The 3 internet signal last night was not very good so here is another double whammy.
Thursday 4th July
We left Lowsonford this morning when the sound of the CRT bloke’s chainsaw started just behind us! Although it was gone 9 am the people on a boat further up appeared in their dressing gowns complaining that they had been woken up!
We descended the first of today’s 8 locks and then stopped for water. It was a bit drizzly early on but this soon cleared to leave a pleasant cruising day. We travelled 4 miles and 8 locks to Wooton Wawen and moored on the 24 hour moorings near the aqueduct. We didn’t encounter any idiots today, everyone was really nice, especially the group of Norwegians on their way to Stratford.
Our journey had a few highlights such as the Yarningdale Aqueduct, which spans the Kingswood Brook at Bucket Lock (34) and is only 42 ft long. The bridge at Bucket Lock is incredibly low too, we really had to watch the satellite dish! There are some lovely and unusual barrel roofed cottages along the way. A car in a tree, yes I did say a car in a tree. Photos of all this in the gallery.
After mooring up we crossed the canal, by going round by the road and under the aqueduct (discovering later we could have gone over the bridge near where we had moored up and along the opposite towpath, der!) and went to Anglo Welsh to ask about getting some diesel and using their elsan disposal in the morning. Then, as we were right near The Navigation, we went there also.
Ken was going to do a bit of fishing this evening but we were moored opposite live aboard boats so he didn’t bother.
Friday 5th July
We had to leave fairly early this morning in order that we could get diesel from Anglo Welsh before things got too busy. One reason for this was that they had some hire boats returning this morning and we didn’t want to hold them up. The other reason was that to get near the diesel point at Anglo Welsh you have to moor on the Wooton Wawen aqueduct, thus blocking the whole canal. We needn’t have worried, we could probably have moored up there nearly all day for all the boats we have seen on the move today! It has been really quiet, I suppose no one is coming this way now as it is the River Festival at Stratford tomorrow and Sunday and anyone who is going there is already there.
After getting diesel we continued the 3.5 miles and 1 lock from Wooton Wawen to Wilmcote and easily found a mooring on the 48 hours North of Featherbed Lane Bridge (great name). There were several boats here when we arrived, most have subsequently left (something we said?) We were moored in front of a nice couple who had borrowed their son’s boat but they reversed back to the bridge late this afternoon get what looked like a supermarket delivery. We have no one in front of us at all now.
Just after we got here there was a kerfuffle as a hire boat, which had gone too far and missed the winding hole, which is about 100 yds behind us, was towed past backwards by another hire boat. They couldn’t keep the towed boat straight as it was going backwards and crashed in to nearly every boat in this row!
We haven’t seen a shop since we left Warwick so it was good to discover the village shop here and get a few essentials. We passed Mary Arden’s Farm, a working Tudor farm, supposedly the former home of Shakespeare’s Mother, on the way. We also had a drink in the garden of The Mary Arden Inn, very nice.
You can trip up and fall in the railway station from here so we are going to Stratford tomorrow for a look at the River Festival.
