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Sunday 28 November 2021

Shackerstone

This morning when we went out the canal ahead of us was frozen over with about a ¼” of ice. DSCF5925

 

Just as I was untying a boat came round cutting a nice channel through it for us, the down side they had only come about 250 yards from the other side of the bridge. As we made our way along the canal we didn’t meet any more boats but we did pass through sections of open water and some all iced over. As its been near freezing all day and forecast to be colder tonight we may not be moving tomorrow. As we passed the moorings at Shackerstone I saw this diddy little boat up on stands, its probably only 15 foot long, by coincidence we are moored opposite it tonight.DSCF5926

Just before Snarestone tunnel we passed a fishing match, I think the first three fishermen were please to see us as they were fishing in ice with just a small hole whereas the rest had an open canal, one from the last was definitely not pleased as I could hear him swearing about us. We continued through the tunnel where I spotted a fox making its way across a field of sheep and cows, they all seemed completely at ease with it.DSCF5929

At the end of navigation we winded and then took some jigsaws down to The Ashby Canal Association to sell in their shop.

Just as we set off south along the canal it started to snow very lightly. I don’t know why CRT think its necessary to erect double identical signs at both ends of the tunnel.DSCF5928By the time we had transited the tunnel it was snowing heavily, it was nice and warm as well as being dry in this broad but wiggly tunnel.DSCF5935

We had less than an hours travel to our chosen mooring for the night, the snow was fulling steadily with big wet flakes and laying on the roof of the boat.DSCF5940An hour after leaving the terminus we were mooring up directly opposite the small boat in the earlier photo and Snarestone, we are not far from the preserved railway and can hear the occasional steam whistle.

map 16

Todays Journey 8½ miles in 3¼ hours with no locks.

1 comment:

Mike Todd said...

Trying to think about reasons for the double signage at the tunnel entrances:

I cannot remember what I have seen elsewhere since the replacements happened but what I do know is that most tunnels have long had two signs at each end, although they did show different information on each of a pair, with some overlap.

This programme has generally re-used the existing poles and only replaced the actual signs themselves (I would guess that erecting the poles is the greater part of the cost of installing a complete new sign)

Not wanting to have to either uproot one set of poles or leave them bare of a sign (or worse, leave the old ones in place) someone perhaps realised that it was cheaper to design one sign and simply duplicate it at much the least cost of the available options.

At least by having the two you can re-read the sign for what you missed the first time, especially as the sigs are now really too 'busy' for safe reading. (Possibly why there were two separate signs before)