Red diesel, Gypsy Rover and Springwood Haven

Today – Atherstone to Hawkesbury Junction, Coventry Canal, 10.5 miles 1 lock
Yesterday – Moored Atherstone

Really enjoyed Ikea yesterday and came back with a couple of bits and bobs including some lovely woven mats costing just 99peach.  They will be perfect for the front cratch area in the summer.  Had a full English Breakfast too on the 6^th floor so had a great view of the city and Ann and I took a good hour and half chatting away over our delicious meal.. The breakfast with coffee cost just £1.70, and you could refill your coffee cup as much as you liked, a very enjoyable day we had.

Bit of bookwork to do this morning before going over to Aldi in Atherstone for fresh vegetables, fruit and milk.  The pineapples there are only 38p each, so got a few of those, some ripe ones and some that will ripen over the next week or two.  Yum, plenty of pineapple for puds and I do like them fried with pork or gammon, both of which I have in the fridge at the moment!

Pulled the pins then, and our destination was to be Springwood Haven Marina where we would really use them today as we needed just about every service except water!…

Here No Problem is getting a pump-out of the loo tanks, the gas is being changed and at the back diesel is being put in the tank.  Now this really is using the services, I can’t remember the last time we have every needed all three of these at the same time!.. My credit card cringed at the £118 odd that it was being asked to give over.. works out at just under £20 a week over the three elements.

We could pump out the loo ourselves, we have not done that yet, and I guess that we might have to use two unit lots as it is an enormous tank.. I am wondering just how much the diy is going to be on doing that… Each unit is £10

While I was wandering a call from the boat just about to pass.. hey hey it was the two ‘Ds’   Derek and Dot the Kiwis with NB Gipsy Rover.. not seen them for 6 months and we sure did have a lot to chat about over coffee aboard NP.. One of the main subjects was the new proposals for the diesel which will come into effect in November.  At the moment this seems to be the idea from the Treasury..

• Private users can continue to use marked fuel (red diesel) provided they make a simple declaration to the supplier and pay the full duty rate for heavy oil;
• Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils (RDCOs) will be responsible for declaring the duty collected to HMRC; and,
• Fuel purchased for domestic use (i.e. not for propulsion of the craft) can continue to be supplied at the rebated rate.

One interesting and rather tongue in the cheek thought was that we could buy our diesel at Tesco.. in fact we could buy 100 litres saving a bit if we have a 5p off a litre coupon.. get clubcard points too and the diesel would be cheaper than at the boatyards. 

Now then this 100 litres would be white stuff, of course, all for cruising.. that would last, say errrrrrrrr Oh I don’t know maybe 230 hours.. but then there is the heating of water and charging batteries for power (domestic use) while cruising along.. errrrrrr.. need to take that off the cruising calculation.  Errrrrrr say half?  So my 100 litres of white full price diesel for compulsion would probably take me something like 370 miles..give or take a few.

OK so then each time I fill up within those 370 miles I can have fuel at the rebated rate because it will all be for domestic use. 

I said “Tongue in cheek thoughts”!!  Very interesting thoughts though with Dot and Derek.. I am sure there will be plenty of discussions on this subject over the next few months..

Anyway, after catching up with all the news from both boats, we left the two ‘Ds’ to continue northwards while we headed in the opposite direction..

It was lovely to see them both again, and nice to see Derek looking well although there has been news from their blog of Derek’s hospital checks for a bit of a heart problem… We will see you in the fens you two… big bbq time then me thinks, next time we meet.. take care you both

I thought it would be good to stop not far away, in fact the next bridge up, some good walks from there,  but there was a boat already moored in the only place where we could have got our sky tele.. so we travelled on through Nuneaton and on to Hawkesbury….

Rounding the corner where the Coventry Canal continues to the City Centre, we past The Greyhound Inn and through the stop lock that leads to the Oxford Canal.  It was late as you can see by the shadows, but the weather was lovely after an afternoon of showers.

This is now a conservation area which will secure this, our heritage, for the future, here the pump house in the background..

This very nearly got demolished/changed into flats.  But it now has a conservation order on it thank goodness.  The temptation of the Greyhound was far too much tonight, and the diet has gone out of the window as I had a large steak and chips this evening in one of my most favourite of pubs on the system!