Richard has an inbuilt alarm clock which goes off at 7.50am every morning well except for today when it was 8.10am! It put me out for the whole day!
It took us about 15 minutes to get down to Marston Junction, where we discovered that C&RT were working on the bank opposite which made turning interesting – I’m glad we don’t have a 70 foot boat.
Down to Hawkesbury Junction where the stop lock was in our favour. There were two ducks in front of the boat who didn’t really seem bothered that 15 tons of boat were about to run them over. Eventually they flew out onto the canal side – I was quite relieved.
We passed through the village of Ansty which has been cited as "the most boater-hostile village on the canals" because of the huge number of "no mooring" signs! However, Ansty should really be remembered for one of its landowners, Lady Godiva, who rode naked through the streets of Coventry. The story goes that Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering under her husband's harsh taxation. Lady Godiva appealed again and again to her husband, who obstinately refused to lower the taxes. At last, he said he would grant her request if she would strip naked and ride on a horse through the streets of the town. Lady Godiva took him at his word, and after issuing a proclamation that everyone should stay indoors and shut their windows, she rode through the town, clothed only in her long hair. Just one person in the town Thomas, a tailor, ever afterwards known as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her proclamation and was struck blind and deaf!
There was a boat in front of us at Rose Narrowboats, so they opened the swing bridge and we closed it. There were four hire boats in today. The wharf at Rose Narrowboats once had a stop gate to retain water in the canal to the south if the embankment should fail and provided a convenient place for “gauging” boats. After Rose Narrowboats, the map ways that there is an unstable cutting. This photo shows a landslide in that very same cutting.
We cruised through All Oaks Wood and took the last mooring just before Bridge 35.
At home we have a Ring doorbell – one with a camera in it. I get notified when anyone comes near the door even if they don’t actually ring the bell. Twice during the night, I was notified, but when I checked the camera, I found that, yes, we had had a visitor, but I don’t think he will do us much harm! Hopefully, you can spot the intruder just above the Jeep’s windscreen.
12.46 miles
1 lock
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