End of the Rainbow

21/04/12

Hungerfield Bridge 35 – Arbury Park Bridge 16

We managed to find a nice remote spot a couple of miles past Newbold Tunnel.  It was quite funny as last night, as we were approaching the tunnel we could hear hooter noises but couldn’t see any boats in the tunnel?  They were so convincing that Yog even stopped in the middle of the river to give way to whatever it was making all the noise. 

It turned out to be a group of young lads making their way through the tunnel on foot, beer in hand no doubt on their way to the boat full of young girls we had seen just before the tunnel  ;0)  Their faces were a picture as they saw Captain Nasty, head lit by the tunnel light making his way towards them from the darkness of the tunnel.  They were making quite different noises on seeing him though lol

We saw them again today  about midday, all dressed as pirates on their way to the next leg of their beer fuelled holiday on the river.  The weather is still pretty nasty and we had decided to sit it out for a little while and I am glad we did as those boys looked freezing!!

At about 5pm we decided to do a bit more and try and get to Hawksbury Junction as that’s when the Nicholsons book ran out and it was our aim to start the next day on a new book. Well my aim anyway, I was getting all excited as up till now each finished page directed you to the next page in the book but the Hawksbury Junction page directs you to ‘See Book 3’.  The thought of a new book gave me much pleasure lol.

We saw the most fantastic rainbow on the way.  The pictures really do not do it justice.  It almost made the fact that we were cold, damp and by now getting pretty tired quite quickly that little bit easier to bare.

At the junction there is a stupidly shallow lock, probably less than a foot.  It marks the end of the Oxford Canal and apparently was put there to stop the other canal from nicking all their water. 

Straight after the lock is a 90 degree bend under a bridge followed by another 90 degree bend.  Which of course we had to negotiate with 2 boats approaching us from apposing directions lol but at least we were now on the Coventry Canal and more importantly Book 3!!

We carried on past Bedworth and the Marsdon Junction where the Ashby Canal branches off to the East to find ourselves a nice secluded spot near Arbury Park Bridge 16.  That would be us for the night.