Fosse Way

Today's Canal - Grand Union

What a change a night can make! After the dampness of yesterday - and it was very wet overnight - we awoke today to bright sunshine which stayed exactly the same until we moored.

Yesterday's volunteers were as good as their word and had texted today's team and so one lockie was ready for us when we set off at 10 o'clock. He had come down a few locks with another boat. We shared the rest of the flight, and the two Cape Locks, with them and a very harmonious arrangement it made. As a result, the time through all six locks disappeared very quickly.

The view of the splendid bottom lock house and this lock sign is always welcome for boaters coming down Hatton, even those who split it over two days!

Immediately after the flight we passed the entrance to Saltisford Arm, home to, amongst others, Jo and Keith on Hadar once trading as a coal boat. A link to them is on our blog roll - they are off on heir journeys at the moment.

The two Cape Locks follow - the pub Cape of Good Hope was first opened in the early part of the 19C and has served not only boaters but also workers in nearby industry. From  around1860 to 1915 there was also a prison. This part of Warwick is still labelled The Cape on maps.

Just below the locks is an enclosure which recently has gained a multi coloured screen As a result we have not been able to discover what it contains!

Yet another new housing estate. As so often happens with canal-side developments, the houses furthest from the canal r ae bult first and building work moves towards the water's edge. presumably the presumably desirable canal location is kept to the last to help with sales of the first part!

Between Bridges 48 and 49 is an area known as Emscote where several former industrial buildings have been repurposed. Originally this was a substantial Emscote Gelatine Mill but later was used for pie production. The pub at Lowsonford on the Stratford Canal has long been famed for its pies (we have been there a few times). As its reputation spread and demand increased it had to set up a factory to bake them away from the village. This was here. There is a bit more about the mill on this site.

Wide beam (and in this case very wide beam) boats are controversial on this canal and various problems have been reported at times. This one must surely come closer to contravening the bylaws on mooring as it leaves insufficient width for another boat of its own size to pass. Just behind it is a bridge and boats coming either way are unable to see whether traffic is coming towards them until rather late.

As planned we arrived at the mooring close to a large Morrisons store in Leamington in time to visit for a good top of our food stores before we had lunch.

Well into the afternoon we set off again and started on the long climb back up to the summit level for Braunston (not that we are quite going that way - at least on present plans!)

The locks are generally well spread out on this section (apart from the flight at Stockton), very different from Hatton. This means adopting a slightly different approach to working the locks but we were rather fortunate in having boats coming the other way to empty them for us. The traffic this afternoon was distinctly much busier than for some time. We paused for the night just above he Fosse locks having stopped below the last one to take on water and empty the elsan. Still a bright sunny day!

8.2 Miles - 10 Locks