Summit

Coming up the remaining 5 locks of the Atherstone flight this morning was made easier by various people who assisted. At the top lock there was a CRT volunteer who wound and pushed and pulled in the most helpful way. I told him he'd get an honourable mention on the blog tonight, so here he is:

I asked him what he was called, and I think he said "Coley", which would have been the first time anyone responded to this question with their surname. But my best beloved later said it might have been "Charlie". Anyway, thank you, Coley / Charlie. You're a star!

The top lock is very nicely kept, and the cottage is a treat.

So now we have no locks for the foreseeable future. Just as well, really, given the heat. We'd had about enough after a couple of hours today, and tied up in a beautiful, lonely spot in the wilds of Warwickshire, with only the odd tractor or two for company.

Of course, the sunshine has been great for the solar panel.

18 amps into the system. Enough to compensate for the washing machine, without the engine running. And the sun dried the result as well, in just a couple of hours.

However, one of the effects of being out in the sticks is that there may be an inadequate signal for getting this post posted. We shall see…