So, what have we been doing since last Tuesday?
Well, in the words of that chap on the A Team, “I love it when a plan comes together”!
We left our mooring at 09:30 on Wednesday, and by just after 10:00 were moored at the water point in Lowsonford. This is alongside a small car park for the use of the permit holder moorers just along the canal. Got a phone call from the coal man to say the delivery would be about 12:30, so took Meg for a walk while we waited. Spot on half-past, the transit with the coal arrived. (Calcutt & Son, from Henley in Arden, 01564 792436. If you are local and need fuel, give them a call. They're very helpful.) We’d got the 15 bags on the roof and I’d just closed the gate behind them when Mr Tesco arrived.
So it was open the gate again, and the side hatches, and pass in what seemed like enough supplies for a transatlantic crossing!
Everything safely aboard, we moved up through the last lock and moored almost opposite The Fleur de Lys again.
Carol and Sonja arrived a little later, and collected their portion of the rations and the fuel (you didn’t think all that was ours, did you….) then we relaxed for the rest of the day.
Thursday heralded a short-lived change in the weather. Still dry, but it turned a lot colder with cloudy skies and a cold wind. We decided to stay put, and move on on Friday.
So yesterday we were away around 11:00, up to Kingswood Junction for the services and then turned through the Link again and back onto the Grand Union.
Looking back to the Lapworth Link. Under the bridge on the left to Stratford, though the lock on the right to Birmingham.
Turning left on the Grand Union, the character of the Main Line asserts itself again, straight, deep and wide.
Grand Union north of Kingswood Junction.
We had a steady cruise of 3¼ miles to the bottom of Knowle Locks, planning to stop here for the weekend.
Knowle Locks.
Luckily, Carol had a chat with a guy moored further along the canal who told her that the locks were closed from Monday for 10 days for maintenance. I’d missed that on the stoppages list.
The plans for stopping for the weekend were scrapped, and today we moved up through the locks and carried on another couple of miles before mooring out in the wilds near bridge 74. Carol passed us, to moor nearer Catherine de Barnes and civilisation. The weather is back to frosty nights and fine sunny days, but unfortunately that means a bit of ice-breaking to do.
Carol Ice-Breaking
Moored in Splendid Isolation.
Before leaving this morning, I had a walk around Knowle. A pretty village, with some interesting old buildings.
The Library, Chester House.
St John the Baptist, St Lawrence and St Anne’s Church, built in 1402
Since last post – Locks 16, miles 8
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