There was quite a frost on
Wednesday morning and Karen had to scrape the ice off the car windows before
setting off for work. It didn’t take
long to disappear once the sun got up and it turned out to be a glorious day.
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View from the galley on Wednesday
morning
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As I would probably be
moving the boat out into the country on Thursday I took Buddy up to town to
stock up on a few supplies. The tourists
were out in force reminding me once again why we don’t like mooring in the
basin – they wander up and down the pontoons, peering in the boats as if the
boats are part of Stratford’s attractions.
Saying that, we get our fair share moored next to the park with people
often taking selfies against the boat or pictures of the boat itself. I’m always tempted to stand in the window
pulling faces at them.
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Asian tourists having been
sold authentic Shakespearean garb
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When we got back there
were two boats moored next to us – it was about the busiest we have seen it
boat-wise over the month we have been here.
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Neighbours
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I had an email from CRT
during the day announcing that they have just published their proposed winter
stoppage program. Winter stoppages are
put in place so that repairs and maintenance can be carried out at the quieter
times of the year. A series of proposals
are made and boaters can respond and after about three months of refinements the
final program is published.
We take them as a
challenge as it means we have a logistical nightmare working our way round
them. Mind you, we were happy with this
years’ stoppages as it meant we could stay in one place for six weeks in
January/February waiting for a lock to open – rather fortunate as it was near Karen’s work
and also in a nice part of the world for walking. Normally you are only allowed to moor in one
place for two weeks before having to move on.
Winter 2017/18 will be
different as we plan to get up to Liverpool and then cross the Pennines to
Leeds on the Leeds Liverpool canal. I
may have mentioned before but my mum and dad live in Gargrave at the northern
extreme of the canal in the Yorkshire Dales and we couldn’t take the old boat up there as
it was too long. Now we have a shorter
boat we can fit in the locks and are really looking forward to cruising new
territory.
In the afternoon, we went
for a longer walk along the old Stratford to Worcester railway bed. At one point, I came across a short stretch
of track and some buffers. I can’t
believe they were original as tracks from disused railway lines were completely
removed as part of the war effort.
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Old siding
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It really was a warm day
and Buddy started lagging behind – he only does this when he’s too hot but
after a few days he gets used to it and is back to his usual self.
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Buddy hanging back rather
than keeping 20 yards in front as he usually does (The tower of Stratford church in the background where William Shakespeare is buried)
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Passing the racecourse
again – just one cloud in the cloudless sky
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Later on in the afternoon,
another boat arrived to fill up with water and confirmed to me one of the
differences between living aboard a boat and having a holiday on one. They were the same sort of age as us and as
they took on water they sat on a bench and drank a bottle of wine between
them. You can’t do that every day when
living on a boat but when on holiday it’s perfectly acceptable and part of it
(as long as you’re not driving the boat afterwards of course!).
When Karen came home from
work we popped over to the Mucky Duck for a cheeky Wednesday drink – our first
for a couple of weeks. First cheeky
Wednesday, not first drink I hasten to add!
It’s strange that with so many hostelries on our doorstep we haven’t
bothered to try them out.
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