Stockton

Today's Canal - Grand Union

We awoke to a bright sunny day with very few clouds and, apart from a spell in the middle of the day, it remained that way with wonderful colours in the last hour before sunset.

We moored last night below Lock 31 so there were still five more locks to do to complete the flight. Even as we cast off at 8:30 boats were coming up - five in all before we arrived at Budbrooke Junction.

It is not much further to the two Cape Locks but we had a short delay as a boat was already coming up the first. When it emerged it proved somewhat unusual! It seems that the heap of assorted rubbish had been pulled out of the canal in Leamington Spa - another boater told us that it only took three hours to retrieve this lot. It is always hard to understand what goes through the mind of people who dispose of stuff in this way, mostly quite unnecessary.

The longest pound today runs through Warwick and Leamington. Part way it crosses the River Avon on an aqueduct. There is a campaign to extend the navigable river from where we reached a couple of days ago through to the Grand Union and this is the more likely p;ace where the junction could be constructed. Opposition has come from the owners of Warwick Castle, now a tourist attraction owned by the Tussauds Group. If it were to become a reality it would greatly extend cruising options.

Between Warwick and Leamington there are several supermarkets close to the canal. We stopped at Morrisons for a chance to replenish our stores. Whilst Andrew and Christine went over the road to the store, Mike stayed behind to replenish Christine's kindling store which she had noted earlier was almost empty. Lighting the stove each evening is now an effective way of keeping the cabin cosy as the temperature at night drops markedly.

We continued through a few more locks, beginning at Radford Bottom, but then stopped for lunch - and another of Christine's soups, this time aided by the bones from last week's lamb joint. On the way we had a very quick pause at Fosse Road Bridge to use the elsan disposal point.

The sky became a little cloudy, with some dark spots in the distance but they came to nothing and soon cleared.

Here we are at Bascote Bottom Lock just after lunch.

We arrived at Long Itchington at a quarter to four with ten locks to go to the top of the Stockton Flight. With last night's experience behind us we opted to push on, but were held back a bit by traffic in the other direction, some of which was rather slow.

Nevertheless, we left the top lock just 65 minutes after entering Long Itchington Bottom. Not bad for ten wide locks!

At the top lock, Lock 4, there is an intriguing memorial bench. Never seen one quite like this before, with those little closing doors.

Just above the top lock we quickly found a spot to moor with a tv signal - Doc Martin tonight so required viewing for those who live in north Cornwall!

12.4 Miles - 27 Locks

Hatton

Today's Canals - Stratford & Grand Union

Unlike yesterday, we were promised a fine, sunny day and yet again so it proved. The early morning was still quite hazy and it definitely felt sharper in the air as if the climate knew that the clocks had changed last night! However, by late morning more of the sun emerged and we had excellent cruising weather right until well after sunset. (More of that later)

We did manage a prompt start - at least by today's clocks - with over an hour's level run before the first locks.

When we passed the boatyard at Wootten Wawen they were still closed, although a hire boat was using the water point very close to the aqueduct. This is not a problem today but we must not forget that we changed a gas bottle at the start of the trip and we are also now around half empty on the fuel tank (we do not like to go below a third as then any gunge at the bottom can be sucked up into the engine.

Although we have been this way several times in recent years we have not really noticed the mile markers. However, they do not seem to have been designed with visibility in mind!

Apart from showing the wonderful autumn colours, this picture also is a reminder that many of the original bridges along this section were built with split cantilevers and now towpath underneath, no doubt to save costs.

We had quite a problem for most of the remainder of the Stratford - leaves. especially through the narrow bridge holes and locks they collected around the propeller, sometimes to the extent that the boat would hardly move forward. It is a simple task to put the engine into reverse and almost always clears the prop but it needs to be a routine to avoid being aught unawares. This did happen below one lock where, in combination with a very shallow water level, we needed both a rope and a pole to move the boat the last few metres into the lock!

At Lowsonford we could hardly fail to spot the new Anthony Gormley statue which have not seen before. It is not quite a tall as some of the press photos seemed to suggest but its shape is intriguing. Sadly the better direction to appreciate the shape was the wrong way for the sun today.

It looks as if the Fleur-de-Lys pub is intending quite some bonfire. let's hope it burns or there is a lot of scrap to take away!

This unusual garden shed caught our attention.

The lock cottages were originally built to distinctive design (there are stories about the original engineer who could only design this shape roof) but this one shows how much many of them have been extended in modern times to produce quite a substantial home.

