Summertime in Stratford

Saturday, 3rd June, our earliest start yet at 7.45am, though of course it had been daylight for hours. We had 3.5 miles to travel but 16 locks and the plan was to get to the centre of Stratford by midday, as that's the best time to nab a mooring in crowded spots. I worked the first 7, Andrew took over for the remainder, and we got a really good workflow going.

We had heard lots of comments from passing boats about the shallowness of this stretch of canal.
 However, as we went along we saw that the overflow channels had lots of water, so it seemed clear that extra supplies were being pumped down, and we had no issues at all.
Lovely sunshine though that wind still chilly.
The hanging gardens of Warwickshire!
Arriving at the Basin, we had to hang back a bit while the trip boat did its pirouette onto their landing, and then  it was our turn.  I simply motored in forwards so that our sitting out space on the stern could be comparatively private.  Here's the view:
while out front we had Hamlet for company:
here  surrounded by an adoring crowd of fans.
And we need not have worried about there being room: that's us on the left.
It's an extraordinary place to moor: free, in a park, bang in the middle of town, the RSC theatre looming over, good quality buskers playing, quiet at night.. just wow. That night we went to Stratford Playhouse, to see Rich Hall. Excellent show, good fun.

Then on Sunday we had some friends visiting.  They had moved to Banbury from North Wales some years ago, so I was thrilled that they drove across to see us. We had a heap of different salads and a cheeseboard with lovely bread for lunch and we nattered our heads off all afternoon. The glorious, hot weather was a bonus.  Fab!

Time to move on though. It's really odd having processions of tourists tramping past our front window all day. And we had another Silver Propellor Challenge location to visit.

So when on Monday morning another boat came through the basin heading for the wide lock onto the river, we scrambled to join them. That story will follow soon...


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On the move!

Image
Thursday 21st, and an ideal morning for a hike; mild, cloud cover but no rain expected, and a cool breeze. So I packed my lunch and headed off following a tour suggested by a hiking app on my phone. It mostly worked well, except where a so called path met an impenetrable hedge; there were a couple of detours required. But lovely countryside And loads of butterflies about. Here's the next generation: lots of striped caterpillars: In one village I came across a telephone box repurposed as a library. There was a bit more road walking than I really like, but when it's a quiet one, I should not moan too much.. certainly easier to walk on than stubble fields etc. Soon into more congenial territory: and then out the other side, what looked very much like a bit of Stourport basin, but on top of a hill in a cornfield. Turns out it was the stable block for a big Manor house. Now, it's a Franciscan mon...
Read more

Calor Gas crisis averted

There is currently a major supply issue ref Calor gas bottles in the UK. It's being going on for some time and there is some confusion over what has caused it. Some blame has been pointed at people buying patio heaters during the Covid-19 pandemic. Certainly Calor do not seem to be making much progress in sorting the problem.  Marinas and fuel boats seem to have been particularly badly hit with Calor either not delivering at all or only delivering a fraction of what was ordered. There have been many social media posts from canal liveaboards who are reliant on gas for cooking & heating and also from the fuel boats trying to supply them. So, when I was at the boat and tried in vain to light the oven to cook my half-baked baguette for lunch and then found that the spare was empty too, my heart sank. Quickly discovered that the marina had no gas available and could not even put us on a waiting list as they did not know when they might receive any... Luckily a recommendation from th...
Read more

Run for Home 11th to 14th June

During the trip to and from Froghall, Andrew became overwhelmed with the need to get home. He'd had it with trees and birds and being outside, and could not rest until we were back at our mooring in Nantwich.  So we were champing at the bit for the first passage of the day through Harecastle Tunnel. We did manage to get to the Italian restaurant, La Barchetta at Wheelock, after many occasions either not stopping there or the place not being open, and it was lovely.  Disappointed that both our pudding choices were unavailable,  Andrew in his unsettled state especially so. However, where we had diaried 5 days to cover the 35 miles and 31 locks back to Nantwich, we did it in 3 1/2, not even pausing at Middlewich (except at the King's Lock Chippy, obviously). And then we were home and I was not even sure at that point if he would ever go back to the boat again. However, it certainly was good to watch the election night on our big telly, Andrew in his comfy chair and me in the...
Read more