22 July 2016 (sunny and hot) 79 km

So will Mark’s name be Mud, or will he turn out to be the Cycle Tourer’s Guru when it comes to suggesting bike paths…….

I was awake at 6am so set to loading yesterday’s photos onto the computer and then uploading the blog which I finished about 6.30am.  Handed the computer to Pete who started writing yesterday’s blog while I went downstairs to make us a cup of tea, which I brought back upstairs.  I started sorting things out and packing while Pete wrote and when the others rose at 7.30am, we went downstairs for breakfast.  

How cute are these guys?

Had muesli with Lesley while Mark took the dogs out, then a cappuccino and croissants – very nice. 

Rang Virgin Rail as we had booked train tickets to London but they hadn’t shown up in our email so sorted that out and then Ray came round to say goodbye.  We have had a lovely stay and needed a good rest as when we worked out our route to our next destination, we realised it was going to be 200km and we only have two days to get there.  Well we could take longer but we really want to get there on the weekend so we can spend some quality time with our niece.

So this is where Mark comes in.  We had been thinking the best way to get to our niece’s place in Telford was via the canal as there is a towpath along all canals.  We really wanted to avoid all the traffic if at all possible, even if it meant taking longer.  So Mark said there was an old railway that had been converted to a cycle route which started at Arthingworth Village, about 3 km from their place.  It would take us all the way to Northampton where we could then join the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal.  All we needed to do was follow it down to Warwick and then up to Birmingham from there, then Wolverhampton and finally Telford.  It is a very indirect route, to put it mildly, but we figured it would be worth it.  The big unknown with canals however, is the surface of the towpath.  And the big danger is going in the wrong direction when you come to a junction.

But first of all we had the Brampton Valley Way to find and cycle down to Northampton, about 25km away.  We bid goodbye to Mark, Lesley and Ray at ten to ten (fittingly enough – family joke), and luckily I had also been listening to the directions as Pete wanted to turn left at the end of the road instead of right!

Pete here….I was jesting…anyway, onto the road out of Desborough, past the football club, left on Arthingworth Rd, which we then followed through the village until we reached the old railway line. Heaved the bikes up a flight of stairs and set off for Northampton. 

We had to walk most of this tunnel due to the uneven surface, the length of it and the total darkness,

The going was slow initially as we had to negotiate a pitch black tunnel, but once through there we picked up pace. The track was okay in parts and not so good in others. Came across a number of dog walkers, runners and other cyclists. About 4km shy of Northampton, we stopped to enjoy some ham buns that Lesley had made for us, along with a cup of coffee.  By now it was 12pm, so on we went into the town itself. Fortunately we had signs to direct us into the city centre and then we asked people where the canal was.  Into a Morrison’s supermarket to pick up supplies for later, then after a couple of false starts, we found the right path and we were off. Asked boaters along the way as the canal branches off, but we were fine.

A bit bumpy here, but no too bad

To begin with the towpath was adequate….that was as good as it got all day…Then, for the rest of the day, which didn’t end, as far as cycling went, until 7.40pm, the path was bloody awful for most of the 50 odd km we were on it. In many parts, we were riding literally on the bank, not two feet from the water, not able to move further over because of the nettles and brambles which were scratching our arms and legs to pieces. 

Tough going here - about 9 kph

Sometimes you felt sure you were going in the canal and it was only masterful control and sheer brilliance on both our parts, that prevented it. We left modesty back in Desborough..!  We were meeting and greeting all sorts of people, from those on the narrowboats, to those moored at the side. 

Canal dog walkers, normal walkers etc. Because of the state of the path….and that’s a very loose terminology, it was mainly a grass track with some mud chucked in for good measure….we were only averaging 10km per hour.  We wanted to cover as much distance as possible, but as time went on and the light cast shadows, it was quite dangerous.  At Braunston we came off the track to cycle up a hill into the village, to pick up some more food.

Nice bridge but we were more excited about the sealed path - which lasted about five minutes.

Braunston Junction

Had a quick pork pie and cup of milk each about 6pm before rejoining the towpath.  We had considered going by road but we didn’t have any directions to follow.  At least there’s not too many turn-offs on the canal and all are sign-posted anyway.  And if we have any doubts, other people are always around, cruising slowly and very accessible to ask directions.  If there’s one thing that made us feel better about going so slowly, it was at least we were going faster than those canal boats!

Taking a break in the shade and feeling pretty shattered.

Five miles upriver we came across Napton Junction and also a campground.  Even though we hadn’t done as many kilometres as we wanted, we were both tired, so decided to camp here.  Tent up then Ju showered while I set up the inside of the tent then she blogged while I showered.  Ju then cooked us a delicious dinner of chilli con carne with pasta and meatballs while I blogged.  It was again very hot today and both of us have a heatrash on the tops of our thighs.

So on reflection, was taking the towpath a good idea?  All in all I’d say it was.  We had absolutely no traffic and that is worth so much.  We also had a lot of shade and in this heat, that was very welcome!  It was also flat all the way and again, in this heat you do not want to be cycling up hills in blazing sunshine.  

Yes it was annoying dealing with the weeds and the mud and the fact we didn’t get as far as we wanted, but it was a lovely way to see some more of the English countryside and this gentle way of life people have on the canal boats.