To Ashwood Marina and then Home.

Wednesday 27th August, 2014 at Ashwood Marina.
Today started off as one of those special magical misty mornings on the cut!

An early start in order to get MM up through five locks to Ashwood Marina where we have booked her in for a three week stay. R has to go back home to help Peter with his court case and R will spend the next three weeks in Bristol, where the civil case is being heard.
As R drove MM into Kinver Lock, M dropped her camera case (thankfully without the camera) into the lock - so R had to squeeze between MM and the lock-side to retrieve it. Well done, that man!

The next lock is called Hyde Lock and the cottage next to it is famous for the gates to the front garden that are shaped like little lock gates.

It was a pretty journey and we decided to retrace our steps to Kinver when we come back in September. Fingers crossed that the weather holds!
On the wat, we passed the junction with the Stourbridge Canal. Last year we came down the Stourbridge Canal and turned north towards Wolverhampton and Autherley Junction.

 Ashwood Marina proved to be very attractive and Richard, the Manager, was very welcoming. The marina is an old arm that used to be owned by the National Coal Board and connected with a tramway at the end. It is about a quater of a mile long with nowhere to turn - so having sailed all the way to the end forwards, we will have to go all the way out backwards when we leave. Interesting!

We shut up MM and took a taxi into Stourbridge Junction railway station for the trip home back to Reigate. Very sad to leave, but we will be back soon.
Today: 4 miles, 5 locks and 3.5 hours.
Trip: 260 miles, 164 locks and 190.1 hours.