Ashby Canal - New Technology and Old Battle

Leo is now moored at the very end of the navigable part of the Ashby Canal about a third of a mile beyond where we were able to reach last time we came here in 2013. This is the story of our cruise up the Ashby but first we can proudly display our new solar panels. So here goes:

About a month ago when we were at Llangollen we booked to have two solar panels installed at Springwood Haven Marina near Nuneaton. Well we made it in time and here is a picture of the marina. We arrived on Wednesday (2nd October) and were asked to just back Leo into the first of the two polytunnels you can see in the picture. That manouevre went surprisingly well.

Here we are in the polytunnel making use of the access to both sides of the boat to do a bit of cleaning and even some paint touching up.

Helen walked round the marina and took this photo showing Leo just peeping out of the right hand polytunnel.

Kevin worked hard for much of the day and here you can see the fruits of his labour. We now have 230 watts of solar power on Leo which means we don't have to run the engine to top up the batteries on days where we are not cruising.

Having paid our bill we left Springwood Haven just before 5 pm and had a lovely evening cruise to just south of Nuneaton and moored in this sunlit spot.

On Thursday we carried on for a mile to Marston Junction which is the start of the Ashby Canal. We have decided to have one last diversion before we set our bow in the direction of our winter mooring on the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union. The Ashby is about 22 miles long and does not have a single lock and is pleasantly rural throughout its length. We had not expected to meet many boats here but in fact it has been fairly busy. This is the sign at the junction - looks as if it needs a clean.

The bottom end of the Ashby has fine stone bridges like this one. Further up the bridges are mostly of brick. Presumably this was due to the materials available.  And notice in this picture our new solar panels.

This bridge has been repaired with brick where it was presumably worn away by the ropes used when horses pulled the boats.

We liked this woolly cow which seemed very interested in the boat passing.

This is Stoke Golding Wharf where there is a hire boat base.

More steam trains! We timed our arrival at Shackerstone near the end of the canal for a weekend so that we could catch a steam train back to Shenton Station and visit the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. So on Saturday we watched this engine being linked to our train at Shackerstone.

This line used to be part of the Midland Railway and we loved this relief on the footbridge which has been lovingly painted probably by a volunteer.

From Shenton Station at the other end of the line it was a 10-15 minute walk up a fairly steep hill to the Heritage Centre.  We passed these pennants at the top of the hill.  The left one is for Richard III with a white boar on it and the right hand one is for Henry Tudor with a Welsh Dragon.  Lest you have forgotten the battle was won by Henry who thus started the Tudor dynasty and Richard was slain, finishing up under a car park in Leicester!  We enjoyed our visit to the Centre and learned a lot about the battle particularly from the guided walk around the site with Liz.  It is a shame in some ways that they have built the Heritage Centre here because since then new discoveries have put the site of the battle about 3 miles further west.  But at least you can see the real battle site from the hill by the Centre.

On Friday evening we had a good meal at the Rising Sun pub in the village after walking over some rather wet paths to a village with the intriguing name of 'Barton in the Beans'. The pub was full of people from that village (which does not have a pub) so we asked about the name. Apparently a lot of land round here belongs to the Crown Estate and they used to grow beans here for the Royal Family. So there you are. 
Leaving Shackerstone today we spotted the motte from the castle that used to be here.

Today (6th October) we came the last few miles to the end of the Ashby Canal.  In this photo we are about to enter the Snarestone Tunnel which is 250 yards long and quite crooked.

Here is an action picture which makes it look as if we are really wizzing through.

About half a mile  beyond the tunnel we came to Snarestone Wharf. When we came here in 2013 this was the end of the navigation. The restoration has now taken the canal a further third of a mile towards its original terminus at Moira.  The only snag is that the new winding hole at the end is only big enough for 52 foot boats and Leo is 57 foot long.

Not to be thwarted, this is us backing through the swing bridge at the Wharf heading for the very end.

It has been a windy day today and reversing was not easy especially round a bend with a boat moored opposite. So we resorted to towing Leo backwards!  It wasn't really too hard and we reckoned we were going about 1 mile an hour.

The Ashby Canal volunteers at the Wharf referred to this bridge as the 'Motorway bridge'. It has been built as part of the restoration and its design was largely in the hands of the County Council. It is only for use of a farmer and the footpath which crosses the canal here but it is ridiculously wide and solid looking without the arch that would be correct and consistent for the canal. What a waste of money and why oh why didn't they put a towpath through the bridge?

Here is a picture of Leo taken from the bridge with the small winding hole beyond us.

Here is the last milepost showing there is another 8 miles to go to reach Moira.  You might just be able to see Leo in the background.

Here for comparison is the last proper bridge before Snarestone Wharf, the old terminus.

After a good roast lunch at the Globe Inn at Snarestone we went for a walk to see bits of the canal beyond the present navigable limit. We came across this marker showing the coal mines beneath us.  Mining subsidence was one of the reasons this part of the canal was abandoned.

And here to finish with is the view of the canal beyond the winding hole. We understand that work is to start at the end of this year on building an aqueduct over a small river just beyond the house in the distance. So perhaps next time we come to the Ashby we shall be able to go a bit further still. Tomorrow we shall begin our journey back down the Ashby before we head for Braunston and then the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union. We will have about another couple of weeks of cruising before the winter sees us back on land.