A later than normal start today saw us heading out of the marina in a beautiful clear blue sky with hardly a cloud in sight. There was still that strong easterly wind however which helped keep it cool. No sooner had we turned onto the cut than we started to meet lots of boats heading in both directions, presumably the nice weather had encouraged people out early.
Passing through All Oaks Wood we were bathed in sunlight now that the trees have been dramatically thinned out as part of the woodland management.
Two years ago you would not have seen any light through the trees even with no leaves on and now there is blue sky everywhere.
We motored through the Easenhall Cutting which cut out the long loop of the canal which took it to Brinklow village and back through this now defunct foot bridge. We have managed to wind the boat here in the past but it is very tight now.
On reaching Stretton Stop we had a boat close behind us and two more approaching the swing bridge (which joins the two sides of Rose Narrow Boats Yard) from the opposite direction. Here another of the old loops of the canal goes off to Brinklow Services and other boating facilities and it is now used for moorings.
We motored on through Ansty village, on the way passing the golf course which is on both sides of the canal linked by an underpass and on to the Coventry Cruising Club entrance bridge. This is a very narrow entrance at an acute angle to the canal and must have been a devil to get into if coming from Hawkesbury Junction.
The CCC arm was once the entrance to the old Wyken Colliery and is in a nice setting but unfortunately over shadowed by the M6 motorway which splits it into two halves. To get into the second basin there is a sharp left hand bend into the tunnel under the motorway.
This part of the arm is quite wide and provides room to wind narrow boats and is full of cruisers and a few narrow boats. It is also the main entrance to the Club with its club house and facilities block.
The Blackthorns are a sight to behold with masses of white flowers looking as though it has been snowing.
The lambs are frolicking around in the fields and came down to the canal to drink the water just opposite our mooring.
The lovely weather gave the time to do a little more boat polishing and touching up those odd spots which have suffered through the winter.
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