Solace: Day 7

Raising the paddle - this should be getting me fit! Every lock has 3, or sometimes 4 of these and requires the traveller to hurry along to the lock gate bearing a windlass lock key handle. Then, avoiding getting in contact with the nasty black greasy stuff, you have to slip the handle onto a spike and wind up the paddle to let water into or out of the lock.

Sometimes these are really stiff to get going! If you're really lucky there will be a guy looking like Indiana Jones to come and offer his masculine strength to do the job for you. Afterwards you have to remember to wind the paddle back down so you don't drain the whole canal system as you travel along!

Thankfully, canal users work together so well, boats approaching a lock from either direction send out a crew member to do their share of the work.

My 1200th blip!