Hinckley Friday 27 December 2019

Day : Friday
Date : 27 December 2019
Start : 1020
Finish : 1435

It was a dull old morning when we set off and it didn't improve at all, in fact it got quite damp, not rain of drizzle but the air was very damp.
As I said the other day the top end of the canal is a SSSI and British Waterways installed a barrier along the off side in Shackerstone to protect the offside vegetation and bank side, This is Nicospan on wooden poles with holes cut in the material so that birds and mammals can swim through. In the past we have always seen Water Vole up this canal, but none this time so far.

Yesterday I posted a photo of a defaced milepost, so here is one that has not been got at.
Something I have never seen before is a brick bridge with the centre section of parapet wall built independently of the two approach walls, I wonder if the designer was allowing for someone to hit the approach wall section and so limit the damage? but I really don't know.
I also mentioned a couple of days ago about a strange boat, well one with a coffin on the roof was a first for me, there are also a couple of skeletons sitting up there. The wind generator is unusual as well, not sure how well it works on an inland boat with hedges about.

If you are a fellow boater then you will know about following a boat on "Cross Straps". This normally entails having two short equalled length ropes with an eye spliced in each end. One end of each rope is placed over the towing dolly, or T stud of the butty, these then drop both sides of the bow of the butty before being crossed and one put over each of the towing dollies on the motor boat, This holds the bows of the butty inline with the centre of the towing boat. This boat owner has taken the name literally and used strapping to connect the boats.
We passed yet another case of fly tipping, this time actually into the canal, well the road does run right beside the canal at this point. I should point out that the car in the picture was just passing as I took the photo and has no connection to the incident. I have of course reported it to CRT.
We didn't travel much further before mooring for the night on the outskirts of Hinckley feeling somewhat chilly and damp.

Today's Journey12 Miles 0 Locks in 4¼ hours.

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