Kingswood Junction to Hatton (Grand Union Canal)

Saturday 20^th June

We caught the train today to the retail park at Leamington Spa.  The train station is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the canal.  When we got to Leamington Spa station, it was a short walk to the retail park.  There are lots of shops there, Sainsburys, Debenhams, Tool Station, Argos to name a few.  We went to Tool Station to the get the sealant for our calorifier, then had a look around the other shops.  

It was a very humid day, thunder was in the air.  We walked back to the station and it rained really hard, but we were in the station so didn’t worry no thunder though.  We walked back to the boat via the canal and had to shelter under one of the bridges for a while as the heavens opened, it went over and the sun came out and we got back to the boat in the dry.  Kev put the sealant on and we waited for it to dry and then put the water pump back on and it seemed okay, but after we had ran the engine for a while, it started leaking again, so no luck with fixing it yet.

We will probably chug off tomorrow and get a bit nearer to Warwick where there are a couple of boat yards in case we need help to fix our problem.

 Sunday 21st June

Turning onto the Grand Union Canal

Approaching Shrewley Tunnel

We had a leisurely start, then decided to chug on to the top of the Hatton flight.  We set off up the arm and turned right on to the Grand Union canal.  We have only done this bit once before and don’t really remember much about it, so really it is all new to us.   It was a beautiful sunny morning, a bit breezy, but warm.  

In Shrewley Tunnel

Coming out into lovely sunshine

We chugged on down the canal and came to Shrewley Tunnel, it is 433 yrds long and very wet and drippy inside.  I was okay as I was inside the boat, but Kev got a bit wet!  The tunnel was opened in 1799 with the completion of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal.

Is Kev down there somewhere!

Safely through there, past Hatton Railway Station and moored up in a sunny spot before the top of the Hatton flight which we are saving for another day!

Hatton Shopping Village

Hatton Shopping Village

We found out there was Hatton Shopping Village and Adventure World not very far away, so we walked up onto the road and about ½ a mile up the road, there it was.  It was very busy with lots of families there.  The Adventure World is mainly for children, so I had to keep Kev on a tight rein to keep him off the trampolines and slides!

 

There were a fair few shops, crafts and jewellery, a garden centre, a farm shop, shoe shop and a few clothes shops, a really nice place.  There is also a restaurant and a coffee shop.  We had an ice cream and sat in the sun for a while, then walked back to the canal and walked down the first few locks.  A few boats were going through, but it was very quiet.  Lots of people around though.

We are staying here a few days now as Kev wants to talk to the boat yards and see if we can get this calorifier fixed.

Moored at Hatton