Heading north: Day 4

We were awake early for some reason, so set off at about 7.30.  It was a stunning morning.

These waters are very familiar, from when we used to moor at Brinklow.  It’s still very pretty though, and we seemed to have the canal very much to ourselves.

In a couple of hours, we reached Hillmorton Locks.  Adrian topped up one so we could go in, and opened the gates to the paired lock for a boat heading up.

We swapped with a boat at the middle lock, and at the bottom one, so the flight hardly took any time at all. 

We needed shopping, so were hoping for a space at Rugby.  There were several to choose from including one that was on a straight section and close to the footpath to Tesco, so we moored up.  While we were shopping, I also got the battery in my watch replaced.  It was around 11.30 when we set off again, and were soon at the short Newbold Tunnel.

Just before All Oaks Wood, I saw my first ducklings of the year.  You may have to squint to see them.

The main point of interest was the cutting beyond All Oaks Wood, where landslips closed the canal for a while last year (or was it the year before).  The two sites still don’t look all that stable.

We passed through Stratton Stop without having to swing the bridge as there was a boat in front and one coming the other way.  The boat ahead stopped on the permanent farm moorings further along.  We went under the M6, through Ansty, and under the M69.  We were aiming for Hawkesbury Junction, in a repeat of a day we did back in 2020, on the trip which was curtailed by Covid.  We arrived about 3.45, and got a rare space with straight edge, just before the lock.

23 miles, 3 locks.  (49 miles, 23 locks)