Warwick

Our plan today was to get as far as Warwick by lunch time so that we could have the chance to visit the town - neither of us could remember being there before. It was another bright cloudless sky as we set off - although by the end of the day it gradually became more overcast and it seemed likely that we would need to light the fire tonight.

First came the four Bascote Locks, the first two formed into a staircase. Although the northern Garnd Union locks have their distinctive paddle gears each of which takes 21 or 22 turns and can sometimes bit a bit stiff to start, we made good progress.

The bridge above the locks is called Toll House Bridge. Mike took a look and discovered that just alongside it is the entrance to the house at the off side of the top lock - Toll House!

Here it is!

The middle paddles on the staircase required twice as many turns as all the others - just as well these are the only ones.

Let's hope the pilots have seen each other . . .

The extensive blackthorn blossom made Christine think for a moment that we were back in mid-winter.

A curious sight amongst the hedge - OK so it is not really like something out of a sci-fi novel but there were no obvious electricity cables linked to it.

At the next lock a lost lamb took an interest in our passage but as soon as it realised we did not bring food it lost interest. However, its family were nowhere to be seen.

The next two pounds were very low - at least 400mm down on yesterday's level. At one point we came across the first moving boat of the day. OK, so it was stuck on the mud trying to cast off and going nowhere at all. We offered to tow them off which they gladly accepted. It took a while as they were rather firmly attached to the bottom. Sorry, no pics.

The bridge below Radford Bottom Lock had this sign - wonder if the person who ordered really meant what it says - why should the cyclists have to slow down?

To continue our record of progress at Radford Semele Church, badly damaged by fire a few years ago, here is the latest. It looks as if the restoration is complete and the few details we could occasionally glimpse look rather interesting - certainly not a pastiche of medieval building.

By now we were reaching the outskirts of Leamington Spa and then its close neighbour Warwick. In good time we found a spare place at the 24hr mooring close to Tesco and the promise of a bus service into town.

Christine popped to the supermarket for some bread to which we added some tasty bacon for a change to our lunch regime.

We then locked up the boat and set off to find the bus stop. The X17 route indeed took us into the town centre but by a circuitous route - we later discovered that less than half way we were very close to where we later walked!

We quickly discovered that there are no large shops, almost no food shops and not very many 'ordinary' clothes shops. The great majority are what are sometimes called 'specialist' shops, such as one selling just guitars. We guessed that the much larger shopping experience in Leamington Spa attracts the bigger retailers - even the Model Trains shop had closed and moved there.

 

 

Most of our time we spent looking around the Collegiate Church of Warwick. It clearly has a strong musical tradition hosting many events alongside its own men, boys and girls choirs. The crypt is the oldest part, dating back to the 12C and houses the remains of a ducking stool.

Its principal feature is the Beauchamp Chapel built in the 16C to house the remains of one of the Barons of Warwick. His devoted mourners were all represented around the edge of the tomb.

A re-ordering has created a modern-looking nave altar with specially built choir furniture.

One of the latest additions is a millennium project - a stained glass window in the Dean's Chapel.

Outside, we continued down to to Smith Street - the oldest part which survived a destructive fire in 1694. Christine tried to explain to Mike how to use the pillar box alongside the old town gate. A nearby plaque says, "This pillar box cast in 1856 in the shape of a doric column . . . is one of a pair installed at the East and West gates of Warwick"

We walked as far as the entrance to the castle and caught a glimpse of the main part through a hedge. However it now seems to be a kind of theme park for children with an entrance charge to match (over £60 for a family) so we declined the opportunity.

We made our way back to the bus station and thence to the boat. We had tea and then made a foray into Tesco to stock up for the next few days. Sadly, we could not get a tv satellite signal as we were moored right beside a thick row of trees!

7.4 miles - 10 locks