April 20th 2010
I've been demoted from Ship's Idiot. We switched everything on and filled the hot water system. ‘It's taking a while’. I thought. I then realised I hadn't re-connected the plumbing in the engine bay after draining the system. Two inches of water in the bilge! Now Dotterel has a really dry bilge so I haven't had to pump it out. Good job really because I then found the bilge pump switch to be missing a power lead!!!! I fixed it and then pumped the water out. It's all back together now and we have hot water but who knows when SWIMBO will allow me regain my old rank.
By the way we have left the marina!!!!!!
Jo did an ace job of getting out despite the broken down boat moored opposite the exit.
We moored on the bit between Braunston and Napton near Flecknoe.
21st
We moored just below Hillmorton Locks.
22nd
TV withdrawal! You can't get good digital TV at Hillmorton. We stopped at some good moorings near Bridge 34 and walked into Brinklow. We tried the nice looking White Lion first but they weren't serving food despite what the Nicholson Guide said. So we went to the Raven which was really nice, They had Banks's Mild on and really good pub food. We carried on much invigorated and have arrived at Ansty. There are good visitor moorings between bridge 14 and 15 The skies are crystal clear as the volcano has stopped flight!
23rd
We really liked the trip into Coventry. We saw two moving boats and very few moored ones so had the canal pretty much to oursleves.
There were a few boats in then basin including a hotel pair breasted up to make entry into the basin that much harder. We had seen this pair before - speeding past the moored boats at Braunston. Shortly afterwards a canaltime boat came in. We had helped them down Hillmorton locks the other day as they were a bit new and struggling. They couldn’t get the weed hatch up so I gave them a hand and a large amount of rubbish was collected. In turns out the hotel pair had overtaken them earlier, the first thing the lady steerer new was the bows were coming past her! I know it's difficult with a pair but I always understood that you only overtake when invited. If they had to then what about a toot on the horn?
These are Cash's Hundred Houses, a row of weavers cottages. The top floor used to contain the looms. Actually 48 were built and 37 remain.
I don't think we could get up to this speed!
There was plenty of demolition going on.
But some industy.
Plenty of grafitti.
And interesting architecture.
We hoped we wouldn't need to feed the meter at the basin.
Jo reversed into the basin.
We had lunch in the cafe at the basin so I'm even let off cooking this evening.
It's nice here but the sky is now full of vapour trails as the volcano has stopped, I preferred it blue!
It must be our day for helping people because a young man asked us loads of questions as he wants his own boat. We showed him around and then on the way out rescued a football for a couple of kids.
‘Can you get our ball back mister?’
It is on the off side in very shallow water but why not? Full reverse to stop then back a bit and edge the stern towards the ball get it with the boat hook and then head to the bank. Two very grateful kids later!
Interesting re-use of old buildings
And we both liked this bridge.
But we couldn't quite figure this one out E?
There was still some old architecture.
Moored at Anstey again I think.
24th
We moored near Barby just North of Braunston but an interesting stop at Newbold and investigated the remains of the old canal tunnel. This was abandoned after the canal was straigntened in the 1820s. It is just by the church and you can get to one end. The other seems to have vanished under housing (I wonder how that sounds on your house buyer's report ‘may be on derelict canal tunnel!!’). Anyway the end you can see is bricked up but has two holes in it. I put the camera in one and used the light from the other to take a long exposure.
We were back at Calcutt the next day.
Cheers Graham
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