Canal Cruising in the Rain!

Well it has been a bit wet just lately hasn't it? It is now a wet afternoon to follow an amazingly wet morning so it is time to tell you where we have got to. In summary we have come south on the Trent and Mersey and have turned off onto the Coventry Canal at Fradley Junction. We are moored close to Springhaven Marina on the edge of Nuneaton as we are having some new solar panels fitted there tomorrow. So here is a catch up starting from Great Haywood Junction.

At Great Haywood we joined the Trent and Mersey Canal heading south. There are two locks here going down to follow the valley of the River Trent. This is the second and is called Colwich Lock.

Through the trees below we could see Bishton Hall, shown here, which is now a school. We saw some pupils out tending to ponies in the grounds.

We've noticed that the sweet chestnut trees are very prolific this year. Lots and lots of chestnuts for harvesting later in the year. They are not yet ready for eating or we would have gathered some to roast on the stove on Leo.

Approaching Rugeley the canal crosses the River Trent on an aqueduct. The river looked pretty full after the rain and we've heard since that it is closed to navigation further downstream. Rugeley is a useful town for shopping and has an excellent hardware shop, something that is becoming quite rare. So patronise it now.

On Saturday our son, David, and his partner, Ash, drove up to see us and helped us down two of the Fradley Locks. This is Shadehouse Lock, the top one of five that descend through Fradley. Two locks down is the junction with the Coventry Canal.

Fradley Junction is probably one of the most photographed sights on the canals. Here we are below the two locks with the Swan pub on the left and the turn onto the Coventry Canal to the right. The bywash around the locks was cunningly reconstructed to by pass the junction when the Coventry was built so that the Coventry Canal would not steal water from the Trent and Mersey.

Here is Leo turning onto the Coventry Canal. So how did we get this picture?  Well David walked round and took some photos of us turning the corner.

And he was then handy to open the swing bridge just round the corner! The white building opposite the junction is The Swan at Fradley.

David and Ash took turns steering Leo along the twisting course of the Coventry Canal as far as Huddlesford where we moored. We ate out with our visitors at the Plough which has excellent food and good beer.

When we set off on Monday we soon passed a junction with a short arm now used for moorings. This used to be the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal which led to the north of Birmingham and on to Hatherton on the Staffs and Worcs. We had seen the other end of this canal a few days ago. Work is planned to restore it and there is a purpose built but isolated aqueduct over the M6 Toll road. One day, hopefully, it will all join up.

This stone by the canal marks the point in Whittington where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal meets the Coventry. A brief explanation is needed. We tend to regard the section of canal between Fradley and Fazeley Junctions as being the Coventry Canal. The truth is that the project to build the Coventry Canal ran out of money so the final section was completed by the Birmingham and Fazeley to Whittington and by the Trent and Mersey from there to Fradley. The Trent and Mersey's bit was later bought out by the Coventry Canal company.  All very complicated and sensible now just to call the whole lot the Coventry Canal.

Here, in the rain, is Fazeley Junction where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal goes under the bridge towards Birmingham. We stuck to the Coventry Canal heading south to Tamworth and Nuneaton.

Soon after Fazeley Junction the Coventry Canal crosses the River Tame on an aqueduct. This river too looked full to overflowing.

Not far beyond the Tame the two pretty Glascote Locks lift the canal out of the valley. Notice the waterproofs and umbrella not to mention the wet roof on the boat.

We moored not far above the Glascote Locks on Sunday and on Monday (30th September) we carried on into Atherstone passing the boatyard at Alvecote on the way.  This marina cum boatyard has quite a few old working boats including the three shown here.

Grendon Wharf comes after the canal goes through Polesworth where the well kept gardens backing onto the canal distracted us. Monday morning was sunny as the pictures show but the afternoon was again pretty wet. We moored part way up the Atherstone flight of 11 locks. 

Here is Leo waiting below Atherstone bottom lock.

We enjoyed the Atherstone Locks. This one, lock 10, is our favourite with an old lock beam as a seat and views of the flooded countryside beyond.

The first six locks come in pairs so we climbed up four and then moored before getting into the town. In the distance we could see what looked like a castle and the zoom lens and the map identified this as Merevale Hall to the west of the canal.

Atherstone is a pleasant small town with all necessary shopping. This photo is of Market Square but it was not market day so no stalls. The archway under the white building to the left is not just a way into the yard but is a road through the town.

Today (Tuesday 1 October) we came up the remaining 7 locks of the Atherstone flight. The first three we managed in the dry but then it came on to pour and this is the wet view looking back to the top lock. Three volunteers were helping boaters on the flight and taking shelter in a hut at the top lock when they could. This picture does not show it, but there are lovely flower beds around the top lock and basin lovingly tended by the volunteers.

Later we passed Hartshill Yard. It is most attractive and was used as a base by British Waterways.It may now be used by Canal and River Trust, but no boats were there today.

The overspill weirs have been running hard today to shift the excess water after all the recent rain and in some places torrents of water were pouring into the canal. The canal has turned brown and muddy even before it is stirred up by boats.

So that brings us up to date. Apart from getting solar panels fitted tomorrow, we are aiming to go up the Ashby Canal before heading on more directly to our winter mooring south of Leicester. Lets hope the weather picks up.