Fradley Junction

We’re still here, we were thinking of moving on today but it was still very windy this morning so we’re hanging on till tomorrow. Aside from the wind it’s been a fairly good day, although it’s just started to rain now.

I’ve made good progress with my little project, enough so you can actually see what’s happening.

The new part-bulkhead behind Mags….
Still the capping to fit to the board edges, then sanding and varnishing.

We’re sheltered by a good stand of trees here, but they were looking a bit dodgy yesterday afternoon….

A couple came down on the far side where it’s more exposed, but nothing across the canal.

I broke off from what I was doing to get a couple of bags of solid fuel from a passing coal boat…

…who’s moored for the night outside The Swan.

Looks good in monochrome, doesn’t it. Could almost be 1950, apart from the satellite dish.The boat is the Auriga, a Grand Union Carrying Company Star Class boat, built in 1935 by Harland and Wolff. Before being sold into private hands she was part of the Trent and Mersey maintenance fleet.

It’s a pleasant short walk around Fradley Pool alongside the canal. Now a nature reserve, it was built to make sure that the Coventry Canal did not benefit from any surplus water coming down the flight.

Fradley Pool

Water is channelled from above Middle Lock, bypassing the junction and into the pool, from where it is released back into the canal below Keepers Lock.
The wet stuff was very precious to the canal companies.

Moving tomorrow, definitely!



Locks 0, miles 0.