Although it had rained quite a bit overnight, the cruising day was dry - with the rain returning after most boats had tied up for the day.
Shortly after we set off we came across a site where some new piling was being completed. It does seem that the quality of piling has improved over recent years - some while back we were used to seeing piling that was in a poor state, not too long after it was installed.
Sadly, the work is only being done is shortish lengths, presumably on a priority basis. Here the team were setting up their equipment for the next section.
Even the new piling sometimes fails - here a short piece had bowed outwards and before long that will no doubt become a larger problem.
Also, all too frequently we saw the consequences of just doing short distances when the unprotected bank at the end of the piling is seriously eroded.
Later we saw another technique being used, coir rolls with wooden poles and plastic sheeting. Clearly here it is being used on an even more patching basis and can be adopted where even just a few metres is installed. However, it seems likely that this approach is very short term and will need more significant maintenance before very long. It would be interesting to know if there is a cost-benefit case for using it or whether it is driven entirely by budget limitation.#
Some of the day saw blue patches in between the clouds which were rather more the norm.
At Willoughby Wharf, this wall is almost the only indication of what was originally here, before it became private residences. Although the former Great Central Railway was just a few metres away, old maps show no station of canal-rail interchange was developed.
The new Dunchurch Pools Marina, designed by the architects who were responsible for the Eden project in Cornwall, is well into its operation with plenty of boats moored on the pontoons. It seems that the business plan here is to focus just on the mooring, as yet no visitor facilities other than for boaters are planned.
As we neared Rugby, many of the bridges have, at some time, been decorated with murals that celebrate the association of the town with the famous game. Some could do with a bit of TLC!
We anticipated that there would be a delay at Hilmorton Locks - we had already heard that only one lock of each pair was allowed to be used in order, apparently, to conserve water. As a result we joined a queue with five others ahead of us.
Despite the fact that a notice at the top lock announced the volunteer lock keepers on duty to day, neither of them came to the top lock at any time. The result was that everyone was relying on incomplete information passed from one to another as boats arrived from below and delayed boaters walked down to see what was happening.
After a delay of about 50 minutes we reached the head of the queue and began our descent through the three locks. There were three boats in the next pound as well so it was a further delay - but by the time we were through the flow had balanced itself and each boat down could pass immediately into the lock vacated by the previous boat up.
There was no delay at the bottom lock - indeed there was a temporary gap in the arrival boats in the opposite direction.
As soon as we left the Hilmorton Locks we could see huge development site, just at the outset of site preparation. This is the project to create Houlton, a new neighbourhood of Rugby. A press statement at the start of work just a year ago said, "As well as 6,200 homes, the Houlton development will also bring three primary schools and a secondary school, an eight-GP health centre, extensive walkways, cycleways and green spaces as well as commercial space and new business. The development will take some 15 years to deliver."
The works extends right through to Clifton and is a re-development of the former radio masts site which is no longer required.
At the end, just before the main road at Clifton, we passed through this construction site - a bridge for the new road that will link the development to Rugby town centre.
As we neared the place where we have previously accessed a large Tesco supermarket, we noticed that a long length of mooring rings has been installed wit the result that many boats were moored. We did find one of a couple of spaces to pull in so that we could go shopping. Both here and several times in the next couple of miles, the canal was narrowed by boats moored on both sides and we had to pull back to allow a boat through the other way. Only one could pass at a time.
Although it was now nearly five o'clock we opted to move on and look for a more rural spot - and also one with a tv signal.
We passed through the short Newbold Tunnel - sadly no longer illuminated.
It took a little longer than we had hoped as we followed a very slow boat with no chance of passing. Although the bank was not as good as it looked in our pictures from previous trips past here, we did manage to get alongside shortly after Cathiron Bridge. Although we had to use the plank we were rewarded by tv for the evening!
12.2 Miles -3 Locks
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