I was amazed to discover how close we were to the canal junction for the Stratford Canal at Lapworth - we seemed to be there in no time at all! In the large basin, we used the taps and sanitary station and met two charming ladies, Lesley and Audrey, who were taking their Atlanta 24 to Upton to sell.

Sharing a lock on the Stratford Canal

We worked our way together through the fiendishly narrow locks of the Stratford, with both boats getting stuck between the walls at times. Interestingly, due to the fact that our maximum beams were at different heights, walls which gave us trouble didn't affect them, and vice versa. It was fun to travel together, and it certainly made the day go along nicely. We parted company with them a good way along, at a very quiet mooring spot - they planned to make an early start, motoring off while we were still making snoring noises.

We nearly caught up with them at one point, but we stopped and went shopping instead of travelling on, and they got to Stratford that day - we didn't!

In fact, we got stuck in a lock! The brick wall of the exit section had a distinct and definite bulge, which was just at the point of Catcho's maximum beam, and we were firmly wedged until someone with local knowledge dropped the water level in the pound, dropping us down a couple of inches, and we popped out like a cork from a bottle . . . Someone else had called up the local lock-keeper, who, when he arrived, proceeded to tell us that the maximum beam on the Stratford in the Nicholson Guide was 6ft 8in - untrue, it says 6ft 10in - and that lower locks were probably even narrower. We did a couple more locks, and then decided discretion was the better part of valour.

We had a quiet night between locks and then moved off back up the hills of Warwickshire to Lapworth.

This trip was probably where we got the most fed-up with the canals; if I'd had any practical way of doing it or getting away with it, I'd have walked away and said stuff it!