Warwick (Saltisford Arm)

Today our destination was Warwick. The weather reports were forecasting showers later in the day, so by 9am we were underway. We navigated through the final Fosse Lock, and then shortly after, Radford Bottom Lock. We had a brief period of cruising in the countryside, then we were into the outskirts of Royal Leamington Spa. You could tell we were moving from a rural, to a more urban environment, due to the increase in graffiti. However on closer inspection, the graffiti on the run into Leamington Spa, was of an altogether better class than your usual graffiti. It was in fact, some very clever and detailed art work. First we passed through an area of light industry, then housing and finally a retail area. Soon we were crossing an aquaduct over the river Avon, leaving Leamington Spa behind, and entering Warwick. The river Avon is not navigable at this point, but we intend to join it, in Stratford upon Avon in a few weeks. At the hire boat base for Kate Boats, next to bridge 49, we stopped for a pumpout. We could have done with a top up of diesel, but they don’t sell it to the public, despite what the Nicholson’s guide book says, due to the paperwork that needs completing. We now had two more locks to complete, and as a indication of things to come, the direction of travel has changed. Instead of descending, we are now ascending.

Above the top lock, we passed by the Cape of Good Hope, a canalside pub, with a good reputation for its food and ales. I’m sure we will visit it for ourselves, during our stay in Warwick. A few hundred yards further on, we arrived at the junction with the Saltisford Arm. A sharp left turn into the arm, and we manoeuvred to the winding hole. It was lunchtime and no one was around to direct us, so we reversed a bit further along the arm and squeezed our 60 foot boat, into a 61 foot gap.

After lunch we checked in, and fortunately did not have to move. There are a full range of facilities here, including an electric point, so now we are plugged into the mains once again, for a few days at least. Unfortunately the trees to the left in the photo above, block the signal to the satellite dish. We do however have a strong 4G signal, so TV will be streamed for the next few days. Thank goodness for the unlimited data usage on our mobile phones.

Totals 6 Miles 4 Locks

Running total 29 Miles 38 Locks 2 Tunnels