A Caraboat? And the Vulcan!

Sunday 4^th October, 2015 at Brinklow.

Early morning in the middle of nowhere but the weather looks set fair and it turned into a lovely day.

We passed Marston Junction, which is the junction with the 22 mile long Ashby Canal. Two years ago we went to the end and back, it was a lovely journey - and no locks!

Another odd sight – a “Caraboat”. A cross between a caravan and a boat, you can see the folded tow hitch at the front.

Hawkesbury Junction is known to boaters as “Sutton Stop”. It is the junction between the Coventry Canal and the North Oxford Canal and was one of the places where working boaters picked up their “orders” to pick up coal from local coal fields. We filled up with water here opposite the old engine house, which is in the process of being restored.

There is a very tight 180deg turn off the Coventry, under the classic “Oxford Canal” cast iron bridge and through a six inch deep “stop lock” designed to stop the Oxford stealing the Coventry’s water in the days of working boats.

The lock is very narrow and, after such a tight turn, R seems unsure if he will make it in to the lock!

A hire boat was waiting to come into the lock from the other side. It was their first ever lock and R explained how a paddle works to the lady, who asked for help as she was very unsure of what to do!

Soon after we set off on the North Oxford Canal, we saw this gentleman apparently sleeping on the bridge parapet. Sleeping off the excesses of a Saturday night perhaps? We hoped that he did not get out of bed on the wrong side, he would have had a nasty shock!

The afternoon was lovely (Look at that peerless blue sky!) and Bridge 16 made a beautiful picture, even though it was a bit battered.

We could not say the same thing about the M6 bridge, which is both ugly and very noisy. Horrid!

By contrast, the tractor in the adjacent field tilling the soil epitomised the peaceful rural idyll.

We moored up for the day just outside Brinklow, almost in exactly the same place as we did two years ago.

Another very unexpected sight was the Vulcan flying low past us. We just managed to get the camera out in time to catch it as it flew past.

It is due to make its final flight this weekend, 10^th and 11^th October, so we were privileged to see it this evening.

One other “first” today was a sighting of a water vole at the water’s edge. They are an endangered species, not least because they are very shy and wild mink like to eat them – so a rare sight indeed.

And lastly – an unwelcome surprise – we are without internet for the next three days. "Bother!" (says R). "Hooray!" (says M)!

Today: 10 miles, 1 locks and 4.4 hours.

Trip: 422 miles, 317 locks and 315.1 hours.