The Atherstone Flight.

Monday 8th June 2026 at Polesworth.

The weather forecast turned out to be correct and the rain started early in the morning. To pass the time, we walked into Atherstone to post some cards. M in particular was very upset to see that the old historic hat factory was now a very large pile of rubble. Atherstone was famed for its hats, which were exported all over the world. We had seen the old factory deteriorate year by year, with the windows all smashed etc.  Another bit of canal history lost ...

The huge jaws on the digger on the left were particularly scary; it looked like a prehistoric monster. Nobody seemed to know what was planned for the site but, talking to locals, the general opinion was that it would be more apartments. Such a shame that it wasn't converted to apartments while it was still in good condition. 

Around midday, the weather cleared so we decided to tackle the 11 locks of the Atherstone flight. C&RT volunteers set the first two locks for us and we encountered several boats coming up the flight so almost all the locks were in our favour. A "Good Road", as the working boat people used to say, and with M lock wheeling to set the lock ahead, we did all 11 locks in just one and a half hours.

M always loves this grass covered bridge with its footpath disappearing into the distance. It seems to call you to follow it ....

It seemed that we had hardly started when we reached the bottom lock with its lovely "lock gate" bench under the trees. The field behind was often planted with potatoes (for which Staffordshire is well known) but this year it is wheat.

MM nosed into the last of the Atherstone locks for the final time and still the sun shone on us.

The pretty lock flight is two miles long, so we only cruised another two miles before the weather again became threatening and we moored up in Polesworth as the rain began. Later, however, the blue skies returned so M was able to get a good photograph of our mooring. For an urban area, it is a very quiet and pleasant spot to moor up.

 Today: 4 miles, 11 Locks and 3.1 hours.

 Trip: 111 Miles, 79 Locks and 54.3 Hours.

A Very long Day to Atherstone.

 Sunday 7th June 2026 in Atherstone.

 Today, the weather is forecast to be fine but tomorrow rain is predicted almost all day. As a result, we decided to do a long day today so that we could relax and not travel far tomorrow if the forecast proved to be correct. We set off at about half past seven, leaving Rugby behind.

At Brinklow, there is a very narrow cutting built by Thomas Telford when he straightened out much of Brindley's original very circuitous contour canal. The bridge before the cutting was receiving some attention.

 

The cutting has always had problems with land slips and when we came through last year there were two major ones which had buried much of the towpath. Since then, the whole side of the cutting has been cut right back to prevent future problems where each of the landslides had occurred. Major, and expensive, work.

There was only one lock today, the six inch "Stop Lock" at Hawkesbury Junction designed to "stop" the North Oxford from stealing the Coventry Canal's water. This was common practice when rival canal companies competed for trade. For the same reason, there is a former Toll House at the junction.

 

M has always admired the garden next to the lock but today it looked  a tad overgrown and neglected. Some weeding needs to be done! It was still pretty, though.

 

The turn from the North Oxford on to the Coventry Canal is renowned for being a very tight 180 degrees but MM went round without any problems (thanks to R's excellent skills, says M!)..

 

 Most of today was just cruising, so not a lot of photographs or drama. At the junction of the Ashby Canal we had to hover to allow a boat to turn into the Ashby, another tight turn, especially when approaching from the south..

This nostalgic sight is a relic of a bygone age and now stands alone, unconnected to any friends. In its heyday it might have carried twenty-four telephone conversations alongside the canal. Today, it is all fibre optic cables buried below the towpath capable of carrying tens of thousands of calls at the same time. 

The site of Roman Mancetter is believed to be the last battle of Boudica against the Romans, which took place c.AD 60-61. A sign identifies the spot although with a ? in the title to acknowledge that many other places also claim the same!

When we eventually arrived at Atherstone, we were told that a floating market had taken all the visitors moorings, so we moored in the last available spot half a mile from the town after nearly nine hours travelling.

Today 24 miles, 1 Lock and 8.7 hours.

Trip 107 miles, 68 Locks and 51.2 Hours.

Orchids and the Maori Silver Fern.

 Saturday 6th June 2026 in Rugby.

 Early on Saturday morning we tackled the three Hillmorton Locks. Rain was forecast and had already started but it stopped just as we arrived at the top lock and held off until we left the bottom lock. Very good timing!

