On Monday evening we enjoyed a lovely meal aboard Penny and Ray’s boat and opened a bottle of fizzy wine to celebrate the new doors being hung. We had intended to move on yesterday but the weather was dull in the morning and by the time the sun came out the wind had become really quite strong, so we decided to stay another day and enjoyed Penny and Ray’s company for another evening, playing ‘Balderdash’ on this occasion (like TV’s Call my Bluff, if you’re old enough to remember!)
This morning was lovely and sunny so we prised ourselves out of bed and were away before 9am. It was a pleasant cruise down past Alvecote Marina to Glascote Locks. It was sad to see Steve Hudson’s boat building yard looking deserted following his death a few months ago, he was renowned for the quality of his boats.
The locks are infamous for how slow they fill, but we met boats coming the other way which always helps. Someone has immortalised the problem in verse and fixed it to the fence, there were volunteers painting and weeding at the locks too.
The Tale of Leaky Lock
Just a note, to let you know, that this here Lock, is very slow.
So take a breath, relax and smile, (you might be waiting here a while.)
The problem is, (or so we’re told,) is lock Thirteen is very old.
Her paddles shot, through wear and tear, the water pours out here and there.
We’ve had them fixed, then fixed again, by some of Waterways finest men.
And for a while, the Lock works well, until again they leak like hell.
Now if this pause in your sojourn, has made you stop and think and learn.
That on the “cut”there is a pace, that’s not for those who want to race.
So if you’re rushing, running late, this tale of Leaky Lock you’ll hate,
If you’ve no time to gently float, then why a bloody Narrow Boat?The Bard of Glascote Locks
Soon we were crossing the Tame Aqueduct and on our way to Fazeley Junction where we kept right, leaving the Coventry Canal & joining the Birmingham & Fazeley, past C&RT’s offices at Peel Wharf and out into the countryside were it was hard to believe you were so close to the conurbations of Tamworth & al.
We motored into Hopwas about half past one and found there was a mooring available outside the Tame Otter and opposite the Red Lion pub, so it would have been churlish not to patronise them wouldn’t it?
So it looks like this is were we will stay tonight.