Flecknoe

Here I am Rune

Distance 6.5  miles

Total 4015 Locks  263 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5864.6 miles

Another easy day’s cruise bringing us here to Flecknoe, something of a favourite mooring of ours, nicely isolated. We did have 13 locks to get through today, and it seems as though it was one of the hottest days of the year but we kept up a gentle pace and it wasn’t too bad.

I had a rare experience of ending up in the canal today, not from the boat, but from the bike whilst travelling to the nearest shop. Obviously not many people have been using the towpath recently and I suddenly came across a branch of brambles that had spread right across the towpath and almost into the canal at chest height. I had to make a sudden stop to avoid it and, foolishly, instead of putting my right foot down (furthest from the canal) I put my left foot down onto what turned out to be a mush of dead vegetation which didn’t support my weight so rather undignified I sat down into the canal. On any other day it would be been a quick trip back to the boat to get changed, but since it was so hot today, riding to Napton whilst soaking wet was actually quite pleasurable. By the time I’d got back to the boat, I was virtually dry (not so sure about the mobile phone that had been in my pocket). 

Tomorrow on to Braunston.

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. 

Radford Semele

Here I am  Rune

 Distance 5  miles

Total 3992 Locks  263 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5853.4 miles

After a relaxed weekend we have had a fairly relaxed day today from the Warwick mooring to here at Radford Semele. Checking back through the blogs it seems that we have moored in this location (almost to the metre) back in April 2017, although this time it seemed a bit shallower and getting the stern in was a bit of a faff.

We are no longer in quite the rush were coming from Birmingham to Warwick, we just need a fairly gentle trip to get us to Braunston for somewhere about next weekend.

Saltersford (Warwick)

Here I am Rune

Distance 7.2  miles

Total 3990 Locks  263 Tunnels

Running total mileage 5848.4 miles

The day seems to have gone pretty much to plan, started from the top of the Hatton Flight at about 1pm and were mooring up by 4.45pm so about 3 hours 45 minutes to get down the flight, wiht most locks against us. Actually saw another boat on the move today, also heading down the flight but he didn’t want to double up through the locks and stopped for lunch halfway down. With the current restrictions, if someone doesn’t wish to double up through locks then I’ll go with that, with the rain we’ve had over the past few days and the very limited number of boats on the move, water levels aren’t that much of a concern at the moment.

We’ll stay here in Warwick for a couple of days, probably moving on by Monday which will put us in the area of Braunston sometime next weekend.