Back to Brinklow

 

Bridge 21 on the North Oxford

Boatyard and hireboat centre at Stretton Stop

Congestion near bridge at Stretton Stop

Still on our way back home, stopping at much the same places as on ur journey out. We left Ansty at 9:25 and stopped for the night  at Brinklow woods 2 hours later.  We have no wish to get back to our marina before Friday and so are spreading out the remaining journey over the time available.

The photos show a couple of points of interest not mentioned on the previous description.  The very high bridge shown in the first photo looks like it was built for a railway in Victorian times.  However our map shows no reference to any line crossing the canal.

Stretton Stop was so called as working boats had to stop there, I guess to pay toll fees.  It is now a small boatyard and also hires out narrowboats.  The following rather dark picture shows us passing one narrowboat to go under the single boat-width bridge after Stretton Stop meeting another boat coming in the opposite direction.  It is a well known rule of the waterways that if you are to meet another boat it will always be at a narrow bridge or a tight bend.

2 hours 5 mins cruising, 4.54 miles

Ansty

 

Hawkesbury Junction - turning off the Coventry Canal 

Moored at Ansty on the North Oxford Canal

There was heavy rain most of this morning but it stopped soon after lunch. As we needed to run the engine to charge the batteries we decided to move on, filling up with water at Hawkesbury, ascending the 1 foot stop lock, and travelling a few miles back along the Oxford Canal to the canalside village of Ansty.

2 hours travelling, 3.58 miles

Return to Hawkesbury Junction

Newdigate Colliery Arm junction with the Coventry Canal near Hawkesbury

Yesterday I mentioned that the forecast thunderstorms had not appeared.  As soon as I shut down the laptop we had a torrential rainstorm that lasted for several hourse.noticably raising the level of the canal.

This morning was dry but overcast.  After setting out we turned right at the junction with the Coventry Canal to travel two miles through the industrial town of Nuneaton to empty our waste tank at a small boatyard there. No pictures of Nuneaton I am afraid as the canal scenery, mainly of estate houses and allotments,  is of little interest.  We then turned the boat around  and headed towards Coventry, mooring back near Hawkesbury Junction at lunchtime.

This was a coal mining area and there were canal arms that went to indivual collieries. The photo shows the end of the blocked and abandoned Newdigate Colliery Arm.  The colliery itself closed in 1982.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is heavy rain for most of the day so we may not move.  We are a day ahead of schedule so there is no point in getting wet.

3 hours 20 minutes, 9.08 miles

Back to the start of the Ashby

 

Former working boat built in 1935

Moored at Birdge 3 on the Ashby just north of Coventry

An overcast day with occasional showers.  We continue our journey back home reaching Bridge 3 on the Ashby about half a mile north of Marston Junction where the Ashby Canal meets the Cooventry Canal. We arrived at 12:45 an hour before a forecast thuderstorm but this afternoon there has only been a few rumbles of thunder and barely any rain. 

We had planned to empty our waste tank at Trinity Maina in Hinckley but found it closed until Tuesday. So tomorrow we will need to take a small detour up the Coventry to find somewhere else. As we are a day ahead of schedule  this will not disrupt our plans.

3 hours 45 minutes 8.35 miles

Stoke Golding

View from Shenton aqueduct

 The very hot weather seems to be over.  We awoke to a cool and cloudy morning with some light rain.  We set off at 8:25 as soon as the rain stopped retracing our journey through Market Bosworth and on over Shenton Aqueduct where the canal crosses over a country lane.  I was not able to get a satisfactory photo on the way up so did not mention it last week.

Soon after the aqueduct we stopped at the services at Sutton Wharf to fill up with water.  By this time the rain had returned, heavier than before.  Luckily there was a cafe nearby so we had a coffee there whilst waiting for the rain to stop, which it did in half an hour.

The final stage of today's journey took us to the village of Stoke Golding where a blue plaque records that Henry 7th was crowned after his vistory at Bosworth. More usefully for us it has a very good farm shop where we stocked up with fresh veg, 3 pubs which we did not visit and a highly recommended Indian restaurant where we may eat this evening.

4 hours 15 miutes cruising, 8.16 miles

Congerstone

We can go no further

End of the navigation

One day the canal will be extended

After turning round - more Ashby scenery

About to leave Snarestone tunnel traveling south

Last night we had a good meal and beer at the friendly Globe Inn in Snarestone.  Well worth a visit.

After starting at 9am this morning we passed through Snarestone tunnel  into a section of canal that has been restored after having been abandoned in 1966 following the loss of the northern part of the canal to mining subsidence. This is somewhat ironic since the canal was first built in the 1790's to carry coal from the Leicestershire mines.

We moored at the Ashby Canal Association's visitor facilities located at the furthest point we can take our 57 foot boat.  Shorter boats can be granted permission to travel on for a half mile to the true end of navigation  where there is a winding hole to turn small boats. We had to walk there and could see where the canal will be further restored to eventually return to its original terminus in the village of Moira.

The ACA's facilities include a water tap where we filled our tank and a small shop where we bought a couple of cartons of excellent local ice cream.  There is also a winding hole sufficiently large to accommodate all narrowboats where we turned the boat around to start our journey back home.

So back through Snarestone tunnel and Shackerstone to the village of Congerstone where we moored up in the hot sun at 12:55.

3 hours 15 minutes, 5.69 miles.

Snarestone

Cruising past the reeds

The Ashby Canal is narrow in places

Mooring near Snarestone tunnel

Another hot day tmade more comfortable byh a cool breeze and plenty of shade from the trees along the canal. 

We set off at 8:40 intending to finish by lunchtime and so avoid the heat of the day.  The journey took us past the Bosworth Battle field Heritage Centre located on the hill where the battle was believed to have taken place. Here there is a visitor centre (not visible from the canal) with a highly regarded exhibition and the normal restaurant and gift shop.   Unfortuately research by historians and archeologists in the 2000's proved that the battle site was actually 2 miles away not far from our mooring last night.

Then on past the road leading to the town of Market Bosworth about 1 mile away.  It looks like we will have to make that walk when we return as we have limited supplies left and shops are very scarce along the canal.

At lunchtime we reached the very small village of Shackerstone where we planned to stay for the night and have a meal in the local pub.   However, we went there whilst exploring the village and were disappointed to hear that they were no longer providing meals.

As we have not eaten out so far on this trip the only solution was to carry on up the canal for another couple of miles to Snarestone near the end of navigation.  There are good moorings next to the tunnel which takes the canal uderneath the village.

This was the longest day on our journey so far:

5 hours 15 minues, 11.83 miles