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




 

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
 
More about Hillmorton, including the wartime story that Unity Mitford, socialite and friend of Hitler was sent to Hillmorton Vicarage to convalesce after a suicide attempt - and this explains why Hillmorton was never bombed
 
 
Catnap waiting to exit the top lock - two hire boats seem hesitant about where to go
...then the boat exiting from the lock alongside us nudged its way through. At last all was clear and we set off to find our evening mooring
Skilled yarnbombers at Hillmorton - Postman Pat!
Mooring for the night at a favourite spot near Barby.  This view reminds us of Italy

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Read more

Day 4: 23 July - Shobnall to Barton Turns

Image
Coming up at Dallow Lock, our first since leaving the marina.  It's so shallow, we can hop onto the boat roof to cross the lock :) A sad relic, thoroughly burned out We often use the facilities at Shobnall Marina, always friendly and well kept Marston's is no more, but will this well known sign remain?   Branston Lock in what used to be a rural setting - it still is very green and pleasant One of many huge distribution warehouses outside Burton Much house building too, in the river valley near Branston Metres of newly installed coir along the canal here - helping to support banks while vegetation becomes established  Video of possibly the smallest bridge on the Trent & Mersey (click to play)   Looking back at the bridge       After going up the lock at Barton Turns, we moored for the night on the towpath.   Alongside the lock is this famous pub with its evocative sign
Read more

Day 18 & 19: 6 & 7 August - Atherstone to Nuneaton

Image
  Forgot to put this in - ascending one of the 11 locks at Atherstone Wonderfully quirky garden, with handmade windmills and dovecote, the owner allowed us to take a pic. The gorilla is his neighbour's. Old style bridge numberplate on the outskirts of Atherstone Waterlevel in the canal is very noticeably lower than normal on this stretch - rumours of a breach on the Ashby Canal making the situation worse Lunch break on the back deck - it's sunny, so canopy up Pulling over to let another boat pass we go aground - as it is so shallow at the canal edges, the pole's at the ready to push off! Centre for the Rothen Group, who supply work boats - dredgers etc - to the Canal & River Trust Alpacas! Hartshill Yard, originally a wharf for granite quarries nearby, now it has a water point so we topped up Interesting roof shape on the cottage at Hartshill Woman steerer on a dredger Old working boat with covers.  Putting these on was called 'clothing up' and was quite a proce...
Read more