Sun 4th October
Shackerstone to Sutton Wharf
We had bright sunshine this morning, but rain was forecast
later. We therefore didn’t stay for the
harvest service which was at 4pm, but set off for Sutton Wharf.
Moored at
Shackerstone
Shackerstone reflections
Shackerstone aqueduct
Being Sunday, we found a fishing competition to
negotiate. With their long carp rods,
they fish on the opposite side of the canal, so we have to go slowly, straight
down the middle. There are three types of
fishermen; first and most common, are the raisers, who lift their rods high
above our heads as we pass. Next are the swingers, who keep their rods almost
horizontal, but swing them round parallel to the towpath. Finally come the
dismantlers, who pull their rods back, taking them apart as they do so. This
last type come to grief if there are walkers or cyclists on the path at the
same time as we pass on the canal.
We passed a moored boat that we had seen passing earlier,
towing a tiny boat behind, that was used as a hencoop
A floating hencoop
Shenton Aqueduct
Once again there were no boats on the Battlefield Moorings,
because they were so overgrown and abandoned. The signs have also gone, so
perhaps they have been de-commissioned.
Overgrown visitor moorings
We moored just before Sutton Wharf, on a pontoon. This was a
bit silted up, so our bows were out a bit, but it was convenient.
Mooring at Sutton
Wharf
Hugo spent a lot of time sitting on the pontoon, peering
down at the water. We realised that there were a lot of holes in bank at this
point, and he was probably listening to water voles. We didn’t want either a
dead water vole or a wet cat, so when a space became available ahead by the
café, we moved along. Just as we did
so, a coal boat appeared, and he moored almost where we had been, except that
he tied alongside another boat.
We had lots of rain later.
0 locks, 7 miles
Mon 5th October
Sutton Wharf to Stoke Golding
It was damp and cloudy this morning, and we decided to have
breakfast at the café. It was surprisingly full considering the weather. It was very pleasant, but a little
expensive.
Sutton Wharf Cafe
We used the facilities before we left, and checked the
propeller, as we had had difficulty manoeuvring. There was nothing on it – the
problem was just a shallow silted up canal.
We then had a rain shower, which was forecast, so we waited
for it to pass.
A boat called Alfie reversed past us from the pontoon
mooring, with some difficulty, and turned round in the winding hole, before disappearing
under the bridge.
When the shower had passed, we set off on a slow cruise, as
we decided to keep our hood up due to the possibility of further rain, and
there was not much clearance at the bridges.
There were also a number of moored boats, some on their
permanent moorings, others waiting for better weather before moving. We noticed a symbol on one or two which is
to do with witchcraft. The photo is of
a boat called Charmed.
Wicca symbol
We moored near Stoke Golding, planning to stay for two
nights, with a pub meal tomorrow. The
edge was the iron girder type of piling, which is ideal for a chain, so we tried
out the one we had bought at Trinity Marina. It has one ring larger then the
other, so you can post one through the other. It was very successful. We've been boating for 18 years, and, until now, we have not had one of these!
New chain
0 locks, 2 miles
Tue 6th October
Stoke Golding to Hinckley
We have noticed that C&RT are making great efforts to
monitor boat movements and discourage overstaying on moorings. We have seen
several people either on bikes or walking, who have hand held computers, where
they enter boat registrations and locations.
It would be interesting to see what the program can do. If all the data
is centralised, can they plot the route of a boat such as ours over the summer?
Enforcement officer
We passed the farm shop without acquiring any more items
this time.
Farm shop
At Trinity Marina we called in to buy some milk, and a
second chain. We also bought some Fuel Set as we are running low. We always add
some each time we take on diesel. It keeps the diesel bug at bay.
We moored up just beyond the marina, and caught a bus into Hinckley,
taking our umbrellas with us. Perhaps it was due to the wet weather, but the
town looked very run down. We had lunch
in a café near the station, and bought some things in Iceland before catching a
bus back.
0 locks, 3 miles
Wed 7th October
Hinckley to The Limekilns
We found an anxious Hugo this morning, with a bramble
attached to the fur on his tail, so our first job was to disentangle it.
Our second job was to deal with a drifting cruiser. It appeared to have just one mooring pin
attached to the bow rope, which was fairly long. How it had been moored we are
not sure, but we left it with a short rope from the bows tied to the mooring pin,
which we double tied into the piling. At the stern, we used the stern rope
through the piling and back again. Hopefully it was fairly secure.
Shira
re-moored
We didn’t go very far – less than a mile – before mooring
opposite the Limekilns pub, near the A5 Bridge. This was so that we could walk
to this evening’s folk venue.
Moored opposite the
Limekilns pub
Thankfully the weather was clear and dry for our walk along
the A5 to an industrial estate, where there is this unusual establishment
called the Hinckley Act. This is in a building mainly occupied by a company
called Advanced Carbide Tooling. There is a stage area, with lighting and PA,
and seating for about 50. There is also a bar.
We sang Dirty Old Town, a Long Way Down, and Waterloo Road.
It was a bit of a challenge to have rapport with the audience, as the lights
were so blinding that we couldn’t see anyone except the front row. It was good
fun all the same, and the quality of the other performers was very high.
We walked back to the boat and missed the Northern Lights,
which were apparently visible, as we found out the following day. On the A5 the street lighting probably
prevented us seeing them.
Soon after we returned to the boat there was the sound of a catfight,
and Hugo rushed in and hid in the bedroom.
He was very traumatised.
0 locks, 1 mile
Thu 8th Oct
The Limekilns to Hawkesbury
This was not a peaceful place to moor. There were lorries all night on the A5,
heading to or from one of several distribution centres in the area. Then, at a
time that we can only guess at, when it was still dark, a cock started crowing
enthusiastically from a small cage on the other side of the canal. Perhaps the two or three hens in the cage
were delighted, but the same state of mind did not apply to us tired human beings.
When we finally realised that there was no more night time
to be had, we got up, and James went to look for evidence of the catfight. He found grey cat fur on the towpath, and
Hugo’s collar, which had somehow come off during the fracas. There was no other
colour of fur, so either Hugo came off worst, or both cats were the same
colour.
Cat fur on the path
It was 10am before we set off, and by then the sun was
shining in a clear blue sky. We saw a green woodpecker in a field, and a
buzzard being mobbed by rooks. The red
rosehips and berries were shining in the sun on this beautiful day.
We noticed that the bridges were counting down as we approached
the Coventry Canal. We had bridge 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1, all clearly numbered, and
then another one at the junction, which wasn’t numbered.
Marston Junction
Bridge nought?
We turned left onto the Coventry Canal, and soon we saw a very ugly house by bridge 14, with a wall
painted grey like a battleship. This was new since our last visit.
Battleship house
Once onto the Coventry canal, we only had a short distance
to go before we pulled in alongside Grace to visit BCF friends Terry and
Chris Rigden. It was good to catch up
with them, and to sample some of Chris’s chocolate cake. After nosing around each other’s boats to
see recent modifications and gain ideas, we set off once more.
Visiting Terry and
Chris
Just around the corner, we saw a fisherman who obviously had
a fish on the line, putting up some resistance. When he landed it, it turned out to be a zander, an introduced
species of fish we have never seen before, although we have heard about them
for some years. They weren’t mentioned
in James’s “Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing” book in the early 60’s.
Zander (only a small one)
We moored at the start of the line of boats leading up to
Hawkesbury Junction, just before an overspill weir.
Next week's plan: Church in Rugby on Sunday, then hopefully buying paint in Braunston (if it arrives).
