Trent and Mersey

Left our Hopwas moorings at 08:30hrs and continue on the B&F past the Hays Wood military firing range. At Whittington smart semi's and small shrub filled gardens with painted ducks herons, gnomes and the obligatory mere cats keep us amused. Oddly the canal resorts back to the Coventry Canal (a quirk of politics and finance back in the late 1700's) until we reach its terminus at Fradley Junction. Where we meet the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Fradley junction 

The Swan at Fradley

Sign post at the junction we are heading for Great Haywood

We pass through  3 miles of rural landscape before reaching Armitage with it's well known factory.

Armitage Shanks

Crappers ready for dispatch.

Where the slang word Crap came from.

At the end of the town is a very narrow tunnel just wide enough for one boat to pass through, Sue keeps  look out at the bow. Shortly after Armitage we are in Rugeley a very inviting town with good signage at the canal side informing boaters of the visitor moorings and how far the town centre is from the bridge (100yds) and a  sign to William Palmer the 'Rugeley Poisoner'. It was also the scene of a brutal rape and  murder in  1839 of Christina Collins who had been travelling from Liverpool to London by canal boat to meet her husband. Three boat men were punished for this crime, two were hanged and one was transported to Australia. 

Rugeley power station peeps above these new build homes.

Rugeley Power Station

We are now moored north of the aqueduct over the river Trent

Aqueduct

River Trent

Had a mishap when coming in to moor I lost a windlass over the side and had to fish it out with a magnet.

Success 

Sue is pulling lots of perch from the deep.

The Trent and Mersey is where we intend to winter moor and we are going to view a few marina's and see what suits us best.

Birmingham and Fazely Canal

Another glorious day weather wise as we set off just before 0800hrs . The Coventry canal hugs the voluptuous curves of the hillside as we pass Hartshill yard with buildings kept complete from a bygone age.

The Dock

Clock Tower

Blacksmiths

Buildings still being used 

All above taken around Hartshill Yard

We enter Atherstone to starboard an all together more pleasing populated area than Nuneaton, the paint can vandals haven't been allowed to run amok here.  A mostly easy on the eye area with a pretty flight of  11 locks. Just before the first lock we made use of the water point. Three volunteer lock keepers helped us through. We asked why three and they were waiting the arrival of a disabled crew to help them down the locks , bless them. Out of Atherstone, Merevale Hall appears to port in a manicured wooded garden down to the waters edge.

Passing over the river Tame via an aqueduct.

Merevale Hall grounds

We pass through the town of Tamworth with 15 bridge 'oles and two locks to negotiate, under Watling Street Bridge and bridge 77 we turn right leave the Coventry Canal at Fazeley Junction  and head north on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal  where we have moored at Hopwas Village.

Not sure what this big wheel is for but it's not as big as Isabella.

Landscape pic.

Work in progress in a dry dock

FL at Hartshill Yard

We did a full 8 hours cruising today, 15 miles and 13 locks.

Nuneaton

It's a summer's day, shorts and T-shirt weather first thing as we go under the roman road known as Watling Street (A5) and pass the Triumph Factory at Hinkley on our way to the Coventry Canal.

The Ashby has been a pleasant meander through a quiet idyllic rural landscape, the only draw back is the lack of depth of water that makes narrow boats even more difficult to handle. But this won't put us off a return trip in the future.

Turning right at Marston Juction we are on the Coventry canal for a couple of miles of rural cruising until you hit Nuneaton, red brick and pitched roof houses everywhere some are attractive with pretty gardens to the canal bank, a lot of housing development has gone on here recently. For great lengths there are very healthy allotments with every conceivable vegetable and fruits ripening. The would be Banksie's and  vandals have won the battle with the local council, there's hardly a brick on any of the towns ten canal bridges that isn't 'tagged' or vandalised. Lots of debris in the water including sighting of the first supermarket trolley we have seen in any canal. Nuneaton just hasn't got that welcoming feel to the visiting boater

We pass a primary school playground stacked full of excited children, this must be their first day of the new term,  and that got me thinking about where were they all during the summer break, they certainly weren't on many of the hire boats that we have passed, usually it's one or two  couples or a hen/stag party, we have hardly seen any children along the river or canal banks swimming, fishing, skipping stones or swinging off a trapeze from a sturdy branch overhanging the water. Maybe it's a sign of our times that kids these days aren't allowed to explore in the carefree way that previous generations have. Or have they all gone to Spain, Florida or Mondays Caravan Park for the entire 6 week holiday.

