we moored up at 6.15pm the rain stopped.  It's due to start up again this evening and tomorrow is looking like a repeat of today.  We have about the same number of locks to do tomorrow.  Carol's sister is coming to meet them at Tring railway station Thursday morning so there's a bit of a deadline.

It's so annoying at locks when people come along from boats waiting for the lock and then just stand there.  A couple of young men did just that.  Eventually one helped Carol with her gate but the other just stood at the other end of the lock twiddling his thumbs.  Further along we had 4 crew members from a pair of boats come up to the lock and the lot of them just chatted while we wound paddles and struggled with the gates.  Not one of them volunteered to come around to the other side of the lock to open the gate to let our boats out so they then watched while I opened the gate, waited for the boats to go out, closed it again and then clambered across the closed gates to the towpath to walk on to the next lock.  "We could have done that" one of them said, but none of them had made a move!

There are quite a few boats on the move despite the awful weather.  It's school holidays this week so I guess the hire boats have to make the most of their time onboard.  The moorings are fairly busy too.