West Mids Meander: Day 20

It was dry and a bit brighter this morning, but quite chilly when the cloud was at its thickest.  We set off at 8, and made our way past the allotments and back gardens of Nuneaton.  We past a fuel boat going the other way.

At Marston Junction, a boat seemed to have just come off the Ashby Canal, but was over at the far side of the winding hole, so we slipped past.  Charity Dock seemed to have more boats, now double moored most of the way along, and more comedy, with a load of new characters in the gardens.

We planned to stop for water at Hawkesbury Junction, but two of the taps we could have used were in use, and another was broken.  The two boats ahead of us turned under the bridge onto the Oxford Canal.

We carried on straight towards Coventry Basin, where we haven’t been since 2015.  Then I commented on new housing, and now there is even more.  Some, down by the basin, has Coventry Canal Company on it, and I wonder what the actual company would have made of it.

The bridge into the basin always looks impossibly small.

At the moment you have to book a mooring in the basin, because of Coventry being UK City of Culture.We booked online at the end of last week, and the only space available was on C mooring.  I had no idea which one that was, but by fluke we seem to have pretty much the best mooring in the whole place.  There is a floating library/reading room behind us.

We went for lunch at the cafe in the basin — passable toasted sandwiches, but nothing special — and then went for a walk into the city centre, which seems much improved since the last time we were here.  We visited the old and new Cathedrals, where the tapestry and stained glass always impress.

This evening, I am making use of being reasonably close to a station by getting a train into London for a work event.

13 miles, 0 locks.  (229 miles, 246 locks)

Going West: Day 23

It was a fantastically bright sunny morning when we woke up, but it was also chilly. At 8 we moved the couple of hundred yards to the water point at the CRT Hartshill wharf, to top up the tank and start the washing machine. The buildings are lovely, but look as though they could do with a bit of care and attention.

The canal through Nuneaton didn't seem so full of rubbish as it has been in the past. There's not much of interest through the town, save for an apparent time lord, and a tree at the bottom of someone's garden decorated with dozens of glass ornaments, which were sparkling in the sunshine.

In fact the sun was dazzling me for quite a lot of this morning's journey, making it difficult to see where we were going. However, it seemed churlish to complain about it. Just before Bedworth we passed Marston Junction, the start of the Ashby Canal. A boat had apparently just come out of the junction -- I hadn't seen it emerge, and it was lingering on the far side of the wide. A little further on, Charity Dock is looking even more bizarre than ever, if such a thing is possible. It's known for it's piles of, well, scrap, I suppose, and vignettes posed with mannequins. They seem to have outdone themselves at the moment.

As we approached Hawkesbury Junction we moored in the first available space we saw, although it turned out there was masses of space available. About an hour later Marilyn and David arrived on Waka Huia for a lunch date. It was the first time we'd met, but having read each other's blogs it felt as though we already knew each other. We went down to The Greyhound for a very good lunch, and we joined by Marilyn's friend, Lesley. It was really great to meet the, and spend some time with them.

By the time we'd had a look at each other's boats it was getting on for 3.30. It was still a decent afternoon, so we decided we'd carry on down to Coventry. It's five and a half miles, and takes almost two hours. It's quite a few years since we were last here in 2009, so we're interested to see what had changed. One of the main things was lots of new housing. On many of the fences along the canal are collections of plastic bags, seemingly filled with rubbish. I assume they're makeshift bins, which is better than all the rubbish ending up in the water; or there could be some cultural or social significance which has passed me by.

The bridge into the basin is pretty small. Once inside, the former moorings are now used as a hire base, so the other arm of the basin has been opened up for mooring. We winded and reversed up to the far end of the arm. Holderness is also here, on the mooring between the two arms.

14 miles, 0 locks. (286 miles, 245 locks)