0800hrs sun on the Ashby

Marston Junction left towards Coventry right to Nuneaton

Coventry Canal leading to Nuneaton

Typical bridge art ? Nuneaton

Number one

Coventry canal after Nuneaton

Sue putting her back into holding FL to the bank

We have moored above Wood Bridge just after Springwood Haven Marina time 1400hrs. Sue has got her fishing rod out I've rechecked the oil levels and had a look down the weed hatch everything 's fine. I'm going to give the Beer Hunter an outing (haven't done that for awhile)...................

.........Not much of a hunt round two corners from where we are moored (approx 200 yds) is The Anchor I bought a glass of Everards Original which one of the locals, Paul, informs me was strained through the landlords underpants. Well it tasted OK to me, so I sat myself down to listen to the banter that resulted between the red faced landlord and Paul who I now find out works for the landlord, (but for how much longer?),  I text Sue to walk down the towpath and join me, I have glass of Everards Tiger and Sue try's the Equinox. Perusing the food menu we may come back this evening.

Stoke Golding

Cool morning start as we cruise to Market Bosworth and use the winding hole to turn FL and start making our way back to the Coventry Canal

The Ashby has very good readable mile markers this one's reading travelled 10 miles and a further 20 miles to go. I got the stop watch out to time a mile which we covered in 21mins 45 seconds so we are doing just under 3 miles an hour at our cruising speed of 1000 revs, tickover for our Vetus engine is 900 revs. If we push her too 1200revs she's up on the plane and her wash causes chaos along the bank.

We are now moored at Stoke Golding which our canal guide says has one of the finest churches in Leicestershire so we are to take a walk into the village for a gander after Sue has finished baking bread. You can see the spire from this picture I took out of the side hatch.

Sue's loaf.

Late brood

Plenty of winter food.

St Margaret of Antioch

Just liked the sign.

The crowning of Henry VII by Stanley

Sue vaulting a sty.

Ass's

As it's monday the George and Dragon was shut as indeed was the White Swan  but the Three Horse Shoes was open but it looked a bit of a dive so we gave it a miss.

I got my head down the engine 'ole and  changed the engine oil and filter.

Brief History Lesson.

Last night we went to the Lime Kilns Inn, an old coaching house that had on sale 10 real ales and 8 ciders.
Sue chose the Old Hooky and I had Jennings Cocker Hoop followed by a glass of Cotleigh Commando Hoofing. exceedingly fine ales even if the names are dubious.

Another cool morning with clear skies as we continue on the Ashby canal, the canal is an appendage on the system and was used to transport coal from the collieries of Measham and Moira although the canal now terminates a little way past Snarestone tunnel some five miles short of it's 1804
opening. There are plans to restore the canal click here

The morning soon warmed to another fine day as we pulled in at Trinity Marina for diesel and a new gas bottle. Nearly a disaster as I slipped while lifting the gas bottle onto the bow and very nearly had my first dunk in the canal, all that saved me from a soaking over the bow was falling against the open gas locker hatch. We also made stops at Spinney Bank farm shop for milk, steaks and chops, and at Sutton Wharf to replenish our water supply.

The Ashby Canal is notoriously shallow and we have scraped along the bottom in various places but now with the extra liquid weight we have just taken on we will be sitting lower in the water.

Quite a few historical boats have passed us heading for the Shakerstone Festival next weekend. I love the sound of their engines getting louder as they get closer and once past us tail of into the distance again.

We moored up at lunchtime on the battlefield moorings and walked up to where the Battle of Bosworth took place in 1485, here King Richard III with his mighty armies copped an unfortunate one from Henry Tudor and his band of French mercenaries, helped so legend has it by the treacherous Stanley. Thereby marking the start of the Tudor dynasty with Henry VII.

The chap moored in front of us has inherited his grandmothers tortoise and it's 90 years old, he keeps the fire in for it all year round.

We had sirloin steak bought from the farm shop for our tea, it was succulent and tasty. We try not to buy meat from the like's of Tesco's anymore and use farm shops and local butchers. I don't know what the big supermarkets do to meat but it isn't a patch on the meat we have bought locally.

No radar guns in sight.

Shenton Aqueduct we will be crossing this tomorrow