0 locks, 6 ½ miles, 2 tunnels. Now moored at Snarestone
It was time to move on while the good weather lasted. The scenery on this last leg of the Ashby is beautiful, just rolling farmland, 3 farming villages Congerstone, Shackerstone and Snarestone and not a motorway or railway in sight. Of course there is a railway line but this is the preserved Battlefield railway and this only operates between Easter and Oct on certain days. We did see a couple of track gangs working on the line in preparation for Easter week-end.
At Gopsall wharf we saw where the last barges were loaded with coal for the domestic market which was bought in by truck until 1981. The site is now a picnic area and carpark. The Snarestone tunnel is a bit of a rarity because of it's curved nature and the roof get's lower as you reach the Northern portal. Part of the village of Snarestone is on top of the tunnel.
At the end of the canal is a BW service centre with toilet, elsan and rubbish and winding hole. The Ashby canal society have a shack on site which I presume they use for promotional purposes and a ramp for launching trailer boats. After filling the water and winding we headed back to Snarestone to meet up with the engineer from Albatross Marine to fit a stop pin in the gearbox. As we approached the tunnel Dot was at the helm and I expected her to relinquish the post as she hates tunnels but to my surprise she remained at the helm and took the boat all the way through. That was a first.
The end of Navigation on the Ashby canal
Ashby canal last winding hole.
After mooring up Dot went for a walk around the village while I waited for the engineer who unfortunately didn't show up but hopefully he will arrive tomorrow.
894 locks, 1251 miles, 38 Tunnels, 41 swing bridges and 19 lift bridges since Nov 2006
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