L2L Day 24 Daventry to Rugby - 12 miles

When I checked in to the hotel yesterday evening, I felt as though I was walking into an Edward Hopper painting. Just a few single people, sitting alone at small tables looking at their mobile phones.

However by mid evening there were sounds of industry - teams of people arrived,  assembling dance floors inside, outside and in the foyer. I spoke to their manager, they were going to be working through the night so
by this mornng the electricians and sound crew were in and doing sound checks.
Daventry is hosting a Ceroc dancing weekend. 

Schedules were up on the wall - swing sessions, freestyle, funk, new kizomba and even one to one tuition until 2 in the morning. It's all happening!!

By check out, the check-in team were in position ready for 600 people to arrive from 4pm. I had to find out more. Apparently Ceroc dancing in the UK is franchised so that when a dance is held, the host arranges the full kit and caboodle....

including wardrobe for hire so everyone dresses to impress and no one goes home disappointed.  Roll up Roll up!!! Looks like a fun weekend.

To the loud strains of Is you is or is you ain't my Baby, I set off.

My route took me out from the hotel and within 200 yards I arrived at Drayton Reservoir where I met Vicky. 

She splits her time between being a professional carer and a fishing bailiff.

She told me that there are 7000 carp in the 25 acres reservoir made up of Mirrors and Commons - distinguishable by their colouring. I sensed the Commons are the most valued. Vicky told me that the largest one caught in the reservoir was 39 lbs.

When and if caught, the fish here have to be released and the anglers can use any bait apart from nuts which apparently don't do the fish or the water any good.

At that, in the corner of my eye, only a few yards away, I caught a flash of muddy bronze - the size of a washing up bowl splash on the  surface and disappear. Vicky explained that the fish would start 'topping' to the surface - as the day warmed up. .

Drayton is a feeder Reservoir for The Grand Union Canal. A day's fishing here would cost me £12.50 and it seemed that there were already a significant number of people established around the banks - some 'nightmen' who'd set up their tents and were there for the weekend.

I set off along the headwall of the reservoir, past the sailing club

and within minutes I was away from.the hurley burley and back in lush countryside with the sound of Blue tits, Chaffinches and Wren.

I joined the Grand Union canal path at the mouth of the Braunston Tunnel - just over a mile long and unlit, it takes about 20 mins to pass through.

On the way to Braunston this bee seemed to particularly like these white nettle flowers

while across the footpath, this bee which I thought was a different kind liked these blue flowers. 

How could it have been that I didn't enjoy nature lessons in Primary School??

At Braunston, I met Val who was on her way to post a letter but had stopped to dehead a dandelion at the foot of her garden wall.

Val and her family have been keen walkers and she celebrated her 80th by walking Yr Wyddfa. Her son is continuing the tradition by doing his first marathon in his 50s when he runs Manchester at the weekend.

Val clearly has a penchant for gardening and her flowers have been featured on calendars and on postcards that have been sent worldwide. We decided she should be called the Queen of Aubrecia.

I left Val to go hunting for more dandelions and found my way to All Saints Church - otherwise known as the Cathedral of the Canals - visible for miles along both the Grand Union and Oxford canals which meet at Braunston.

The Gothic Revival church was designed by Willian Butterfield whose trademarks were to use patterned floor tiles and to paint the Nave roof timbers.

It's hard to believe that such beautiful, peaceful places exist within a mile or two of the M1, M45 and Watford Gap services.

I knew it before, but for me, walking canal paths is boring! There are flurries of excitement when I walk past a moored boat or a boat passes me but otherwise things seem to happen exceeding slow!

I stopped off for a coffee at Dunchurch Pool

 

the marina and new canal bridge apparently designed by the designer of the Eden project.

Right next door is Onley Prison though I can imagine that views of one from the other are jointly exclusive.

I couldn't take many more miles of towpath walking so branched off at Wood Bridge to cross over the M45.

No sooner had I returned to terra firma that I walked in to what seemed a graveyard for military machines. 

I met Liam and Rob from Midlands Miltary Vehicles.

They specilaise in decommisioning, repairing and rebuilding UK and US machines, often for private clients.

Here's Rob alongside the engine of a tank.

Liam was in the process of repairing a 29 litre US M60 tank engine and showed me a video of its first restart. The NOISE!!!!!

Out in the yard lay dozens of vehicles in various states of repair. 

The turret and probably 5 inches of solid steel plating of an M60 US tank from the 1980s. A little boys heaven!

Then, the final straight - literally. 

The Grand Central Walk which follows the route of a dismantled rail line into the centre of Rugby.

The rain was coming on and by the time I reached the hotel I was looking forward to that hot shower.

For some entertainment, here's a link to Tony from Brill's a capella group singing what deserves to be a smash hit! 

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=37a555c430&attid=0.1&th=19d9adc856f56a7f&view=fimg&fur=ip&rm=19d9adc856f56a7f&sz=w1600-h1000&attbid=ANGjdJ-M6Dq8IuiR_diVaUmS6-pZ_J_yJmhO0Ld4kfWk3suxBbF7MhPFb9OCNZcTICC9nIEhLYcSBVk2C7g-xYc75e-sK6aU_Ni1VQZiHfQCbs1bLE5Rh0O8mkkjmdU&disp=emb&realattid=ii_19d9adafc4ef8985c781&zw/downloaded

Rugby School was just around the corner along with a statue of William Webb Ellis - 'inventor' of the game of rugby.