2 March 09 Hawkesbury to Willoughby

We woke this morning to find the vegetation on the towing path white and stiff, checking the outside thermometer showed that the temperature dropped to -2 at ground level last night. The weather forecast said today would be warm and dry, the sun was already out and things looked good. Diana waved goodbye to our friends on Minnehaha (they start earlier than us) and we in tern set off at 9.30 am. As we left Hawkesbury Junction lock we met Roy on n.b. Gerald waiting to enter the lock,  we had spent a week with him last summer doing a BCNS cruise. Our first stop after Hawkesbury Junction to take on water and who should pull onto the waterpoint at the same time, n.b. Gypsy Rover so at long last we got to speak to Dot and Derek. After taking water the next boat to appeared round the bend was Fringilla with Joan and John onboard accompanied for a few days by their granddaughter. Just after this I spotted a Buzzard over the old power station site at Hawkesbury so that is probably what Dot and Derek saw, we also saw a Green Woodpecker on the towing path a bit later on. we continued towards Rugby and met a green narrow boat with no name, as we passed we almost both said" I think I have been reading your blog" it was Pickles No 2 (I think). After that, little activity until Newbold Tunnel where a quarter of the coloured lamps are out in the tunnel. I don't know who paid for them to be installed but like lots of things on the waterways, the capital is there put put them in but no one thinks about maintaining them. Once through the tunnel we passed Ten Bob Note and exchanged waves. Just before Hillmorton Diana told me she had spoken to Les off "Fenchurch" a Norton Canes boat that has recently be featured in one of the canal magazines. We just started up the Hillmorton locks and a boat turned up at the top waiting to come down, they kindly told Diana that she could go to the next lock and they would let me out and close the paddles. BW have made a very good job of the landing stage below the middle lock on the off side, much safer to use. As we were about to leave the top lock another boat appeared so we were able to leave the top gate open for them. We carried on towards Braunston finally stopping for the night a Willoughby at 5 pm.

You will find our latest position at
http://tinyurl.com/Harnser-s-route