At Sea

The Grand Union Canal is aptly named for it is generous in its size and has large locks capable of holding two narrow boats which can be up to 72 foot long so our modest Fandango has room to spare. Linking London with Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham it is now home to trendy live aboards in smart London postcodes at places such as Limehouse, Regents Park and Little Venice. And to complete your education, it is actually composed of at least 8 separate canals - but enough anoraking.

Although in excess of 137 miles in length, we were to enjoy its company for only 21 miles before branching off into the less industrial sounding Stratford-on-Avon Canal at Kingswood Junction.  My first exposure to it was pleasant enough.  We meandered through the open rolling Warwickshire countryside in grey overcast skies enjoying the odd waft of heat that welled up to the open stern from the bowels of Fandango where our new best friend, the Morso, was silently converting smokeless fuel to life enhancing heat. 

We quickly got into our stride; descending the Stockton Flight - 8 locks - tick. The Bascote Locks (including a staircase lock) - 4 locks - tick.  Fascinating to see that the ambitious entrepreneurs of the early  1800's built these wider locks leaving their narrow older brothers redundant alongside. Picturesque maybe, but a definite health hazard if you don't keep your wits about you as you turn to speed to the next lock forgetting there's another stretch of water between you and the towpath.  After this we settled in the more leisurely pace of a lock every mile or so before we entered the outskirts of Leamington Spa.

Now it's actually called Royal Leamington Spa thanks to good old Queen Vic granting the town that Royal prefix in 1838 but I have to say my worst fears of canals inhabiting the real back end (I'm being polite here) of a town were reinforced as Royal it certainly was not.

The canal water had gone an even darker shade of mud brown, the towpath suddenly was littered with the inevitable McDonalds wrappers and coke cans and graffiti (most of which was pretty uninteresting and scrappy and not worthy of a Turner nomination)  was everywhere.  Entering from the west you do pass the old industrial areas some of which are now redundant and rotting but as you progress to the directly adjoining town of Warwick the canal improves with modern developments fronting the water and some of the slick offices of the games and digital media companies that have lead to the town being known as "Silicon Spa". 

We decided not to linger. 

Beyond Warwick was our first big lock challenge - the Hatton Flight, all 21 of the them. And our luck was in, another boat was about to climb the Hatton and we could share the effort. 

When doing 21 locks in succession you have a lot of time to chat to your fellow boaters be it the helms idling side by side in the filling lock, or grinders raising and lowering paddles or opening and closing gates. And what a friendly bunch they are. 

It turned out we were in the company of professionals. A couple offering skippered charters in their 72 foot home, she a slight woman from Japan, he a midlander with a broad Brummy accent wanting an alternative lifestyle.  They had developed a market in Japan using her family connections and regular visits home to lecture and give talks at tourism fairs which had lead to a business that clearly satisfied their needs. Downsizing from a house  in Birmingham they had jettisoned all their furniture and a large proportion of their wardrobes to fit into their floating home. "Surprising how little you need" she told me.

 Are you (am I even?) listening to that?

And how good were they at getting up those locks! My Brummy mate was clearly in a hurry so  he manfully jogged ahead opening and closing paddles at an alarming rate so that we arrived at the top several hours ahead of Ros' meticulously planned schedule. 

I feared the consequences. But no panic ensued.  The spread sheet is flexible I was relieved to hear...

And hey, what's the rush?