Angry skies threatened all morning, but we pushed on and reached the 3 double locks at Calcutt, about a mile from where we had been moored. It felt like miles!
Large marinas on both sides of the canal make this place particularly busy, as well as the added congestion from Warwick bound traffic from the junction (Oxford or Braunston direction).
Stunning peaceful scenery all around.
Yeah baby...
Cute! Even got a cratch cover.
Turning left at the junction, we had joined the Oxford section of the Grand Union Canal. What a difference in width and windy as anything compared with the broad Grand Union we had got used to.
Many boats passed us on our journey of about 2 hours to Braunston, like a mass exodus. We did wonder if it was something we didn't know about like a nuclear apocalypse!
Coming across the famous graffiti on the offside, we knew Braunston was just around the corner.
The 2 bridges at Braunston's triangular junction, which take the boater left towards Coventry or right towards Leicester or London.
The towpath is carried over these bridges and dates from the improvements of the 1830s which cut out the canal's extravagant 'meanderings' between Braunston and local villages. There is evidence all along this canal of 'straightening' where a bridge will take the towpath over an old bend in the canal.
Braunston was so busy with boaters, even with all the evacuees, that we were forced to moor out of the village which scuppered plans to open the shop! We had turned left towards Coventry, as we wanted to go up the Ashby Canal, another new bit of territory to get under our belts.
Sunday morning, the sun was out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So we got going again, hoping to moor at Hillmorton on the outskirts of Rugby.
This was a really long, straight section past private moorings at Barby and a new large marina creaed using one of the disused old routes of the canal.
Late Sunday morning we arrived at Hillmorton top lock visitor moorings and called it a day. I opened the shop, but it was so quiet, the tumble weed was blowing past!
Rain rain glorious rain......................... but not to sit around all day, we decided to jump on the bus and have the day in Rugby. I had my head sharpened (much needed hair cut) and we had a good explore of the town.
Sometimes the bridges spring surprises in the remotest of places!
This morning, we headed for Rugby in the boats, down through the single locks at Hillmorton (3) and wiggled our way to moor just up form Tesco to do the 'big shop'.
A pill box in the middle of nowhere, this isn't the Kennet and Avon is it?
Just before Rugby, Richard snapped this of the River Avon far left, reservoir right and obviously us above on the canal.
Good range of out of town shops to get most things. We visited Wickes as well as Tesco, but then took the wrong exit out of the carpark, loaded down with bags and the trolley weighing a ton. I did say, 'this seems to be a longer way back than I remember' ....
'It's all good exercise' as I always say!
Newbold tunnel, always a delight in it's illuminated display, apparently turned off at sunset so it doesn't disturb the bats!
The canal is extremely green and pretty north of Rugby.
Here is one of many bridges to carry the towpath over a disused 'meander' of canal.
Eventually and quite chilly, we arrived at Stretton Stop. According to Pearsons, this was formally a toll stop. A foot swingbridge links the workshops to the towpath and requires a push to open.
We moored up Kennet and Avon style (using a plank) as the banks on the Oxford slope inwards and I managed to flick Richard's pink pig into the canal! Ok, I think he did find it in a skip, but it was his pig and it adorned the butty and yes it was another sublimal Floyd reference. So I am sorry to say the pig is dead, we will need to find another figurehead, answers on a postcard......
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