Wednesday 11th September
Today’s 3 mile and 1 lock trip was, unlike yesterday’s, totally uneventful. We left Weston about 9-30 am, with Mick and Cathy (yes they have changed their minds again) and arrived at Swarkestone not much more than an hour later. We are moored about half a mile above Swarkestone Lock.
Mick and Cathy went off to the garage (for a paper and some chips) and the garden centre. Ken and I went off to the pub (of course)! We did go via a look at the River Trent at Swarkestone Bridge (see photos). Last time we were at The Crewe and Harpur we still had George (bless) and we sat in the garden by the river. It was too wet to sit in the garden today so we went inside. We chose a novel approach and used the old mounting block to get over the wall rather than go round to the entrance!
This is a Marston’s pub and as Marston’s pubs usually do, they had some Jenning’s beers on. I tried the Jenning’s Mild and the Crag Rat (although I called it Crazy Rat) and both were ok. Ken stuck to the Pedigree.
Mick and Cathy soon arrived clutching a bag of chips and a Daily Star, unfortunately it was the only paper the garage had left. They had also bought some plant pots, 2 bags of compost and 5 trays of pansies, which they had left at the garden centre while they went to the pub, to be collected later. Cathy asked if we would help carry them home and we would have done but Mick wasn’t ready to go at the same time as us so we just took the chips!
Tomorrow Mick and Cathy are going to Ragley Boat Stop again (I’m sure they won’t change their minds about that) and we are going to Willington.
