Hatton

Another early start.  Needing to be at Hatton by 12:00 to meet Pat at the station I woud rather have time to lose at the end of the journey.  My prediction with regard to locks was correct.  Most were empty.  Being so early in the morning without the likelyhood of opposite direction traffic, I adopted the practice of nosing gently up to the bottom gate then accesing the lockside to either open the gate, or empty the lock in the very few cases where leaks had filled the chamber overnight.  There is no need to rope the boat as even when emptying the lock the water flow will draw the boat in.  This way I reached the top at Kingswood Junction by 09:05 and decided to take the waters. A slow fill this one!   Then onto the Grand Union up to Shrewley Tunnel where I stopped again, this time to visit the village store which you can reach easily, as the notice says, by taking the path which leads up through the short pedestrian tunnel.  Thus I arrived at Hatton with 20 minutes to spare.