God I hate heights he wailed.

The dawned bright and sunny, just the sort of day I  like.  
I had felt the boat rock slightly I looked out and saw this;

A large group of Japanese tourists having their photo taken with the boats as a backdrop and also with the Shakespeare memorial.   
As it happens, our daughter in at this very moment in Japan, she has sent us back photos of this and that, she says its no surprise that the Japanese photograph everything as here in Japan everything is so very different...


We crept out of our mooring and snuck around the corner into the road tunnel that goes alongside The Red Lion pub and past their garden in which we had enjoyed a pleasant drink, not this morning you understand.

The tunnel under the road bridge leading out of the basin and onto the canal proper.

The Stratford canal starts here, winding up in a series of locks going past flats, houses and gardens and at one point a row of modest terraced houses, now I bet worth a fortune.

The first lock, a gorgeous garden here with flowers and herbs, its thought someone in the flats opposite tend them.

I'd woken up with my back grumbling slightly so I went ahead and was going to do a lock or two to warm it up a bit.  Two oncoming boats crew's had warned me that opening a bottom gate, it is that well known gate, that two years ago David and two volunteers had opened.  I just said as he was in the lock below it that I would walk along and try it.  
I ended up so low down on my bottom pulling it as it is set at a daft height, but I got it open!

Felt a bit smug until I was closing it, as the bar that I pushed backwards really did dig into me.

Its a shocker.

I did swap over after about five locks and David took over the donkey work.

I needed that sun hat too.

So the locks start coming more regularly and slightly lacking in confidence I was perplexed to approach a lock with a boat coming out, it was a hire boat full of novice men, due to another boat being moored immediately after the lock landing as I approached the hire boat took fright, panicked and in trying to manoeuvre out of my way he ended up across the canal 
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" was the plaintive cry, so here was I a little over being a complete novice telling him what to do which was mainly to stop revving, pull forward very slowly and happily another crew member jumped out and pulled him in with the middle rope.  
I advised that men seemingly find it an alien concept not to go fast....!  
They took it in the proper spirit and I wished them well and there were big smiles all around.

So reaching the top lock there was the Aqueduct to contend with.

Famous Stratford "Split Bridges"  

Note the wording of England- not Wales?

I quite like this shot but it was taken without me actually looking as I don't like precipices, David doesn't like heights.

We had planned to moor up at Wootton Wawen, a village with a saxon church that we had explored last time, but surprisingly the moorings were full.  So we crawled past the visitor moorings and a mile or so further on rather 
anti-socially popped ourselves onto a small stretch of armco, button to button with a hire boat but with both of our sterns staked off of the armco.  

The family were out walking when we arrived, but when they returned we apologised and explained that the moorings were full for us long boats, the man was laughing when we said "Oh you are close aren't you"  twenty minutes later they left, but he said that there was a mooring they were going to fit in nearer the pub which was a mile away.  

Reception for 4G was critical as it was that football final in Madrid, Liverpool v Spurs.  Well Liverpool won and David was delighted.
(Commiserations to Debby on NB Chuffed) 


Supper was pea and lemon risotto and blackcurrant pie.