What happened to the Forecast - Friday 13th September 2013

We set off at 7.30am this morning to beat the rain which had been forecast to come in the afternoon and what happened, after a couple of locks it started raining and continued until we reached our final mooring for the day at Wilmcote.
Not only that, a boat which had been moored over night at the water point below the lock also decided to leave as we came through the lock.  Still it is a lovely stretch of canal and with the canopy of trees the rain did not seem too bad. Here we are waiting on the short Yarningale aqueduct  for the lock to be filled immediately at the other side.

The crew always seem to be chatting at the locks whilst I am at the helm waggling my tiller all day. Its not fair!!

A lock cottage with lovely Hydrangea plants in tubs outside. I think this is also the site of the Colecraft advert in the Canal Magazines.
Who would keep a sheep on your balcony??

Its not real though.

The bridges on the Stratford Canal are very narrow with only just enough room to get the boat through.

We soon approached the Wotton Wawen Aqueduct which is also the base for the Anglo Welsh boats. On Friday to Sunday, 18th-20th October a Bicentenary boat gathering will take place to celebrate its opening 200 years ago.

Spotted this little flat just outside Wotton Wawen with a Patrol Notice on it. If nobody claims it it would make a nice work boat for the volunteers.


Just below Bearley Lock these contractors were busy installing piling in the embankment on the off side to help prevent the badger damage causing a serious breach. we had to wait a moment whilst they moved the boat to the next position.

Next came the Edstone Aqueduct which spans a road, the Stratford rail line, and a meadow. It is quite disconcerting when you look down and see that you are only held in the trough by a thin wall of iron. The towpath is actually at the level of the trough base rather than being up at boat level.

As we reached Wilmcote the drizzle stopped and we were able to moor in the dry, the sun came out and we had a nice day until about 4pm. On the other side of the bridge are some nice permanent moorings where the smart looking Barn Owl boat No.6 is based.

A short walk into the village brings you to the pretty village stores which sells newspapers and is well stocked with local and other produce and run by a very nice lady. Well worth supporting.

To get into the village you have to pass the home of Mary Arden which is a lovely black and white beamed cottage together with a Tudor farm.
From the road you can get a good view over the wall of the Owls as they sit on their perches in the garden.