Moving on from Atherstone

Mid May saw us going down the Atherstone flight heading for Chester still with my aching back pain that had by this time caused me to stop blogging and seek help from Chiropractors to no long term avail the reason we now know being the cancer.

 Jaq is doing a lot of the locks to ease my pain but at this time as you can see from that lovely happy glow cancer marching on into my bones is far from our minds.

 A courting couple feed in a field lock side hoping to develop their relationship

while others have progressed and mum acts as taxi service to two of the six young ones.

After spending a few days in one of the longer pounds lower down the lock flight we moved on to Bradley Green services to use water and the rubbish disposal services.

This is the site of Pooley Hall colliery wharf that was constructed in the late 1890`s. It was also connected to the main railway line at Polesworth. in the 1950`s it joined up with other nearby collieries to become the North Warwick colliery.
From 1847 when a mine was first sunk on the the Pooley estate to the closure of it all in 1965 the canal played a big part moving coal.

This is Alvecote marina and the Samuel Barlow freehouse pub.

Just a little further on from here past the marina the canal narrows where a bridge once stood, probably the rail line into Amington colliery. The map below showing the basin and marina is from the early 1920`s.

If you tie up by the old bridge hole you can walk in the basin that is not to hard to find just off the towpath.


 This is Fazely CRT area office

 Five views of Streethay Wharf where we stopped for diesel. Proper working yard and always something to see.

 Last we exit from the Coventry canal onto the Trent and Mersey at Fradley Junction. The Swan pub it is said is one of the most photographed on the canal system. How anyone decided that I don`t know but with boats entering this junction through a swingbridge I guess plenty take pictures as they approach. I took mine from the towpath in front of the bridge.