Day 31 - to Royal Leamington Spa, home of lawn tennis and host of women's national bowls championships every summer.

---

---

10 locks, 158 in total.







We joined forces with another Aussie couple just after we set off this morning and travelled with them down the 10 locks and into Royal Leamington Spa. We intended to stop a little earlier but gift horses and all that. Our 2 boats secured the last moorings in the area nearest the supermarket (well, Co-op again) – let's just say you'd need to know people if you're moored that close to them. It's not pretty here but canals are functional places first and foremost and, as it's Saturday, we didn't want to be close to pubs or clubs.







There are 7 salt water springs at Leamington Spa, discovered in 1586, but the town only received its royal charter in 1838 from Queen Victoria. The elegant part of town with long rows of villa and houses in large grounds are all quite a way from the centre and our walk didn't take us that far unfortunately. There are very few high street 'names' apart from Pizza Express – I can only assume that these shops are based in Warwick, which almost adjoins Leamington Spa. There are a considerable number of small and individual shops but they are fairly rundown and there are a number of vacant shops. The whole place has echoes of Bath, with its Georgian Crescents, street names and several parks but generally this is not an affluent town centre (perhaps the Warwick effect again?) and, apart from the few showpiece places, it sows. It is better than Croydon centre though!







We're now in the lowest pound of the Grand Union, which means there's only one way to go from here.....

---

Photos

Bascote staircase locks
Pictures don't really capture this but basically a staircase is 2 locks which share the middle gates. This enables a much greater change in level whilst still making the lock gates manageable.

Silly John - leaned across the gas ring when it was alight...
... and so was he briefly!

The Rangemaster factory -
- presumably they've moved elsewhere as I think they still make the cookers.

Leamington Peace Festival
A 2-day event in the Pump Room Gardens. Many weird and wonderful stalls but I quite liked these baseball caps which were actually made out of drinks cans.

Fountain in Jephson Gardens.
In the 19th century he developed the spa water concept and was responsible for the town's medical reputation.

The other side!
A 2' deep slice from the trunk had been made into a gnarled seat. Another section of the tree, where there had been many branches, was available for climbing.

Pump Room and Baths
Baths is a misnomer sadly. This is now a museum and art gallery. Impossible to photograph with the constant traffic flow but it wasn't that memorable really.

All Saints Parish Church - 1843
Immaculate stonework and a rose window based on that at Rouen Cathedral.

Comments

[sgs]

hot man!
Honestly, John, really!!!!!