We arrived at Kingswood Junction in time for lunch -rather quicker than we had estimated but we made excellent progress with three crew. Our plan after this had been deliberately vague - perhaps we might reach as far as Hatton Top before nightfall. After filling the water tank - slow tap, so slow that a notice in the shower block warns that the shower will not work if the water point is in use!

So, we turned right onto the short link and then out onto the Grand Union. We immediately felt the difference between the very narrow Stratford and the main line of the widened principal route from London to Birmingham, a motorway of its day. Only infrequently did we now have to clear the prop from leaves.

We arrived at Hatton Top at 3:15 and debated what to do. It certainly felt as if we could not possible to clear the whole 21 locks today but could we get as far as Lock 31 where there is a longer pound and where we have moored before? With some trepidation we set off, not helped by finding that the locks were all empty - at least at first. With Christine steering, Mike setting and Andrew working the lock, we made excellent progress (even if we say it ourselves!). There were plenty of people out enjoying the afternoon sunshine and the small cafe just down from the top lock was doing a good trade with most people sitting outside.

As a reminder for those who have not been this way , these locks are not only wide but have the distinctive paddle gear which takes 21 or 22 turns. The good news is that unless in a hurry it does not make a lot of difference if one uses only one paddle at each end. They do empty very quickly.

After five locks we encountered traffic. Several of them seemed to be a party of scouts and were a bit of a menace! Christine found herself, much to her alarm (and no doubt embarrassment!) out of control below one lock. The two coming up were very slow exiting the lock and whilst waiting in the pound (they would not even open the top gates until she had came out of the upper lock!) she was caught in a giant eddy that sometimes happens in short pounds with these large ground paddles.

Once clear of the traffic we continued apace so much so that we opted to carry on as far as we could.

One section of the flight looks very impressive - it is much photographed but here is another!

This canal-side house is for sale and a passing walked told Mike that the asking price is £400,000. It is as narrow as can be seen and has very little garden.

We passed more boats further down but without incident until we reached Lock 31. In the pound below we found a spot to moor with a possible view of the tv satellite.

A few minutes later we were safely tied up, the chimney on, the fire lit and yes, with a tv signal! And still a few last minutes of daylight. All that is left is for Mike to finish cooking the roast beef dinner which he started to prepare in the long pound above Hatton.

13.3 Miles - 34 Locks

Bearley

Today's Navigations - River Avon, Stratford Canal

The weather forecast gave rain for much of the day and it was not wrong! However, for the morning it was patchy and relatively light.

We began with the last lock on the Upper Avon. This lock does not have just two names but three! One sign indicates that it was called New Lock when the navigation was first restored but it needed later improvement in the 1980's and was re-named the Colin P Witter Lock to remember a large donation from that person's family. The Avon Navigation Trust now want to revert to Stratford Trinity so yet another name sign!

We passed through the central part of Stratford riverside, with plenty of rowers out in action. As we have never been upstream from here before we decided to do this, even if it is only about a mile and a half before the limit of navigation.

It was a little tight at the final bend, marked in Nicholsons as a winding point, but we managed. Surprisingly there was no sign to warn boaters not to attempt to go further upstream.

Part way along is a ginormous mobile home park, part on each side of the river. At the centre is a large apartment and facility block with a landing stage where water taxis ply a frequent trade into and out of the town centre.

We stopped briefly at the Old bathing Place to use the rubbish and elsan facilities. As we were there one of the launches came upstream with a party of Sikhs who proceeded to dispose of ashes and sprinkle the water with plenty of flowers in what, we assumed, was a traditional ceremony.

Back at Stratford we came up through the river lock (still not too wet for the gongoozlers!) and moored in the basin. At this time of the year there was more than plenty of room and later we saw only one boat on the nearby towpath moorings.

We locked up and went shopping in town. We knew from past experience that the shops are fairly limited. We picked up some items from the small Sainsbury Local and lardy cake from an established specialist shop. This left the main items. Morrisons is to the north of the town, not too far from the canal so, whilst Mike and Christine returned to the boat, Andrew set off to complete the shopping expedition. We arranged to meet after four locks up the canal.

At one of the first few locks, the balance beam is short and cranked as the result of road widening to the adjacent bridge. Christine was setting whilst Mike brought the boat up through the previous lock. She failed to move the bottom lock balance beam - not helped by the fact that this canal has single bottom gates. However, there were two men (probably on a drinking binge) sitting at the top of the lock and they were rather amused to have Christine recruit them as strong men! They were needed again to shut the gate and also to assist at the top.

