October Already?

Tuesday 1st October 2019 near Handsacre
October already? How did that happen?
A change in the weather today; as forecast, it was grey and damp, so breakfast in the Laughing Duck was inside, but as good as yesterday.
This laughing (?) duck was clearly ready for the rain.

We set off mid morning and R went ahead while M helped another boat through Junction Lock.

Good job that we went through Alrewas when we did - following all the rain, the river section through Alrewas is now closed, as is the main river Trent between Nottingham and Torksey.

M's sister-in-law's brother lives near Gainsborough next to the River Trent and he sent us these pictures. Before...

...And after...

He said that it was the highest that he has ever seen the Trent there, but luckily still well below the flood wall.
Just beyond Fradley is Shadehouse Lock. The lockside house was on the market for a long time. Apparently, the reason no one wanted to buy it was that it had no road access - a definite plus in M's book!

This lovely quiet stretch of canal, just a couple of hundred yards from Shadehouse Lock, is the place where HS2 is scheduled to cross the canal on an embankment, cutting through the woods on either side - if indeed it does go ahead. Madness!

Woodend Lock, with its very heavy lock gates (as demonstrated by R) is still one of our favourites. Sadly, if HS2 happens it will be sandwiched between two lines, one to the east and one to the west.

M walked the towpath for the next few miles and was very surprised to see harebells still in bloom in October. Normally you see them in May!

Twenty eight miles to go to get back to Aston and our winter mooring.

Tonight's mooring near Handsacre. A beautifully quiet spot, and one of our favourite moorings, despite the proximity to the conurbation of Rugeley.

Today: 3 miles, 4 locks and 3.0 hours.
Trip: 425 miles, 169 locks and 213.1 hours.