Thursday, 1 March 2018

Hatton bottom lock (Buddy’s first spiral staircase)


White out on the Hatton flight


Unlike a lot of the country we had very little snow on Tuesday night and Karen walked to work as she has been doing since recovering from the flu.  It’s only two miles each way and she’s really happy not having to drive in as she gets to see the sights as well as getting some exercise 😉

Buddy and I wandered into Warwick to get some meat from one of the butcher shops.  The one we went to doesn’t allow dogs in unlike its sister shop in Leamington.  We find about a quarter of butcher shops allow dogs in and, I must admit, Buddy loves them 😊

On the way back home, we walked past St Marys church (where all the Earls of Warwick are buried) and I noticed a sign indicating that the bell tower was open for visitors.  We went into the church to enquire and for £3 we were given the key and went back outside to find the door to the steps. Once inside I turned the lights on and up we went.  Not surprisingly we were the only visitors and it was bitter at the top.  Buddy was a little spooked about the spiral staircase (all 163 steps of it) and I think it was because he knew he couldn’t turn around, but he carried on and was happy once we reached the top.

Leading the way on a straight bit by the entrance to the bells

We had good views all around and I wished I had taken our new camera.  It was a clearish day so I could just make out the spires and buildings in Coventry.

Warwick with the castle in the centreground and Karen’s office under the red cross at the Technology Park


Sikh temple in Leamington (ringed in red)


Warwick racecourse


Looking down on Northgate Street

Northgate Street is often quoted as the most handsome Georgian street in the Midlands.  The properties are particularly pleasing and the ones that haven’t been converted into apartments or offices fetch over £1.5 million.

Looking back at the tower we had just climbed




We got home in time for lunch and as I sat down I noticed it had started snowing. 


   

It only snowed for an hour and then the sun came out.  Mind you, it was still freezing, and it looks like the cut will be frozen over for a few more days yet.  In the middle of the afternoon we went out for our last walk of the day, in glorious sunshine.  We headed up the Hatton flight and by half way the sun had gone and a few flakes of snow started drifting by.  Within ten minutes, the wind was up and the snow was really blowing across the fields and it felt like it does on a mountain when skiing in a white out.

Whilst eating dinner, Karen and I noticed a creaking noise every so often and then realised it was the ice.  We’ve never heard it before but suspect it may be something to do with being moored near a lock which has a water flow through it.

As I sit here this morning, it’s snowing again but not a lot and we’ve only had about 3” so nothing really compared with when we were at Alvechurch at the end of last year.

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