Shopping in Leamington and then to Warwick

Yesterday Denise had noticed a shop selling Tilley hats so after breakfast we walked into Leamington centre to buy me a new one as my old hat is starting to disintegrate.    Going into the shop, a "Gentlemens Oufitter, established over 100 years" was like stepping back 30 years or more.  Rails full of tweed jackets and corduroy trousers, a wide range of shirts and smart ties, many other hats including boaters and countryman flat caps - great stuff!.  Having made my purchase the shopkeeper carefully wrote out a receipt by hand.

Just beyond the "gentlemen's outfitters" was a real fishmonger's and further on a butcher's.  Perhaps worth mentioning that yesterday we had lunch at a "Tea Rooms and Piano Bar".  Very good burger and chips accompanied by the uninterrupted light music of the resident pianist.  I am beginning to warm to Leamington!

On the Grand Union n Leamington

AT the bottom Cape Lock, Warwick

But we had to move on.  Finding a supermarket was urgent as there is little opportunity for major food shopping after Leamington until the other side of Birmngham.  For many years the standard place for boaters to stop was the Tescos  between Leamington and Warwick where there are a few moorings. However just a mile after leaving and still well within Leamington we passed near a Morrisons situated across the road that runs alongside the canal.   We got  everything we needed there and then carried on westwards.

After crossing the aqueduct over the River Avon we enter Warwick,   Up the two Cape Locks with narrowboat "Rusty Nail" and then we moored near the well known canalside "Cape of Good Hope" pub.  Overall  a total of 3 miles and two locks in 2 hours cruising.  An easy day, but tomorrow will be very, very different.  More news later.