Days 44 - 50 Rugby to Hillmorton

Thursday 6 August we set off from Rugby the couple of miles to the locks at Hillmorton.  There's a boatyard there and we need repairs to the water pump and the leaking stern gland.

 

Attractive fretworked bridge

 

No likely explanation occurs!

 

This is what a narrowboat looks like before it's fitted out with an engine, windows etc

 

 Traffic building up as we approach Hillmorton

 

 

View of the second pair of locks at Hillmorton.  There was originally one flight, but competition with the Grand Union Canal company meant more capacity was needed.  An amazing 20,859 vessels passed through in just one year, 1842

A closer view of the second locks, with boats exiting each one simultaneously

 

Good to have had a haircut

 

Unusual narrowboat design, reminiscent of a submarine

 Anglers sheltering from the intense sunshine

 

Marestail and other foliage canalside

After filling with water, ready for the bottom lock

 

Hot work

 

 Larger than a traditonal lock cottage

 

 

Spot the boater

 

Looking back at the bottom lock, with cafe on the right and historic working boats outside

 

Picturesque entrance to Grantham's Bridge Boatyard, Hillmorton.  They can do our repairs on Tuesday, so we'll wait on the towpath for a couple of days

 

Old buildings at the boatyard

 Left is Banbury and our final destination, Oxford

 

This woman comes daily to feed the swans and ducks, clapping her hands to call them wearing an elegant sunhat and opera gloves

 

 

A familiar sight, Flying Eagle is normally moored at Egginton, not far from our home marina

 

Evening and a tranquil scene at Hillmorton after a busy day

 

 

Lock gate beams inscribed with lines from a poem by Roy Fisher: 'Working water climbs carefully down; This door makes depth captive for a while'

Evening light on fields above Hillmorton

 

Catnap moored above the top lock, as we wait for the boatyard

 

 The repairs ably completed by Chris at the boatyard, Sod's Law strikes and we lose steering!  The cause turns out to be this - an aerial cable and laundry bag combo around the propellor. Denis donned PPE for the operation and patiently untangled the mess

Day 50, Wednesday 12 August and our final day at Hillmorton, hooray!  Devoted to shopping and cleaning, ready to head for Braunston.