After a quiet night in Atherstone we set of with the prospect of the eleven locks. We got to the top lock to meet a boat just entering coming up. We therefore thought that they would all be our way but with the leaks there were only two that were ready for us. This flight of locks are known to fill slowly and empty quickly! It is quite a nice flight as it has varied scenery, getting more rural as you go down them. The locks are nicely spaced so that it is an easy walk between them except a couple of times when Helen needed a lift to the next one. There is work on the towpath and lock landing between No.6 and 7.
Only 9 to go.
Tony does his part too.
Helen only has little legs so walks miles round the lock at the bottom gates as they are in two and so she walks right round three times. If she had longer legs she could step over from one closed gate to the other side where the gate is still open. She will ache later I'm sure. We took our time and still managed to do the eleven in 2.25hrs.
A green corridor. Helen saw so Moorhen chicks too. We saw some Mallard ducklings when we arrived in Atherstone and there were eleven. The next time we saw them there was only ten, and this morning there were only five. I wonder what it is that takes them?
The canal after the locks was very nice, especially as the sun was trying very hard to come out. It was also becoming very scenic with only the railway to ruin the peace. We stopped at Polesworth for the night and then went for a walk round the town. It had been a mining town until 1987 when Pooley Hall Colliery closed. There was also an Abbey here until Henry VIII closed it and there are also some nice old buildings.
The gatehouse to Polesworth Abbey.
The river Anker divides the town. The river has a shallow spot or pool, hence pol, and worth means dwelling. The two parts of the town are joined by a bridge that was built in 1776
Ten Arch Bridge across the Anker built in 1776 and widened in 1924.
Another old building. (A little different to the old hat factory in Atherstone, and older too).
3 comments:
Those locks look like hard work! Helen you need to have a bath fitted, so you can have a long soak to recover from all this hard work! Ann.
Helen says she hasn't had a bath in decades. I wondered what the smell was!
hahah i miss you parents !! I can smell mum from here :)
Post a Comment