So last night we were at the bottom of the Atherstone Flight. The next morning we set off to do these pretty locks, a flight I never mind as I like the views, the locks themselves are quiet and gentle and at the top there might even be jolly volunteer.
The sun shone and after two locks I discarded one layer of thermals leaving a couple more in place.
At the third lock which was full, in favour of the oncoming boat, I opened the gates for them and had a chat to the new owners, a pair of Liverpudlians, who, by their own admission were complete beginners.
They had brought the boat down London way and had attempted to travel up the Thames, the floods had put that plan on hold for many weeks but they had now made it to Atherstone, they were on their way back to Liverpool or that area to live onboard and they were both absolutely loving it. The only experience they had had was a trip on a narrowboat five years ago and since that time had been researching and planning and although the husband had been unsure, he indeed was now in love with boating too. Quite a story!
Another two locks up and I recognised the boat belonging to Ray and Caroline, NB Tranquility Daze. We had first met them at Thrupp on the South Oxford canal we think was in 2014, the next time on the Delph Flight coming out of Birmingham, then another year at Hampton Court Palace on the Thames, next the River Weaver and today here at Atherstone.
This is one of the absolute joys of boating, almost bumping into friends from year to year. The only problem was were now stationary in the canal and causing a blockage. I apologised to the oncoming boat's crew for the chaos but when you tell boaters you just met friends they usually smile knowingly.
The flight was completed in high spirits as the four volunteers saw us coming and prepped two locks for us, such a happy chappy I spoke to, one of a team of 35 or so volunteer lockies and on the most part are really enjoying each other's company as well as meeting all us boaters. Great bit of happiness to reflect upon in these somewhat unhappy times.
We carrying on southwards towards Nuneaton, many boaters loath Nuneaton, but David quite likes it as he does like to see the allotments and I have to say almost all of them are tended, we admired the rhubarb.
All today we have hardly had a boat go past us, the canals or this canal I should say is quiet, maybe its the ice-age temperatures that's keeping boaters at home in front of their fires? Boaters where are you?
Now I have said many times that The Greyhound Pub at Hawkesbury Junction is my favourite pub on the system
(So far), but this time the Covid Gov guidance is for us to eat in pub gardens and although their beef and stilton pies are wonderful frankly I couldn't endure sitting in a garden, we will definitely stop on the way home instead, so we by passed up the opportunity and moored up north of Hawkesbury in the countryside and ate sausage sandwiches for supper after a five or six hour cruise.
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