Lock after lock after lock as we retraced our steps through the Lapworth and then the Hatton Lock Flights over the next two days. We set off from Hockley Heath on Sunday morning (04/07/2021), American Independence Day, at 11:00 after listening to the Archers Omnibus. We went through 2 drawbridges that had to be manually lifted using a windlass and made our way through 13 of the Lapworth Locks.
We hit a snag in the first lock, number 2 when we got wedged in by a huge floating log on our way out. Assisted by the crew of an oncoming holiday boat we eventually got free and lugged the log onto the bank.
After 12 more locks and heavy rain showers we had had enough for the day and moored up along from the Boot Inn near Kingswood Junction. That evening torrential rain began and a leak in the gunwale allowed water to drip into Hilary’s RNLI tote bag (she was not amused).
You can just make out a blue car splashing through the road along side us that had become a river.
And another car going a bit slower. The rain was so heavy that we had to abandon watching The Handmaid’s Tale (Series 2) because we couldn’t hear the soundtrack.
On Monday we made our way up to Kingswood Junction passing through the last 5 Lapworth Locks and turned right onto the Grand Union Canal. We cruised for a while before reaching the 21 wide Hatton Locks. The previous narrow locks would only allow one narrowboat through at a time, whereas the wide locks could accommodate two narrowboats at a time. We had some help through the middle section by an C&RT volunteer on a bicycle who opened the locks ahead for us.
The junction provided a link between the Stratford Canal and the Grand Union to prevent Stratford-on-Avon from becoming sidelined. Before the rain on Sunday evening Steve and Vera had been down to check out the way ahead.
When the rain started we sheltered under a bridge until a lull in the downpour allowed us to scamper back to the shelter of the boat.
We stopped at the top of the Hatton Flight of locks to make use of the Canal & River Trust Services.
We steadfastly made our way down, stopping for lunch and to recuperate after lock 28.
The last lock was 26 and then there were 2 Warwick (Cape) Locks to go through. We continued towards Warwick.
Care workers drinking at the popular Cape of Good Hope pub by the first of these locks advised us good-naturedly to continue on passed Warwick, but we stopped at our old familiar mooring by Tesco Extra at Emscote.
We were moored next to Rocking Robbin who had Danny Boy, a dog rescued from Ireland aboard.
This is our back garden with lots of duck and goose poo, a smorgasbord for Vera!
On Tuesday morning (06/07/2021) we walked into Royal Leamington Spa to the Binswood Launderette, which we had used when we were there before.
While the washing was whizzing around in the machine we walked to the very agreeable Cafe Mechanics for coffee, and Vera got given some bacon so she loved it there.
We walked back to the boat (1.2 miles according to Google Maps) and did some repairs and maintenance while the heavens opened again. Vera considered volunteering to be a guide dog on the way back.
Rain is now drumming on the roof of the boat and Steve Wright is banging out some banal wittering from the DAB radio.
Later, we did some food shopping in Tesco and watched telly on the iPad as the lack of sun on our solar panels today and the fact that we had not been running the engine (except for hot water for showers this morning) meant that our batteries were low on stored power.
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