It was teeming down when we woke up but by the time we were ready to leave it stopped! That was about 0930. We didn't go very far as once we got to Stretton Stop we stopped and took on water. The tap was pretty slow though. Stretton Stop was the site of a toll house and nearby was one of the loops that was left when the canal was straightened. One was just by the Stop and is partly still in water and used as moorings.
I opened the small footbridge that connects the two sides of the boat yard, and I got stuck with a long line of boats coming. In the end I had to shut the bridge and run to get away from the side. The boat on the extreme right looks like it has a fur seal on it but it was a big black dog!
The railway line runs close to the canal and when that leaves it is replaced with the M6 and M69 which is actually even more noisy. We were soon at Hawkesbury Junction and then it started to rain slightly. There was a queue of boats going in the opposite direction but we were straight through. The Junction is often known as Sutton Stop after a family that were toll clerks here. It was always a very busy spot for working boats as it was where they waited for orders for coal from the Warwickshire collieries.
The stop lock between the Northern Oxford Canal and the Coventry Canal. The original canal went straight on past the Greyhound pub but now it does a 360 deg turn under a bridge dated 1837.
The Greyhound pub usually has a crowd of people sitting outside adding to the pressure of getting the turn correct. Today, just because I made the turn with one rudder movement, there was nobody there to witness it!
Under the roving bridge.
The 360 deg starts at the white painted cottage on the right by the stop lock, under the bridge and out onto the Coventry canal on the left of the picture.
The old engine house that used to pump water up into the canal from a well. The engine was installed in 1821 and ceased work in 1913. It is now in Dartmouth Museum.
We were well clear of the Junction when the heavens opened and we had a torrential downpour for about 15 mins. The sun came out again and it was lovely by the time we stopped at Nuneaton. It was market day and Helen was hoping that there would be a couple of fabric stalls, but no such luck. We did pick a couple of other bargains though.
By Trent Marine's yard we came across this boat that had obviously been burnt out. It tickled us to see that the name of it was 'Warm Glow' as well as feeling dreadfully sorry for their loss.
After getting our shopping we decided to press on as it wasn't raining and got out to near Springwood Marina when a nice bit of bank called to us. We were just in time as by the time we had sorted ourselves out it started to rain again.
You don't see many of these telegraph poles anymore and I would have thought that it would be worth preserving those that are left.
Yesterday, just before we stopped the oil pressure alarm went off, indicating low pressure. We stopped and left it for the night. I studied the manual and it mentioned that it may be an over fill of the sump causing frothing. This morning I checked the engine hole. There was no oil around and although I didn't think it would be the cause of it I pumped a little of the oil out as it was actually a little over the dip stick mark. The oil looked clear and not milky that would indicate water in the sump. The temperature gauge was steady and there was no white or black smoke. When we started of again this morning all seemed fine for about four hours. Then the alarm just dropped to low and then back up to normal. Then it dropped and the alarm sounded. A change of revs usually re-established it to the correct reading. It happened at tick over and all revs to about 1700 rpm. When we stopped again. I checked behind the panel to see if there was a loose connection but all seemed tight. I am assuming that it must be the sensor or gauge but I will continue to monitor it.
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