Ansty to Hillmorton

Mon 9 Nov
We were a bit late setting off this morning as I wanted to check the voltage of the individual batteries just to make sure that the faulty one was an old one and not the new one I fitted earlier this year in which case it would have to go back to Bishop Stortford, but as expected it was another of the old ones that had dropped a cell, I fitted them in February 2005 so I suppose they have not done to bad considering they only get recharged by the engine driven alternator. Another thing I needed to do was find out what my 3 mobile number is so that I can contact them. As I don't use the sim in a phone, only the internet dongle the only way I could find out was to visit the 3 web site and open one of my monthly invoices.
We were away just before 11 am to a misty, still morning. We met a few boats on our travels but not as many as on the Ashby Canal. Diana took over driving while I emailed 3 Mobile to ask them what sort of offer they were prepared to make for me to continue with my prepaid contract. In January when VAT goes back to 17.5% I will be paying £10 a month or £120 a year. I can buy a years package for just £80 a saving of £40 a year, so if they don't come back with an offer of £8 or less I will close my contract.
At All Oaks Wood BW were still hard at work with 3 men standing in the water laying sandbags to support the towing path. Even wearing the dry suits and chest waders its not a job I would fancy in this weather. We met a boat at Stretton Stop so the swing bridge was opened for us, but I did close it as we passed. Once through the bridge there were hire boats moored two abreast and a private boat on the out side of them, as we passed him he dropped his rope off and started to set off coming another foot out into the canal and then complaining it was a bit tight.
We stopped at Brownsover, not for Diana to visit Tesco but for me to go to Homebase to buy a new chisel, it was nice to see on the receipt "over 18" and then to Halfords to get some deionised water as the engine starter battery could do with a drop. We considered mooring by the golf course but it was the pleasantest afternoon so far so continued on to Hillmorton. All the visitor moorings below the locks were taken so we continued up the flight, as we entered the first lock a hire boat from Clifton Cruisers came up to the other lock, they had never done a lock before and Diana showed them how it worked, They were a foreign couple and obviously the verbal instructions of working a lock had not completely sunk in. The pound above the second lock was down by about 10", this must have been quite a recent drop as the stones were still quite wet. We moored on the visitor moorings above the locks at about 4 30 pm.