Ansty

Well it happened again, just getting set to go and a hire boat comes passed, then a boat comes the other way, then a second hire boat from behind. Now its really thick fine drizzle, the type that soaks you without watering the garden. Ten past ten and we are off, the drizzle stops, then we catch up with the hire boat, he has caught up with the first hire boat and we are not going fast enough to even charge the batteries. Next thing we stop. The first boat has come across a hire boat on the mud against the tow path with another boat also on the mud trying to tow him off. The tow boat isn’t moving but his prop wash pushes the boat he is trying to tow off the mud and into mid channel and he is now overtaking the boat that is still on the mud trying to tow him. It all adds to life’s interest. Then the first hire boat pulls over for coffee and we are away.I also pass the second boat later when he stops.

There is a lot of activity on the old quarry just by the junction with some very large new heaps of varying colours on top of the old workings. Out onto the Oxford and we turned left back towards Hawkesbury Junction. Most of the boats we have seen on the move have been hire boats.
I am not sure what CRT are doing about long term moorings now but the ones on the Coventry Canal near Hawkesbury junction are half empty.

 

As we approached the junction Diana hopped off to set the lock, I could see CRT just above the lock with a digger on a flat and wondered if they were waiting for the lock, but they were still pulling the stabilisers inline with the hull to make it narrow enough to fit the lock.

The long term moorings this side of the lock on the Oxford canal are similar to the Coventry ones, CRT must be losing £15-20K a year with them vacant.

We carried on to moor for the night at the furthest point from the motorway, this is about midway between the Coventry Cruising Club and Ansty visitor moorings.

Today’s Journey

 

8½ miles with 1 lock in 3¼ hours