Day Six - Branston to Willington

We woke at eight o’clock to rain and low lying cloud. It was also quite cold outside but our boat is very cosy. As we weren’t travelling far today we had a late breakfast and set out at nine o’clock. We haven’t been able to find a mobile network so we moored just outside Burton-on-Trent an hour further along the canal and managed to get online. We loaded the last three days of blogs onto our site, emailed and Skyped our parents. It was good to catch up with our parents and hear the news of the election.
As the weather looked so bleak we decided to have morning tea before setting off again. As the day has progressed the rain has eased to periodic sprinkles and the BBC weatherman tells us that it is clearing tomorrow.
We motored a further half hour to get to Hornington Wharf where we moored to fill up with water. We were surrounded by very friendly geese and we couldn’t resist feeding them some bread. The mooring at the wharf was difficult due to a cross breeze but Henk had it all under control. It takes some time to fill the water tank of 120 gallons with a garden hose.
We crossed the River Dove on a low aqueduct. We last came across this river last year whilst walking through the Peak District and the very beautiful Dovedale.
We arrived at Willington at three o’clock and had a late lunch. Henk bravely steered through the cool winds and passing showers whilst I stayed warm and dry underneath getting lunch prepared and watching the news on television.
Later in the afternoon we ventured out into the cold and onto Willington and found a friendly, warm café which sold home-made cakes. Henk had a cherry, chocolate and coconut slice which he said tasted like Cherry Ripe.
We walked onto the nearby historical village of Repton fifteen minutes from Willington. This well-kept village was once the capital of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia which at one time covered the area from the Thames to the Humber Rivers. It is now a well-kept small village with many historical sites to see and includes the prestigious Repton school.
When we returned to our marina we passed a woman cutting another woman’s hair alongside their boat. Henk lined up for a trim and we had to take a photo.
For dinner we had “Mrs King’s Homemade Melton Mowbray Pie” which we bought from the café. Mrs King lives in the district. It was very yummy.
Photos: Repton Village with the parish church begun by the Anglo Saxons;
Waiting for a haircut at Mercia Basin, Wellington; Geese waiting to be fed at Hornington Wharf.