Good progress, but rain stopped play.

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Alan)

(Post for Wednesday 28 August)


Our standard not too taxing day from Springwood Haven would probably take us to the All Oaks Wood moorings on the Oxford canal.  However despite a not particularly early start, we were making very good progress, with no hold ups.

The only photo taken today, it seems - we must try harder!

Or nearly no hold ups, at least.  Approaching Hawkesbury, Cath caught up with the community boat "The Hargreave" - I knew we would likely encounter it somewhere, when we passed its base in Nuneaton, and it wasn't on it.  Often this is not one of the better handled community boats, and in fact on occasions we have wondered how a steerer can possibly be approved to operate it.  Today it was mostly just tediously slow, but it turned out it was mooring outside the Greyhound to disgorge it's passengers - presumably for lunch.  We were grateful it was going no further, but moored in the winding hole it further guaranteed I had no chance of coming around the 180 degree turn at Hawkesbury in one.

We were far to early in the day at All Oaks to consider stopping there, and in fact there really wasn't any space anyway, so I pressed on, still making good speed.  I seem to be mastering many of the trickier narrow tight bends that are badly silted on the inside, and getting into  far less difficulties than I have in the past - famous last words - something dramatic will now happen tomorrow.

I would have pressed on as far as Hillmorton, but Cath needed a quick shop, and finding mooring space to visit the big Tesco at Brownsover in Rugby is often tricky.  As there is a more minor supermarket as Newbold, as there were plenty of moorings, and as it now looked set in to rain, we have stopped there.  Once again we have beaten CanalPlanAC's default timings by some margin, whereas in the past we have often taken a lot longer than their estimates.  OK, to some extent it is to do with what you get stuck behind, if at all.  However I'm still just about prepared to believe that the more we get used to the boat, the better we are at making reasonable progress without too many dramas.


Springwood Haven to Newbold
Miles 19.1, Locks: 1
Total Miles 80.8, Total Locks:40