Llangollen trip day#23

Sunday 4th June 2023

The day started cloudy and cold but only one of us experienced it. Brenda stayed in bed until it was time to serve croissants for breakfast to the steerer. As the day wore on the cloud disappeared and it became warm and sunny – we have been very lucky with our weather over the last 3+ weeks now.

 

From Fradley we travelled down through Streethay and Whittington to Hopwas where we met a day boat being steered by a pirate at the main road bridge.  The Red flags were flying on the ranges and the sound of gun-fire could be heard. 

 

Through Fazely, past the junction with the Brum & Fazely canal and then past Monarch and Grimsby who were moored near the aqueduct, and onto Glascote locks where we found two boats coming down so that was easy. The queue for the two locks persuaded three chaps in a rib to carry it down the towpath even though it had an outboard still fitted.

 

On through Alvechurch where, for the first time ever, we spotted Harnser on it’s moorings. Normally Brian and Diana are out cruising when we pass. Through Polesworth to arrive at the bottom of Atherstone flight at 3:30. Dinner was in the slow cooker and needed to stay there until 4:30 so we decided to go up some of the locks.

As we ascended lock 11 another boat was leaving lock 10, Their crew didn’t bother looking and just closed the bottom gates on us. The adult in the horde of kids working the lock apologised for closing the gates because he hadn’t seen us there because he was busy looking after 6 children. They were all between about 4 and 10, swinging windlasses about and none of them wearing life jackets – looking after?

We continued up the flight and cleared lock 6 by 4:25 as every one had been in our favour and so we continued to the top and cleared all eleven locks by 5:40 – a total of 2 hours and 10 minutes which we were pleased with. More pleasing was that there were spaces to moor at the top – result, especially as dinner was ready as soon as we moored up.

G&B