London Calling Week 17 - Turners Green to Wootton Wawen

Monday 23rd September - Turners Green to Lowsonford

A much pleasanter day after a day of rain yesterday.  The plants are enjoying the rainfall and these violas are looking very good at the moment.  Dave took the boat on to the water point and we filled up with water before continuing on to Kingswood Junction.

Toby and I walked on to the junction, this is the view of the junction taken from the arm that connects the Grand Union Canal to the Stratford Canal.

I love these bridges that occur on the Stratford Canal, they are split down the middle to allow for the horse rope to pass through rather than undoing the rope. Today many of the splits have been filled in, but they still look wonderful. 

NBElla hovering and waiting to get into position to enter the next lock, the conditions were perfect, dry, light winds and warm in the sunshine with very few boats moving in either direction.

3 miles, 9 locks, 3 hrs 12 mins cruising time.

Tuesday 24th September - Lowsonford

After heavy rain overnight and more rain forecast for the day, we decided to have a quiet day in Lowsonford.  

Wednesday 25th September - Lowsonford to Wootton Wawen

A very much better day today weather wise and we made an early start on our cruise to Wootton Wawen.  A cheery wave from Dave as he works the lock.

The bridge after the lock still has the split through the middle where the rope attached to the horse could be passed through without untethering the horse.

This is a little bridge over a road, quite interesting as the towpath is part of the iron trough that carries the canal, you walk below the level of the water.  We moored at Wootton Wawen and walked down to Yew Tree Farm Shopping Village which has a favourite clothes shop and a good farm shop.

4 miles, 8 locks, 3 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Thursday 26th September - Wootton Wawen to Stratford-upon-Avon

A bright and early start as we have a lot of locks to descend today.  We are approaching the Anglo Welsh hire base, but it seems all quiet at the moment.

This is the end of the Edstone Aqueduct.  The aqueduct was built in the early 1800's and spans a road and the Alcester Railway (now the Great Western Railway) via a 250 yard cast iron trough sitting atop 13 brick piers, which vary in height from eight to eleven metres.  The towpath runs along the right side and forms part of the baseplate of the trough.  It is the longest aqueduct in England.

As we came into Stratford we met a Canal and River Trust volunteer called Peter.  He is the lead volunteer for the West Midlands and can sometimes be sen at the Diglis Locks in Worcester.  This was just after there had been a huge downpour and everything was soaked!

The final low bridge before Bancroft Basin where we shall moor for the next few days.

This shows just how low these bridges have been, as we cleared the bridge we passed a line of school children who were very excited to see a boat emerge as they walked by.

7 miles, 17 locks, 5 hrs 24 mins.

Friday 27th September - Stratford-upon-Avon

Today we spent the day on the boat and exploring Stratford.  A walk through the town found many of these buildings, this is a town house c1500, recorded as an inn since 1655-61 and now The Falcon Hotel.

This shop is open all year round, The Nutcracker Christmas Shop sells everything you could possibly want to do with Christmas, the shopkeeper was from Crieff in Scotland where they have a Christmas Village.

Saturday 28th September - Stratford to Wootton Wawen

Today is nbElla's 4th birthday, she was launched 4 years ago at Rode Heath on a beautiful sunny day, thank you for 4 marvellous years!

An early start this morning, leaving Stratford in brilliant sunshine, hoping to get to our mooring before the rain sets in.  A the moment it is calm, sunny and very pleasant.  Some of the moorings in the Basin were occupied by hire boats that had been left as the company had gone bust, such a shame.

Paul was a Canal and River Trust employee who works along this stretch of the canal, today he was having to solve a number of problems, stuck gates, low water in pounds, boats stuck in locks and jammed paddles.  We were grateful for all the help he was able to give us, thanks Paul!

NbHarry Hudson had been abandoned in Stratford as the hirers found it all too difficult, she is 70ft with two bathrooms and the hirers were two elderly Americans who had never been on a narrowboat before.  

Here nbElla passed a boat going down the flight of locks.  Unfortunately the pound below this lock was very low and the boat got stuck in the lock and had to wait for Paul to help them out.  After all the locks we thought we would moor at Wilmcote, but the sun was still shining so we decided to continue on to Wootton Wawen.

This is us going over Edstone Aqueduct, this photo best shows how I felt as we began our crossing, the boat hides the iron trough and there is a weird sensation that you are flying through mid air.  We have been over the Welsh Aqueduct, longer and higher but I don't remember getting the same sensation.

Looking over the side at the road below, there really is nothing to stop anything falling off!

7 miles, 17 locks, 6 hrs 12 mins cruising time.

Sunday 29th September - Wootton Wawen

Spent a quiet morning on board and then met up with Anne and Steve to celebrate Ella's 4th birthday.  Anne and Steve were there when Ella went in the water and have joined us each year to mark the date.  Tomorrow we continue cruising heading towards Birmingham.