Tuesday 30th October 2018



We were up at 5:40 ready for an early run into Coventry. We pulled the boat down and across the canal to the water point so as not to wake anybody. After watering, we set off for the 5 mile run.

It turned out to be easy going and we only saw a handful of people. There are a few really tight bends and awkward bridge holes. The housing in quite a few areas would suggest it was sensible to have done an early run. Better safe than sorry.

The original junction between the Oxford and Coventry Canals was at Longford, a mile further down the canal from the present junction at Hawkesbury. There was a dispute between the two canal companies over tolls. The two canals actually ran side by side until the junction was moved to Hawkesbury. The bed of the Oxford Canal can still be seen and, at Longford, the canal widens where the junction used to be.   









                                                                                              Longford Junction





Towards the end of the run, we came across a huge new housing development. There is an old Daimler Benz factory which has been renovated into apartments. Last time I was along here this building was almost derelict. Cash’s “Hundred Houses” is an elegant row of weavers’ houses, where the living accommodation was on the two lower floors and the top storey was occupied by the looms, driven by a single shaft from a steam engine.  









                                                                                        Cash’s One Hundred





We were moored up at 8:50. Coventry Canal Basin is a delightful place entered through a very small bridge with no towpath, a security measure from when the canal was built. Originally, no boats were left in the basin overnight and there was a gate fitted across this bridge.

The basin itself is bordered on all sides with old wharf buildings now converted into shops and offices with apartments above. The original road entrance to the basin had a toll office with entrances on both sides with weighbridges, one of which is still in place.



   





Brenda went into the city centre for a taste of civilisation and shopping therapy, she didn’t buy much. I stayed on the boat, had some quiet time and later walked to a B&Qs for some bits. The red paint that had been put on the boat hook has now been drying for four days, it has been brought inside to see if that helps it cure.

Later in the afternoon, another four boats arrived unscathed.



Weather: a cold but clear day.



Day Total: 0 locks; 5 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 2.0

Overall Total: 309 locks; 533 miles; 24 tunnels; 3 Swing Bridge; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 322.3




























Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday 22 nd June 2020   Brenda went to Devaney’s, the Middlewich butcher’s first thing, only to find them closed on account of a family bereavement, so went instead to Morrison’s. I stayed on the boat, readying to move and doing more work on family history. On Brenda’s return we both went to Morrison’s for a mega shop. Such hard work lugging loads of shopping back to the boat. We have decided we need to buy a second sack trolley. After the shopping was unpacked and stowed away, we had a cup of tea and some lunch and left the mooring just before 2pm. It felt so bloody good to be off cruising again, picking up where we left off when we left Middlewich on 10 th February, over 4 months ago, supposedly on the start of the cruising year after spending most of the winter static, in and around Middlewich, before the Corona Virus lock-down stopped us, and everybody else, dead in our tracks. We had an uneventful trip as far as Aqueduct Marina where we moored. When Bridge Street wa
Read more
Wednesday 24 th June 2020   Again, last night, the farmers were cutting and turning grass in the nearby fields but then, about 10pm, a heavy dew came down and stopped them working. And gave us a quiet night. We left the mooring just after 9am in order to arrive at Venetian when Susan opened at 10. We passed up Minshull Lock, such a pretty place. The lock-keepers cottage here, we nearly bought when we first moved back to Cheshire in 2000.                                          Minshull Lock-Keepers Cottage                                                    Marina Dwellers at Syke’s Hollow   Syke’s Hollow had been reclaimed by the marina dwellers, Gazebo Wharf as they term it, 6 boats in all. Good for them. I suppose they will be there now until the end of the summer. At the marina, we took on fuel and a gas cylinder, bought some goods and Brenda had a well-earned ice-cream. Susan was pleased to see us
Read more
Friday 26 th June 2020   We both had a terrible night. It got to 28 ˚ and was airless. Rain started at 4am but it did nothing to cool the place down. The rain stopped as soon as it started but came again before 8am and continued heavily until midday. Once the rain had cleared we walked up into Christleton village. It felt so good to be back out and exploring again, although the church was only open for private prayer on Wednesday and Sunday. The centre of the village was delightful, a pretty village, full of some lovely old buildings. Even outwith the actual centre, there was an abundance of gorgeous properties.                                    St. James Church, Christleton                                                            Christleton Village Centre   We returned to the boat, picked up Harvey and went for a walk around the site of the Battle of Rowton Moor, a Civil War battle fought on 24 th September 164
Read more