Walks to Swallow Cruisers and Finwood Hill Farm Shop, Lowsonford (Stratford Canal)

A short while ago when the weather turned warmer, we decided that we wouldn’t need any more fires so Kev took the chimney off.  As it had been there all winter it needed a bit of persuasion so Kev gave it a tap and it broke in two!!  So we have been looking in the Chandlers that we have passed for another one and have decided that we will have a stainless steel one this time.  When we were at Hockley Heath we walked down to Swallow Cruisers and although they didn’t have one in stock the chap was going to Limekiln Chandlers the next day so he was going to pick one up for us.  They were really helpful and friendly and the Chandlery is well stocked and we would recommend it.   As we went down the Lapford Flight on Friday we had to walk back up the flight to fetch it yesterday (Saturday).

The walk was about a 3½ mile round trip but it was a nice walk and the weather was lovely and this is what we bought yesterday …

Our shiny new chimney

 

Towpath on Stratford Canal to Lowsonford

Today (Sunday) we decided to walk to Lowsonford as we aren’t going by boat this time as it is further down the Stratford canal than we are going and the Finwood Hill Farm shop is there which sell the lovely Dexter pies and also pork from their Gloucester Old Spot pigs.

We set off along the canal and stopped to chat to a lady who had a Cavalier Spaniel and she asked us where we were walking to and we said to the farm shop and we told her about the scrummy pies, she said she must go and buy one sometime.  We walked on and down the canal we went past lots of locks and there were plenty of boats going through today.

Finwood Hill Farm Shop

Tom o' the Wood pub

We trotted on along the towpath and soon we were at lock 30 and we walked up the hill to the farm shop.  We bought a pie, obviously, and some pork chops and a steak for me and we were just leaving when a car came in and you will never believe it, but it was the lady we saw this morning and she had come to buy a pie to try it as we had said they were so nice, how funny was that.  She lives in Lapworth so offered us a lift back but we said we would walk as it was a nice day and we needed the exercise but we were going to walk back via the Grand Union canal so she insisted on giving us a lift to the top of the hill and dropped us by the Tom o’ the Wood pub which is on the Grand Union Canal at Rowington, very kind of her and a really nice lady with a lovely dog, I wanted to put him in our carrier bag, but she wouldn’t let met!!

And this is what we bought today ….

Dexter Beef Pie

 Just hope we don't get our two purchases muddled up!!

Towpath on the Grand Union Canal

Family of Geese

We walked down onto the Grand Union canal and followed the towpath back to the Junction with the Stratford Canal.  On the way we saw a family of Geese, we haven’t seen many of them yet on our trip but always nice to see.

We walked back up to the boat via the shop as we needed a couple of things.  The walk today was about 4 miles, but really good and didn't seem that far. 

It was such a lovely day that after we had watched the Grand Prix we went and sat in the garden by the café and had an ice-cream and a cup of tea and watched the boats going up and down.