Warwick Monday 18 September 2017

We despite the weather I think I can safely say we all enjoyed our weekend at the Blue Lias.

This morning we were up slightly earlier than usual to assist nb. Just Heaven and nb. Pilgrim up the Stockton locks before returning to the boat for breakfast. Our plan was to turn the boat ready to head down Shop Lock towards Warwick at 10 am, with nb. Willow. we left the mooring going backwards at five to ten just as b. Willow was finishing filling their water tank so we were both ready for the first lock together and we continued travelling together as far as Radford Semele where we said goodbye.

Just below The Two Boats pub we were travelling slowly passed moored boats at about a length and a half apart when a boat tried to pull away between us, I had to slow down beside his bow while Willow got alongside him. We met the first boats coming up below Bascote Staircase, I don't know why the chap following didn't fill the top chamber ready and wait in there. On the way down the locks we passed a couple of large fields of pumpkins, I expect it will be more waste for Halloween.

I was rather taken by the notice on the fence at Welsh Lane Lock cottage, but then I am easily amused.

Looking up on the hill below Fosse Locks we saw this swing, I wish I had have had one like that when I was a kid, it was huge.

While on the towpath we passed a boat with an unusual gardening feature, I have seen weeds growing in rear fenders lots of times but this is the first time I have seen flowers growing and blooming.

Below Radford Lock there is a large weir on the tow path side covered with a big steel grill, on the opposite bank is a normal lip weir but someone has strung a rope across it, I wondered if the rope was a hand hold so they could use the lip as a bridge maybe?

One of the houses we passed in Leamington has a very good growth of ivy on its roof, I can't imagine this is doing the tiled roof much good as it creeps under the tiles and along the battens, It would be interesting to look in the loft.

This is the back view of the basement under Casa Rica on Brunswick Street.

There are plans to connect the Grand Union Canal to the River Avon between the Avon aqueduct and the railway aqueduct just about where the yellowy green leaves are. This would involve a sharp left hand bend, a flight of locks going down to river level parallel with the canal and then another sharp(Map from Waterway Routes)
left turn on the river joining the navigabile section just above Stratford. I wonder if it will ever happen?

As Diana picked some more sloes today we had to stop at Tesco for another bottle of gin, as we left Diana spotted this rat under Emscote Road bridge.

As we approached Cape bottom lock I could see that one gate was open, as we got closed a hire boat went in and the gate closed, despite blowing the boat horn they still proceeded to fill the lock with just one boat in it, we were so close that I dropped Diana on the offside lock entrance and the lock was still only half full. They did wait for us at the top lock, they had to as I caught up before they entered it, but by then another boat had locked up with us. We stopped for water at the top while the hire boat thankfully moored outside the pub, there was just one gap on the visitor moorings between two hire boats and we have at least a foot each end. No sooner had we moored up and it started raining again, I cant remember when we last went 24 hours with no rain.

Today's Journey 10 miles 14 locks in 6¼ hours.