When we awoke at just after four this morning the very full moon was shining brightly in a clear sky.
Our camera is not really up to this sort of picture but, with some extreme image processing we had sufficient to give an impression of how amazing it was.Luckily we both went back to sleep quite quickly after this diversion.
We we awoke properly we found another amazing day, weather-wise. This is the same view as the moonlit one but with a bright blue sky (and no image processing!)
We set off as usual with a level pound until Atherstone. Along the way we passed through Hartshill, once a major maintenance yard for the canal company anmd still retained for some works.
A little further we passed these remains of a a former quarry with what looks like the heaps of waste material piled up above. The quarry does not appear on OS maps until the 1930's and so cannot have had a particularly long life.
The other side of the accommodation bridge that led to the quarry there are some current development works but we have so far not found out what is happening - other than several industrial units are being put up and extensive piling alongside the canal.
The next site along is an odd combination: Harvey's Joinery & Boatbuilders with Towpath Alpacas! We did not see any signs of boats being built at the moment, but the unit is till operational and we managed to catch sight of one or two alpacas!
We both remarked as we cruised alonmg that this stretch of the Coventry Canal is much prettier and peaceful than we recalled - but perhaps too many of our previous visits here have been in the rain! In any event, all of the run down former industrial sites have all but been re-developed and there are few eyesores to blight the landscape.
Apart, that is from this building just before the locks. Apparently it is now listed and dates back into the 19C. Known as the Britannia Woks it was the base for Wilson and Stafford's hat factory (one of the main industries for which Atherstone became famous) which closed in 1999, bringing an end to that tradition. A developer is seeking permission for plans to develop the building into apartments.
There were four volunteer lock keepers on duty today and all were most helpful indeed.
At the top lock they are trying to keep score: our passage was given a mark just after taking this photo.
Much of the top half of the flight is in leafy tree lined pounds.
The last lock keeper we met was at Lock 5, the one that givers access to the town. The boat coming up was a single hander, determined to do everything without help and in his own particular way. The volunteer was a model of customer service and just gracefully moved away when his offer of help was declined. (However, he did have an interesting conversation with Christine who was still waiting at the lock above!)
We tied up on the visitor moorings below this lock where A5 bypass bridge passes over the canal.We locked up and walked under the railway bridge to the main street. This is the alignment of the old Watling Street. The railway was originally constructed with a level crossing over the road. As traffic increased on both the intersection became a bone of contention between different authorities. Whilst the level crossing continued as the main route, a small underpass was in place some time before 1887. A diversion of the A5 over a bridge was built in the early part of the 20C and later replaced by the present bypass bridge which still has otherwise strange alignments of roads linking into the town. (see)
The main road through the town centre follows the route of the Roman road and is both wide and at one time was very handsome. Many of the buildings can be seen to have grand uses in the past - some still do. However, most of the retail outlets are small specialist shops or little cafes.
According to an information board, the Albert Hall was built by public subscription in 1876 as a mission hall. It could accommodate 500 people for prayer or public meetings and was intended as an alternative meeting place to the many pubs which flourished in the town. What caught our eye was its present use: it is now known as the Kingdom Gym. Not sure if the original subscribers would enjoy the pun!
We walked back across Market Square - there were just a few stalls today and we just picked up a large bag of cherry tomatoes.
We wanted to visit the parish church - we came here at Easter 2016 and found it very run down but with an enthusiastic new assistant curate. What a difference we found just two and a half years later. The curate was licensed as the vicar earlier this month.
Not only has a heritage lottery grant enabled major repairs and the whole church can be used once more, it also provided a number of excellent information panels. The small back area that was the only part in use in 2016 is now a community and heritage cafe that attracts many who would not otherwise visit.
There is a special exhibition about local people who lost their lives in the 1914-1918 conflict. Portrait photos are combined with short biographies - many show how so many ordinary and poor people from large families were drawn in and often lasted a very short time at the front.
It was also evident that there are lots of different things happening - worship looks as if it has been transformed.
We walked back down the main street to the large Co-Op next to the station. We did not have a lot to get but we should now only need the usual basics of milk, bread and papers until we return home. outside the store we spotted this statue that depicts and adult and child taking part in the famous annual Ball Game in the town which has been held each Shrove Tuesday for the past 800 years. Both figures wear hats to celebrate the hatting and felting industries and the child stands on a pile of books.
When we returned to the boat we had a rather late lunch and it was three o'clock before we recommenced our descent of the locks. In the next pound a soft offside bank repair is underway.
We have been particularly struck with the quantity of red hawthorn berries that decorate the towpath hedges.
Eventually we emerged from the bottom of lock 11. We continued the short distance to Grendon Services where we stopped briefly to use the sani station. Time then to look for a mooring and we found somewhere that looked as if it would yield a tv signal - not easy as much of the canal here is edged with substantial trees and shrubs.
7.1 Miles - 11 Locks
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