Real Alpacas.

Yesterday I took the opportunity to walk in to Atherstone, four times, well my back is still sore so I did a number of ‘light’ trips, I stocked up with a few bits from Aldi and found a couple of bits I needed from the amazing hardware store, it’s so packed with stock that when I asked for one item the assistant said “we do stock it, I’ve just got to remember where I put it” he found it after a few minutes.

This morning after my usual Sunday fry-up breakfast I set off to complete the flight of locks, numbers 6-11, I had waited for a boat to come up ensuring that at least the first one would be in my favour, so once he had passed me I cast off, I should add that the nappy pin/piling mooring hook affixed to a length of rope that I made and mentioned a few posts back is working well saving a bit of effort each stop, 

Lock 6

And leaving lock 6

 At lock 7 I met another boat coming up so I helped him through and then continued with lock 8 still in my favour, at lock 9 I could see a boat was quite high in lock 10, they took an age, I had gone through my lock and moved down the pound slowly, before they finally sorted themselves out and started towards me. Arriving at lock 11 it was against me and looking ahead I could see another boat rising in lock 12, so rather than turn the lock (refill it n this case) I opened the gates and sat on the steps waiting, it was holiday makers from New Zealand, one of the woman, there were three sisters, presumably with husbands, one said how horrible the canal was, blooming cheek, she said it was dirty and smelly (perhaps in New Zealand the rivers and canals only contain clean water, well dirty yes, there’s lot of silt, but smelly, no, not normally, anyway she hated her boating holiday, can’t please everyone!

Having finished the flight I continued on past Bradley Green with its line of residential moorings, approaching bridge 48 I could see a boat winding (turning) just beyond it, I was only at tick over anyway because of the moored boats but when I got quite near he waved me through which was unnecessary but nice, once I had passed by he finished his turn and followed me along.

Bradley Green moorings

A few snaps as I passed Grendon Dock.

Seen better days

Still working

Would make a lovely project, or is already?

Two in the dry dock getting repaints

I think this next picture was Hoo Hill, sort of from the back really, there is a monument up there which was easily seen once I got further along but I didn’t get a decent picture, it's a bit too far away.

Somewhere along the next stretch (I think), I passed by a group of Alapaca’s there were two or three baby ones but I couldn’t get a decent picture, they kept moving and ducking behind the railings, but they were cute!

On through Polesworth and then I came across a strange fishing match, they weren’t sitting patiently with lines in the water, no, this lot were all walking up and down dragging the line with them, a strange idea for a match I thought, anyway there were a couple of dozen of them, all the way along to my mooring, opposite Alvecote Marina, later in the day they had their award ceremony in the pub opposite.

Current mooring:

There's three or four anglers walking up and down in this picutre
and that's the Samuel Barlow pub where they got their awards.

Totals today: 5 miles : 6 locks

I have a rendezvous here tomorrow with a fuel boat and then on Tuesday I am heading off to Fazeley junction to meet another boating friend.