Fradley to Curdsworth

Set off later than yesterday as we used the facilities at Fradley. A duck and her three ducklings joined us for breakfast.

Stopped at Bridge 89 to get petrol om the A38.

Went passed Streethay Wharf.

Next we passed the entrance to the yet unrestored Lichfield Canal and its boathouse.

At 1.30 pm we turned on to the Birmingham and Fazeley and began the Warwickshire Ring proper.

At Drayton Manor there is an very elaborate footbridge complete with turrets.

Followed a boat up to the beginning of the 11 lock Curdsworth flight. He stopped off at the Dog and Doublet pub after lock 3, so after that all the locks were set for us.

We recall coming down this flight on a cold Easter week in 2002, in sub zero temperatures, and doing 35 locks from Birmingham's Gas Street basin in one day, in the wind. The Dog and Doublet was very welcome then!

Easy progrees up the locks.

After that we passed through the 52 metre Curdswoth tunnel and moored up in a leafy cutting for the night at 5.15 pm. An early finish but we want to get through Brum early before the crazies come out tomorrow.

Sawley to Shardlow

Leaving Sawley Marina

Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station

We set off at 7 am....an unearthly hour saying we are on holiday. This means we got a good head start and managed to leapfrog some hireboats. It was a sunny day but windy.

We went through Shardlow and saw the pub which is a converted warehouse.

Passed the entrance to the as yet unrestored Derby Canal.

For the first few hours it was very quiet. We saw some calves with their mother.

We didn't stop for lunch but called briefly at Willington water point.

Sappho always likes to go to bed with a good book. For reference, Thackeray's Vanity Fair.

We ran out of petrol unexpectedly after Dalton Lock.

We then got caught behind a geologically slow hire boat, with a huge crew but clueless at doing locks efficiently. We followed them up to Fradley Junction, where we turned on to the Coventry Canal. We moored for the night as soon as there was a space.