Newbold

We set off a little earlier this morning hoping to keep with the fine weather and although it looked bad we did keep dry.
Bridge 75 is going to need a bit more than a spot of Pollyfiller in the next few year, it looks as if the joints have been packed with wool, I understand this is to stop bats making the joints their homes and holding up repairs.  Another bridge that looks a lot more robust is showing signs of wear and tear where boats are wearing away the brickwork under the arch is bridge 66 just before Clifton Cruisers.

At Hillmorton a chap on a boat told Diana that he had just set the nearside lock to go down, but changed his mind as he thought it was going to rain. Just the job, thanks. We in turn set the other lock for the following boat. The water was flowing over the top gate of the nearside middle lock and I was able to open  the offside bottom gates for a single hander coming up, at the bottom lock both chambers were full, so the boat behind should get a good run. Rugby Golf Course is well flooded due to a very swollen Clifton Brook.

When we came south before Christmas I moaned about this tree as the branches hung down almost to the water, it seems it was in the process of falling down when we passed and managed it just after we had been through. You can also see all the work going on at Clifton Cruisers on what use to be a workshop. We had a couple of Buzzards circling around above us but a Magpie was giving one a hard time,  it always surprised me how such a large predator is worried by a much smaller bird. Just look at than nice blue sky.
We stopped at Brownsover for Diana to visit Tesco, we haven’t shopped since we passed here  2 weeks ago. Just as she was about to set off the rain started, so time for lunch before a visit to Tesco in the dry. On Diana’s return it was across the other side to fill with water and then on to Newbold for the night, again there are hardly any boats moored here. If I was CCing I thing I would spend a couple of weeks here then a couple at Brownsover, but no they are both almost empty.

Today’s Journey  

7 miles, 3 locks in 2¾ hours