Radical rethink

One of the advantages of night shifts (actually it must be the only advantage, as I can't think of any others) is having the time to plan different routes.

We're beginning to think that even if the Avon and the Severn go back down during the week, with plenty more rain forecast it might be wiser just to avoid them. The ground is so wet, the rivers could go up again rapidly, and we don't want to get stuck (or even to keep worrying about getting stuck).

So the route I've been looking at will take us up the North Oxford and Coventry canals to Fradley Junction (one of my favourite canal places), along the Trent and Mersey to Great Haywood, down to Stourton Junction, up the Stourbridge and Delph locks to Windmill End, into Birmingham, down the Farmer's Bridge and Ashted flights onto the Grand Union, and back via the Knowle, Hatton and Stockton locks. It's 163 miles and 155 locks, and will give us some shorter days (which might be good if it's raining a lot). It means we still get to cover some new ground (the Stourbridge and Dudley Canals, and the Ashted, Camphill, Knowle section), and takes us to some favourite places. It also means we'll be doing Hatton only once.

We'll have to try to get down to Stratford and the Avon some other time. If it ever stops raining.