Friday 26th October 2018



Today was a very busy day with a lot of short moves for one thing and another.

I was awake early again. Took Harvey for a walk just as the dark was fading. We went along the towpath but, as he does, he wandered over the bridge towards the pub. The farmers’ wife stopped her jeep on the bridge ranting about him not being on a lead. Apparently the ewes in the field opposite were just about to lamb and she had already lost a number due to dogs worrying them.

I serviced the engine. Oil and filter, gearbox oil, air filter and fuel filter. Then had another visit to the chandler but they had little of what I was looking for.

We then moved down through the last two Braunston locks, moored beside the marina and walked into the village for shopping, including the excellent butcher. We then moved again, less than a hundred yards to the water point only to find a boat moored on the service point. After about 15 minutes the owner, a young girl travelling single-handedly, returned. She had been for a walk.

There was rubbish disposal but a notice saying that toxic waste, including oil, could not be left at the site. We had 10 litres of old oil from the servicing. I felt very bad about it, but left the oil there. What else are we supposed to do with it. It is all very well saying it has to go to an authorised site that can deal with old oil, but with no car that is difficult. There should be more facilities. The only canal-side oil disposal site we have seen is the tip in Middlewich, and that is because we knew it was there.

We then moved again a few hundred yards to Midland Chandlers who had more of what we were looking for. So today, we have spent another £100 on the boat, on paint and bits and pieces to improve security mainly.

We then, finally, left Braunston behind us heading for Hawkesby Junction and Coventry. We are now travelling on well-known ground. Our shared ownership Challenger boat, Empire, was based at Hillmorton just a few miles from here, for her first 2 years.

The wind had been fresh all day, but it suddenly became very cold. We were looking to moor just a few miles outside Braunston anyway and so stopped just beyond bridge 81 near Barby. We had just passed another new marina, a huge one, Dunchurch Pools. It is a shame we haven’t kept a note of all the new marina’s we have encountered, it must be well over a dozen. Lord knows, the canal would be absolutely grid locked if all the boats were to come out together. Just as well most of them never move.






Unbeknown to us, we are moored with the biggest prison in Europe, supposedly, just across the hedge from us. Onley Prison, the buildings, and there are many of them, are enormous.



Weather: cold and breezy. Some very dark skies.



Day Total: 2 locks; 3 miles; 1 Tunnel; 0 Swing Bridge; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 2.0

Overall Total: 306 locks; 509 miles; 23 tunnels; 2 Swing Bridge; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 312.9




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