An interesting 6 months... Well, it's been a while since I last put electronic pen to paper, and a lot has happened. I last posted as we arrived at Pillings Lock Marina, we stayed there a few days then set off downstream, back out onto the Trent to meet friends Caroline and Ian (NB Calan Lan) and headed off down the Trent towards Nottingham Following Calan Lan down the Trent on August 6th We moored in Nottingham near Sainsbury's for a couple of days, intending to head on to Newark. But it was then that the plans all fell apart. Ian had had a problem with an eye and had to head back home t ..read more

 On Saturday we moved on from Kegworth to Loughborough, leaving before 10:00. We'd moored on the lock cut, at the end of it the navigation rejoins the river, on a fine broad reach heading towards Zouch. Arriving at Zouch Lock we had a pair of boats coming down, so that saved me a job. At the end of Zouch Cut there's a series of weirs to control the river levels, two conventional, fixed ones followed by a rotary flood control sluice. Heading past Normanton on Soar, the steeple of St. James rising above the trees. The canal and river separate again outside Loughborough, the river runs ..read more

 I was on the move at 07:00 on Tuesday, knowing it was going to be another hot one. And it was. I hadn't noticed before, but the fields approaching Willington show traces of medieval ridge-and-furrow farming. It's probably the parched grass showing the ridges more clearly than normal. The moorings through Willington were surprisingly quiet. Fire damaged, I hope nobody got hurt... Not far from Willington is Stenson Lock, the first of the broad locks heading downhill, and the deepest at 12'6". With no-one else about I took it slowly, leaving after taking a half hour to fill it end empty ..read more

Having caught up with the shopping and enjoyed a take-away on Saturday evening there was nothing keeping us in busy Alrewas, so I pulled pins and set off through then village to drop down Alrewas Lock onto the short river section. A quarter to eight on a Sunday morning. A glorious way to start the day, but others had the same idea and at least three boats were on the move before us! The red sandstone of Wychnor St. Leonards glows in the morning sun. The hamlet is listed in the Domesday Book, and the earliest portions of the church date back to the 12th century. Beautiful clear water. We pu ..read more

 Slightly cooler temperatures over the last couple of days has made locking and cruising a little more comfortable. But the cloudier skies meant that it stayed warm overnight, making sleeping more difficult. Shouldn't complain though, at least it's not raining! From the moorings next to The Cuttle Inn it's only a mile or so to the top of the 11 locks dropping down from Curdworth. Curdworth village itself sits above the canal similar to those at the south end of the Shroppie, the moorings in a gloomy cutting followed by a short tunnel. Curdworth Lock 1, and a boat has arrived at the bott ..read more

 Yesterday was a long one, even though we called it a day at Star City. We left the moorings at Catherine de Barnes at around half-eight, following our journey of just under a week ago into England's second city, what used to be known as the workshop of the world. From the late 18th century well into the mid Victorian period massive changes in England, socially, economically and scientifically drove the Industrial Revolution, centred around the Black Country, and made England the most productive country in the world. Improved transport supported this revolution, initially by canal, latter ..read more

 You remember I said we would be heading up and over Birmingham to avoid the stoppage at Camp Hill Locks? Well, we didn't. Ian and Carol on Calan Lan got in touch while we were at Lapworth, before we set off up Lapworth Locks. They were arriving last Friday, so we decided to wait for them before heading up, and there was an update due from CRT regarding the repair on Friday too. The first update said they had been progressing well, and would issue further info later. True to their word, at 10 to 10 they sent out another email to say the lock was repaired and open for business. They m ..read more

 Yesterday morning we were off early, looking at a long day around the fringes of Birmingham. Little did we know it would turn out to a bit longer than planned... Leaving Catherine de Barnes Considering we're running into England's second city it's a surprisingly rural green corridor, at least until then first of the locks are encountered. Leaving the big houses of the affluent 'burbs behind, the canal enters the light industrial zone, with light industry and affordable housing mixed together. Aha, getting nearer, floating furniture! Heavier industry, now gone, has lef ..read more

 It's been really quiet on the water for the last few days, today we've only seen three moving boats, and one of those we shared locks with! Anyway, looking back to last Friday. We left Lowsonford at around half-nine, a couple of boats had left ahead of us so there was no rush. The locks come regularly now, every five or ten minutes as the canal climbs to Kingswood Junction. A good start, swapping at Rowington Bottom Lock. Railway enthusiast at Lowsonford Halt on the dismantled Lapworth to Henley in Arden branch line. We made steady progress, most locks in our favour as boats came down ..read more

 Yesterday we had an easy day, from Wilmcote to Wootton Wawen it's a steady, isolated stretch with only one lock. After recently cruising two rivers and a broad, deep canal the South Stratford Canal seems hard work. It's shallow, narrow and with limited views with high hedges and often overgrown banks. But that is part of it's charm, I guess. After about an hour we came to the first of three iron-trough aqueducts carrying the canal over shallow valleys. Edstone Aqueduct. These are mini Pontcysyllte Aqueducts, built on the same principal of an iron trough supported on masonry pillars. U ..read more