Luddington Lock, River Avon, Saturday 18th July
Instead of a whirr whirr broom; on turning the key starter this morning, I was serenaded with aaarrrhhh aaarrrhhh aaarrrhhh. I know that the engine does not have an inhaler; ergo it probably does not suffer from asthma. The conclusion therefore must be that the starter battery is in a permanent dysfunctional state. For the non technical readers amongst you, it is k*******d.
A telephone call to the efficient River Canal Rescue resulted in Sean arriving accompanied by a new battery. After it was fitted, he tested the charging circuit and pronounced all was in working order. For us, it was another satisfactory result and confirmation of the good service that they provide.
We moved off after lunch and headed for Trinity or Colin P Witter (of towing bracket fame) lock; a boat had just entered from downstream which made the job a bit easier and friendly as Myra chatted to the crew. Owing to the nature of the ground at the location of this lock, a steel framework has been incorporated to ensure stability.
Before the next lock, you pass under the new road bridge; care has been taken to soften the visual impact of the concrete by adding brick infillings. We thought that the end result looked good. We went down Weir brake lock and immediately we were in open countryside. We arrived at Luddington lock and tied up on the beautifully situated moorings above. We had a wander around the village and the church.
I spoke at length to David who owns the boathouse at the top of the moorings. He has a steel river launch by an unknown builder that was steam powered but now is electric. During our chat, it transpired that he had worked in The Causeway at Horsham and had kept a boat at Dell Quay in Chichester Harbour. Both of these places, I know very well and we reminisced about sailing and dinghies. Hooray for nostalgia!
2009 Totals: 406 Locks – 680.5 miles – 18 Bus pass uses.
