Today was to be a short day with the intention of arriving back at Fradley about midday to pick up the crew for the second week of our trip.

The day dawned bright and clear and the trip through Glascote Locks, past Fazeley Junction and back down the Coventry, proved uneventful although it turned cold and drizzly as the morning wore on. By 10.30 I was at Streethay Wharf where I had decided to refuel and. maybe get a pump out. I debated over the latter wondering whether it was necessary as I had been on my own for almost a week but decided to play it safe rather than have to stop during our second week. This was our first pump out experience but the guy at Streethay seemed to do a good job, rinsing the tank three times and, after a refuel, all was set for the following week. The refueling took almost as long as the pump out however and I began to wonder if the tank had been full when we picked the boat up. 117 litres later (about £31.50) and it was full but that seemed an awful lot, especially as Ownerships reckon on about twenty quid a week for fuel. We had done about 150 miles in total with long days but it still came as a bit of a shock. I vowed to refuel at the same place at the end of the following week so we could make a direct comparison on fuel consumption.

A very pleasant trip back to Fradley found me arriving just before midday to a crowded junction with Ownerships boats changing over, together with hire boats and the ever present flow of through traffic. There was nowhere to moor so I turned left and went up through Middle Lock and Shade House Lock to moor just above and wait for the crew and guest for the next week's adventure.

The sun came out and I tidied the boat and polished the brass before strolling down to The Swan for a pint. My first solo trip had turned out quite well despite the unforeseen delays and I would have no hesitation in going solo again if the need arises. If you haven't tried it, don't be scared, it's a lot easier than you might think!