We met as planned and immediately moored to have lunch. The rain which had cleared temporarily started to return. Andrew had missed a couple of items from Christine's eclectic shopping list so offered to return to Morrisons and meet us after the next lock.

Just after we all met up again and set off to begin the Wilmcote flight of 11 locks really heavy rain arrived. Christine took advantage that we had sufficient crew to allow her to keep the cabin warm!

A plaque set into the wall of one lock is a reminder that the canal was originally managed by the national trust after its restoration before it was handed back to the then British Waterways.

The rain affected Mike's camera and the conditions made photos rather gloomy anyway so we have little to show for the climb up to Wilmcote Top Lock. So you cannot see how soaked we became (well not as bad as we have had in the past!)

Beyond the top lock, after a short run comes Emscote or Bearley Aqueduct. (It is not just Avon Locks that undergo a name change!) As we crossed, a patch of blue sky arrived and the final few minutes before sunset were rather pleasant. We were amused to see our shadow moving over the field below.

We continued just a short distance until we found a mooring spot with a clear view of the tv satellite.

11.3 Miles - 19 Locks

Nearly Stratford

Today's Navigation - River Avon

As forecast, today as very overcast and never far from chilly. Nevertheless, rain held off for yet another day but is definitely on the cards for tomorrow.

There are few incidents to report today as cruising this route is quite straight forward: long river stretches with the separation being anything from ten minutes to well over half an hour.

At first we continued to have the locks ready for us - on this navigation the instruction is to leave exit gates open. This is fine when you approach an open lock but when the reverse is the case, which it became towards the latter part of today, the heart can sometimes sink at the thought of first having to close the far gates!

In the morning our run was toward Evesham. Just after Craycombe Turn we spotted a couple of large satellite dishes hidden amongst the trees on the hillside. Later we discovered that this a BBC Training Centre with a Nuclear Bunker underneath!

Further along the way we saw Sankey Marine where in 2011 we had an overnight mooring in order to do a 'grand daughter swap'.

Also noted that the sanitary station beside the railway bridge below the town now seems to be back in action. When we came before we urgently needed to find an elsan tip-out (there seem to be a few more now) with the result that before we could moor for the night we had to carry on another mile or more upstream to Evesham Lock and then return back down again!

Hampton Ferry did not look as if it was expecting too many passengers today!

Abbey Road Bridge has been re-built since we passed underneath in 2011.

We moored as close to the town centre as we could - Andrew went in search of a newspaper and milk. He was followed by Christine who went for a longer explore. Apart from finding inn the high street a sweet shop (for Mike!) she spotted this sculpture. In the 1820's someone sent a large whale bone which was erected here but a few years ago it had crumbled away. It was replaced by this modern version.

Both the park and the bridge are named Workman. A plaque on the bridge shows that the mayor at the time was one Henry Workman.

We noticed that all of the mobile homes in a park just beyond the town are fitted with what seems to be flotation devices underneath - presumably in case of flooding.

Many of the Avon locks seem to have been renamed. Since restoration, the lock above Evesham has been known as George Billington Lock but is now Offenham. Confusingly, the original name plate still stands alongside the lock. The lighthouse has also changed colour - our photo from last time shows it painted green. We took the opportunity to use the full range of services. For once we found a fast filling tap.

The footbridge at Robert Aickman (now Harvington) Lock - the steps have been summarily lopped off! Pity, as Mike recalls encouraging a three year old Jess to make the passage over. The steps were quite steep so it was a real challenge for her.

We seem to have spotted on this trip quite a few more kingfishers than we usually see but they are rather hard to capture on a photo. Just for once we managed something recognisable! Although they are easy to see when they fly along, skimming just above the water, they almost always take off before the cameraman can focus in on them!

The sign at Elsie and Hiram Billington Lock intrigued Mike but it was only later t hat he was able to look up just what White Swan Piscatorials are. It seems that they are a private fishing club that operates a number of waters in the Midlands. It costs £75 to join and £100 a year. Since we have never been anglers we have no idea whether that is expensive or not!

Binton Bridge looks especially wide but the left hand spans cross the unnavigable part of the river - only one span is available for boats!

The weir alongside Luddington Lock looks as if it was created by landscape artists.

By the time we arrived at Weir Brake Lock (one of the few on the Upper Avon that has not been re-named) it was getting rather gloomy. The light was so poor that the camera struggled to take any pictures at all. There was not really enough time to continue to the next lock close to Stratford - we were not too sure about moorings - so we tied up just above this lock. However, Christine went for a walk and discovered that there would have been room opposite the church where we moored last time!

22.5 Miles - 10 Locks