Day 109 - onto the North Oxford Canal at Hawkesbury Junction - Sutton Stop.

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1 lock, 425 in total.







A quiet evening and night in Coventry Basin but we awoke to a very cold morning with a brisk breeze blowing. John warmed up by about 9am – I've had my jumper on all day! We headed back along the 5½ mile arm towards Hawkesbury Junction (Sutton Stop), looking around and upwards a little more as generally the sun was behind us.





We passed Electric Wharf shortly after we left the Basin, a development of work lofts, apartments, low-energy homes and offices, created from the shell of Coventry's original Victorian power station. Demolition material was reused on site and new cycleways and walkways were created, linking to the centre of Coventry. The buildings have names like Generator Hall & Depot, Faraday Buildings, Boiler House and Cable Yard. Electric Wharf is a modern success story; however it hardly makes up for the loss of so many giants along this part of the canal - Rover, Daimler, Royal Ordnance factory, Cammell Laird and Courtaulds.





We grabbed the first mooring close to Hawkesbury Junction, by a large grassy area which was lovely for Hattie after the pavers in the Basin, but underneath a row of pylons and within sound of the M6. We walked on through the Junction and found an equally grassy spot without drawbacks a hundred yards along the North Oxford Canal and had just settled there when Toni and Stewart arrived for a quick lunch on their way home from Derbyshire. The Greyhound had been recommended by a guide at Coventry Cathedral (yes, really!) and she was so right – well worth visiting, lovely varied menu and I can vouch for the Beef Bourgignon pies. Toni and Stewart are our lucky talismans when it comes to pub food.







After they left we polished the other side of Dunlin so just a few bits left to do another day – 51 feet of metal needs considerable elbow grease.

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Photos

Electric Wharf
This this must be Faraday Building as the writing seems to be various wavebands.

Cash's One Hundred Houses - again.
The lighting was better this time around!

....and the pussy-cat.
Both on a bridge near Hawkesbury Junction.

What is it about men and their wood piles?
Neat stack on the permanent mooring opposite us.