What a bummer, the glorious weather we have been experiencing has vanished as we prepared to leave Rugby and head North. At least it is dry and not too cold. First stop for the day was Newbold wharf ( Barley Mow pub) where we got rid of the never ending rubbish and watered up as we had done the washing along the way. Here we had a short delay as there was already a queue for the sole water tap.
Earlier on in the week we contacted Andy Edwards, N/b Khayamanzi and arranged to meet up with him as he is off work (school teacher) on half term break. Just past the entrance to Brinklow Marina where he is moored we found a suitable mooring on the North side of bridge 38. Andy came out to meet us with his trusty side kick 'Simba' and we walked back to his boat for coffee and sticky buns, Yummie. While at the marina, Andy, who is one of the resident 'Harbourmaster's' looking after the establishment was met by the local Police community services officer regarding a canal watch scheme being set up. We were then joined by John, another 'Harbourmaster' who, not only being another boater is the electrician for Blue Water Boats.
Brinklow Marina has been built on part of the old Oxford canal which was cut off when the canal was straightened to reduce travelling times and get coal delivered faster. The cast iron bridge over the entrance has some interesting grooves in the hand rail which appear to be machine cut but are in actual fact they are grooves worn by the ropes of the horse drawn barges as the horse went over the bridge and the boatman had negotiate the tight bend and bridge hole.
893 locks, 1219 miles, 36 Tunnels, 40 swing bridges and 19 lift bridges since Nov 2006
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