Long Itchington

Here I am Rune

Distance 4.7  miles

Total 4002 Locks  263 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5858.1 miles

A gentle day’s cruise of less than 5 miles, taken at a slow pace because the temperature has certainly gone up, and looks as though it is going to become even hotter tomorrow and Thursday. It is ideal conditions for cruising but just a bit warm for locking.

The last time we came through here we were certainly in some sort of rush since we did 23 locks and 11 miles in the one day, I’m expecting to get to where we reached in one day last time, in two days this time.

I was glad to see the Fosse Way Elsan point back in operation, last time we came through it was closed, making it quite a distance between such points (top of Hatton Flight to Braunston since the Saltersford Arm is closed due to virus restrictions.

One further point of interest today (well two in fact), it was the first occasion that we’ve come across adders swimming in the canal. It was just a short distance from where we moored last night, we passed one looking for somewhere to get out of the canal and no more that 200 metres further on we came across another one doing exactly the same. They weren’t baby adders either, both of them were between 18 inches and a couple of feet long, and I have to say they swim very well (like eels).

It's worth noting that tonight's mooring is an excellent position, loads of depth and mooring rings.