Bridge 47 to Atherstone - Coventry Canal

Monday 25^th, Tuesday 26^th and Wednesday 27th June

Fab Night Sky

Lovely Sunset

The last couple of days (Monday and Tuesday) we have stayed put and Kev did some more painting and other jobs and I washed the front and back covers and did a few other things.  Monday we walked up to Atherstone which was about a mile away to have a wander around the shops and get a few supplies.  It has been a lovely spot where we have been moored, just the sound of the birds to keep us company and the odd boat chugging by and some fantastic sunsets and night skies, but it is now time to move on.

Here he comes

Approaching our first lock of the day

We are going up four locks this morning (Wednesday) so we set off from our mooring about 10am.  The first lock wasn't far away and a boat had come past us so the lock was set in our favour.

These locks have steps up the side so I got the gates open and Kev got off the boat went up the steps and brought the boat into the lock on a rope, he can then do one side and I can do the other, that way I don't have to keep going back and forth across the gates.  

One out, one in

In the lock

A boat was coming down so we left the gate open and went on to the next one.

We were soon through that lock and onto our third lock, this one was set for us as well so didn't take long to get through.  I went on to our fourth lock but unfortunately this one was full so I emptied it and Kev brought the boat in, there was a boat waiting to come down so I got some help.

Approaching our third lock

We chugged on from the lock and moored up not far from there in the visitor moorings before the bridge.

Our last lock for today

We had lunch then walked up to the town to do some food shopping, there is a large Co-op and an Aldi.  We also found a butchers so bought some of their home cured bacon and home cooked roast ham.

We took all our shopping back to the boat and will just chill out now, it really is too hot to do much else.

We are staying here tomorrow as well as there is a train station a short walk from the canal and so we are off to Milton Keynes for a look round as we haven't been there before then we will be on the move on Friday.

Moored at Atherstone

Grendon to Bridge 47 - Coventry Canal

Last night there was a lovely sunset and the sky was just amazing, lots of colours, purples, reds, quite spectacular.

Lovely Skies

Spectacular Night Sky

Another hot sunny day forecast and it was already very warm as we left our mooring and headed along the canal, under the bridge and moored up at the services.  We filled up with water and got rid of yet more rubbish, don't know where it all comes from, but we seem to have so much of it all the time.

Heading off along the canal

When all that was done we headed off towards the locks, we are going to do two then moor up.

Coming to the first lock

Coming up the first lock

We got to the first lock and there was a boat in front of us and one coming down so I went up and helped and when Kev had tied up the boat he came up as well.  There wasn't another boat coming down so we had to empty the lock and then Kev brought the boat in.  By this time two more boats had turned up behind us.  The lady on the boat behind us made no attempt to come up to the lock to help but the lady on the boat behind them did so that was okay.  We were soon through there and onto the next one.

Out of one lock and into the next

I had to empty this lock as well then Kev came in and I filled the lock.  The lady on the second boat came up to the lock and it turns out they have only just got their boat and I don't think she really knew what to do so will let her off for not helping at the first lock!!

Coming to the Footbridge

We moored up not far from the lock in what we thought was a lovely sunny peaceful spot. There was another boat there and not long after we got there, he started up a generator, so much for peace and quiet, so we untied and went under the footbridge and moored up there and yes it was a lovely sunny peaceful spot.  A couple of boats moored up during the afternoon but didn't stay long, then we were all on our own with just the noise of the birds and the odd passing boat, lovely.

We are staying here for a couple of nights now then moving on with a few more locks to do which will take us to Atherstone.

Moored at Bridge 47

Visit to The Smithy Farm Shop & Tea Room - Grendon, Coventry Canal

Saturday 23^rd June

We are staying put today and walking up to The Smithy Farm Shop and Tea Room.  We set off along the canal and went under the bridge and up onto the lane.  We walked along there, unfortunately there is no pavement but it wasn't too busy and then we turned right onto another road which was quite busy but there was a grass verge so we could get on there out the way of the traffic.

Inside Farm Shop

Smithy Farm Shop

Other Shops

We turned left onto another lane and the farm shop was there, it was about a mile from the canal.  It was very busy and when we walked inside it looked really good, well stocked with local bread, fruit and veg and meat, their own lamb, cheeses, etc.  It was all very reasonably priced as well in fact cheap really compared to a lot of farm shops we have been to.

