The day began misty and gradually turned to rain, sometimes light and sometimes a bit heavier although it never reached the point at which we needed to retreat inside rather than continue cruising. However, it never became a photogenic trip!
A number of old boats are regularly moored just before Tomlow bridge. This tug boat must have seen considerable arduous work in it life time and, with careful and loving restoration could become quite some sight.
Also moored here is for former working boat Corona that was enthusiastically restored by Trevor Maggs when he bought it in 1968 for £600 in a very sorry state. He kept and maintained it for the rest of his life - sadly he died in January last year - and was well know for running it at weekends as a coal boat in the Midlands area. Just shows what can be done with older boats!
At some moorings a little further on we saw this boat with very unconventional bow windows. No doubt inside there is a great view - all the better for protection when raining.
After about half an hour we arrived at Stockton Top where a boat coming up filled the lock for us. Although the locks on the northern Grand Union mostly have these 'candlestick' paddles which can look somewhat intimidating, the locks fill or empty very quickly even using the paddles on one side only. Some can be a bit stiff and they do take 24 turns to lift. Also the gates are very well balanced and refuse to open until the last moment when you can feel the water level release them and then they open smoothly.
There was a steady stream of boats coming up (some more pleasant than others!) so out of the 8 Stockton Locks we only had to close up three of them after going down. we completed the eight in 75 minutes.
Below the locks is the famous 18C inn The Blue Lias. Actually, when it was built it was a farmhouse but the early canal users stopped here for stabling their horses overnight and for food. As a result, it became an inn. Blue Lias is a particular type of stone which is quarried locally to convert into cement. The pub sign features a dinosaur - a tenuous connection but dinosaurs lived in the period when Blue Lias was laid down! We have never been to the pub - perhaps we will have to find an excuse some time.
At Itchington Bottom Lock, Christine popped to a small shop nearby which she has visited almost every time we pass this way, mainly for a paper and they have so far not let us down! Another boat, nb Mad Hatter caught up with as we were completing the lock and we said that we would wait for them at Bascote Staircase. In the end, we worked through all of the remaining locks before Leamington Spa together. A couple of grandparents had daughter and three able bodied grand children on board for the day so we did not want for lock operators.
But before we reached Bascote we passed this very large field of ripe pumpkins. As they are almost only bought for Halloween, if they are not harvested very soon they will not reach the shops in time. We did wonder if this was an example of the recently reported loss of seasonal crops because there are insufficient migrant workers around, supposedly concerned about the impact of Brexit.
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Gradually in the afternoon the rain eased off and cruising and locking became a bit pleasanter! #
Bridge 33 is just before the last lock and we have included this picture because of the range of colours and textures in the old, well weathered, brickwork.
So, here we are at the bottom lock, with a view back to the old railway bridge which once carried the Rugby and Leamington branch of the L&NW Railway.
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Our lock companions were aiming to back at their mooring in Warwick before dusk so they pressed on once we were out of the last lock - although it was relatively early to stop we planned to take our overnight mooring at Radford Semele, just on the outskirts of Leamington. From here good moorings are not so easy to find until the other side of Warwick.
A permanent mooring shortly after the lock looks as if it is trying to compete with Charity Dock on the Coventry!
Just over half a mile later we pulled in - although this is usually a popular mooring with limited spaces at the end of a day, we had ample room to choose from. For a few moments just before sunset, the clouds cleared a little and let a few glimmers of sunshine through!
8.3 Miles - 20 Locks
That field of pumpkins was being intensely harvested when we passed at the start of the month. There were dozens of pickers, and huge crates of pumpkins all over the field. I'm amazed there are so many left!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Perhaps these will end up as 'Wonky Pumpkins' at Morrisons!
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