Thursday September 13th; Long Itchington to Cape Locks
At 7am it was sunny but very chilly, and mist was rising golden along the canal. I walked back to the little shop for some milk and the paper, and we finally were on our way at 9.30. Lovely and warm in the sun, but cold in the shade. We didn’t meet any other boats and when we reached Bascote locks they were deserted too. Someone had either gone down ahead of us some time ago, or they had just emptied themselves overnight. I left Dave bringing Chuffed down the second part of the staircase and walked down to set the third lock, but as a boat was just entering the fourth one, I opened the gate for them instead and went back to the track leading away from the staircase to look for damson trees. I didn’t find any, though there were a couple of apple trees. But we brought some of our own with us, so I left them for someone else.
Eventually we were through the Bascote locks – look at that blue sky! - and, with a few boats coming towards us, found the rest of this morning’s locks in our favour, though mostly needing a paddle raising to top them up. Below one of the locks, can’t remember which, a large tree or bush is blocking half the width of the canal. As we descended, the hire boat below was sensibly waiting beyond it. Then, as I opened the bottom gate, it moved up onto the lock mooring leaving barely enough room for us to pass.
But we made it, just gently brushing past the tree. We stopped for lunch below Fosse locks with the sun streaming through the windows. I took Meg for a wander along the towpath, still on the hunt for some damsons in case the trees I know about – which we should pass tomorrow – have been picked already. There were some wild plums, which weren’t quite ripe but I think they’ll cook ok. None of them were on their tree – the branches had all been cut, and the leaves were all shrivelled, but the stems had retained enough sap for the fruit to survive. I wondered if it was the work of the Phantom Snipper. All along the towpath from Calcutt - and on the last trip we noticed this from the top of Napton locks – someone has snipped small branches, often laden with fruit, from the hedges and left them on the ground.
This one is hawthorn, but we have seen sloes, blackberries and now plums. The strange thing is that none of them seem to have been big enough to have been causing any obstruction. When we were moored at Napton a few weeks ago I did see a boater wielding a pair of secateurs and snipping randomly at the hedges, so maybe it’s him.
Near the old railway bridge is a clearing with a memorial painting on one of the trees and a swing hanging on another. Yes, I did have a swing and it was still moving when I took the picture.
We carried on down Radford Bottom lock and past the permanently moored boat at bridge 34, which has been joined by a couple of caravans, one bog standard and one traditional gypsy-style and gaily painted. Someone was sitting out, and it seemed rude to take a picture, so I snapped their take on Charity Dock instead.
We cracked on past the pleasant moorings near Radford Road bridge towards Leamington Spa. We have a rather urgent reason for shopping in Tesco. But the photo-opportunities kept coming. How’s this for a figurehead? (There were no little girls on board, just oldie hirers). The dazzling white has unfortunately made it a bit over-exposed.
Along the way we passed NB Oleanna – we knew they were in the area but weren’t expecting to see them so soon, and we almost failed to notice them at all - we were too busy looking at the new art college buildings which were being built last time we were here. But no-one seemed to be at home.
To our surprise, the Tesco moorings were empty. Now, the reason for stopping was largely for Meg. She started scratching towards the end of our last trip and when she got a raw patch on her face we obviously took her to the vet, and she was treated for fox mange. A little white bread and a good splodge of paté got the tablets down her without a problem. But the problem didn’t clear up, so back we went and she is now on a two-week course of two antibiotics, as well as steroids. She stopped itching/scratching, so at least the funnel-collar could come off before we came back on the boat – that would not have been fun. The bare patches are healing up now, but she had got wise to the paté trick. And the bread must be white and soft, stale bread is no good! Hiding bits of pill in some left-over sausage worked at tea-time, and for breakfast it will be smoked mackerel pate. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to buy more sausages.
Somehow we ended up with a trolley-full of purchases (wine may have been included). On our way out we were slightly horrified by this ad outside the store.
Mother’s little helper, updated? Or just cynical marketing. I think I know which. And they have the cheek to have the ‘drinkaware’ thing in small print at the bottom.
We continued to Cape Locks, where the lovely crew on board NB Firefly had spotted us in the distance and waited. We went up together, and both found space on the visitor moorings. We ate in the Cape of Good Hope – excellent as usual. I had a pint of the guest beer, very nice. I like a bit of word-play too.
9 miles, 12 locks including Bascote Staircase.
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