This month, it’s exactly 7 years since we were last on the South Stratford canal, and that time we were hurrying to meet a friend in Braunston. Now we know better, and “encourage” our friends to come to us. The Stratford on Avon canal actually starts at King’s Norton, but the little village of Lapworth is is a busy junction on the canal system, with routes going north, south, east and west, and the North Stratford becomes the South Stratford
This is where we left the Grand Union Canal and the Lapworth link to squeeze through the narrow gap to head south,
And where our friends James and Caroline who live locally joined us for the day.
It’s an incredibly pretty canal, with a lot of unique features. The bridges were built in two cantilevered halves which allowed the horse drawn boats to be pulled through the gap without having to untie , simple and sensible really
And there are 6 very unusual houses built for the Lengthmen, these were the men who were responsible for maintaining the Lock and their length of the canal. The navvies who built the canals weren’t house builders so they put the skills they did have and constructed the roofs the same way that they did building tunnels, hence the barrel shaped roof
James and Caroline saw us through several locks so we thought it only fair to make James take the helm
Yes James they really do fit into that narrow gap
After all that hard work
we moored up at Lowsonford and went for a very enjoyable meal out at the Fleur De Lys.