Wednesday 9th November 2005
Coventry Basin - Hillmorton (22½ miles, 4 locks)
We slipped quietly away from the basin as the sun rose. The fire had almost gone out in the night, but Jen was determined to keep it going and added some kindling wood which produced great clouds of smoke which almost obliterated my view. We tried to take a photograph but it didn't quite capture the effect.
We moored briefly near the football stadium and had breakfast on the boat and then continued back towards Hawkesbury Junction. It was very quiet with no other boats and very few people on the towpath. Jen got off for a walk at the junction, re-joining the boat about a mile and a half later having picked a few sloes. This is not the best stretch for a peaceful country stroll since the M6 runs parallel to the canal for some distance.
Peace returns briefly at Ansty then the canal joins the West Coast Mainline, although the noise is far less intrusive than the constant drone of traffic.
We stopped for water at Stretton Stop, where the water point is so slow that we had time to make and eat our lunch before the tank was full. The sun was shining and we sat outside on the towpath.
The original plan was to carry on to Hillmorton and moor for the night before the locks, but the forecast for Thursday was not looking good. We had made good time, so carried on through the locks where we met our first boat of the day and continued on to moor for the night in reasonably quiet coutryside before Bridge 75. There were more sloes along the towpath, but we needed to stretch to reach them as someone had obviously beaten us to it. I don't normally drink spirits, but adding sloes and sugar to gin and then waiting for a few years produces an elixir that would convert all but the hardened teetotaller.