Around the corner from our moorings we found this sunken wreck with a C&RT notice on it. Such a shame that boats are left abandoned, it must cost C&RT a great deal to remove them from the waterways.
I am always fascinated by the old BW Yard at Hartshill with its short arms and house built on what appears to have once been a bridge. I was even more intrigued this time to see a sign advertising a “Landgirls Cookery School” and on checking the internet found their website where I cribbed this extract.
Located in Hartshill, between Nuneaton and Atherstone, here at Landgirls Cookery School we teach friendly, relaxed one day baking, cooking and cake decorating classes to a whole host of individuals from the home baker to professional chefs and restaurant owners, our aim is simple, to provide a cookery school that enables everyone to come and learn in a warm, calm and welcoming environment, we welcome you as guests and many of our returning students have became friends. Our love of cooking and teaching stems from both of our grandparents, the passion they had for real food and home cooking was and is an inspiration and with a whole heap of recipes, ideas, techniques and processes taught by them we are proud to carry this on for future generations. http://www.landgirlscookeryschool.co.uk/index
Entering Nuneaton we passed under this bridge with trees growing on it and I wondered if it was another of C&RT’s Cultural ideas like the Forest Boat they had in Birmingham!!
We stopped off at Star Line Boats to top up with diesel at 94p/ltr. on a self declare basis and had a quick look around their small chandlery. We were served by a very friendly and help guy.
As we pulled away from the boat yard and made our way slowly towards the bridge, with boats moored right up to it as usual, a boat came into the bridge at a great rate of knots and had to slam it into reverse when it saw our bow. The comments from the crew of The Hargreaves Trust Boat which was moored the other side of the bridge went something like “He thinks its the M6”. Later at bridge 17 we had the same thing happen again, a boat came through the bridge so fast he could not get it back on his own side of the canal, fortunately we had slowed and were able to stop short enough for him to regain control. Another incident happened at bridge 13 when a hire boat who was catching us up came through behind so fast that it hit a boat moored next to the bridge. I pulled over and let him pass but he then slowed and eventually stopped at the next bridge as he had something around the prop and we were able to pass him and continue on our way.
Travelling through the Charity Dock boats we spotted these two tiny ducklings, they must have been born only a matter of days ago and I wonder if they will manage to survive the winter.
We turned at Hawksbury Junction with one boat coming down the lock and another waiting to go up. As we moved forward another boat turned in and the other boat started to exit the turn, the hire boat we had passed earlier shot by the junction at a great rate of knots even though he had just negotiated the narrow section under the foot bridge totally oblivious of what was going on ahead of him. Thankfully he did not turn and the boat exiting the junction was aware of them. I always thought the beauty of canals was the slow pace of life!!
Talking to the men working at the house next to the stop lock they said how busy the junction had been that morning. They said the first boat went through at 7.00 am and they had seen at least 20 more boats go through up to lunchtime. We moored up just beyond the lock and the canal continued to be busy all afternoon.
As the rain had stopped I went for a walk and came back with a bowl full of delicious Blackberries so hopefully it will be crumble for pudding tomorrow.
Now this is what you call a Log Store.
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