Valentine’s Cruise - Week 2

 Monday 16th February - Tom o’ the Wood to Kingswood Junction

A new week and a short hop from our mooring round to the Stratford Canal.  We stopped at the junction to fill up with water and dispose of any rubbish then dropped down one lock and moored up in the pound below the lock.

After lunch we walked back up the canal towards the Lapworth Locks hoping to call into the Canal Shop there but unfortunately it was closed.  I guess its a seasonal thing!  Instead we walked along to the village shop on the road for our milk!

On the way Toby met a friend, it must be a cockapoo thing but they seem to instantly recognise each other and love to play. 

Our mooring for the night, we stayed warm and dry whilst it continued to rain outside.

1 mile, 1 lock, 2hrs (including putting on water)

Tuesday 17th February - Lock 21 to Lowsonford

A really nice day, sunny and dry so we set off for Lowsonford at a leisurely pace.  8 locks in total which we shared.  A bit of sunshine makes a whole lot of difference!

Love these bridges on the Stratford Canal.  They have a gap in the middle of the top so the rope attached to the horse can be passed through without having to untether the horse.  Ingenious!

The remnants of the Lapworth to Henley-in-Arden branch railway line can be seen with the disused embankment on the right of the picture and we passed the remains of a bridge.  The buildings here are labelled Lowsonford Halt but the true existence of a Halt is thought to be a myth as there is no real evidence a stop was ever constructed.

We moored up in Lowsonford opposite the Fleur de Lys and Dave booked us a table there for supper tonight.

We walked back to the lock and up the hill to Finwood Farm and the Farm Shop.  Ann keeps a small herd of Dexter Cattle and Gloucester Old Spot pigs and is well worth a visit if you are passing.

1.75 miles, 8 locks, 2hrs 12mins.

Wednesday 18th February - Lowsonford to Wootton Wawen

First lock of the day, topped up the water and then out into open countryside for the next seven.  

Weather is grey, cold and breezy and the first time this trip that the boat has drifted in the wind, always makes approaching locks interesting!

Dave is driving across Yarningale Aqueduct.  The aqueduct at this site was originally a timber structure built about 1814 but this was washed away in a flood in 1834. It was replaced soon afterwards by a cast iron trough from Horseley Ironworks of Birmingham which is about 42 feet long.  

A rather dilapidated lock cottage looking a bit sad.  Evidence of coats in the window and maybe they’ll be tidying it up?

We met the couple on this boat in the pub last night, they are from Canada and are spending a month on a narrowboat for their honeymoon.  They were intending to go to Stratford but felt that time was against them, so turned round and are heading back to their hirebase in Napton.

We moored up just past bridge 52 and after some lunch we walked down to Yew Tree Farm Shopping Village.  The Farm shop is run by Kate and stocks all manner of delicious goodies for humans and dogs!  Always worth a visit if you are passing.  We also visited the craft workshops and the chocolate shop.

4 miles, 8 locks, 3hrs.

Thursday 19th February - Wootton Wawen to Bancroft Basin, Stratford

We decided as it was a dry day to travel all the way down the Wilmcote locks and into Stratford and moor up for the next few days in Bancroft Basin.  We stopped at the Wharf and filled up with diesel and then set off.

The Edstone Aqueduct, also known as the Bearley, was completed in 1816 and is among the earliest prefabricated structures, a kind of kit. Its cast iron trough is formed of 35 separate sections bolted together and carries the waterway across three railway tracks (one of which is now disused), a minor road, a stream, and a field. Thirteen brick piers create the 14 spans, to total 146 m (498 ft). The trough is 2.7m wide (9ft) and 1.5m deep (5ft).

The design of the aqueduct is considered somewhat unusual as the towpath is set level with the base of the trough, similar in design to Telford's aqueduct at Longdon on Tern. 

We then worked our way down the Wilmcote Locks and we were amazed at the amount of water there was in the canal. The by-water beside this lock was as fierce as a waterfall and pushed the boat across the canal.  

The lock gate here is very close to the bridge over the canal and has always been very difficult to open, but the mechanism must have been updated as Dave found it quite easy.

Beside one of the locks in Stratford, Canal and River Trust have made a lovely garden, I’m sure it will be well looked after by the volunteer lock keepers.

We arrived in Bancroft Basin and found ourselves a mooring.  There were only three other boats in the basin so we had a choice of where to moor.

7 miles, 17 locks, 5hrs 24mins

Friday 20th February - Bancroft Basin, Stratford

Today is our wedding anniversary and we are celebrating with an afternoon tea at Huffkins Bakery.

Fortunately for us we managed to get back to the boat before the heavens opened with another deluge of rain!

Saturday 21st February - Bancroft Basin, Stratford

Today we are going on a walk around Stratford with a view to solving the Mystery of Shakespeare’s Lucky Quill.  It seemed that many of the tourists were also wandering around with the same book and it was great to chat to people who were more than happy to guide us in the right direction.

We even saw one of the river cruiser trip boats going down on to the River Avon, the first trip for over 7 weeks.  Although the river doesn’t appear to be in flood it is flowing very fast but I’m sure they enjoyed the ride!  

We completed the mystery and solved all the clues ending up in The Garrick Inn for a well earned lunch.

In the evening we went to the Swan Theatre and saw “The Boy who Harnessed the Wind”, a very powerful musical based on the true story of William, 13 years old, living in Malawi who taught himself from library books how to make a windmill to provide power to draw water from the land and save the village during the drought periods.  A stunning production, moving to the West End at the end of April.  A must see and I would highly recommend it.  

Sunday 22nd February - Bancroft Basin, Stratford

We spent an hour checking the engine bay, making sure that it was still dry after all the heavy rain we have had and we were delighted to find that it indeed was still dry.  

We then went for a walk over the bridge over the River Avon and down the other side of the River.  This is the Tramway Bridge which opened in 1826 as a horse drawn railway between the Canal Basin and Moreton-in-Marsh.  It closed in 1918 when the rails were taken up to be used for other purposes at the end of the war.  One of the trams was discovered in Ilmington being used as a hen house!

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre where we saw the play last night.  The Swan Theatre regularly shows the work of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, as well as plays by later writers, such as Restoration playwrights, and new work by today's writers.  It shares the same foyer and bars as the main theatre.

This is Holy Trinity Church where William Shakespeare was baptised, where he worshipped and where he is buried.