Is this summer?

It was a lovely start to the day with the sun shinning and the solar panels charging. We got under way at about 0930 and went for about an hour and then stopped at Stretton Stop for water.

Helen waiting for her morning cup of tea.

Macy being at home. The ripples of the cut on the 'ceiling'; don't really come out.

Bringing in the boat at Streton Stop water point.

We pulled up at the water ;point and started to take water. We had just put the washing machine in so we were hoping to fill up to replace it all. Mayhem seemed to occur after we tied up. A boat moved from the the yard and tied up ahead of us. This restricted the canal just ahead of us to one way. A hire boat with a very tentative couple came up behind us and wouldn't go through the gap. Then a couple of others came up astern of them, and there turned up coming the other way. In the end one of the blokes from the boat yard at Stretton Stop jumped on the boat and sorted them out. 

The sub stations are the sight of an old power station where the last of the canal traffic used to bring coal from the Warwickshire  coal fields in the 60's.

Hawkesbury Junction, or Sutton Stop (named after the family of lock keepers) was (is) a very important junction. It is the meeting of the Coventry Canal and the Oxford Canal. There is lock that has a fall of only about 1ft to protect each companies water. It was very busy even up to the 60's as day boats brought coal from the Warwickshire coalfields to power stations at Longford and  Hawkesbury. Cosequently it was a busy meeting place of the boating  people. 

I different pace of life. The M6 goes overhead.

We turned left at the junction as we were going down the arm to Coventry Basin. We went a little further down and moored  by a little park and under electricity wires. After lunch Helen got the evening meal ready and I went fishing with the magnet. I found a small shackle, a 'G' clamp, a mooring spike and a windlass. The G clamp was too seized up so tossed it back. I then managed to free up the after fenders and grease up the shackles and bottle screws to hold it in position. Just after 1700 we wandered down to the Greyhound pub. The weather was lovely so there were loads sitting out. They were also having a St. Georges Day event. We left before the Morris Dancers arrived at  2000. The day has been lovely but still cool when the wind got up. That may explain why I have to rub sun cream on my head! Tomorrow we are off to Coventry City Centre.

Our berth tonight at Hawkesbury Junction.