Farm Shop Entrance and Tea Room

We bought plenty of things, then went to the tea rooms and had a drink and a ploughman’s which was really good, very fresh and good value.  We also had an ice-cream called Dreamy Cow and made in Twycross, Leicestershire and very good it was too.

Ploughmans Lunch

There are a couple of other shops there as well, a craft shop and a card shop and one selling wood burners.

We then walked back to the boat with our goodies.  We are staying here tonight and are going to  have a BBQ for tea as  weather forecast is good, although its not too sunny at the moment but it is warm so hopefully the sun will come out later, then moving on tomorrow.

Polesworth to Grendon - Coventry Canal

Friday 22nd June

It was another sunny day and warm when we got up.  We had breakfast then set off up into the village to visit the Abbey.  There is a lovely old gatehouse and we walked up the drive to the Abbey Church.

It was founded in the 9th century by St. Modwen and King Egbert. The first abbess was Edgytha (daughter of King Egbert, now St. Editha).

Tunnel at Gatehouse

The Gatehouse

The site of the Abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, although apart from the church and the gatehouse and the restored ruins of the cloister very little remains visible. The 12th-century Abbey church, now the parish church of St Editha, is a Grade II* listed building.   The 14^th Century gatehouse is both a Grade II listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has recently been restored and renovated to provide apartments available for rent.

Info Board at Abbey

It was open so we went in and had a good look around.  There was a chap in the church moving pews around as there is a concert in the church on Saturday evening so Kev did his good deed for the day and helped him as they are heavy to move about on your own.

There is a sensory garden but unfortunately it was closed so we had a walk in the church yard and then back through the village to the boat.  There is a good hardware shop in the village and on the way past we bought a new mat for the front.

Lovely Reflection

We were going to stay here in Polesworth today as well but we discovered that there was a farm shop and tea room a bit further down the road at Grendon so we decided to move on so we could visit there tomorrow.

Our New Mat!!

It was a glorious afternoon as we set off along the canal and after a couple of miles we moored in a lovely sunny open spot near the bridge and the lane we need to walk up to the farm shop.

There are services near the bridge so in the afternoon we walked along there to get rid of rubbish that had been mounting up as there has not been many places along this stretch where we can get rid of it so it was good to finally dump it at the refuse point.

We then walked on along the canal to the bottom of Atherstone locks and walked up the first two, then sat on a bench and watched a boat go through the lock, we then walked back down, along the towpath and back to the boat.  We then chilled out for the rest of the day.

Moored at Grendon

Alvecote to Polesworth - Coventry Canal

Our lovely Newly Painted Side

Passing the Samuel Barlow

We are on the move today but Kev wanted to finish painting the side of the boat before we moved so he got on with it early morning before it got too hot.  By late morning it was done and now we have one lovely newly painted side and it looks really good, he's done a grand job, next will be the roof and then the other side if the towpath swaps over or if not when we turn around.

Going under the M42

It is another lovely sunny day today and we set off along the canal, past the marina and the Samuel Barlow pub and now we have crossed the border from Staffordshire into Warwickshire, we have been in Staffordshire for many months and it is a nice county but now onto pastures new.

There used to be a Bridge here!

Pooley Country Park Moorings

We are not going far today, just a couple of miles, we went under the M42 and past Pooley Country Park and their designated moorings, we walked to here the other day and on a bit further and moored at Polesworth.  The moorings were busy but we managed to squeeze in.

Polesworth

We had lunch then walked up to the village, it has several shop including a fruit and veg shop, a butchers, Spar, Lloyd’s Parmacy and a Co-op.  The meat in the Butchers all looked very good so we bought some bacon and sausages as well as home cooked ham and home made sausage rolls.

There are some old buildings in Polesworth and the River Anker runs through the village and there is some Abbey ruins so we are going to explore all this tomorrow as we are now staying here for a couple of days.

Moored at Polesworth

Few Days at Alvecote

Monday 18^th, Tuesday 19^th and Wednesday 20^th June

Path through Nature Reserve

Info Board

We have stayed put the last few days as Kev wanted to repaint the boat and where we are moored it is a good spot for doing this as there are no houses and no other boats moored here, also the weather has been really good just right for painting.

