Wednesday 11 September 2013

Stratford-on-Avon

Well, we are back in contact with the world after days of no signals.  It is interesting that even to someone who resents the fact that life seems to exsist around technology, there is a real feeling of being cut of from everyone when we can't get an internet connection.  However, we are now sitting in a very pleasant pub in Stratford having arrived here this afternoon - in the rain!

Now, where were we?  Since our last communication we have visited Warwick which is a very interesting town, we have also done the castle and thanks to Tesco we got a very good deal.

We have ascended the Hatton flight with the help of Paul, one of the Canal and River Trust Volunteers.  He made, what could have been a very arduous flight of 21 locks (in the rain) quite an enjoyable and informative event.  He gave us some very useful tips and mooring advice and we left him at the top lock feeling as though we had made a good friend.  Thank you Paul!

Mooring in the middle of nowhere is lovely but very black at night.  It is also so nice to hear just the noises of nature all around you rather than planes, cars and trains etc.  Thanks again to Paul for pointing us in the direction of an idyllic mooring.

We have left the Grand Union behind us and have become accustomed, once again, to narrow locks of which we have descended, lots, on the Stratford Canal!  We have also crossed three aqueducts.  A small one then a bigger one, both of which Sid managed but for the last one Jenny had to take the helm and Sid disappeared below! She was a bundle of shakes at the end of it, but we did get across unscathed but with wobbly legs and a sigh of relief.  We may give the long one in Wales, whose name I can't spell (or say) a miss unless we can get someone to help us across!!!!!!!

The basin in Stratford is very busy and we managed to get the last 'proper' mooring.  If we hadn't wanted to leave the boat for a few days we would have ventured on to the Avon, where there are some beautiful mooring in the shadow of the RSC Theatre.

Home for a few days over the weekend then we are not sure which way we will head!
 


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