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70 now and our five wonderful years aboard our narrowboat Skyy seem along time ago. Jacquie, allowed me to build my replica three wheeler kit car, which was a great success. Now it's time to start on a bigger project and that is to make a good Triumph Stag even better, here goes.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

A MOUNT OF SPOIL


TUESDAY 24TH TO WEDNESDAY 25TH APRIL 2012      

We had to be at Atherstone by Wednesday as Jacquie was catching a train to London on Thursday morning, the forecast was for a dry Tuesday and a very wet Wednesday, accordingly we decided to do the major part of the journey on Tuesday.

This comprised continuing along the Ashby Canal to Sutton Wharf, where we could turn SKYY around for the return journey. Back in 2009 we spent some time up here with chums Marilyn and Brian, exploring the supposed battle field of Bosworth, where Henry V11’s army killed King Richard and defeated his army thereby allowing Stoke Golding to call itself ‘The Birthplace of the Tudors’.



Shortly before we left the Ashby Canal by its narrow gateway, the town of Hinchley was bypassed, famed by having the first stocking machine installed in 1640; now it’s famous for the production of todays, very successful range of Triumph motorcycles.

We hadn’t been long on the Coventry Canal when the steam boat President and butty passed on route to London to take part in the Queens Jubilee Pageant on the Thames.  

We stopped at the boatyard at Boot Wharf in Nuneaton for diesel, it was quite congested and we had to lie alongside another boat, but as I remembered that their fuel is very competitively priced, it made the effort worthwhile.

Most of us wouldn’t think of Warwickshire being able to lay claim to having a mountain, but it does, known as Mount Judd. A spoil heap that was forty years in the making, from the waste from the Old Judkins Quarry. The quarries, from which granite was removed, stretch from just North of Nuneaton to Hartshill, much of the land has now been reclaimed and is crisscrossed with paths making it an ideal place to moor and walk Duggie, so after six hours of cruising that's what we did.

The next morning was very wet and a reluctant Duggie was again shown how exciting old quarries can be, before we moved off for the one hour passage to Atherstone. We secured a mooring, battened down the hatches and here SKYY, Duggie and I will sit out the rain for the few days, whilst Jacquie enjoys the bright lights of London.

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