At last the river and yacking.

I was reminded last night, in a most Head Mastery way that the cost of staying in the sun yesterday was an early start today.  I swear he said 8am, but this was the subject of a disputation and he started off at 7am.  

It was a glorious morning, oh here comes another Head Mastery lecture on how all early mornings are like this one......

I tell you he's a brute.

Last nights mooring.  A boat had moored up in the afternoon with two children on board so he pulled WaL on ropes away from them before starting the engine, maybe not a brute.

Anglo Welsh base here at Wootten Wawen, lots of boats still here.

Darling little aqueduct here, not very scary.

So onward and it was freezing when out of the sun.  We had winter thick fleeces and gloves on.  Around the corner and on a bit was this;

A very elderly couple moored in front of us had told us about this marina, he said it was supposed to be ready this July......  He wasn't sure it would be.

Very sadly, he said this canal is getting too much for them as they have got older, the locks are impossible for them, he got his son to help him onto the Stratford, they will pootle about and then have help off it again.  Frankly I have found it really tough too.
CART Action please.

I knew there was a bigger aqueduct coming up, but I wasn't really expecting this...

Or the fact it had no side.... Gulp!

I wanted to look over this side but was yelled at "Get your head out the bloody way"

This smile denies the fear of us both, David about heights and me about precipices. 

The wind had picked up and was blowing us, what felt like over the edge, but it was only against the side.  So we scraped along a stretch of it, trying to get away....

I took this without actually looking.

I like our reflections on the trees here.

Thank god we're off.

This bridge was a challenge for David, it looks like a regular one but in the blinding sun reflecting off the newly polished mushrooms, but its not built "Straight", its at an angle and he didn't hit it.

I have resumed the post of Captain in charge here.  Now I am learning, but blimming heck, so has he.  Newly released from the bounds of silence at the bottom of a lock he never stops yackerty yackerty yacking.  He was all behind like a dogs tail at one point.

We were coming down these last few locks into Stratford proper, when this happened.

Note summer T shirt now on.

Well to be completely fair, it had happened to about 5 or 6 locks on the way down, the bottom gates not opening properly, but this one different in that it wouldn't budge past the photo.

David had already gone on to prep the next lock which was around the corner out of sight leaving me in the care of the lock keeper and one volunteer, and one chap who was having a 

Taster Day, well the Lockie went off to get a long poley/rakey thing and I didn't see him again.

I was about to get my book out, when the phone rang, David "Where are you".....

Well then one of the men was messing about with the gate, and as if he had done nothing at all, it opened as easy as pie!  Don't you just hate it when that happens?

More yacking.  See this bottom gate?  It's cantilevered due to the bridge, I had been warned by other lady crews.  It took three men to heave it open. 

Into Stratford Basin, very short pontoons and very bust nearby road meant we decided to go straight onto the river.

First getting slightly wedged in the lock with large crowd to witness, large cheer when cleared.

Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre.  

We cleared out the fridge last night supper was a big Spanish omelette.

Days of our lives

A bit breezy, but dry and bright today.  I did a washing load whilst David was off touring the county on his bike before breakfast.

Breakfast in the sunny cratch, leisurely coffee.....

Right then at about 11:30am, I'll cast off he said, are you driving today?
Nope I am going to brush my teeth.

I was brushing and a shout went up.  Its really nice out here, do you want to stay?
I poked my head out.  An easy decision to make, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, it was very very windy but down behind the boat on the wide towpath it was sheltered.

Chairs out, books out.  I was delighted as so far this year apart from three gorgeous weeks in March, its been very cold.  

Later there may have been a glass of.  My book is BRILLIANT  HERE   I can't put it down.

Lunch was egg and tomato rolls. 

Barrels and Towers

We spent a quiet night here at Lowsonford, quieter than you might expect having ten boats in a row and right opposite a large pub. 
When I woke up two had gone, by the time the washing load had completed seven boats had gone. 
David took the helm for the first bit as we had to negotiate this, I felt I needed to warm up a bit first.

I was pleased the chimney extension wasn't in place.

Snug.

Water up, rubbish done right here and before I could say Jack Robinson;

He was gone.  

David belongs to the school of thought which throws the toddler into the deep end of the pool and retreats to have a coffee whilst the toddler learns to the breast stroke, "By simply doing it"

After I had remembered my left and rights, something which doesn't come naturally to me, (Or some other women) I set off, high levels of petrifaction and absolute terror gradually subsided, I began to even look at the scenery...

Fabulous meadows

Lambkins

I think he said well done to me here, I'm not sure.

What I really like are the rubber protection around the narrow entrance to these locks, not for the boat you understand but for the 200 year old locks that need protection.

