September Cruise - Day Fourteen

Thursday 25 September

We knew we had quite a long way to go today, so we were up early, slipped out of the Saltisford Arm at 7.30, and had tea and toast on the way. The first locks of the day were the two at the Cape. The pound between them was extremely low, thanks to very leaky gates in the lower lock. Then it was the long journey through Warwick and Leamington Spa, although we did make a quick stop at the Warwick Tesco, which is right by the canal.

Just before Radford Bottom Lock, another boat pulled out behind us, so we shared a few locks with them until they stopped for water at Fosse Wharf. By mid morning the sun had come out, and it was turning into a lovely day. We stopped for lunch once we'd completed the Bascote Locks, and washed the roof and the sides of the boat. Two more locks before we filled the water tank opposite the Blue Lias pub, then it was up the eight Stockton Locks. We were following a pair, but even so the flight took only an hour. It's a really pleasant area, and the locks were looking particularly good in the sunshine.

We arrived back at Stockton Top at around 4.30, and moored on the outside of the marina. We fancied a drink, but found that The Boat doesn't open until 6pm. Some Kate Boats staff were taking the tiniest narrow boat I've ever seen, Mumble, for a spin -- literally.

It's been a great two weeks, covering plenty of new ground, and the weather has been much much better than expected. In two weeks, we've had only two wet afternoons. Adrian will be back on boat for a few days in November, and we're also due out at Christmas. Next year's booking chart has also reached us, and we've managed to secure a three week trip next September. We won't be able to start planning until we know where Debdale will be based next season.

11 miles, 22 locks. (Totals: 133 miles, 222 locks)