14^th May

Just after we set off we had a couple of showers and then the weather brightened up and we ended up with a glorious sunny afternoon and evening.

On route to Fazeley Junction to buy some provisions from the local Tesco and deposit the rubbish at the BW waste recycling centre we passed Nb Susan the Kate hire boat we used to go Oxford a couple of years ago. The couple on board said that they were really enjoying themselves.

* Sightings of more and more signets as the week goes on

After coffee we carried on to the Glascote Locks where the boat would not move out of the first lock until I had removed somebody’s old carpet from the propeller. Fortunately this only took a couple of minutes as June had prepared the next lock and as always happens in these instances another boat came along wanting to come down the locks. It was an Ashby Hire boat with four Texans onboard and we had a good chat while the lock filled. They were over here for 2 weeks spending a week on the boat, something they had never done before, but were enjoying it very much. As we said our goodbyes they said that we were very gracious people, never would have put us in that category!

A little further on as we were looking for the Canal Craft shop on the outskirts of Tamworth another Ashby hire boat with 4 Canadians waited for us to go through a narrow stretch with boats on either side and again we stopped to pass the time of day with them.

June was after a tassel for the tiller but the shop did not sell them so it looks as though she will have to make one.

As we went through Alvecote we spotted this fleet of South Midland working boats and further on towards the M42 another was moored near the woods.

* South Midlands Fleet

* Nb Verbena.

* Interesting vessel Laplander spotted at Alvecote

We carried on through Polesworth passing the lovely Pooley Hall and moored up for lunch at one of our favourite spots near Meadow Lane Bridge.

* Pooley Hall

After a short siesta we surfaced to find Nb Elysium Days passing us; Chris and Sue stopped to tell us that they were on their way back to Brinklow as they had to go home to attend to some business, so their trip up north had been postponed for a while.

*Views from our mooring towards Atherstone.

 

Later in the afternoon I took a walk up to Grendon Dock and saw another 4 South Midlands working boats in various states of repair and these two Fellow Morton and Clayton. The owner is obviously a working boat enthusiast.

* Grendon Dock

Walking back from the dock the old Grendon Church came into view with a modern wind turbine at its side. How the sky line is changing.

* Grendon Church