Nottingham to Hawkesbury

After leaving Nottingham we wanted to cover some distance so our first stop was at Sawley and from there we moved on to the Rageley Boat Stop pub.  Here we made good use of the electric on the moorings and, as always, enjoyed an excellent meal in the pub.  

On Monday we called in at Midland Chandlers, Willington, to replace the rope that was stolen in Nottingham and we bought some extra to make smaller mooring ropes.  After following a boat crawling along on tick-over we eventually arrived at Burton-upon-Trent where our new steel chimney was dangerously close to a low bridge.  It slipped under the first girder but hit the second with a loud clatter and came off the top of the flue.  Luckily it was only bent and Kev was able to straighten it out, needless to say our Nicholson's guide has been duly annotated.  

We stopped a little further along at Shobnall Fields where a swathe of daffodils lined the moorings.  It seemed the locals liked the daffodils, we saw several come along to pick themselves a large bunch.  

Daffodils in bloom at Burton-upon-Trent

The next morning we made an early start to avoid the dawdlers.  On the way we passed the farm that advertises llama trekking. 

Llama's at the trekking centre.

Our early start paid off and we moored up at Fradley Junction having seen only one other boat on the move.  That evening we noticed a swan paddling up and down in the bottom of the narrow lock unable to get out; it's partner had more sense, she was waiting at the top.  Kev walked back with the windlass to flood the lock and reunite the couple.  

On Wednesday we arose to the lively dawn chorus from Fradley Nature reserve and, after Tuesday's success, had another early start.  Unfortunately this stretch of the Coventry Canal is shallow and contained a lot of debris which kept snagging round our prop.  It was a cold day, not the best for Kev to plunge his arms into the water to clear off the rubbish.  At Whittington the poly-tunnels for asparagus where up, covering a long stretch of fields next to the canal.

A small section of the poly-tunnels

Good Friday was a glorious spring day and we saw some other early starters as we climbed the 11 locks of the Atherstone Flight.  A quiet stretch of canal north of Nuneaton provided a good place to stop.  

 

Enjoying the sun near Nuneaton

From my viewpoint on the bridge I could also see the impressive Caldecote Hall which was built in 1880 and is now converted into apartments.  

Caldecote Hall

The next morning the wind was getting up and heavy rain was forecast.  On the outskirts of Nuneaton the canal became a floating rubbish dump and after seeing 4 tyres and a door floating along we expected more problems with prop fouling; luckily we were wrong.   We turned onto the Oxford Canal at Hawkesbury Junction and went a little way before stopping, it wasn't a pretty mooring but the weather was turning.  The canal was fairly busy during the rest of the day but boating in strong wind and driving rain is not for us.   

Our journey from Nottingham to Hawkesbury Junction