The Aftermath!

Tuesday May 30th @ 22:40

As planned we moved off from Lowsonford at around 11am (Sunday) and progressed further South taking on water at Lowsonford Bridge.
Being school halfterm and Bank Holiday the canal was busy with holiday boats which only added to the termoil. As mentioned in earlier posts the River Avon remains closed so boats are now starting to back up. The news filtering down is that Stratford Basin is currently full!
We continued down and through Preston Bagot after completing 8 locks and managed to secure the one and only mooring available at Wooton Wawen at around 2pm.
Monday we decided to bike to Stratford to check out the situation for ourselves. Well that is to say we cycled to Wooton station and took a 10 minute journey by train into Stratford. After lunch at one of my old pubs (The Windmill) we checked out the basin which was indeed full. More so the backlog extended quite a distance back.
This morning (Tuesday) we progressed on to Stratford and so set off at around 10.30am. The Avon has finally receeded and re-opened but judging by the amount of traffic moving North it was still extremely busy! We continued our decent towards Stratford crossing the Edstone Aquaduct a half hour later. This aquaduct is around 200yds in lenth and is a narrow cast iron trough carried on brick piers across a shallow valley. Passing through Wilmcote where we moored last year and on past the famous Mary Ardens House we decended the 11 Wilmcote locks in good time and decided to moor just short of Stratford at bridge 62A, which turned out to be a good strategy. In the late afternoon we cycled into Stratford for a look and found the basin still full! The plan now is to set off early tomorrow (Wednesday) and try and secure a mooring on the Avon hopefully vacated by an early leaver. We shall see!!!

Delay On River Avon

Saturday 27th @ 7.45pm.

With each day the weather continues to improve. Our transit up the 21 locks of the Hatton Flight was only interrupted by the occasional shower.

After starting the flight of double locks alone we were joined by ‘Scruffy Fox’ who were ahead of us at the start but decided to wait after we were about 5 locks in. We then completed the flight together, entering the final lock in just short of 3 hours.
At the top lock we stopped to empty our toilets and bins, which we had to complete from inside the lock due to a hire boat moored on the water point having lunch! Not the done thing!! We then continued on through a wooded cutting towards the Shrewley Tunnel and moored for the night.
On day 6 we moved off around 11am after a heavy downpour. As we approached the entrance to the 433 yard Shrewley Tunnel we came across ‘Celtic Kiwi’ a time-share boat from our home marina that had passed us that morning. They had unfortunately broken down. After checking that help was on the way we continued through. The Shrewley tunnel was opened in 1799 with the completion of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. After emerging, stopping briefly at Turners Green to take on water opposite a beautiful old beamed house, we continued lock free until our turn onto the Stratford and Avon Canal at Kingswood Junction. We were looking forward once again to getting back onto one of our favourite canals and single locks.
After turning South and locking through the canal pursues a fairly direct and wholly peaceful course, apart from passing under the busy M40 motorway! By lock 28 we passed a barrel-roofed cottage, typical of this part of the canal and was given some plant cuttings by it’s sociable owner. After chatting for a while we moved on and met coming in the opposite direction ‘Patience’ another boat moored at our marina. After a brief chat we finally moored at around 5pm at Lowsonford, opposite the Fleur-De-Lys pub, an attractive 13th century cottage which once incorporated a bake house. This was in fact the first day we hadn't got wet!
With all the recent rain we checked with the River Avon Trust to establish if the river was in flood. We’ll be joining the Avon next week. As we had thought it was and so currently closed to navigation. We took the decision to slow down and so we'll remain at Lowsonford until the 28th.
Here we have so far enjoyed some good pub food, decent weather and some excellent company with Graham and Jennifer off 'Best-O-Mates' who we met having moored next to. We've also got some good cycling time in over the 3 days visiting Henley-In-Arden and Hatton. Are plan is to move off tomorrow, Sunday..

Rain, Rain, Rain...

'Onboard Weather Station'

Current Temp @ 10.00Hrs : 10c
Current Weather : Scattered Cloud
Wind : WSW @ 8mph
Pressure : 1012mb
Sunrise 5:00 Sunset 21:04



Continuing down from Bickley’s Bridge the weather still seems to be the main theme so far. Rain, rain and more rain! Drought? What drought!

We progressed, Saturday, through Bascote Locks (4) and continued down mooring just prior to Fosse Lock, pictured, thus completing 8 locks today. This mooring was idyllic. Just prior to Leamington Spa with nothing but countryside in view. The idea was to moor here until Monday. We had a good Satellite signal and we wanted to watch the Leeds V Watford playoff tomorrow. Saturday evening we took a 5 mile cycle ride to Asda in Leamington to pick up a few supplies. Remarkably the ride was rain free!
Monday we made our decent through Fosse Lock and continued West passing to the North of Radford Semele. The Grand Union then carves a fairly discreet course through Leamington where we stopped quickly for food supplies.
Leaving Leamington the canal swings North-West under a main road and crosses the railway and River Avon on aqueducts, to immediately enter the outskirts of Warwick.
We then passed around the North side of central Warwick and started our climb at Cape Locks (2), where we took on water. After climbing the 2 Cape Locks, the canal swings South to Budbrooke Junction, where the old Warwick and Napton canal joined the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. A short section of the arm to the East of the junction has been restored and has a winding hole, moorings and other facilities. To the West of the junction , beyond a large road bridge, is the first of the 21 locks of the Hatton Flight, a daunting site which we’ll complete tomorrow!

First Tour Post

Days 1 and 2

The weather has not been kind for the start of our 2006 tour!

After leaving Wigram’s (pictured Right) and progressing up the Grand Union we arrived at Calcutt Locks (3) in torrential rain and thunder. I suppose it was the fact that we haven’t yet quite got our boating heads on that we both got totally soaked. Despite having our wet gear aboard we both only wore our jackets!
We moored soon after for the night to literally dry out. Phase one was complete though as we just wanted to get out onto the system on our designated date. Being out on the canals again is a pleasure. We had a full Indian meal for dinner on-board and just sat, chatted and drank until dark. Dasha unknowns to me had a bottle of champagne on ice to celebrate our voyage.
Day 2 and we think the weather has a grudge. After a blustery and wet night the morning was bright and dry but as soon as we left our mooring the heavens opened. Setting off around 11.30am we continued West and descended the Stocked Flight, (8) locks, in more torrential rain. The canal passes North of Stockton and you can see the remains of the old narrow locks beside the newer wider ones. There is a change in the landscape from here with the hills coming much closer to the canal, broken by old quarries and thick woods along the South bank. The quarries produce Blue Lias, a local stone and cement which was used in the construction of the Thames embankment.
We continued on through Long Itchington passing 2 more locks and moored just after Bickly’s Bridge for the night. An uneventful day really apart from the weather, we only passed some half dozen boats all day. Tomorrow and through the weekend we head for Leamington Spa, Warwick and on to Stratford Upon Avon. This is our first post this season and hopefully one of many. Stayed tuned!!