Brightly Coloured Wheel

Pooley Country Park

Samuel Barlow Pub

We have been out for a few walks.  There is a Nature Reserve just past the marina, Pooley Pools, and a path from the towpath leads into it, so we had a walk around there and it led to Pooley Country Park which has its own moorings for visitors.  There was a tea room and visitor centre but was closed as they only open at weekends and school holidays, but it was a nice walk and there is a brightly coloured wheel there which came from one of the collieries.

Tuesday we had lunch at the Samuel Barlow pub which is by the marina not far from where we are moored.  The food was really good, I has Sirloin steak and Kev had a burger and they were both delicious, quality meat.  They have a nice selection of gins and I tried Keeper’s Strawberry and Lavender, it was so nice.

It is a nice peaceful spot we are moored in, just a few people walking by so okay for a few days.  We will be moving on Thursday.

Hopwas (B'ham & Fazeley) to Alvecote (Coventry Canal)

Saturday 16^th June

Little Market in Whittington

We are staying put today and off on the bus to Whittington and Tamworth.  We walked along the canal to the Tame Otter pub to get the bus.  In Whitington today there is a small market and Wood House Farm usually have a stall there and they were there so we bought some sausages and bacon, they are all from rare breeds.  There was another stall selling their own smoked cheese, cheddar and brie and also home-made scotch eggs, so we got some of that.  There is only four stalls but you can get good things so worth a visit.  We also bought some Cranberry and Walnutt soda bread and some peanut butter cookies.  We then got the bus back to Hopwas, dropped our goodies off at the boat, then back out to the get the bus to Tamworth.

Tamworth has lots of shops and there was a general market with lots of stalls, there is an Aldi and a Lidl.  We had a wander around and got everything we needed.  We got the bus back.  We are staying at Hopwas again tonight then off in the morning.

Sunday 17th June

Path from Canal to Retail Park

We are on the move today, so we set off about 9am along the canal for a couple of miles and stopped between two bridges.  Just here there is a footpath from the canal that takes you into a business/retail park that has B&Q, ToolStation, Sainsburys, Asda, Wilko and quite a few other stores.  We needed some things from B&Q and ToolStation and also Sainsburys.

Coming to another Bridge

It is about a 10 minute walk from the canal so nice and easy.  We got everything we needed then headed back to the boat and set off again.

Fazeley Junction

Passing the B'Ham & Fazeley Canal

We soon came to Fazeley Junction.  This is where the Coventry canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley canal and is dominated by a number of mills, left behind from the once booming textile industry for which the area became well known.  Most of these have now become housing.  It was here in the 1790s, that Robert Peel, father of the Prime Minister, in partnership with Joseph Wilkes, transformed the area, building mills and wharfs, chapels and watercourses and making it a centre of industry that was to last until the depression of the mid-19^th C.

Going over Aqueduct

Coming to Glascote Locks

We were now back on the Coventry canal.  We stopped at the water point then headed on. 

We went over an aqueduct where the Rive Tame flows underneath and then came to Glascote locks.  This is a set of two locks.  There was a boat coming down so he came out and we went in.  I opened one of the paddles and nothing really happened so I opened the other one and the lock started to fill but very slowly.  It took ages but eventually it filled up and out we came.  We went to the next lock which was ready for us and up we went.

In Glascote Bottom Lock

We then chugged on, the canal was really quiet and we didn’t see many boats.  After a couple more miles, we came to Alvecote and moored up before the marina.

Onto the Next Lock

Samuel Barlow Pub

In the evening we went for a walk up to the marina where there is a pub called the Samuel Barlow so we went across the bridge and went in for a drink.  It is a really nice friendly pub and they have some lovely gins and serve them in a nice big glass with the garnish to complement the gin.  I had Keepr’s Raspberry and Honey gin and it was delicious.

We sat outside by the canal having our drinks and there was two boats moored outside the pub with teenage school kids on.  We chatted to a couple of the teachers, they were from a school in the Newcastle area and were out for a week.  There was 18 kids!  They were all very well behaved and the teachers spoke very highly of them all.

We then walked back to the boat.  We are staying here for a couple of days now as there is a nature reserve and country park nearby so we are going to explore that and will move on Wednesday.

Moored at Alvecote