Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Back up the Southern Stratford July 2014

Our Summer Cruise July 2014
Day 40 - 5 miles and 16 locks

The thundery rain had passed and we awoke to another wonderful day! What a summer of good weather so far! The aim was to get up to Lapworth so an 'earliesh' start (by our standards) saw us heading up to the first set of locks at Preston Bagot.

Chris takes the boat under the low iron road bridge into the Bottom Lock at Preston Bagot

High rise parking?!

A lock wall showing missing bricks!


This is Bridge No.45 showing the split - covered here by metal plates - presumably as a safety precaution as the gap is quite wide?

The third and smallest of the iron trough aqueduct - this one over the Yarningale brook. Note the holes in the brick retaining wall - possibly to drain water out, or to act as a visual safety cue if the canal leaks?

Another split bridge No.44 - the photo shows a metal strap attached to the handrail presumably to guide the towing rope

One of the 'barrel' shaped roofed cottages - this one has been extended and is for sale!

Who was here - a heron perhaps!

A view of the metal strap holding the top of the gate - simple and effective for the last 200 years!

Contrasted with modern development - the M40 underpass

Most lock gates have a metal plate showing where and when they were made - this one says 1990 so is 24 years old - soon for replacement?


A happy boater as we near Lapworth Junction - it has been hard work steering into the strong bywash send down from locks being worked above
 
The sharp turn into the Lapworth Cut to the Grand Union is well hidden!
I undershot and needed to bring the boat round a lot more

Here is the 'correct' angle! - I went back today to have a look at it

On Sunday on the way up, we were told by a descending boater that all the water points at Lapworth had failed - thankfully we filled our tank at Lowsonford. A couple of days later the water points are all taped up and an alert is on the CRT system

Where we have come from and where we are going -  the new finger post erected by the IWA at Kingswood Junction

We eased onto the Grand Union Canal and reversed back to this mooring

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