Heading north: Day 7

Another sunny day.  We had scrambled eggs for breakfast as it was Sunday, and set off about 9.15.  Just around the corner was Huddlesford Junction, where a boat club use the remains of the Lichfield Canal as moorings.

Parts of this canal are very pretty, with nice little bridges and reeds.

Parts of it, at Streethay, run right next to the A38, which isn’t so nice.  Before long we were entering Fradley, where lots of new houses are still going up on the old airfield.  We found a space before the junction and tied up.  We went for a walk down the locks, dropping off our rubbish on the way.  There were loads of people out and about enjoying the weather and the canal.  The junction was looking particularly pretty, and I think the Swan pub has had a repaint.

We walked up the locks too, and then went for an early lunch at the Canalside cafe at the holiday park, where the toasted sandwiches were pretty good.  Returning to the boat, we set off again, with Adrian walking back to swing the little bridges out of the way and walk up to the locks.

There was a volunteer at Middle Lock, so he worked that one and sent Adrian up to get Shadehouse Lock ready.  Shadehouse is one that has a bridge over the tail.

A little further on is Wood End Lock, and as we arrived someone on the towpath said hello to me.  It was a boat builder I’m visiting tomorrow for a magazine boat test; I hadn’t recognised him at first, out of context.  At the lock, the new bottom gates both swung open, but some people watching came and held them closed.  We moored just along from Kings Bromley Marina, because of my boat test tomorrow morning.  It was only about 2pm, but we have a former colleague of Adrian’s visiting as he lives nearby, and Helen and Andy are coming round this evening.

7 miles, 3 locks.  (84 miles, 40 locks)

Northern Exposure: Day 5

We had excellent food in the Samuel Barlow pub last night, and then a couple of hours of chat with Helen and Andy, who drove over from their home.  It was great to catch up with them.  This morning we were awake early again, and set off before 8am.  After an hour or so of studying the back gardens of Amington, we got to the two Glascote Locks.  The top one needed filling, but the second one required only a top up.  We went straight through Fazeley Junction, staying on the Coventry Canal — although the next section was actually built by the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, which explains why the bridges have names rather than numbers.  The canal up to and beyond Hopwas is rather pretty.

Once again today the wind built as the day went on, and it was very gusty at times.  We passed through Huddleston Junction and then past Streethay Wharf.  On the approach to Fradley there are some new houses which I’m sure weren’t here last time we came this way, built in a 1930s style.

There’s what appears to be a huge housing development going up on the other side of the canal too, on what used to be an aerodrome.  At the junction, Adrian got off to swing the little bridge out of the way, then we turned left onto the Trent and Mersey, watched by a few people at the Swan.

Both the two Fradley locks were in our favour.  We’re more used to wide locks, so the bridge over the entrance to Shadehouse Lock appears impossibly small.

We went up Woodend Lock too, and continued for a couple of miles, mooring up on a stretch of piling just after Kings Bromley Marina.  It was only 2.30 but had become very windy and cold.  We’ve started catching up on the new series of Last Tango in Halifax.

17 miles, 5 locks.  (85 miles, 40 locks)