The Motor Museum

Mon 29 Aug - After breakfast we decided to walk into Coventry and have a look around the motor museum, it's a short walk from the canal basin, and free entry.  When you enter you are not aware of the sheer scale of the building and how many exhibits it has, we were gobsmacked by this, and spent a good few hours wandering around.

From bicycles, to the world speed record cars, and everything in-between, here are some photos of our visit.

When we returned to the boat the three others that had cruised into the basin with us had left, we decided to leave too after a very late lunch, so at 4 we left, and made our way back to Hawkesbury for the night, facing in a different direction and looking forward to our return to the peace and quiet of the Ashby canal.

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, an armchair, rocking horse, waste bins too

Mon 29 Aug - Coventry, after a disturbed night (too many dogs thinking they own the new area they now find themselves in) we left early, actually Martin untied and set off while I was still in bed.  I joined him shortly after a little bleary eyed, a couple of cups of tea later all was well.

Our cruise into Coventry was uneventful, but showed the not so nice side of where you can take your boat.  It had the blackest stretch of water I have ever seen on a canal, our spirits - well mine- were lifted with the smell of the bakery wafting over to us.

Along the way we encountered, coconuts, so many we lost count, two large waste bins that looked like black icebergs from a distance, a bright pink armchair, a television - no remote control seen though, a matching pair of flip flops, and a matching pair of shoes half a mile apart, many footballs, and a rocking horse, not to mention far too many plastic and glass bottles, drinks cans and rubbish bags, with the odd wooden pallet thrown in (literally) for good measure.

The not so nice:

Some of the many cans, balls and bottles

One of the many coconuts, sadly they'll never take route on an idyllic island setting

Once loved and cherished

Pull up a chair and watch....

...some television

A new art installation?

Weekend at Hawkesbury Junction

Sat 27 Aug - We left the Lime Kilns after a lazy morning, we headed down the Ashby for the 2hr trip to Marston Junction, where we turned left.  The rush hour had gone and we were on our own, lovely, ominous clouds were looming though in the distance, and we hoped it would stay dry at least until we were safely moored up and inside!  the lightening could be seen towards Coventry, and then the thunder, and then it got louder and more frequent.  We turned the corner onto the final approach to Hawkesbury junction and made a bee line for the first stretch of free Armco, where we tied up just in time as within seconds of closing the rear doors and the hatch the heavens opened.

We viewed the hire boats continuing and remembered doing the same when we had hired.

We ventured down to the Greyhound pub in the evening to see what it was like, I don't think we'll be back in a hurry, and certainly not in the summer during the school holidays, the tables were very sticky, glasses everywhere and not somewhere we would like to perch and eat.

Sun 28 Aug - We stayed put today, we're on a nice wide stretch of canal, away from the sometimes chaotic junction and we have a nice wide stretch of grass too.  There are some very large tasty blackberries in the hedging alongside, Sunday crumble here we come!

We ventured down to the Engine house bridge and walked to the convenience store just through the new housing estate, Sunday paper in hand we walked to the other pub in Hawkesbury the Boat, clean and tidy, and a local drinkers pub, but no real Ale as there is no call for it with the clientele.

Bank holiday break

Weds 24 August - We travelled up to the boat late afternoon, with the roads reasonably quiet, arriving at the boat early evening and time to settle in and have a meal on board. On Thursday Martin spent some time ticking some jobs of his to-do-list.  I walked up into the town and had a mooch around the shops, they are quite varied and an hour or so had passed before I returned down the hill.

Seen on my walk

This has to be one of the most interesting gardens I've seen.

Friday 26 August - today we planned to leave after lunch and head down the Ashby to towards Hinckley. We went shopping first though, by car to the farm shop at bridge 23, Elaine and Spinnybank farm and her husband butcher their own meat, we came away with some tasty things, not least some proper pork chops.

We left the Marina just after lunch time, and took our time on such a perfect day, even the cows were cooling off.

Cows cooling off in the canal and seeking the shade of a tree

As we were travelling along we spotted a familiar looking boat, it was Caxton with Sue and George, a quick hello and exchange of our plans and that was that.

We stopped for the day within sight of the Lime Kilns pub and enjoyed the evening from the front cratch.

enjoying the evening from the front cratch of Sonia Louise