22nd March 2016. A new canal.

We cruised the few miles to the Kingswood junction, where the Grand Union meets the Stratford-on-Avon Canal. We went through Shrewley Tunnel with its distinctive separate tunnel for the towpath.

Shrewdly Tunnel

Apart from the locks and tunnel, canals use cuttings and embankments to cope with the ups and downs of the landscape. The canal ran high here on an embankment giving us pretty views.

We stopped for Scooby's lunchtime walk near a smallholding. These goats were very splendid and we particularly liked these two sitting on this pallet as if it were a rocky outcrop!

 

 

At Kingswood turning we could go straight on to Birmingham but instead opted to turn left into the Stratford canal. Its a narrow canal, so we squeezed through the entrance and into the first narrow lock.

The narrow entrance to the Stratford Canal.

The domed roof of the lock keepers house just after the turning.
Apparently the navies used the same skills as for bridges.

 

We didn't go on for much longer, wanting to stop short of the M4 crossing for a peaceful night. Walks were walked and bread and cakes baked so we were all ready to set off again in the morning.