Autumn Myst: Flying Down Hatton

Friday 5^th October

The weather forecast had changed from rain to just cloudy so we decided to leave the mooring and head for the Saltisford Arm. As we left the mooring and made our way to the Junction of the Grand Union and the Stratford canals two Kate boats came out in front of us and then as we were on the junction a young couple on an old boat shot out without looking, luckily we were only going slowly otherwise it could have been nasty. We were thus in a convoy of four boats moving at just over tick over pace.

* In a Queue

We passed The Cock Horse Inn in the valley below the Rowington Embankment. This is where June’s grandfather and father would hitch on the cock horse to get there wagon up the steep hill when he was taking produce to Tyburn in Birmingham from Barford just outside Warwick. It seems strange that this was really such a short time ago.

* The Cock Horse

We motored on and just before Shrewley Tunnel another boat pulled out in front of us, so now we were 5^th in the queue to go down the locks.

* Shrewley Tunnel Entrance

* In the Tunnel

Just before we reached the Locks we spied Sue walking towards us on the towpath. She had volunteered to help us down the Hatton Flight and we had taken so long to get there following the other boats that she had decided to see where we were.

We reached the locks and the two hire boats went down followed by the older boat which shut the gate on the next boat. It seemed strange but we were not too worried as it meant we could go down with them.

June and Sue went to set the lock and we joined Nb Halcyon to proceed down the locks. At the second lock we found James and Doug who had walked up from the Saltisford Arm expecting to find us half way down. So now we had a crew of 5 to help us down the locks and we overtook the old boat and caught up the hire boats and were down at the bottom in about 2 hours. It was more like a party going down the locks with everybody chatting and swapping stories, indeed Godfrey and Penny on Nb Halcyon said that it was the best time they had had negotiating locks.

* A Hatton Lock

* Nb Haclyon and NB Autumn Myst in a lock

Nb Halcyon is a lovely boat with a Russell Newbery and its domestic batteries have lasted for ten years so far. Both boats moored in the Saltisford Arm with us breasting up with Nb Chance as the arm was full.

In the evening we went aboard Chance to enjoy an Indian Take- away.

Saturday 6^th October

A day of shopping and looking around Warwick. James and Doug joined us for dinner in the evening aboard Nb Autumn Myst