Another day, another canal

Coventry to Ansty, 8.5 miles, 0 locks

The weather was lovely when I woke up, which was good because I'd felt cold through the night. The sun was shining and the clouds were white, fluffy and with big gaps between them. I'd had another lie in because I was expecting to spend the day in Coventry looking at the Motor Museum and also going food shopping, but after starting the engine and a leisurely breakfast at the Country Crust Tearoom, I was in the mood for boating. 

Today was going to be exciting because I'd leave the Coventry canal and go onto the Oxford or the 'North Oxford' as BW seem to call it. I think this is because it goes to Braunston Junction and connects with the Grand Union, then the Oxford continues as a spur off the Grand Union at Napton Junction. Back in the day I think the Oxford Canal Company used to own the bit between Braunston and Napton and charged for the use of it, so although it might have the wrong name, it's really the Oxford Canal in spirit. That's certainly how I'm thinking of it.

After the trouble I had getting through bridge 1—rumoured to be the lowest on the system—on the way in, I was worried about what it would do to my chimney on the way out, but not until I could see the whites of its arch. By then it was too late and the coolie hat was knocked perpendicular. Bridge 2, which caught me on the way in by having some paving on the non-towpath side, caught me again on the way out. You simply don't expect paving there when the bridge hole is wide; and it happens so rarely that after a while you forget to look (there's a bridge on the Ashby that has paving on the off-side that caught me out too). Other than that, the journey away from Coventry in the sunshine was a complete contrast from the journey in, illustrating what a difference the weather actually makes. The wharf at Swan Lane was still deserted, but at least now I've figured out what the diesel pump is for: it's to refuel the Coventarian—the trip boat I followed on Sunday. Speaking of refuelling, I was in two minds whether to stop at Tesco by Bridge 8, thinking that surely the 60 litres I had would do until I reach the boatyard at Brinklow, but in the end I couldn't face going past without stopping, so that's another 30 litres and a big smile on my face. Well, there was until I went under the M6 bridge again and realised that my original reason for thinking about going to Tesco was to buy food. Doh! Incidentally, above the M6 bridge is a sign saying "London 97". Funny to think that it's so close, yet for me so far away.

Hawkesbury Junction is rather like Fradley in that there's a pub situated so your peers can watch you, so you don't want to mess up. With this in mind I slowed right down and was very deliberate in how I steered Oothoon under the (thankfully) wide bridge that connects the two canals, then straightened her up to go in the lock. I might even dare venture that the manoeuvre was graceful. A short boat had just come out of the lock and was waiting for me to finish my turn, then it slipped past and under the bridge; meanwhile a woman with a windlass, who I thought must be a BW lock keeper from her dress, opened the gate for me and let me in. I got off and wrapped the centre rope round a post and waited for something to happen, and was surprised when about 60 seconds later the other gate was open and she told me I could go. It appears that the lock is actually a stop lock with a drop of about 6" (15cm). I was even more surprised to find that she was off a waiting boat and nothing to do with BW. Nice steering while everyone watched and valet service at the lock: this was definitely my lucky day.

The Oxford is typically described as being twisty. In fact it makes the most of the contours, in much the way that the Leicester section of the Grand Union does between Watford and Foxton, or indeed the Ashby. It also means that it weaves about a bit and even on the section I was on, which had been 'de-kinked' back in the 1820's, it was still fairly twisty. Nice canal though. The M6 runs alongside for a bit, which is surprisingly interesting and a short arm that used to run to Wyken Colliery, but is now used by the Coventry Cruising Club, joins the canal at an awkward-looking angle during this section. Once the canal turns away from the M6 it's largely rural, with the fields on either side of the M69 bridge being full of billy goats. There's then a gracefully curved bit where the canal is elevated above the nearby houses by virtue of a large bank on either side and you're in Ansty.

By the time I got to Ansty it was a little after 5pm and my instinct told me to stop. There aren't any official moorings until after Ansty Village Bridge, but I found one easily enough and was soon moored. After a cuppa and a few odd-jobs like making the fire, it was time for dinner. Having not shopped, it meant going to the pub, but I am so pleased that I did. The local is the Rose and Castle, a short walk up the hill from the bridge, which is smallish but very welcoming. The service was efficient and even though I hadn't booked, they managed to find me a nice table. The menu is extensive, with decent prices and there's a huge specials menu too. In the end I had home-made Chicken Liver Paté as a starter, with Vegetarian Fajitas to follow and a large glass of rosé wine. The paté was excellent. It didn't look like much but it was a perfect portion, served with four triangles of toast and lashings of salad, and full of flavour. You could really taste the liver and the cream. The Vegetarian Fajitas were even better: three flour tortillas with a plate of salsa, sour cream, guacamole, grated cheese, lettuce, tomato and cucumber, and with the vegetables arriving on a separate sizzling platter. To be honest, just the paté would have done or perhaps just the Fajitas, but the two together were too much. I ate them anyway. It had been another one of those days where I'd had breakfast and then nothing and I need to get out of this habit and back to little-and-often. One last thing: I couldn't face dessert, but their coffee was excellent. I'm so pleased that I had no food and had to eat there, because it was absolutely excellent in every respect.

Got back to the boat okay thanks to the Everlasting Torch, to find that the fire had gone out. Also everything looked weird because of the new LED lighting, whose colour temperature reminds me of those awful fluorescent lights that you used to get in warehouses. I don't care. I worked out that by using them, I can have all eight lights on in the living room and the four in the kitchen, and be using about the same as just one of the halogens I've just replaced. I've started thinking that if I reinstated the single working gas fridge and turned off Herr Aldi's, I could get close to running the whole boat on just the solar panel on a sunny day.

Tomorrow I want to stop at the boat yard at Brinklow for gas and diesel, and perhaps some gubbins to let me wire up this new battery, then moor in Rugby for the night because Paul is going to join me for a few days. Funnily enough, the last time I saw Paul was when I left him at Rugby train station.