Nice easy start with a 2 mile trip to bridge 41 in Royal Leamington Spa. We moored near the bridge and set off with Scooby to explore Leamington. On the canal you definitely come into the town by the backside and have to cross a busy road and go under a railway to get to town. The big church which looked interesting was closed, but we found the Jephson gardens which are large and pretty and full of people of all ages having a good time. However, the café had run out of sandwiches at 1.45 so we remained hungry. Dr Jepson was a local doctor and philanthropist who prescribed cures in the spa waters. The waters were salty and you had to drink a half pint at a time as well as eat Dr Jepson's special diet which forbade any fruit or vegetables. It's a wonder anyone ever got better. We also found the pump rooms which now house a small local museum and an art gallery with a very random selection of art. Robin was grateful for and would recommend the sausage roll in the café at the pump rooms. The river Leam goes impressively through the town and some of the architecture is handsome, however, it didn't look so well cared for as somewhere like Bath and the whole place felt a bit haphazard.
We returned to our boat just as the rain began and as we settled down with a cup of tea we heard banging on the boat and realised some local 'youths' were throwing crab apples from the grounds of flats on the opposite bank. Robin (you can take the man out of the police but not the police out of the man) set off in pursuit with Scooby. Scooby chased them away - his bike chasing skills are well known in Stevenage. We decided, however, that discretion is the better part of valour and moved on in the pouring rain. We ended up another mile or so down the canal and into Warwick, mooring by a big Tesco's. We hope for a more peaceful evening.
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| Robin and Scooby enjoying Jephson park before all the drama started. |
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