Variable Weather - Again

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Cath)

Top end of Atherstone flight.

We spent the night near Springwood Haven, a nice place to moor, good walks for the dogs, and quiet. We also set off a little later than planned this morning. It was dry but cloudy. The trees are green, but the hawthorn is laden with heavy blossom, as if a sudden snowfall has happened overnight.

 

Alan sets of to set up the next lock, ("Lock wheeling" as it is known)

We got to the Atherstone flight around 10:30. There were several 'vollies' (volunteer lockkeepers) working.

Alan and I have an agreement. We always used to swap over every 5 or 6 locks, but Alan broke his pelvis some years back, and since then I have done more of the lock working, and he has done more of the steering. We've now agreed that we both need the exercise, so we'll swap regularly - this is good for me too, so that I get more practice steering in flights of locks.

The dogs are doing what they are told they must do!

Alan did the first five locks in the flight, then we tied up, and went shopping. Atherstone looks interesting, but the shops actually seem to have no real content - large numbers of charity shops, and little else. We have too much clutter in the house already. We bought milk and a few other things in the Co-op, then back to the boat for lunch before I took over steering.

Steadily onwards - once a lock is done, dogs can run free.

The six locks that I steered were done in sunshine, so I thought that I was onto a winner volunteering to steer until Polesworth. I couldn't have been further from the truth. We spoke to friends moored a couple of hundred metres from the bottom of the flight, who were sitting in the sun - then as we headed off again the heavens opened. It was miserable.

 

Getting towards bottom of Atherstone flight

Rain dripped down my waterproof coat, down my waterproof trousers, and into my not-waterproof trainers. It coursed down the sleeves of my waterproof coat, and down inside the wrists of my waterproof gloves. The bottom of the canal is far too near the top, and the boat was dragging the bottom making steering hard work.

 

Odin pauses  for a breather - 2 locks still to do.

Then, just as we got to Polesworth, and Alan took over, the rain stopped. (Before you think Alan got away Scot Free, Alan wishes to point out we only currently have one pair of gloves, so he had to try to get his somewhat larger hands into the pair Cath handed to him soaking wet.)

 

Moored directly outside the "Samuel Barlow" at Alvecote.

Our plan was always to stop at Alvecote - there is a good pub there, with excellent food, and what is even better, somewhere for Odin the Dogge to swim in the woodlands.

I got changed into running kit - I'm trying to start running again, after a fifteen year break, now that I am finally, officially 'old'. I just couldn't face the idea that I wouldn't run again. So I've started the 'Couch to 5 K' programme - week one. I set off into the woodlands near Alvecote, and Alan and David took the dogs for a walk (and for Odin, a swim in the woodland lake). 

After a shower we headed off to the pub - we are moored about 10 metres away, so not difficult. A good meal, good wine, beer, etc.

Springwood Haven to Alvecote
Miles 10.3, Locks: 11
Total Miles 51.5, Total Locks: 28