Home Mooring

Only slight drizzle as we walked up to the Old Plough but it was dry and cold when we came out.
As expected our mooring by the bridge was quite noisy with the lorries rattling over the bridge.
This morning was sunny but very cool and we were away a little earlier than usual, first stop was Dunchurch Pools Marina who have the least expensive diesel in the area at £1-01 lt domestic. Another boat entered the marina just ahead of us and pulled up on the far side of the service pontoon, he wanted coal and diesel, so while he loaded his coal I was served with my diesel. Then off back to our marina for a pump our before going all the way round the marina to our berth. This time I winded in the canal and then reversed back to the pumpout station as mu pumpout point is on the port side .

Today’s Journey

5¼ miles with no locks in 2½ hours

Braunston

Boy were those trains noisy and lots of them in the early hours of this morning, they sounded almost constant around 1 –2 am with some stopping with their engines running. This morning as expected we woke to the sound of both trains and rain but a little after 10am it stopped and around half past we set off. There was a boat in Hillmorton bottom lock going up so they opened the offside lock for me, we in turn closed up for them. As they worked up the top lock a boat arrived to come down so were free to just leave.
We had just cleared the locks when the rain started again so out with the brolly.
The Belted Galloway calf had just been turned out at the top of the field and came romping down to the waters edge.

No this one had not been chopped in two but it just stood there looking at me.

Its not been a bad week for catching snaps of wild life, first the fox, then the Vole and today a Brown Hare, not close but recognisable.

There were also less wild animals to look at and go Ooo Arrr at.

By now the rain had stopped and in one direction bright blue sky’s, but the other way told a different story but thankfully there was no more rain until we had moored up

We did actually meet a second boat before we arrived at Braunston. At the junction we turned left and headed down to the Marina to wind before mooring between the water point and Bridge 91. The plan is to walk up to the Plough tonight for dinner, weather permitting, if it rains then just across the road to The Boat House again.

Today’s Journey7¾ miles with 3 locks in 3 hours

Hillmorton

Yesterday afternoon the weather was great but just as we went to bed it hammered it down. This morning blue sky’s and sunshine. I went to set off at ten and it happened again, but this time it was a boat coming towards us and as we were in a row of moored boats continuing to pull out would have made life difficult for him. Once we were on the move the canal was surprisingly busy with Clifton Cruiser hire boats and private boats, we even had two come out of Brinklow Marina towards us and then a lone canoeist.

Amada Hire had one of their boats out on the hard, the hull carries its fare share of patches.

At Newbold Diana jumped ship at the Barley Mow to go to the Co-op re-joining me at Bridge 51. Just behind the towpath beside the bridge there is some major construction work going on with a steel framed building going up. I must say they have their priorities right with the hot pool going in first, its as big as a small swimming pool.

I didn’t have to wait many minutes for Diana so it gave me a chance to take the photos. A little further on there is a public area, it says welcome at the top of the board the rest is covered in “don’t” symbols.

Coming into Rugby the towpath to the north is a lovely hard, dry surface.

Get to the north of the shopping area to where the boats are moored and the housing estate comes out onto the towpath its just a sea of mud.

We carried on, not seeing any more boats and moored for the night about midway between Hillmorton Locks and Kent Road Bridge, this is probably the furthest you can get from the railway along here . 

Today’s Journey

7 miles with no locks in 2¾ hours

All Oaks

It was definitely wet and windy yesterday evening, much better this morning with light winds but overcast.
old story, just getting ready to set off and a boat came along behind us, I didn’t appreciate how slow he was going. I let him pas and we then set to getting ready to leave, even at just below 3MPH we were up to him before Ansty so we decided to stop and fill with water. I posted a photo the other day of the Blood Bike van, today it has been joined by a

“Blood” car and before we reached the water point a second “Blood” car had gone by.
The tank full we set off under bridge 14, the main road connecting the two haves of Ansty. This bridge has been partly closed for years and part of the garden of the house adjacent to it has slipped, but there is no sign of it all being fixed .

The forecast gave light rain for around lunch time and the sky suggested that would be correct, in the

end we only got a few spots and a very short shower this afternoon and now the sun is out.
Some time ago the Rothen Group were repairing the towpath and it looks as if they weren't quite sure how to finish the job off. I think it must be a thing for bridges in this part of the world, this is the other side of bridge 26

The towpath is still closed at the site of the landslide but of course people are ignoring the closure and getting round the fence.

I wouldn’'t really want to walk through here unless I had to and then I would want my wellies on as the towpath has not been reinstated at the site of the southern slip.

We carried on and slipped into the only vacant slot along the piling just before the wood.
We did get to see another Water Vole today but this one was a bit shy and wouldn’t pose for me.

Today’s Journey

5½ miles with no locks in 2¼ hours

West of Ansty

Last night we had a Japanese takeaway and it didn’t  really work very well. I ordered on line and paid with PayPal I received an email saying my order had been received and was pending until payment had been confirmed. I then didn’t hear any more for ¾ hour when I received another email saying it was ready. So I then had to walk and find the takeaway, pick up the food and walk back, so the food had been prepared for well over ½ hour before we ate it.

When we arrived in the basin yesterday there wasn’ta breath of wind and the basin was flat calm. The same was true in the evening.

 

But it was a different story this morning with the wind picking up over night, we even also had some rain and this was the basin this morning. Those reflections long gone.
In view of the weather forecast we set off as soon as we had finished breakfast on board, rather than a leisurely cooked breakfast at Playwrights. We didn’t meet any boats until we arrived at Hawkesbury Junction lock.
There are lots of art installations along the Coventry Arm from concrete sofas to these sculptures on posts .

