Time's Up - Cast Off for 2024
April the sixth was not just the start of a new Financial Year but the date set for 'Craning In'. As winter moorers at the Mid-Warwickshire Yacht Club, we occupy space vacated by boats taken out of the water for work over the winter, so we have to move out of the way before they go back in.
Carefully monitoring the forecasts over several weeks left us none the wiser as to when would be a good time to leave, since the conclusion was always 'very unsettled' and 'rain likely at any time'. In the end, we just left it as late as we could and prepped the boat ready to set off on the morning of Friday the fifth to tackle a long day down the twenty-one locks of the Hatton flight. We would leave our car at Hatton Station and catch a train back from Warwick Parkway, conveniently sited at the bottom of the flight, to retrieve it at the end of the day.
The day didn't start too well. Weather-wise, heavy rain overnight had saturated the ground again and left a grey, damp start. Checking the timetable over breakfast brought the unwelcome realisation that overpaid train drivers were on strike again and there was no service for today or tomorrow. We didn't have any option to change plans so we set out as scheduled and got on our way around eleven-thirty.
As confirmation of the futility of listening to the confident-sounding but rambling and inconclusive advice of TV meteorologists, the whole trip was undertaken in sunny, warm, almost spring-like weather. We only passed two other boats coming up and there was no-one to accompany us going down but we had some useful help from a volunteer lockkeeper through most of the flight. In the end we were down in three and a half hours, by no means a record but good progress overall.
There was plenty of mooring opposite the Cape Of Good Hope pub where we felt we had earned a refreshing pint after a good day's hard work. It also provided a good spot to arrange for a taxi to pick us up and take us back to Hatton to collect the car.
We were pretty pleased with how the day had gone, overall. The only real negative was the state of the towpaths. Even where they had been prepared and metalled alongside the locks there were long stretches of deep mud the whole way across. Away from the popular visitor areas there was just mud to wade through. At the mooring by Cape Locks it was probably worse. The path there is very narrow, with a steep bank on the side away from the water. Over a very long, wet Warwickshire winter it had been trampled into a long thin quagmire. Knowing the state of the footpaths and by-ways where we live this spring it was no great surprise but it does make life on the boat a little bit more difficult, particularly when it comes to keeping Archie clean.
Strolling Home
On Saturday morning we carried on through the Cape Locks where I left Sue to cruise through Warwick and Leamington Spa while Archie and I took the car ahead to our next mooring. The weather stayed fine but the wind was a challenge with worse forecast for the next day.
Not a problem, we hauled the boat into a mooring in the lovely setting of Radford Semele and enjoyed the sunshine, while determining to stay put for Sunday and let the wind blow itself out. This was a good opportunity to wander up to The White Lion on Radford Road, which had been closed down for many months as we drove past, to check out the results of the refurbishment. It proved to be very pleasant with a warm welcome for dogs and walk-ins alike plus extremely prompt and attentive service and some excellent food.
Sunday was windy but mild and dry all day. With the car nearby we decided to visit Jephson Park for tea. This lovely, formal park sits in the heart of Leamington Spa. It is a classic case of our living so close by that we never visit or explore the town properly and this is a great amenity, particularly while everywhere else is so wet and muddy.
By Monday morning the wind had dropped and the weather stayed mild and dry until evening so we were able to make it all the way up to moor in Long Itchington just through the bridge before the Two Boats and ten minutes walk from home.
On the way, we passed the site of the new HS2 crossing, still pursuing the destruction of the local landscape.
HS2 still in full swing where it is least needed
We also noticed the work that had been done on the Welsh Road bridge. It was sporting smart new concrete rendering, under the original arch.
It was quite a tiring day, with ten locks to get through and several trips on foot to fetch the car and bring it up the next stage, so it was nice to be able to relax at home that evening.