Atherstone to Shardlow

 We have now completed the Leicester Ring and are back at our base in Shardlow.  We have had great fun on the trip, seen some wonderful views, wildlife and met some lovely people.  This final  part covers the journey from Atherstone through to Shardlow.

The night before we left Atherstone we enjoyed a delicious meal at 'Herbs and Spices'.  The food was excellent and as you can take your own alcohol and Aldi is a couple of  minutes walk away, this made the evening just perfect.  😋🍷 

The following morning we came down 9 of the 11 Atherstone locks and managed to moor just before the heavens opened!  After calling at Bradley Green CRT services the following morning (great pressure on the water tap here) 👍 we moored for the evening between bridge 63 and the pipe bridge, where once again the rain came down in droves.  Over the next couple of days we descended the two Glascote locks which were quite busy and through to Fradley South.

Glascote Locks

The following morning, we descended the locks at Fradley Junction (as always, there were some wonderful volunteers to help) and arrived at Alrewas just in time to catch the bus into Lichfield to enjoy some lunch sat out in the sun.

Lichfield Cathedral

The bus takes approximately 30 mins from Alrewas and is worth a visit  to see the many historical buildings and a look around the amazing Cathedral built 1340.  In the evening, it was lovely to have a catch up with Ian, Lin and their lovely dog Marley on Narrowboat Probity.

Tatenhill Lock

The next day we descended the locks to Branston and moored for the evening there.  We walked into the village in the evening and enjoyed a very tasty meal from the Chinese take away.  There is also a handy Co-op store in the village, not to mention a couple of Pubs!

The following day we headed towards Burton Upon Trent, calling at Shobnall Marina for fuel and other items from the excellent Chandlery. The fuel price here was reasonable at .95p per litre. The staff are always helpful and friendly.

Just outside Shobnall Marina

The aromas from the hops at the Marston's Brewery nearby were very tempting🍺.  We walked into Burton-Upon -Trent to top up our supplies at Lidl.  Unfortunately the rain poured once again that afternoon and also the following day.  

Sunday Roast at the Green Man Willington

However, we were soon cheered up on the Sunday, as when we arrived at Willington, we were in time for the Sunday roast at the Green Man.  It was very tasty and the adult portion was extremely generous - we will definitely be returning.

On our way back to Shardlow, we had an overnight stay just above Swarkestone Lock and had a walk on the footpath through the fields of corn and poppies to the River Trent.

18th Century 5 arch Bridge over the River Trent

So we have completed the Leicester Ring once again. Last year we cruised it anti clockwise and this year clockwise.  We have moored at different locations and surprisingly have seen many new places.  The main difference was the weather. Last year it was so hot and it was upsetting to see the fields of ruined crops, however this year a lot wetter, however the crops were really thriving which was so good to see. We have seen lots of wonderful wildlife including a snake swimming 😮, and would love to share some photos below:

 

Engine stops dead - carpet round the propeller!!!

Over the last week we have travelled from the Welford Arm towards Atherstone.

The length of the Welford Arm is only 1.6 miles long, a lovely canal with only one lock. CRT services, a pub and a marina at the end.  This was the first time we have navigated the arm and we were pleasantly surprised.   A short walk into the village takes you to a small convenience shop.  

Nugget meets Postman Pat in Welford

Back on the  Grand Union Canal, we made our way to the top of the Watford Locks, very close to Watford Gap Services.  There are CRT services here and a book swap which was handy. The flight is one single lock, a staircase of four and two single locks.  Once again these are run by volunteers who were very helpful. Descending the flight took just 45 minutes.  The locks drop 52.5 feet in total.  We moored near Weltonfield narrowboats for the evening.

The next day we passed through Braunston Tunnel, which took us approximately 25 minutes.  All the tunnels on this trip have allowed boats in both directions at the same time.  As long as you go slow and keep to your side, you pass each other just fine (usually!).

After descending the 6 locks into Braunston, once again with volunteers help, we popped into the village.  It is a lovely place with a great butchers (couldn't resist this wonderful 'homegrown pork pie'), convenience store and traditional pubs. 

Helen revisited 'Serendipity' a fantastic art shop run by Heather, who is so helpful and friendly.  After topping up Helen's art supplies we headed back to tuck into the scrumptious pork pie! 😋

The following day we cruised through to the top of Hillmorton locks and enjoyed a tasty curry takeaway from the village (a 10 minute walk from bridge 72).  The next day we descended the Hillmorton Locks early and headed into Rugby to top up our supplies at Tesco's.

The following day we headed towards Hawkesbury Junction passing by the crackling pylons at the electric distribution station.  We managed to use the CRT facilities at Sutton Stop Lock and moor  near Hawkesbury Hall just before the heavens opened and the rain begin in earnest!☔

Heading towards Atherstone, we had to do an emergency reverse, approaching bridge 30 (best to pay attention when narrowboats from the opposite direction sound their horn!) The engine abruptly stopped,  proving the auto stop was working. Several minutes later after a lot of huffing and puffing, Chris managed to remove a large piece of carpet some person must have thrown from the bridge. Thankfully no damage. 

It was deemed the carpet wouldn't clean up to use, so was bagged up to be disposed of correctly!. Along the canals we sometimes see mattresses, supermarket trolleys, bicycles etc that have been thrown in the water, removed and just left on the tow path. Unfortunately this can result in them being thrown back in and as well as being disgusting, this can lead to serious damage to boats.  Thankfully after removing from the weed hatch, we were on our way again.