Last time we were this way I photographed a tall tree which looked as if they were ready to trim it, se here , well it looks as if its had bit more than a hair cut, taking the top out,

.

Beside the bridge at Hawkesbury Junction someone has been placing flowers and not just one bunch.

Last week a boat sank or was scuttled up near the Coventry Canal Society marina with lots of its contents reported stolen, this of course lead to some pollution, this and the absorbent mats has made its way right down to just above the lock . Today a CRT volunteer was down there filling his barrow from the towpath.

The boat is still moored to the towpath where it raised last week See Here 

Then what made our day, to see three Water Voles nibbling grass along the towpath, I was only able to photograph one.

In the end we only had a few spots of rain, not enough to even put coats on but the wind has continued to strengthen, thankfully our chosen mooring spot was free about half way between Hawkesbury and Ansty, a length of piling just long enough for two boats and reasonably sheltered from the ever freshening wind, we are just on the edge of a yellow wind warning

Today’s Journey

8 miles with 1 lock in 2¾ hours

Coventry Basin

A much calmer day today, last nights wind and rain just a memory. We stopped to fill up with water by the Ansty Club, its quite a good tap, flow wise and as there are three live aboard boats it gets regularly used. Just beyond the M69 bridge on the offside is a farm, I have spotted a Blood Bike here in the past, today one of their vans was in the yard.

We passed the boat that had been sunk just passed bridge 5, the back door had been sealed by a piece of wood, further on at the bend just before Hawkesbury visitor moorings we encounter some oil and absorbent pads floating around on the canal, they have travelled a long way from where the boat sank. As we approached the lock the ex-working boat Stanton was just leaving, but they turned right towards Atherstone whereas we turned left to Coventry, a much easier turn.
Last time we came down here we spotted 3 foxes but I was to slow to get a photo, today we just saw one. It looked in very good condition.

As  we came towards bridge No.1 at the entrance to Coventry Basin 2 paddleboarders came out followed a few minutes later by a canoeist, as we came under the bridge I could just see a second in the bright sun reflecting off the surface of the basin , he kept out of the way until I cleared the bridge and then headed off up the canal. As you can see the bridge has no towpath, this was a security feature of the basin to protect the cargos from theft with the basin also being walled in and gated. 
Once in we winded and then dropped back against the locked open swing bridge.

Today’s Journey

 

9 Miles with 1 lock in 3¾ hours

Ansty

Last night as planed we ate in the Barley Mow, what a friendly little pub, three bees on the pumps, I had Taylor’s, Diana had Dombar and the other was one of out local beers, Wherry. Had a very nice pie and mash with crisp pastry, no soggy bottom and Diane Liver which she said was nice.
This morning it was warm and fine, but the wind had really picked up. It will be the 20th anniversary of

the tunnel lights this October, pity they didn’t put money in the budget for maintenance, one by one they failed, I don’t think they ever fitted a new lamp to any of them, I wonder if the power is still on? What a waste of £200,000

Although we put the tunnel light on I am not sure it was working as it was so light in there we couldn’t see any trace of it on the walls.

It was quite windy as we made our way along the canal, but it was nice to see all the Snow Drops out in some of the canal side gardens .

It looks as if there has been another slip just past All Oaks wood on the offside by Easenhall Road bridge number 34, I hope it doesn’t get worse before we come back.

We had two targets for tonight, the first just through Grimes Bridge 26, unfortunately there was a small cruiser with a gap to small for us each side and a motor and butty, this meant we had to continue on to Ansty. I wonder how long these barriers have been on the bridge? You can see the cruiser and the stern of the butty through it

We pulled in to the first space on the Ansty visitor moorings just as it started to rain, so we almost had a dry run today.

8 miles with no locks in 2¾ hours

Today’s Journey

Newbold

Just a quick one for anyone who visits Moors Bridge by cad, the road on the offside now has a barrier across it so  you have  to turn back and go under the railway .

 

As expected it rained over night, so that mixed with the train traffic lead to a somewhat disturbed sleep. This morning we waited until the rain stopped and then set off, mistake, by the time we reached the top lock it was throwing it down, you could hardly see the middle lock. By the time we were through the lock it had eased but carried on raining all the way down. This little boat has sunk on the long term moorings between the middle and bottom lock.

Also in that pound and almost opposite the floating Blacksmith with his interestingly shaped butty.

Belong the bridge there are Share boats moored two abreast, I expect the owners are paying for secure offline moorings. Almost as soon as we cleared the bottom lock the rain stopped. A short way passed the locks we passed a boat with a sign warning about cats on board and this one even popped out as we passed to keep an eye on us.

Our next port of call was Rugby, to visit Tesco for a few essentials,  the towpath is a real muddy mess along here but luckily we were able to moor opposite one of the entrances to the housing estate so only needed to cross it and not trug down it to the bridge. We were here a couple of hours including eating lunch but when we set off a little after 2pm. it was very overcast and looked much later. We made our way to Newbold where a chap under the bridge was waving at us, he collects boat numbers just like some collect train numbers, he had spotted us earlier but was too slow to get the number so he came to Newbold to intercept us. We have moored for the night on the visitor moorings and will be eating in the pub tonight, I think the last time we visited there was a pub each side of the lane.

Today’s Journey

4½ miles with 3 locks in 2¼ hours