(Stratford upon) Avon calling!

It has been a great year cruise wise, but sooner or later, you have to take a reality check, as the real world impinges.  We have to be home at the end of the first week in October.  With jobs to attend to, the reality is, we need a week back at base before this.  So the end of this month, we really have to be back.

My new knee has been tested and not found wanting.  Ok, not as good as a real joint, but a vast improvement.  So looking good for next season.  Gosh this sounds rather glum, but at the moment we are anything but.  The weather is fantastic, a bit of cloud in the morning, sunshine and hot by the afternoon. 

We left our mooring below Knowle locks a little later than usual as we had a wash load to do.  This entails engaging the travel power.  The washer is power hungry when heating the water, despite adding hot water, so we let this cycle complete whilst moored, in order to maintain constant rev's and supply the machine with a steady supply.  Once the cycle was complete, we were off.  There are many moored boats between Kings Arms bridge and Black boy bridge, so we chugged past with ner a ripple.  By the time we were at Rising bridge, the wash had completed and we took the opportunity to replenish the water.

We picked this water point as it is easy to use and quiet.  Last night we debated and decided to head for Stratford upon Avon.  This means turning off the Grand Union at Kingswood junction and we know from past experience that the services can be awkward if busy.  It had been very quiet boat movement wise until reaching the junction, in fact we had only seen one boat moving!

Turning caused no trauma, despite having to avoid a boat somewhat haphazardly exiting the basin. As anticipated, the services were busy.  But a boat was coming up the first lock, so as soon as it was out, in went we!

These are narrow locks, some very narrow!  As are the bridges.  Something of a challenge after the wider locks and canals we have become used to.  But how beautiful it is.  It was steady boat wise, rather than busy and today had a very rural feel, despite briefly passing under a major road.  The barrel roofed former lockeepers cottages are also a feature of this canal.

By mid afternoon, the sun shone and boy did it get hot.  This belied the season. Autumn is nearly on us, evidenced by falling leaves and the unmistakable sound as you walked through drifts of them on the towpath, dry and crunchy underfoot.

By late afternoon we had reached Wooten Wawen.  The visitor moorings had but one boat, so in we went, just prior to the aqueduct.  Bake off on Tv tonight...........

Miles 9.5
Locks 17