Sunday, 5 July. 9 miles, 5 locks.
Moved off under a bridge and tied up to pump out the black tank. It's a DIY which the previous DIYer didn't know what to do. I opened the door took one look at the floor and closed the door again. The tank is getting pretty full so we are now being cautious until the next pump out is available.
A mile along the way we are into the 5 Tyrley locks. Once through these we pull over for lunch happy that there are only 2 more in the next 25 miles. Well it is Sunday and the sign says only a 10 minute walk to "The 4 Alls". It was worth the effort with a very reasonable carvery, when on the plate looked like a Sunday Roast. Back on the boat we travelled through some deep, dark cuttings covered in trees, over long embankments giving great view of the country for miles around. Could just about see where we have been in the last couple of months (excluding Scotland). Pulled over when a heavy shower was threatening. It passed and we we off again. Well, about knock off time I see a note in my travel book about the Pub, rated 2nd best on the Canals. We stopped here in 2010 so thought it deserved another look. Hadn't changed a bit since then, in fact I don't think it has changed in a century or 2. Spent a delightful hour or so listening and trying to understand the local conversation. The Anchor is an old boaters pub. The landlady is 80, her late husband was one of the last boatmen. Another character had been plying the cut up until the end. He now has a traditional working boat moored across the canal from the pub. Then a couple who used to live in the area turned up for the first time in 30 years and the stories started. What a privilege to be part of reminiscing the boating stories of the past.
A mile along the way we are into the 5 Tyrley locks. Once through these we pull over for lunch happy that there are only 2 more in the next 25 miles. Well it is Sunday and the sign says only a 10 minute walk to "The 4 Alls". It was worth the effort with a very reasonable carvery, when on the plate looked like a Sunday Roast. Back on the boat we travelled through some deep, dark cuttings covered in trees, over long embankments giving great view of the country for miles around. Could just about see where we have been in the last couple of months (excluding Scotland). Pulled over when a heavy shower was threatening. It passed and we we off again. Well, about knock off time I see a note in my travel book about the Pub, rated 2nd best on the Canals. We stopped here in 2010 so thought it deserved another look. Hadn't changed a bit since then, in fact I don't think it has changed in a century or 2. Spent a delightful hour or so listening and trying to understand the local conversation. The Anchor is an old boaters pub. The landlady is 80, her late husband was one of the last boatmen. Another character had been plying the cut up until the end. He now has a traditional working boat moored across the canal from the pub. Then a couple who used to live in the area turned up for the first time in 30 years and the stories started. What a privilege to be part of reminiscing the boating stories of the past.
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| Sunday Lunch |
Sounds like a typical day, great views, pub meals, changeable weather, and travellers tales!!!!
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