Monday 28th January 2019



Aaron is coming out to visit us tomorrow so we had to move to get closer to a suitable meeting point, our water was becoming low anyway.

We were almost reluctant to leave here. We have both thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet. There was ice on the canal so we held off leaving until 10:30 after a Clifton Cruisers boat had passed and broken the ice, thank you, and we had done a wash. The ice gradually thawed out as the day wore on.

At Stretton Stop we passed through that stupid swing bridge again. It is really awkward approaching it from the Rugby direction as Rose Narrowboats have the majority of their hire fleet moored in the winding hole just before the bridge, so it is very difficult to get off the boat to open it. If ever anybody steals the bridge, I want to shake their hand. Beyond the bridge we watered up and picked up some wood laying in the side hedges.

We continued on to Hawkesbury Junction, Sutton Stop, with nothing much of note, this is the fifth time now of travelling this stretch of canal since October. We did see some herons, they have become few lately, and some bullfinches. Male bullfinches are a lovely, vibrant looking bird the size of a sparrow, shy so you don’t see many. When I was a kid we all had air rifles and used to shoot anything that moved including ships on the Manchester Ship Canal and the neighbourhood cats. The last thing I ever shot was a bullfinch but didn’t kill it outright and so had to finish it off myself. It was the last thing I ever shot for fun.

At Sutton Stop, we had to pass through the stop lock as the moorings were taken up. After dumping rubbish and emptying the loo we moved down the canal in the direction of Bedworth and moored up. A nice mooring with a towpath in a decent state. We soon adjourned to the Greyhound for a pint of mild and Pravha.



Weather: cold but a nice enough day.



Day Total: 1 lock; 8 miles; 0 Tunnels; 1 Swing Bridge; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 4.6                                    

Overall Total: 331 locks; 709 miles; 32 tunnels; 7 Swing Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 440.6






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