Wootton Wawen and Beyond

Crossing Edstone Aqueduct

After leaving Wilmcote at 8:45 we travelled the 3.5 miles and 1 lock to Wootton Wawen. On the way was the impressive Edstone Aqueduct at 600 feet, over half the length of the much more famous Pontcysyllte Aqeduct over the Dee on the Llangollen Canal. It is unusual in that the towpath is at the same level as the bottom of the water trough and so walkers have a good view of the boat hull.

Wootton Wawen Church - the bottom 2/3 of the tower is Saxon

We were stopping at Wootton Wawen to visit two sights. First on the list was the local church, the only one in Warwickshire dating from Saxon times. This was a really fascinating place with almost everything you would look for in an old church.

Apart from the Saxon walls and tower, there were remains of medieval wall paintings, 14th century stained glass, a tomb of a knight in armour dating from the 14th century, a 15th century memorial brass, an old clock, pre-reformation wood carving and chests, some dating to the 13th century, 17th century graffiti and much else. The interest was enhanced by a very informative guide book. A remarkable church for what is now a fairly small village.

After the church we went to the well advertised local farm shop hoping to buy some local delicacies. Unfortunately it was not to be - the farm shop complex mainly consisted of various "craft" shops. The food shop was mainly jams and herby oils, though there were home made cakes and pastries so we did leave with a few scones.

After lunch at Wootton Wawen we cruised on for a few miles and 6 locks and are now moored in the middle of nowhere, which luckily does have a good broadband wireless link.