Retirement with No Problem

Ansty to Springwood Haven, Oxford and Coventry Canals, 10.25 miles 1 lock

A very long weekend at Ansty while we boat watched NB Moore2Life and dog sat Molly for friends Chas and Ann, but visitors arrived.  Daughter Wendie, hubby Dan and grandchildren Kiera and Niamh took time out from their trip to the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham to pop over to see us.  The NEC is only 20 minutes away by car… A brief but very enjoyable moment in time..

Ansty bridge is in a right state…

It still has a 2 ton limit over the top.. I know that isn’t a lot, but I wonder if that is kept to?  These broken bridges do worry me.. is someone going to get hurt when they fall.  For sure that will happen if nothing is done about the numerous bridges on this canal that are in an awful state of repair.

Late morning saw bloggers Chris and Debbie with NB Ubiquecome by..

Time enough for a greeting before they and us were on the way.  And what a lovely afternoon it was too as we bade a fond farewell to Chas and Ann before making our way towards Hawkesbury Junction..

Not only is this a canal junction, but also an electric junction where tons of overhead wires make their way from all directions to this sub station..

Hawkesbury Junction or Sutton Stop as it is known as is the junction of the Coventry and Oxford Canal..

It was called Sutton Stop after a family of lock keepers here who, during most of the nineteenth century, looked after the ‘stop lock’ that you can see on the right of the picture, just a 4” difference in the levels so that boats just had to stop and pay the tolls of the canal company.  The Coventry Canal continues into the city through a route going off to the bottom left of the pic, while our route would be to come through that lock on the Oxford Canal, under the bridge I am standing on and round on to the Coventry Canal through that white footbridge on the left..

This is also the home of The Greyhound pub.. in the old days you could moor outside, that is not encouraged now though..

No Problem in the stop lock, and oh dear me.. look at those bollards, one at the front of the lock and one at the back, put in by British Waterways.. a 4” drop.. ho hum do we really need those?  Wonder how much they cost to put in.. so under the bridge and sharp right, very sharp through another small gap where tolls were collected for the Coventry Canal.. and yet again more new bollards…

I wonder if BW have set these in place for us to tie to while they collect tolls from us in the future!!

Now this is one place I simply love, it never changes, well it gets added too, but these two working boats have been here for as long as I can ever remember, and that goes back 30 years…

Then just a little further along…

I wonder how many people are caught out by this dummy as they approach, she is placed right near the old diesel pump!! … And next…

A boat junk yard, and I mean that in a nice way, what a fabulous place, I bet you would be able to obtain any odd bit you wanted from here.  This is a busy boatyard, so many boats in for renovations and repair.. wonderful!

I had already prepared tea along the way, it was ready to eat by the time we had tied up just before Springwood Haven Marina.. tis quiet here, very quiet..