Posts

Day 40 onwards - Atherstone to Mercia Marina

Image
Glad to see the lockkeepers at Atherstone top lock again, this time there were half a dozen or so, some locking and others keeping the verges tidy.  They're fundraising for a defibrillator, so we contributed.  Planning to stay a few days here to shop and use the laundrette, the washing having piled up somewhat!  We find a mooring space below lock no. 5, leaving 6 more locks to do before leaving. Coming down lock no. 6, laundry all done These lock gates are to be replaced over the winter - they leak, so take ages to fill Mellow fruitfulness - hawthorn and elder berries and still lots of blackberries in various stages of ripeness.  We've made fruit compote several times with blackberries, plums, apples, a dash of port and some cloves & cinnamon The walk up to the town centre Staffed by volunteers and packed with info about Atherstone history.  It's on Watling Street, had an important Roman camp at Mancetter which was on the frontline of compaigning against Bou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 30 onwards - Braunston to Atherstone

Image
  Important port of call just north of Braunston at Barby Marina for a pumpout Like most marinas, the entry is only just wider than a boat - this is because they pay a fee per foot to the Canal and River Trust.  It's very breezy today and this is an exposed spot. Denis steered in, executed a tight 180 degree turn (not easy in a 62' boat in wind) and moored up outside the facilities hut on the right with Catnap's bow facing the exit A waterside snack Admiring the scenery Our favourite 'Italian' mooring at Hillmorton, this time with Belted Galloways or 'Belties' Pink evening light Canal bridge art at Rugby Simple boat signage An aerial (actually from the top of the engine house chimney) view of Hawkesbury Junction from 1985. The Oxford Canal comes in from the left, via the shallow 'stop lock'.  Then we turn 90 degrees in front of the white building, The Greyhound pub, under the cast iron bridge and another sharp 90 degree turn into the one way channel...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 29: 17 August - Barby to Braunston

Image
  Setting off from Barby with ducklings in pursuit... So sweet! Sunhat weather Two venerable working boats Hyperion and Hyades owned by linocut artist Charlotte Ashman A pair of tall bridges Quite unconcerned by the boats Not much canalside housing this stretch, but this is newly built.  Like all the others we've seen it has NO solar panels! Beautifully painted replica working boat, with characteristic upturned tiller and painted jug and pole Nearing Braunston Grasshopper hitching a lift Braunston church steeple ahead No comment! How very congested the canal at Braunston is, often with boats moored either side and many blind bends.  So we have to pick our way slowly along Looking for the water point amongst the boats - there's often not much space left there to stop and fill up. While we were holding Catnap in, two boats went past far too fast, claiming that was as slow as they could go... hmm! The building in the distance is the Stop House, built in 1796 for collecting t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Days 26 - 28: 14 to 16 August - Newbold on Avon to Barby via Rugby

Image
  Leaving our overnight mooring at Newbold ... to some blind and overgrown bends... ... and overhanging trees There's not much to say about Rugby, except the canalside retail park is ideal for provisioning and we also filled up with water and disposed of rubbish and recycling.  This photo is of the next place on the journey, Hillmorton, which has three sets of paired locks and is altogether an attractive place.  The carved wording on the beams is part of a poem by Roy Fisher, written in 2012 on the occasion of the handing over of the inland waterways to the newly created Canal and River Trust.  The whole text is:   WORKING WATER HELD CAPTIVE FOR A WHILE THEN SLUICED AWAY TO JOIN THE WORLD’S OTHER WATERS AGAIN OPEN ENTER AND BE LIFTED SAFE WITH WORDS AT YOUR BACK THESE DOORS MAKE DEPTH POWER TO SINK YOUR BOAT BODILY INTO THE LAND AND LET IT GO RIDING OUT UNHARMED STEP AT A TIME A RIVER CLIMBS CAREFULLY DOWN THROUGH THE TOWN   M...
Post a Comment
Read more