It was at this point that the heavy rain showers started. We followed a boat that had moored up just ahead of us and was also going south. Just by Dadlington the steerer pulled over. I asked if he was OK and got the response - "I'm giving up mate!" - I know how he felt but I told myself that I was made of sterner stuff.
All the way through Stoke Golding and Hinkley it rained. At Marston Junction, where we turned onto the Coventry Canal towards Hawkesbury Junction, we had a dry interval, but then we had heavy downpours all the way to Sutton Stop. Once again we passed through the stop lock in the rain and then tried to find a mooring on the Oxford Canal.
Most of the moorings at Hawkesbury Junction were taken and were we were forced to moor up on a curve against some large sheet piling and use mooring pins. It took a range of pins, ropes, and fenders to get the bow and stern in a reasonable position - canal boats are not banana shaped. This included "springing" the bows and using some floating wheel fenders I purchased after mooring problems on the Shropshire Union.
Still we had a good night's sleep and the boat was secure in morning.
No photos - gives you an idea how wet it was!
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