Bonny and I left Fradley Junction bright and early this morning. This time the locks were right for us and we turned left onto the Coventry Canal after only 45 minutes. Then it was fairly slow going for the next 3 hours as we were dragging our bum through silt most of the time.
We arrived at Hopwas at lunch time. This is one of our favourite places. It is full of bird song and empty of traffic. The woods are fantastic to walk through and Bonny is in her element.
There is another, newer reason to love it here. A darstadly gravel company made plans to dig up the woods and turn the hill into a quarry. They put fences and threatening notices up. But the good people of Hopwas were having none of it. They tore the fences down, stamped on the notices and fought the planning application every step of the way. And they won! Months on, the remains of the fences and gates are still there and when Bonny and I stepped over them to enter the beloved woods, it felt really good!
The view from my loo shows the woods on the other side of the field. A lovely, sunny mooring, today at least. I have been so busy for the last few weeks and slept so badly that I know, when the adrenlin wears off, I shall feel shattered. So we will be staying in this little slice of paradise for a few days while I rest and recuperate.
It is a wonderful feeling not to be under any time pressure whatsoever!
Great stuff - just great stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nev, hopefully I won't need your bottle for quite a while!!
DeleteFabulous. There is no time pressures on the cut just do when you feel like it. So pleased you have managed to relax and to realise that you can stay a while in one place and enjoy Bonny..
ReplyDeleteWelldone on your escape, relax and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, maybe the residents of Hopwas are still under siege after all. Found all the barriers, signs etc re-erected this morning. Had to climb round them to go on our walk. Grrr
ReplyDelete