Why 3 volunteers at the top?

It was a cuckoo that woke us this morning, the clock said 5.15am! We mulled over whether to set off at that silly time but the thought of another hours kip won hands down. It was just before 7 when we left and headed for Fazeley junction, only a couple of miles away. Then a sharp right onto the Coventry canal.

Fazeley Junction ahead.

Had it been snowing?  Tree seeds floated down and carpeted everything around including the canal It's the month for trees to disperse their seeds and a lovely sight it is too, although if your moored under them like this boat I expect you would wish them further.

Then another strange sight. Never seen this before. A pink sky, yes........but a pink cloud???

 Had high hopes of reaching Glascote locks before anyone else seeing as how it was still very early, but it seems other boaters had the same idea and, with a sinking feeling, we joined a queue. A hire boat and a private boat, all taking their time, made progress slow. In fact it took 40 minutes before I entered the bottom lock! So you can imagine our dismay at Atherstone flight, another boat had got in-between us and we found ourselves behind yet another boat.  At every lock it was a long wait and then at Baddesley Basin by lock 7, another boat managed to get in front, so now there were even more in the queue!  Then with only three locks left to do we were joined by C&RT volunteer. All very nice and much appreciated until we saw that another two were at the top. I said to the volunteer, 'Why 3 men at the top and none at the bottom'? He said someone else had asked the same question and maybe in future that's what they should do!!!  It took forever to complete the flight and such a relief to get to the top and on our way again. We decided against going through Nuneaton, as it was already gone 2pm so stopped after another mile. Glad to see the back of this flight and we celebrated with a long cool shandy. Only one lock tomorrow and that's at Hawkesbury Junction, a rise of a couple on inches. Will there be a queue at that one? We will find out tomorrow!

Glascote bottom

4 locks from the top and joined by C&RT

How many volunteer lockies does it take to do one lock?

Last one thank goodness!