Another cottage, looks so cute, 

But around the corner is a modern extension.

Split bridges all the way along.

There he goes.  I was almost enjoying myself this morning.  I told him that I had removed the source of stress and anxiety,

"Oh what was that?"

"YOU!!"

But I have to say camera operation is a skill to be refined, as is fetching my gloves, then an extra coat whilst keeping straight and not alarming the captains of oncoming ships, that was made easier due to the lack of oncoming traffic.  

Usually these items happily fetched by wife.

Clusters of bluebells along the woodland as I went.

With no confidence I say Wild Garlic?

If you can make me out at the other end

David took this of two wifely helms, the other lady had a bad knee, she had said to him that it was an unusual sight two ladies. 

Now David spotted this and snapped it on his phone,  in real life it was much closer to the tow path 

I have to say Reader I was horrified at this last cottage of the day.  Who thought putting a bay window in the culturally important piece of our social heritage was a good idea?  
Then HORRORS......

They had added on this monstrosity.  If I win the European lottery, I shall buy it and demolish that carbuncle.

David said "Calm down dear"

Our mooring.....

For being such a good girl today I was treated to lunch out.  

We first though cycled to the Oldest Church in Warwickshire.  St Peters in Wootton Wawen.  

The tower is Saxon, YES SAXON!!!!!!!!  It dates back to 700BC, that by my reckoning is 1,400 years old. 

St Peters from the north-ish

I have learnt that the saxon masons liked to build their towers by 'Long and short'  so if you look above the drainpipe you can see this.
Saxon history intact here but some idiot has ruined that cottage.

Lunch at The Bull in the village was slow cooked beef curry, a very good average but not cooked slowly enough.

Butterflies and birds

Well after the wet, then lovely and warm, then cloudy, then a downpour, then sunny again and then finally cold Bank Holiday Monday.  Whoever could have have imagined that today would be clear blue skies and no boats anywhere?  Not me.

We started off heading for Kingswood Junction.  

Question;  When does a vintage hull awaiting restoration become a wreck and a hazard to shipping?

Now I hope you appreciate this shot below of what I believe to be ***Red Kites***
 as they are tricky little cherubs to photograph, I took about 40 shots and this was the best I could do to get all three.

I don't know what this embankment is called about half way to Kingswood, but today it looked fabulous with the birds singing.

David made the turn at the junction, all looked marvellous, I have only been here once, going the other direction in late October having just completed the Lapworth Flight and I didn't notice this house in front of the boat, I imagine it was a managers house as the view is right along the junction. 

I expect a lot of Boaters already know about these charming cottages all along the canal this way.  They are the Barrel Roofed Cottages and are charming some information   HERE 

 I am not sure why they were chosen but here is the first that we saw.  They are mostly in private hands now so I fear that ghastly changes may be made to them.

This cottage is right on the junction.

 Then not having seen a boat this morning, here is the first one, thirty seconds in front of us, going to take the first lock so we will have to wait for them and turn every one of the locks....

Lady driver, I was impressed, I was tempted, I was nagged  too....

This proved not to be the case, the charming couple on board wanted to stop for a coffee and to fetch something, I presume there is a shop hereabouts.
Great.

We took the lock which I have to say was a very clackerty rackerty mechanism and a hard wind up.  Such darling little locks though.

I did three locks I think then as the gates were so beautifully unbalanced and took more effort to open and close than the deadly Hatton doubles, so I did swap places.  

David jumped off in glee (He LOVES doing the locks)  before I could protest he had scarpered.  

I tried to remember how to drive the thing, which way to move the tiller, how to get the front out....

Now something happened four years ago when I was last in charge of the tiller, I don't like to think about the incident much, but a tree jumped me on a straight bit of canal and the result was a hefty insurance claim and the boat in dock for two weeks.....😳  
Its all over now and after much therapy, well.

So travelling at about one mile an hour was me on the most beautiful canal known to mankind with birds singing, butterflies fluttering, lambkins tumbling about in the sunny fields and sunshine coming through  the trees and a warm breeze on my face I set off. 

Last lock David did.

I really don't like the sight of water spurting through the walls 

Another unique feature of the Stratford Canal are the Split Bridges.  This was to allow the rope to pass through that was attached to the horse pulling the boat in the early days prior to steam engines. 

David working.

This is the M40, I am always so very smug at motorways being on the boat rather than in a car

Here's the next cottage, the facade beautifully kept at least.

My favourite, Aylesbury ducks.  I used to keep these as pets.  I must say I found it tricky to get the camera, switch on, take off sunglasses and replace with normal specks so I can read the dial, take photo and not crash the boat, hence ducks are not central.

Five locks later arrived at a nice stretch of mooring opposite a pub, two boats were there and although we had met two boats I think all day, we moored up close to one of them in a nice clearing in the sun.  

