Warwick to Stockton (11 miles, 22 locks)

The laptop is officially dead!  Richard took a scenic route around Warwick to find somewhere selling leads to attach the other computer (PC) to the TV in the saloon as the monitor for that, had inexplicably died as well!
2 hours later I met him about a mile down the towpath, triumphant with the lead and some goodies for tea.

The next day we pushed on down through 2 more locks, past the large canalside Tesco store, where Richard had bought the lead, and moored outside Lidl, where they had provided moorings for boaters as well!

 Very considerate of them!  Fully loaded we continued our journey through Leamington Spa.

It didn't really start off very well going through Leamington!  Obviously, there must be an underwater obstruction or the youth just don't give a damn about their town!

This was quite an attractive part, but then further on through towards the outskirts, we witnessed a lad on a bike dishing out tiny packets to those he met under a bridge.  So we thought NICE, let's get out of this and moor up somewhere else for the night, thanks!  Doesn't really do a lot for the town when boaters see that, so don't want to stop and pass straight through - and not a policeman for miles!!

After a peaceful night at Radford, we started our ascent through 10 locks after coming down all the way from Birmingham.  Had to think what to do!!  The first runners taking part in the 145 mile Grand Union Canal race from Birmingham to London, http://www.gucr.co.uk/, had started to pass us.  As we got tired doing the locks, we could empathise a little with their pain, but we could stop, they had only until the next day to get to London!  A lady apparently won it in 28 hours! Incredible stuff!  Pales into insignificance my paltry efforts doing half marathons in years past!

We moored for the rest of the Bank Holiday at Long Itchington and enjoyed the Jubilee from our boat as the weather was fairly atrocious!

Apparently Elizabeth 1 stayed in this Tudor house in the centre of this charming village.  There are 6 pubs as well, which is a bit of a surprise for such a small place.

We had a good day with the shop on Monday and then started early for the next set of locks (another 10!)









 to moor up above Stockton.  We tried to get fuel from another Kate Boats wharf, but as with the last time, they were closed.  This, we decided, was because it was still Jubilee weekend (Tuesday) and normal working people would be having the day off!

So we have stayed here for a few days as the weather has been bad, but I have been able to get some more stock finished and Richard has been to the local garage on his bike with the trailer and bought some fuel!!  They can have our money instead, and he paid the price on the pump, not adding on for propulsion......