At last, the Ashby Canal.

After all the fun of having the calorifier replaced we decided that a trip back to Atherstone was our best bet for a fridge top up, so that is where we have been for the last couple of days. Friday night we had a couple of pints in The Maid of the Mill. Lovely little locals and boaters pub. Then cod and chips from the chippy next door and excellent they were. Thoroughly recommended.
This morning we set off (again) for the Ashby Canal. After winding we topped up with water and ditched the rubbish at the top of the locks. Atherstone flight is closed now until the twentieth of December, this includes the towpath so the only way to get to the rubbish bins is to take the boat.

Lovely autumn colours looking down the flight.

Ruthern's old coal yard is still unused although when we arrived on Friday there was a group of people cleaning it up. There used to be a basin at the top of the flight.

You can see where the entrance to it once was, it's a housing estate now.

It was a lovely trip down the Coventry on a day which came up to expectations, cold but sunny. Nuneaton lived up to its reputation as the home of the floating plastic bottle. Plus the usual collection of carrier bags and, for a change, a child's car booster seat bobbed in the edge.

Hooray, back at Marston Junction, complete with a family of gongoozlers. I managed to get round without bashing the bridge and one day I'll get through the old stop lock without scraping the side.

Through the bridge and we are now on the Ashby, between bridges two and three.

Watch this space...........