Lyra's Travels

Thursday 14th June 2012
A fine day's motoring was had. As we got up today the sun was beaming through the windows with the promise of some warmth at last.
Cath walked ahead from our mooring to start the first lock of the day. The two remaining locks at Fradley were quickly dispatched and we chugged through the flat countryside of the Trent valley with hills visible a few miles off to our left.
The sun continued to shine, and all the people we met looked happy to be out of the November weather, if only for a day.
Just after Alrewas the canal drops onto the Trent for a short river section. The indicators were well into the green and the river was as quite as a pussy cat. We haven't been on this section of canal for about 5 years so couldn't remember much of surroundings. We were surprised to see a lot of private mooring here on the river section, where the boats were tied to fixed moorings, with no concession, it seems, to changes in water level.
At the next lock the river is once again left to its own devices and we continue on the canal as far as Branston, of pickle fame. We've moored up for the night near Branston Water Park, a lake where wildlife and water sports mix happily. I took a wander into the village, but it's quite small with little shopping.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is foul, the wind is already rising, and if it turns out to be true we'll stay put.