Cruise Data Year 2006 Annual Mileage 1256 Locks used 481 Engine hours run 1247 Diesel (Ltrs) used 1504 Cost of Gas £104 Cost of Coal £374 Cost of Pump-Out £170 Maintenance Costs £1957

Leaving our winter cruising area at Oxford, we joined the Thames intending to head anti-clockwise towards London. But we had our first mishaps of the year, our domestic batteries had to be renewed and the stern-tube had a problem, so after a short return trip to the Oxford canal for repairs, we set off again on a river which once again was very kind to us bearing in mind that it was early Spring.

The cruise to London went well and was just as enjoyable as when we came the other way last year. This time we spent a little longer in Windsor, doing the castle and other touristy things, we also got tied up in the Triathlon that was going on in town and on the river.

Unfortunately Take Five wanted some more attention, we had to get the charging system renewed and I also had to rebuild the exhaust system again, but this time it is much better and has lasted well throughout the year.

The cruise through Central London was exciting as we arrived at about 1100 hours on a Sunday morning and all of the ferries were just starting work, they were very good to us however, the main trouble we had was from the Police and Rescue launches who really tore up the river and made many ‘bumps’ for us to cross.

Once we got into Lime House Basin we headed off on the Regents canal and then on to the Grand Union heading north for Braunston, we again enjoyed the trip North and didn’t find all the locks to hard to handle.

From Braunston we made for Coventry, where Janice left me for a few weeks while she went home to holiday with the grandchildren, I played around on the Ashby and Coventry canals until she came back, refreshed.

Then it was back down the Grand Union to Gayton Junction, where we went down the locks on the Northampton Arm and joined the river Nene, with some trepidation after what people had told us about this river.

However we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise to Peterborough, ok some of the guillotine locks are hard work, but a lot of them are now electric so it wasn’t to hard. We also didn’t have problems with moorings or services, in fact we found the FREE pump-outs very good and now have a very clean poo-tank.

Take Five developed another problem on the way, the fuel pump broke so we had to spend three days waiting for parts before we could move on. The upside was that we were moored at a very nice and friendly pub.

At Peterborough, we joined the Middle Levels and headed across to the River Great Ouse, again we were worried about the crossing from Salters Lode lock to Denver Sluice on the tidal part of the river, but it was very easy, not the same coming back though.

The Great Ouse is a nice river with plenty of moorings and lots to see, we could only go as far as the river Cam at Popes Corner, as we were running out of time.

We enjoyed the Cam and had a short stay in Cambridge and also visited Ely, which we really liked in fact preferred it to Cambridge.

The trip back to the Grand Union was uneventful but still most enjoyable and we were able to make some new friends on the way.

Looking back on the visit to the Great Ouse we will certainly go back in a couple of years time and spend more time looking at more of the area and some more of the rivers.

Back on the Grand Union it was time to head north and get to our winter cruising area before the stoppages came in to effect, and we just made it, getting above Bosley Top Lock the day before it closed.

The summer cruise turned out to be a bit expensive on repairs, but you get to expect that when you own a narrow boat and one that is nearly fourteen years old and constantly cruising, lets hope next year is not so expensive. Although we are told the price of diesel is to rise to the same price you pay at the filling stations on the roads, this is all thanks to someone in the EEC.

The places we have visited this year we can only recommend you see and experience, we enjoyed them all.