Had a nap and on waking seven boats had arrived!!  The last was a hire boat with about five children on board so us and another boat untied and squashed up to fit them in.  All bar one of the boats were facing the other direction.  Good. 

David made a rather nice crayfish, salmon and rocket salad with lemon dressing, followed by blackberry and apple surprise.

*** Kath has educated me that these are in fact Buzzards.  They still don't keep still very long in the air. 

Whoever knew the Hatton Flight could be enjoyable?

Reader,  the last two posts have got themselves around the wrong way, nothing to do with me you understand.....

We had a nice day in Leamington Spa, a bit of loitering, relaxing and taking Amanda out to lunch at Bills as a bit of a thank you for her sterling efforts coming down the Stockton Flight and to encourage her for what's coming tomorrow... 
After we had shopped at the canal side Lidil and in the late afternoon and done the last two locks, we moored up outside the Cape of Good Hope, about another 90 mins from the centre of town.  We didn't go into the pub this trip but from the reviews online rather wished we had.
Amanda's delightful husband arrived late in the evening.

Lunch in Bills was a vegetarian mezze and calamari for starters then a Halloumi berger with tomato hummus  salad and chips.  Way way to stuffed for sticky toffee pudding, phew.



So the next morning there was a small amount of the game we play, hot car shuffle,three cars in the equation today!  

Then when all players were back in position, untied the ropes and off we go.  Amanda and I to the kitchen to cook egg & bacon for the rolls for energy.  As we did so the heavens opened and down the unforecasted rain came.  Then it stopped and David nipped out with his windlass to secure the first lock in the Hatton Flight, this was in case two boats appeared from behind us and nabbed the empty lock.  I followed him out, roll in hand munching and went to the next lock to prep it.  
This pattern continued, most locks were actually full.  I lost sight of WaL but carried on, I got pretty lonely......

On my own I took this snap of the flight, this is one of the few places to get a good shot as the locks are spread out initially from the bottom up.

At about half way, the Lockies had asked WaL to wait for a boat coming up behind us, I came back to the boat while we did so, the two men were a bit fed up as the second boat was further back than they had suggested, BUT RESULT, it was a male only boat with five strong young men.  They flew about in all directions and whizzed paddles up and down like a Whore's Drawers if that isn't too un PC to use today?

My David in red working hard, he loves doing locks but gets little opportunity.

Doing that keep together thing, Amanda having a well earned rest on board.

WaL with NB Dovedale and super crew.

Lots of spectators but very few boats

Modern art in a pond at the cafe.

Today's pretties, I have no idea what it is.

Me, good angle by Amanda

Took ages queuing for ice-creams then it poured and this man put up a brolly, without invitation I took cover, last lock.

After a short recovery period we walked down and sat in the sun....

Our mooring for the night.

The young guys were excellent, their boat is moored at Kingswood Junction which means that they have been up and down this flight many times.  I think I would change moorings but that's just me.  

An excellent day, the sun shone for the most of it and I enjoyed my day tremendously, thank you to the Fine Company.

Supper was a chilli, with guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese and cheesecake with blueberries and raspberries to follow.

Sadly after supper the Fine Company departed, that is David taking his wife away with him.  
Until next time then Bestie.... 

A guest, another guest and large gins.

So what I didn't mention last night was that 
Amanda arrived during the late afternoon for a long weekend.  No don't worry she was invited, we had invited her and were going to fully utilise her skills of hardiness and strength, I am much lacking in both fields.

So I awoke today and all was quiet.  Very quiet.  
But shortly afterwards she joined me in bed and tea was delivered, sipped and suddenly I was alone as both of them had rushed off to play the Hot Car Shuffle, to somewhere I have never heard of.

In their absence, I cleaned the glass in the portholes.  
Many do this weekly, however I thought it fitting to complete this after five years.  

Pleased to report that it was noticed and commented on too.

Ready Steady Polish.  Its great to have a willing --"Victim" in Amanda, to come help.

Half way through the first side I am glad to report that we were oh so happily interrupted by Tom from NB Waiouru   HERE  he regaled us with tales of his army days, NZ days and his plans for his future adventures.   😳

All good wishes to you and Jan, and thank you for the wine too!!

Polishing resumed, oh what joy.  

Later after a tasty bite of lunch, we left Braunston.  We went about two miles and moored up and polished the other side, came 
in and I started mentally preparing for the day ahead.  We have mileage and locks to do tomorrow, but first Sarah, we need a pump out and not a moment too soon either!!!

Supper was steamed salmon, broccoli and french beans cooked in the modern way of being raw, accompanied by two large gins for tomorrows Lockies.