The mooring near bridge 87 was quite a peaceful spot and it was a shame to depart so soon. However, I wouldn’t get anywhere if I moored up for days every time I stopped. It was a beautiful day when I moored up and this is captured here together with a Mrs Mallard.
The following morning wasn’t so nice and was quite overcast. I’d stayed in bed far too long and didn’t get up until gone eleven. The forecast was threatening rain at around 1pm but I started out anyway and everything was rather tranquil for quite some time, until I decided that rain was imminent. I went to moor in this particular place but after a couple of minutes, I decided I didn’t like it and pushed on. Well after the predicted time of 1pm, it did decide to rain but it was rather short-lived, quite light and after 15 minutes it had stopped.
The place above is Wharf Farm Trading estate and looks as though it has been made to resemble some retro looking terraced street trading estate. A little unusual, I’d say.
The rest of the cruise continued to be relatively uneventful. On approaching the Hillmorton Locks moorings I was a little anxious as to whether there would be any moorings available as I know them to be always busy. To my amazement, a boat just left the only available mooring right in front of me, so I bagged it double quick. Talk about luck! Otherwise I would have had to descend all three locks and find a mooring after them.
I just had to take this shot of these four bullocks together in a huge field. I just wondered what they found so special about this particular spot.
I was not far north of Brinklow and I kept disturbing this particular Heron as I approached. He'd fly off and land a bit further up. Rinse and repeat. Stupid birds. This time, though, he had to fly off in another direction due to trees and a bridge. I managed to get a bit of a video of him/her on my phone, although it is a bit distant.
There are miles of this plant pictured below with these giant leaves. I can't find it anywhere in my book but if someone knows, please reply. The trouble is at my age, I might not remember things like this, but it is pleasing to know them, albeit briefly. I only seem to retain things that are important to me, and for me.
From whence I came…
Another thing that happened on the way past Brinklow, I was drawn to the smell of diesel. I was worried that I might have a problem with my boat, however, on looking in the water, there was a diesel spillage for as far as I could see. I spoke to a boater coming in the other direction and he said that someone had dropped a whole jerry-can into the canal. I reported this to the CRT who were grateful to me and they were going to get their environment team on the case. They apparently didn’t know anything about this, meaning nobody else had reported it. The person who dropped the jerry-can should have, for sure and if they didn’t (as it seems), then obviously they don’t give two hoots about the wildlife and flora.
Below is my mooring at Ansty. The traffic can be heard from the road bridge just around the corner but it is not that loud. It can also be a bit hairy at times with boats passing by, especially those travelling to fast and meeting another boat coming the other way…
A bit of a longish one this time. I rattled off two days worth in one go and I have now learnt that it’s probably best to always keep a draft going rather than do several days worth at once.
Laters…
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