Not far beyond Cosgrove Lock, between Thrupp Wharf and Yardley Gobion Wharf we came across a most pleasant spot to moor for the night, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

We were right next to a big cornfield with an intriguing public footpath right through the middle, joining up to the towpath.

The ground was baked hard, and it wasn’t clear whether the farmer took his public footpath duties very seriously, or the local ramblers association had been establishing their right of way with extreme prejudice. The line of the path pointed unerringly to thespire of St. James the Great at Hanslope, with its impressive flying buttresses. Visible for miles around, it’s also very noticeable from the M1 near Newport Pagnell. So unerringly did it point, we did wonder if the path was part of a ley line, but of course, they don’t really exist.

The Captain decided that as it was a Sunday evening, he ought to attend evensong, and set off across the field, while the chief cook decided to indulge in some al-fresco beauty regime or other.

As the sun went down we walked across the field in the company of hundreds of martins and swallows, skimming low across the corn harvesting the invertebrates. An idyllic evening.