Monday 23rd February - Bancroft Basin to Wilmcote
We woke to light winds and blue skies, all good news for our journey out of Bancroft Basin and back up the Stratford Canal. As you can see here, the entrance beneath the road is very low and narrow as there is a footpath alongside the water.
We only just fit under without having to remove anything from the top of the roof. This basin is one of two originally, the other one being filled in to create Bancroft Gardens in the 1930’s.
The daffodils are out at the garden by Lock 55. Real evidence that spring is on its way!
We got to the beginning of the Wilmcote Locks and met up with Paul Burgess who is a Volunteer Lock Keeper on the Wilmcote Locks. We know Paul from when he was a volunteer at Diglis but a house move meant that he changed his area.
It was great to catch up with Paul again and we took the photo to send on to his ex-colleagues at Diglis. Many thanks to Paul for turning out to help us, it was very much appreciated!
We moored up for the evening at Wilmcote Visitor Moorings and took a walk into the village. This is Mary Arden’s Farm, William Shakespeare’s mother grew up here. It is now a primary Education Centre for the area.
St. Andrew’ Church is one of the most historic and significant churches in England. It was originally created as a focus for a vital new development in the Anglican church, the Oxford Movement, also known as Tractarianism, which began in the 1830s. The movement sought to restore Catholic elements to the Church of England’s organisation and worship, elements lost during the Reformation some 300 years before. It is more commonly known as the Anglo Catholic Movement. According to village tradition, some of the original leaders of the movement visited and worshipped at St. Andrew’s, which was therefore for many years the focus of national attention.
3.25 miles, 16 locks, 4hrs 12mins
Tuesday 24th February - Wilmcote to Preston Bagot
A pleasant cruise from Wilmcote to below the locks at Preston Bagot. Another trip across the Edstone Aqueduct but this time Dave walked across on the footpath beside the trough of water.
From this angle it really does look like a very long iron bath full of water. At 146m long, it is the longest aqueduct in England with the footpath at the same level as the base of the trough.
We moored below the lock at Preston Bagot and went for a walk along the canal to Yarningale Aqueduct, then through across to Yarningale Common and back down to the canal, a lovely walk through some delightful countryside.
We passed the other side of the Lock Cottage which we thought needed some TLC and you can clearly see where the original barrel roof cottage is and where it has been extended.
The end of a lovely day and an atmospheric scene as we close the boat down for the night.
6 miles, 1 lock, 2hrs 12mins.
Wednesday 25th February - Preston Bagot to above Rowington
We set off on our cruise, a lovely bright, sunny morning with the promise of warm temperatures. Here, Dave is driving over Yarningale Aqueduct as I walk along the path at the base of the canal. A very strange sensation!
This is the Lock Cottage at Lowsonford, now a Landmark Cottage, you can stay here for a holiday. The extension and general upkeep of the cottage is much better than the one in Preston Bagot.
We got all the way up the 17 locks and then turned right at Kingswood Junction to return onto the Grand Union Canal. The nose of the boat is lining up with the narrow passage to the left of the photo, then under a railway and out onto the next canal. We moored up out in the country above the village of Rowington, shared the mooring with one other boat, a delightful spot.
6 miles, 17 locks 5hrs 30mins
Thursday 26th February - Rowington to Cape Top Lock.
Today we are going back down the Hatton Locks. Dave has arranged for a team of Lock Keepers to help us down the locks and we are meeting them at 10.00. We got to the top of the flight in good time and filled up with water before starting our descent.
Here we are coming out of the first lock. I had done some washing and put the bedsheet in the bow draped over a dryer and pegged to make it secure. However as I went into the first lock a mighty gust of wind lifted the dryer and sheet out of the boat and into the lock, sinking without trace!
Dave found the sheet in the pound below the lock and we told the Lock Keepers so that they could retrieve it so that it doesn’t cause a propeller hazard for other boaters.
We passed two boats coming up the flight sharing the locks. A working boat and a solo boater, he was very pleased to have all the help!
Our team of helpers today are:
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| Andy |
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| Alan and John |
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| Frank and Alan |
As always a massive thank you to them all for turning out to help us. We completed the descent in 2hrs 35mins, which was a good time. They begin the new season at the beginning of March so if you are anywhere near give them a cheery wave.
After finishing the locks we turned left before the Saltersford Arm and had a choice of mooring above the Cape Locks. We shall stay here a couple of nights and have an explore of Warwick tomorrow.
6.25 miles, 21 locks, 4hrs 24mins.
Friday 27th February - Warwick
Today we have decided to have a quiet day and have a wander around Warwick. The weather was drizzly but not too unpleasant. This is St Mary’s Church in Warwick.
The crypt is all that survives of Norman St Mary’s, dating from about 1150. Part of the crypt has been repurposed as private burial chambers for the bodies of the Greville family, who held Warwick castle from 1604 until 1972, and were earls of Warwick from 1759.
We had a look at Warwick Castle and found this peacock which looks as though it has escaped from the castle grounds. It moved eventually to sit on the wall looking up towards the town, did it make its escape???
This is The Lord Leicester. Over 700 years ago, the United Guilds of Warwick built their headquarters consisting of a meeting room, banqueting hall, mansion for the Master of the Guilds, storage rooms and lodgings for travellers. The Guildsmen built this splendid example of medieval half-timbered buildings with trees felled in the 1200’s from forests across England. Today, the site survives intact and tops the list of most complete and important medieval buildings in the British Isles.
The banqueting hall, now a cafe, hosted a three day long banquet for King James I to celebrate the 50th year of his accession to the Scottish throne. It would normally have been held in the Castle but it was undergoing major repairs at the time. It took the town 10 years to clear the debt!
This chair was commissioned and built for King James in 1617. Tradition tells the story that the chair had to be custom built for the King as standard chairs were too narrow due to the vast amounts of padding, he wore under his clothes!
We returned to the Cape of Good Hope and had a light lunch before returning to the boat.
Saturday 28th February - Cape Locks to Radford Semele
We only had 2 locks today and fortunately a boat arrived just as we were getting ready to set off, so we shared the locks with nbPaneke.
Lovely to see the blossom beginning to come out on the canal-side trees and bushes. This has all happened since we passed this way 2 weeks ago.
We went for a walk along the Offchurch Greenway, part of a disused railway line which goes from the Canal to the Fosse Way, about 1.5 miles in all. Unfortunately you can’t get across the bridge over the canal.
Walking back to our mooring after our walk. Really nice to have blue skies and some warm sunshine for a change.
4.5 miles, 2 locks, 1hr 42mins.
Sunday 1st March - Radford Semele to Long Itchington
We set off from our mooring and after the first lock Toby and I walked for the next 4 locks. Part of the canal towpath was falling away into the canal and is going to be closed for fixing in a few days time. Toby is walking behind the fencing.
HS2 is going to be crossing the canal here, the parts of the bridge are ready on both sides of the canal, and the canal and towpath is going to be closed from the 3rd March to allow the bridge to be put in place.
The last 2 locks are the Bascote Staircase Locks. Canal stair case Locks were cheaper to build and can achieve a greater drop in a short space than standard canal locks. These Bascote Staircase Locks share the centre gate - with the upper gate of one lock also being the lower gate of the other. The locks were originally built as singles but were modernised in the 1930s into wide locks however you can still see the location of the original locks.
4.5 miles, 10 locks, 3hrs 48mins
