Sept 14

I’ve left Stratford-upon-Avon, and am now northbound on the Stratford Canal. Back to narrow locks, and skinny bridges!

We had an incident with a fisherman yesterday that escalated so I had to call the police to resolve the issue. I do hope that isn’t a portent of all encounters with fishermen: the issue had all sorts of ugly potential, as we are really captive in terms of being able to withdraw. There really is not much I can do, but all’s well that ends well (to coin a phrase.)

We did the Wilmcote flight of locks in the pouring rain so we could move on from the incident, and thus were soaked and chilled by the end of the 16 locks. Wilmcote has Mary Arden’s Farm (she is Shakespeare’s mother), which I hope to explore today. This is a Tudor farm,living museum, and hopefully will give a real window into 17th century life.

What an introduction for Karen as she evaluated whether my transition year experience is appropriate and as advertised. On the other hand, I now appreciate, personally, the services of the local constabulary.