We awoke to very different weather from when we went to sleep! Instead of the wind, which had completely blown itself out, we had a very grey sky which threatened - and then delivered - light to moderate rain from late morning onwards.
Shortly before we set off, we were passed by a pair of former working boats and not long after they returned in the opposite direction - there was a winding hole just ahead. It was surprising that for all their extra bulk they moved our boat around hardly at all, compared with the effect of a more modern boat (especially a hire boat!) They were going fairly slowly but not that slow.
We passed nb Callisto, another fuel boat. It does seem that these boats are surviving surprisingly well at present. It must be quite a hard way to make a living.
Twenty minutes after casting off we arrived at Hillmorton locks with a couple of boats coming our way. Despite the fact that they waved to the following boats that someone was coming down, they closed and emptied the lock. However, they did have the decency then to open the gates of the other lock which was also full.
If you have been following the saga of Hillmorton locks this summer you may be wondering how come we could use both locks as part of the water saving measures was to chain up the locks overnight and then only to open one of each pair. Most people seem to be bemused about how this saves water (OK, the overnight bit is fair enough especially as these locks are prone to novice boaters leaving a gate of a paddle open late in the evening) But closing one lock without reducing the number of boat passages does not appear to achieve very much - and today's lock keeper agreed!
It was good to have a lock keeper that fitted the model that CaRT encourage - he was there to help those who wanted it but to leave alone those who did not, even if they clearly needed it! We were ore than grateful for his help - as well as a chance to have a brief chat.
After two locks we paused to use the sani station and the rubbish bins but were soon on our way down the third and final lock. We commented last time we came through Hillmorton about the mechanism at the top lock to transfer water between the pair of locks, but we realised this time that there is the same fitting at each of the three pairs - just shows how much you can miss even after passing this way several times! No, those are not love locks as seen on certain tourist bridges nor fancy ribbons, but the paraphernalia of locking up locks!
From here to Clifton we passed a significant number of boats, mostly starting their hire period - queue must surely have formed before too long.
The new bridge for the development of the old radio station - now named Houlton - has visibly progressed - a notice was issued a few days ago about when the construction team hope to lift the beams for the main deck into place. CaRT have negotiated that the closure will only be over-night.
We moored as usual close to Rugby Tesco store - this stretch of visitor moorings was unusually empty so we were only about four spaces away from the rod bridge.
As we only have a short trip this time we did not need to stock up with a very large order but it still filled three large bags! After we had completed our purchases, Mike returned to the boat whilst Christine made a visit to a nearby M && S to check out an item she had seen online. It turned out not to be a fruitful visit as not only did they not have the advertised item available, the retail park is not designed for pedestrians, even to walk from one store to the next and she felt that she was taking her life in her hands - or at least a threat of a drenching from fast moving vehicles that saw no reason to slow down as the splashed water towards helpless shoppers on foot!
By now it was lunch time - just as well as the rain became heavier for the next hour. By two o'clock it had eased enough to tempt us out and set off towards Brinklow, our planned stop for tonight.
No sooner had we set off than we had to wait a short while as a hire boat sorted itself out - it had tried to turn around at the entrance to the former Brownsover Arm (now a feeder) but this is not really a winding hole and they failed to find enough room to turn.
They made a second attempt at the entrance to the Rugby Arm - this is a designated winding hole but unfortunately they reversed their stern end into the hole and inevitably became stuck. This is quite a wide hole as it also provides the space for boats to turn in and out of the arm and before long they were completely aground right across the hole itself. No amount of pushing with a long shaft nor over-revving their engine made any impact so eventually we offered to pull them clear. We are always a bit nervous at doing this in case anything goes wrong - after all, we are not experts, only boaters trying to help someone in difficulties. Fortunately, all worked as it should and they were soon on their way - in the direction they wanted!
The weather made it difficult to take many photos and, in any case, it is only a couple of weeks since we last came this way. On the other hand, it is quite a pleasant cruise from here to the end of the canal. Mike also continued to look for signs of the original line of the canal but, apart from where a towpath bridge across a larger arm is still visible, most signs have disappeared. Unless you were following a specialist map, this kink in the towpath hedge where one such loop joined would pass unnoticed
We planned to stop at All Oaks Corner as it is a feasible walk into the village for the church service in the morning. Various sources, including the OS maps, call this All Oaks but others do give it as Hall Oaks. In any event, it is a pretty woodland but oaks are only a minority with many other species in this mixed deciduous forest.
Although here is quite a popular mooring, especially with those looking to stay as much of the 14 days allowed in one place as possible, we have always seen some room. On this occasion there were 4 or 5 CaRT work boats moored which reduced the otherwise available space considerably and by the time we reached the end of the designated mooring we had not found a slot. The next section is straight enough but the edge has not been dredged and so we ended up moored with about 300 mm between the boat and the bank. Another boat that came the other way at the same as we arrived found likewise.
Although the weather was not especially cold, the dampness made it seem so - hence we opted to start up the stove for the first time since the late spring.
12.0 Miles - 3 Locks
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