A Taste of Summer?

As the weather turned out gloriously sunny and warm (10 deg C) we decided to go for a bit of a hike, so we head back down the tow path to the Newbold Quarry which we have passed umpteen times but not stopped to check it out. The disused quarry is now a scenic reserve and used for fishing and a breeding place for the English White Clawed crayfish which has been under serious threat from the larger American Red Clawed crayfish. Apparently the latter carries a virus to which it is immune but not so with the English breed hence its demise.

Speaks for itself - must have been a hard place to work.

Going by the plaque at the entrance to the quarry it must have been a dangerous place to have worked in. Looking at the surrounding terrain I suspect it may have been quarried for grey clay as there is still plenty of it around.

The quarry between the canal and a housing estate

On our way back we deviated down into the village to buy some fish and chips for lunch at Larry’s Chippin. For £1.99 each we got a reasonable sized piece of Cod and a good scoop of chips, great value in these hard times.

A pair of Tufted Ducks at Newbold Quarry Park

Back on the tow path by the Barley Mow pub we came across a BW worker who had just completed a check on boat licences and what boats are moored where. We had a long chat about the “Cut” and how BW are reducing the amount of on line permanent moorings as more marina’s open. Hopefully leaving more mooring spaces for genuine cruisers.

Some good news came out of our chat in that another boat (wreck) has been removed from the water on the South Oxford and another 8 boats will be removed very soon.