Down the Lapworth and lock buddies located for the Hatton!

After a quiet nights stay at Hockley Heath we pulled pins at 7.30 yesterday morning and headed for the top of the Lapworth Flight of locks that would take us down to Kingswood Junction and the Grand Union canal.   We pass through two lift bridges before the locks start the second of which was a real bugger being harder to wind down than up!  I got the bicycle out at the top lock as using it on flights of locks is so much more efficient now that the dogs have stopped having me off the darn thing...

 Lock shuffle between Yarwood and an ascending boat, the only boat we saw on the flight

 The only way is down..

 Last lock, service block next stop

 

When we exited the last lock things started to get busier with an Anglo Welsh  boat turning in front of Yarwood towards Stratford and the water point and another coming up the lock.  I helped the holiday boat get tied up on the service point before bringing Yarwood  in behind and as we tied up three more boats turned up, it was like Piccadilly Circus.

With Yarwood serviced I broke out the beer, Joe reversed Yarwood and we turned on to the arm that would take us from the Stratford canal onto the Grand Union and so on towards our planned mooring at the Tom of the Woods bridge.

 



 Moored up, Nb. Warwick in front of us.

 

Once moored I made us some lunch and then texted Sue on Nb No Problem as I knew that with their new engine now fitted in their boat they were likely to heading for the Hatton flight at the same time as us, "Do you want a lock buddy?" I asked and the answer which arrived almost instantly was a BIG yes!  I replied letting them know where we were and then set off to give the dogs and myself a walk across country towards the NT. Baddesley Clinton.

 

 Baddesley Clinton House

 

 Joe armed with compass trying to sort out a signal for the TV, Nb No Problem moored behind us

 

I had just returned to the boat and started to get chairs out when a bow appeared coming around the bend behind us, No Problem had arrived preceded by the collies running the towpath.  Floyd and Fletcher recognised them and the boat immediately and there was a lot of excited canine greeting going on as we helped to get NP secured.

Sue photographing four dogs, one man and four biscuits!

 

 We sat out enjoying a beer or two and catching up with each other, agreed a starting time for tomorrow morning and the descent of the Hatton flight.

 Warwick moves off

Sue got some new fenders and a windlass from Harry on Nb. Warwick before he moved off

But before moving off Harry had to secure the boat cat....without being tied aboard he disappears at any bridge hole that takes his interest, the cat that is, not Harry!