 

At the bottom lock pair at Hillmorton, several years ago, M had seen that there were orchids growing between the two side-by-side locks and remarked that they should be protected. There is now a notice to stop people disturbing them.

 

 These orchids are the "Early Purple" variety and there are dozens of them in that small area.  It pleased us enormously to see that they are being protected. It was interesting that, next day, M spotted the relatively rare Bee Orchid growing unnoticed on the towpath near Nuneaton. It has probably survived because passing folk are not aware of what it is.  We also saw some Common Spotted Orchids, the same variety as pops up year on year in our lawn back home!

  

We continued on to Rugby, where we passed nb "Inkling" again, moored opposite the park. 

 

Our favourite mooring is next to the Park under an old willow tree. Initially we had to squeeze in next to another boat nb "Te Ara Wei" and we fell into conversation with David, the owner, who was delightful. We then went out shopping and were very pleasantly surprised to find that, while we were out, they had moved across to the other side of the canal and had very kindly re-moored MM under the willow for us. Boaters are like that - they help each other!

 

David and his wife on Te Ara Wei had spent 13 years in New Zealand before coming back to the UK and moving on to their narrowboat. The name in Maori means "The Way of Memories" or "Waterway" and the symbol underneath is the "Koru", the Maori Silver Fern that symbolises new beginnings. So very appropriate. 

In 2012, our friends Grant and Katy, originally from New Zealand, were visited by Grant's parents, who came for a trip on MM and gave us a tile representing the Maori Fern; it still hangs on the wall in MM's kitchen. That was another celebration of new beginnings and we have decided that the fern should stay with MM to welcome her new owners.

Today: 3 Miles, 3 Locks and 1.6 hours.

Trip:83 Miles, 67 Locks and 42.5 Hours.

Visiting Jan and Abi.

Thursday 1^st and Friday 2^nd June 2026 near Hillmorton.

On Thursday, we travelled back to MM but by public transport this time. A bus and three trains later we found ourselves at Long Buckby Station which is a tiny local station and has no taxi rank. And it started to rain too!  But while R was looking up numbers for taxis, a bus went past and stopped just round the corner! We checked with the driver, who had kindly waited for us, and found that it went to Daventry. So we quickly hopped on. At Daventry, we had a 45 minute wait for the bus to Braunston. The first 10 minutes of this time were spent sheltering from a huge thunderstorm (with lightning too!) but after that R went for a coffee in Costa while M went to Waitrose for a "few bits". So time well spent, as it meant we arrived back at MM with provisions for several days.

At the marina, we took MM out on to the cut, where we stayed the night on the same nice mooring that we used last Sunday.

 

 On Friday morning, we set off towards the North Oxford canal but soon paused when we spotted nb “Inkling” moored up opposite the pub. Inkling used to belong to our friends Mel and Peter and was bought four years ago by Steve and Caroline. It was a pleasure to meet them and we hovered in order to chat for a while.

 

At Willoughby, just north of Braunston, we stopped, moored up MM and walked into the village to visit our good friends Jan and Abi, We had got to know them at Mary Arden's Farm where they were the Falconers. We hadn't seen them for about five years.  During that time, they have completed the lovely house they have built themselves and which is also entirely "off grid". They have also acquired three gorgeous and (boisterous!) dogs called Willow, Briony and Flossie. 

 

Sadly, Mary Arden's Farm is no longer open, which is a major disappointment as it was the best thing in Stratford because it featured re-enactors in costume actually doing practical tasks of that period instead of the static displays that you get in all the other Shakespeare venues. It seems that real people and real farm animals were too expensive so the bean-counters shut it down. There is an active movement to get it re-opened but it is a hard task - and meanwhile the farm and its period buildings are not being maintained and so are gradually deteriorating.

 We could have spent hours with Jan and Abi but needed to get on our way once more. Setting off again, we passed the famous old signal gantry, a relic of the Great Central Railway, still waiting for the "Master Cutler" express train to Sheffield. It is so nostalgic; a memory of the days of steam travel.

 

 We moored up just before the three Hillmorton Locks, which we will tackle tomorrow morning.

  

 Today: 7 Miles, 0 Locks and 2.7 hours.

Trip: 80 Miles, 64 Locks and 40.9 Hours.