Voyages of Gabriel: Long Itchington to Leamington Spa

Thu 11^th May Long Itchington to Fosse Locks

After James’s muddy fall yesterday, it was extraordinary to read todays bible study, which talked about a fall on a wet muddy slope! How easy it is to slide away from the presence of God.

Rain was forecast, so we departed to get some boating done before we had to stop. The first locks were a staircase pair at Bascote. We filled the top lock, and noticed a hire boat just leaving the next lock below. They asked if the lock was big enough for two boats. We said they all are on this canal. They entered the lower lock, and we swapped over in the middle.

We passed where HS2 is due to cross, and saw the huge piles of earth where the work is meant to be going on. Nothing seemed to be moving.

We crossed under Fosse Road Bridge, the site of the Roman road, and we emptied a cassette. The next lock had very stiff paddles, and we decided we had had enough for the day, so we moored just after lock 21.

This morning's Bible Study

Into Bascot Staircase Locks

Hire boat from below

Crossing over

Leaving the staircase

Beautiful tree at Welsh Road Lock

HS2 mess

Not much work happening

Goose grass

Moored at Fosse Locks

Peace and quiet

8 locks, 4 miles. Dep 0955, arr Fosse Elsan 1210. Dep 1225 arr Lk 21/22 1245.

Fri 12^th May Fosse Locks to Leamington Spa

We had a leisurely departure today. We had two more locks to do, and we met a boat coming out of the final one.

We cruised through Radford Semele and into Leamington Spa, where we stopped to clear some rubbish from the prop, and James went to visit a car spares place for a replacement headlamp bulb. They had what we wanted. Hopefully, now, we will have a tunnel light that works.

We moved on to moor near Morrisons. James had discovered that the light still didn’t work, so he contacted Halfords, who said they could test the bulbs. So, James walked up to Halfords (via Aldi for peanut butter), and they tested all three bulbs, and they all worked! We need to put our thinking caps on again.

James walked back to Morrisons where Hazel was halfway through the shopping. We had a coffee there when we had loaded our shopping trolley. James visited the phone shop and got a new cover for his phone. The old one was so scratched it was hard to see anything, particularly in the sunshine.

We moved on a short way, and moored on rings near the Avon Aqueduct.