Sat 24 April 10 Stratford on Avon

Last night we ate in the Fleur de Lays. The food was well up to its normal standard and luckily I had the foresight to walk round when we first moored up and booked a table, because by 8 pm it was packer. The baked cod went down a treat with a bottle of house white.

This morning was not so bright but still warm and pleasant, we pushed off at ten to nine, just as the CanalTime boat ahead of us were poking their heads out. The left just behind us and caught us up at the last lock before  Stratford Basin. They had extra crew join them for the weekend and they walked ahead setting the locks. We started off with all the locks in our favour and pulled away from them, we only met one boat all day but after lunch we started to hit empty locks and a couple on bikes told us that there were 2 boats going down ahead of us and we followed them all the way.
We had a slight upset in one of the locks when Harnser hung up on a brick ledge on one side of the lock making her tip sideways quite dramatically, By the time I had realised what was happening and run to the front of the lock to drop the paddle she dropped free. The dog didn't even wake up, but I did.
There were a couple of spaces in the basin when we arrived and a boat who we did the BCN explorer cruise spotted us coming and waved us into the spot. I spun round and slipped in backwards without touching boat or pontoon, I just wish someone had videoed it.
We moored up at 4 30 pm and since we have been here the CanalTime have arrived and 4 boats have left going out onto the river making a bit of space for any late comers. So far the area has been quite noisy with drunken youths on the other side of the basin, but our side has been quite peaceful.