Thursday 27th December 2018



We left our mooring between Stoke Golding and Dadlington early on a very mild but damp and misty morn. We were intending to back-track and retrace our steps to visit the Battle of Bosworth site. This meant us cruising for over a mile to reach the first winding hole. On the way down we called into Ashby Canal Centre for gas, £30 for the cylinder.

After turning we came up behind an Ashby day boat that had just left the yard and headed in the same direction. We have gone days and days on this canal and not seen any boats move and now we are right behind one.

At Sutton Wharf we called in to the service point again, water, loo and rubbish and also did a wash while on the water point. Much easier doing it that way, with the engine running and able to fill once the wash is finished. A wash takes ¼ of our water tank capacity. I must measure the tank to determine the capacity.

We then continued on. This was our third time on this stretch of water and, once again, beyond the abandoned railway bridge 34a, the speed dropped right off and the engine started to labour. It can only be that the canal becomes very shallow. All the way from the railway bridge to the winding hole at Shenton, a distance of over a mile. This was born out at the winding hole which is located on an awkward 90˚ bend anyway. To wind, you first have to position the boat to one side of the centre of the main channel to give enough room to swing the boat. As soon as we moved off the centreline, the boat started to list alarmingly and the speed dropped right off.

Keeping the power on, we gradually gained the centreline again and started to swing the boat in what had now become a very narrow channel. The bow became grounded but, eventually, with a lot of forwards and backwards movements and a lot of power, she came round.

We then moved down to bridge 35 where we intended to moor but, after several tries we gave up on the idea. The boat was repeatedly going aground and would come no more than 3 feet off the bank despite trying in several places.  

It was all very frustrating.

So we moved back down the canal and moored just beyond the railway bridge. It transpired that this mooring was much better anyway. At last, in the middle of nowhere and well away from any roads or housing. It seems a long time since we have had a rural mooring.

We went for a walk along the railway bed. We could not notice that, at the service point at Sutton there is a big car park which was full, with hordes of people walking over the same route. From the car park to the Bosworth Battlefield site, down the railway to the canal and then along the canal back to the car. A lovely 3 mile walk and nice to see lots of family groups.



Weather: very mild, damp and misty.



Day Total: 0 locks; 7 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 7.1

                                                                                         (including running of engine for hot water etc)

Overall Total: 323 locks; 652 miles; 30 tunnels; 5 Swing Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 402.2






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