Sunday 19th August 2007
Bradley Green Bridge - Ansty (17¼ miles, 13 locks)
The rain had almost stopped when we got underway this morning, heading for Atherstone locks. We had left it too late and there was several boats ahead of us making slow progress up the flight.
Near the top of the flight, we passed Mike Steven's boat Felis Catus III. Jen thinks it's sad when I stop to chat with people I know from their blogs and websites, but I didn't want to lose my place in the queue so I resisted the temptation to disturb Mike's peace.
We stopped for lunch and to fill with water at Hartshill, and then the rain started in a repeat performance of yesterday, only heavier. At Hawkesbury Junction, the rain eased off and Tess managed to fall in the canal. Jen decided to walk for a while so Tess could warm up, but the towpath was in such poor condition due to the weather that everyone got covered in mud. I think this was the low point of the holiday for Jen.
We moored at Ansty and booked a meal at the Rose & Castle, which seemed to have moved up market since our last visit. The food was alright, but nothing memorable, and certainly no compensation for the miserable time we had this afternoon.