After checking out quite a number of eateries, we opted for a Japanese restaurant - which turned out to be rather interesting, if only for the entertainment value! None of the eating places were particularly busy but we were grouped with a party of four women celebrating two birthdays and two men in the city on business. The chef cooks the food in front of the guests. We took the 'eight course chef special on the basis that we did not know enough to make any better choices! However, we lacked nothing - at least in quantity. All in all it was a pleasant evening and was a change from pub grub which has been the only form of eating
off-boat that we have so far managed.
We also changed our plans for the next section of the route - if only to avoid having to start the day with two large flights of locks! Instead, we too the Worcs and Birmingham route followed by the north Stratford. This gave us around 15 lock-free miles! The section out of Birmingham was initially rather pleasant as the canal was bordered on both sides by trees and shrubs. However, after passing the Cadbury factory at Bourneville there was little to disguise the nature of the immediate environs. Even so, the canal is generally much cleaner than we remembered it.
The Stratford Canal is much narrower and progress slower, not helped by the number of craft coming the other way. Eventually we discovered why: Lock 8 at Lapworth was to be closed at 2.30 for the rest of the evening for emergency repairs. We then realised that this two day stoppage was actually in the stoppage list but, with the change of route, we had not spotted it! Still, it was just as well, otherwise we would have stretched oursleves to get there in time.
After completing the first four locks there is a slightly longer pound where we found a good overnight mooring. Only one other boat was here, slightly to our surprise. Then we wandered down to see the work in progress. Yesterday they had fitted a new balance beam, to the top gate and today they were replacing the cill (a piece of wood that makes the seal with the gate at the bottom of the lock entrance) As we arrived they were just starting to replace the gate. It was quite intriguing to see how they could manouvre such a large weight quite delicately into place.
