Well.. its getting close to when Anna has several markets and fairs that she needs to attend towards the end of the month, so we need to start moving onto somewhere with a hire car. Yes, we could stay in Hinckley and get the car from here again, but that would mean staying put on the Ashby for several more weeks – and what with a distinct lack of wood available here, and it getting ever closer to shut-down day where the canal at Bridge 6 is being de-watered for 3 months.. I don’t want to be stuck on this stretch until March! (If there was a superstore within walking distance.. sure.. that may make it a different scenario.. but there isn’t – and buying 3 months of food from a petrol station is not my idea of budgeting!)
Its a reasonably nice day today – so were moving whilst the sun is in our favour. We should be able to get the Ashby done, and make it well onto Coventry by the end of the day.. so its time to move on – But First.. time to reverse back.. under the bridge, round the corner and to the marina to top of the diesel tanks once more and to get some more coal.. Its fun being the entertainment for some.. standing there on the bridge.. watching you reverse a boat under it and round the corner.. wishing you to hit something.. but no.. you can bog off.. I have a bow thruster.. hahaha!! ( Which makes very gentle corrections in reverse extremely easy without having to put it into forward gear to do so!)
So.. 80 litres on.. damn.. 80 litres in 10 days.. 10l a day.. I suppose that’s right.. we have done the 31 mile stretch and back.. so 62 miles.. that’s about 3.5MPG! 🙂 Which to be honest, on a boat I don’t believe is that bad.. especially when that tank is also fuelling the heater for the water tank and the radiators.. But if you look at it in boat terms.. the engines been running for 72 hours (according to the clock).. and that’s 0.9l an hour.. I don’t have a fuel gauge.. We have to work out roughly how much we have left in the tank – either by dipping a stick in it.. or calculating the engine hours against the l/h rate.. which hasn’t changed.. it was 0.9l an hour when we moved on.. and still is now..
And through bridge 6.. Once past here, we know that we can get off the Ashby.. if we have to stop from this point on, so be it..
I can see why they need to do some work on this one.. personally.. I think bridge 1 needs a bit of TLC also.. but – there the structural engineers.. perhaps the pointing on bridge 1 can wait a year.. but I expect by then.. there will be a lot more daylight coming through those cracks!
And with that.. were back onto the Coventry Canal once more..
This is a rather busy spot just south of the Ashby entrance.. with a really attractive junk yard behind it.. not..
And onto hawksbury junction.. Where the North Oxford joins the Coventry canal.
OK.. So its time to stop for the night. We have done a good run today, and its a Saturday night.. so lets call into the Greyhound Inn for something to eat and a drink or two..
We were here a few years ago, but with the car – not a boat.. as at that time we were looking to buy a boat with a mooring in Exhall basin.. At that time, we were seriously looking to buy Lilycote2.. as the boat was offered with a full residential mooring, land with sheds etc.. and full power/water connections.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as we were beaten to the bid and missed out.. Do I object, no.. Things happen for a reason, and to be honest, I believe that Emmeline is a better boat – more suited to us.. ( and looking back, if we had got Lilycote2, chances are we would have sold the boat on, kept the mooring and bought Emmeline and moored her there instead )
But hey.. nomads are we.. and tomorrow.. onward to Coventry..