3 locks, 425 in total. When there are only 4 locks on the North Oxford canal in 25 miles I fail to understand why lock volunteers are needed here. Locks are fun and exercise – cruise the rivers if you don't want to work locks. The Hillmorton locks are paired and you use whichever one is either set for you or is empty, so there really shouldn't be any sort of bottleneck and does it really matter if you have to wait a little while – it's good to go straight through but not the end of the world if you can't. There were 3 volunteers at the bottom lock in their uniform and lifejackets, one of whom didn't lower our top paddle completely so the lock took forever to empty. No-one at the second lock ... read more

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 locks, 424 in total. We motored on to Sutton Cheney Wharf, at about the 11 mile marker, turned the boat around and moored. From here we could walk along footpaths to the Battle of Bosworth Heritage Centre and a battlefield walk. The Battle of Bosworth Field was the last battle in the Wars of the Roses – Yorkshire v Lancashire – white rose v red rose. Richard III, aka Richard of York, was on the throne and his forces were beaten by Henry, subsequently Henry VII, a Lancastrian and the first of the Tudor monarchs. So 1000 people died and the Plantagenet line ended on 22nd August 1485. Interestingly their Royal Standards didn't have roses on them – Richard III had a white boar and Henry Tudor a Welsh dragon. Richard III's body was found ... 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