Blogs from Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 4

0 locks, 425 in total. After another very dull start, by afternoon the sun was stronger than we've had for several weeks – the sun cream was needed again but we have no complaints. We had about 3-4 hour motor to our moorings for tonight. It was mainly rural, despite motoring under 3 different motorways and following the railway for a stretch. And we saw a kingfisher again today - first one for weeks. Stretton Wharf was really busy – a hire boat company has taken over much of the towpath moorings and there are permanent moorings on the opposite bank; this left a long and narrow channel which just allowed two boats through. The water point doubled up as the swing bridge mooring which made life awkward when someone was taking on water. Nonetheless we ... read more

0 locks, 424 in total. If you haven't already visited Coventry Cathedral then please do so – I'd seen pictures of it but they fail to do justice to the splendour and simple majesty of this building. Having said that, I've taken loads of photos which will probably leave you equally unimpressed but I can but try. The mission of the Cathedral is unity and reconciliation and it has become a world-wide centre for these aims. I was struck by the donations (not monetary, although I don't actually know that) that have come from so many countries - mosaic floors, organ, sculptures, bells etc from Australia, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Japan and others - all to promote unity and reconciliation. There is a room specially devoted to this theme and in particular the horrors of H-bombs ... read more

0 lochs, 424 in total. Atherstone has an interesting history and the locals are very proud of it. It was a centre for millinery for 200 years and also a mining district. I bought a leaflet at the information centre and will reproduce large sections in this blog as it really caught my imagination. Atherstone is a settlement on Roman Watling Street and remained unchanged until the Enclosure Act of 1765 when land to the north and south of the town were enclosed, preventing Atherstone from expanding. When hatting manufacture, previously done in attics, became industrialised the only place for the new factories and extra workers' houses was in the back gardens of the houses along Watling Street. From the 1780s tiny houses were packed into the available strip of land, in the shadow of the ... read more

2 locks, 413 in total. Laundrette today and I was offered a cup of coffee – gratefully accepted it too. It was great working the locks again, even just the two, before mooring at Amington on the eastern edge of Tamworth to meet up with Toni and Stewart. We had only just found out about a boat rally/festival being held this Bank Holiday weekend at Alvecote marina, a short walk forward from our mooring; we were all keen to see what it was like so headed off for a look, wondering about our chances of a meal at the Samuel Barlow pub despite no booking. As well as the usual moorers there were about 40 old narrowboats in and around the marina; they were or had been freight boats run by different companies, the most famous ... read more

Dayna does to Warwick Castle with Mummy, Daddy, Aunty Debs and Aunty Em on the hottest day if the year so far.... read more