Ways to go

D and I left the boat after breakfast to walk the short distance to Wilmcote station where we found a small plaque after both our hearts:

In memory of Douglas King (1917-2008), resident of Wilmcote, user of this station and solicitor, who successfully petitioned the Court of Appeal preventing British Railways from closing the railway between Stratford upon Avon and Birmingham in 1969.

If only all the other stupidly closed lines had been saved we'd have a very much better transport network now.

It was only three stops to Leamington Spa where we changed onto the train going to Oxford. But by the time it reached Banbury 20 minutes later the world was moving too fast. We jumped off, had a quick look at a map and set off walking down the canal towpath towards Kings Sutton. Suddenly strangers were smiling at each other, saying hello and standing back to let each other pass.

Sadly we couldn't escape the roar of the M40 but it did trigger a good conversation about how it might be possible to reduce private and fossil-fuel transport.

A boatman lent us his OS map so we could work out where to cut across the fields. There must be a pub in Kings Sutton, we told each other, where we can have a slow lunch and a pint. It must be near the church where there's probably a village green. Yes, all of that.

A slow train back to Oxford from which we looked wistfully at the canal, then we were back.