Completed 1.5 miles and 17 locks!
The weather forecast was favourable for a 'painting day' and I was awake early as 2 boats, moored either side of us last night, set off before 6 am!
Up and out on the bank so as to get the job done before the sun got too hot?
Masking up the panels
Painting done - but lots of flies!!
Decided to set off at 1.00pm as a very smoky bonfire was lit directly over the hedge!
This photo of Lock No. 7 shows the cotton reel pulley wheel for the horse-drawn boats pulling lines to be lifted over the bridge and around the corner as the towpath changes sides
Looking back at Lock No.7 - see the tight turn out which Chris did really well and the classic Lock Keepers Cottage (and classic Porsche!)
The by-weirs on this section are waterfalls - the lock depth (drop) is about 6' 6"
Working the locks running downhill
The bottom gates on these North Stratford Locks have double gates.
One technique for opening them is to hang on one and push the other one open with a hard push - it should then swing open if it is balanced correctly - then opening the gate on your side! All this to avoid walking around!
Here I am looking down about 10' at the tail of the lock waiting for all the water to equalise before the big shove!
This holds the boat in Lock No. 21 where we get rid of our rubbish and re-cycled bottles.
See the classic Southern Stratford split lock bridge and the narrowness of the abutments - we are running with the short exhaust chimney to get under some of them!
This lock marks the transition from the 1803 completed Northern Stratford Canal to the Southern part, not open down to Stratford-upon-Avon until 1816
Our last lock (of 17) for the day - we pulled over in a long pound before the next lock.
Having moored up, out came the bbq and a beer!
This section had taken us 3 hours of engine running though longer in time as we had filled up with water and done the services
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