Friday, May 20, 2011

Trip to Stratford - Week 2

12:02 15/05/2011 Day of rest!!

19:58 16/05/2011 4.29 miles 9 (narrow) locks
Left our nice mooring early for a brisk run up to Kingswood Junction, where the Grand Union meets the Stratford on Avon Canal, interesting junction, blind turn(s) around a hairpin to leave the GU going North and get across to the Strattford going south, lucky it was quiet and not windy. The boat is wearing out on us however, the bow-thruster has failed which makes some operations more difficult, and the fridge refuses to light on the gas, so is running of the batteries, which flats them! The narrow locks are quite light to operate, but are showing signs of age, with some of the lock winding gear very worn.

20:31 17/05/2011 4.37 miles 8 locks
Down through a lock with a really nasty offset bridge, designed to remove boat chimneys, luckily I saw it coming and removed ours! Took on water and plugged on through the Warwickshire countryside, taking in another 7 locks, we got it down to a good routine by the end, unfortunately we were following another boat so right until the last couple we had to fill the locks before we could go in. Never mind the weather stayed fine although windy and warm. We passed overf a fascinating cast iron aquaduct, and then at Wootton Warwen, called in at the marina for a pump-out, on the aquaduct he said, and unbelievably the do the deed whilst you are moored on another one way aquaduct, thus stopping all canal traffic.

16:01 18/05/2011 3 miles 1 lock
Really in to Shakespeare Country now, after a gentle cruise through only one lock we are moored at Wilmcote the (alleged) home of the Bard's mother. We spent an interesting hour or so looking Mary Arden's hose/farm and took oodles of photos. We stopped for lunch, and were amused by a class of primary aged children in period costumes, on an 'educational' day out. We walked home (well back to our mobile base) in the first real rain of this trip. Nearly forgot the best view of the day, another Aquaduct! Or actually 2, one very short but the other Bearley a good 200 feet long, with a good drop down to the road and path beneath.

20:08 19/05/2011 4.13 miles 13 locks
Said Goodbye to Wilmcote and Shakespeare's Mother, and off down the 12 locks to Stratford. More traffic than we have seen for all the time we have been out. Some of these locks are really hard work with very worn lock gear. However after 3.5 hours we reached the outskirts of Stratford and filled the diesel tank before winding (turning round) before the bottom locks. No where to moor and rather industrial so we went back up a lock to where it is more peaceful and we could sit out and enjoy the sun on the canalside. Shopping tomorrow.

17:07 20/05/2011 1.29 miles 11 locks
Peaceful mooring is a relative term - nearly under the A46 cannot said to be quite, although it did seem to calm down late at night. A kind Fairy (thanks Carol) took us shopping to Tesco's, so the larder is full again. We then tackled the 11 locks up to Wilmcote, not a single boat came the other way, so every
lock was full and had to be emptied before we could fill it up again with us in it. What I don't understand is why some lock paddles wind up and down we no real effort whilst others (same design) require brute force. And where has all the traffic gone? No boat has come by (possible 1) since we moored 2 hours ago. Just purchased a clever windlass, with 4 holes all in a line which allows you to use it as a 'short' handle required by some locks, or a 'long' handle when leverage is required. Full report later.

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