Heading north: Day 8

I had a boat test tomorrow morning do this morning just back at Kings Bromley Wharf, so we had a pretty relaxed start to the day.  Even though I had just a few minutes walk up the towpath and Andy the photographer had driven a couple of hours up the M40 and M42, we both arrived at the same time.  We were pretty efficient, and I was back at our boat and setting off at about 11.45.  We went through Handsacre and then past the Armitage Shanks factory.

There were toilets and basins being loaded onto Lorrie’s, ready for new bathrooms.  At Plum Pudding, where there’s a very narrow section, a boat was just starting to go through.  We assumed they had sent crew ahead to check the way was clear, so we followed them.  The cutting is only one boat wide, and used to be a tunnel, until the roof was taken off.

The boat ahead had passed our overnight mooring a long time before we set off, and he continued to go quite slowly until he moored up at Rugeley.  We also stopped a little further along the moorings, and made a visit to the very convenient Tesco, to stock up for the next few days.  With that done we continued north, crossing the Trent on an aqueduct just out of town.  The bird in flight was caught completely by accident.

The next section is quite pretty, sometimes in the open valley, sometimes in woods.  At Colwich Lock is one of my favourites because it’s so attractive.  As we arrived, a boat was just leaving which was handy.

In the peak season, the section up to Haywood Lock is full of boats, there weren’t many today, a we thought we’d take a chance on there being a mooring above the lock, near the junction.  As we came up the lock it looked pretty full, so we stopped straight away; but walking round the corner we found better spaces, so went and moved.

As we’d approached the lock, a boater coming the other way had told us that Hoo Mill Lock, the one after Haywood, had been due to re-open at 3pm but didn’t, and was now shut for five weeks.  This would have put our plans into further disarray.  But checking the stoppages, it seems there is a problem which means the lock is closed between 3pm and 9am, but passage is available during the day.  This was confirmed by other people moored at the junction.  We’ll find out for definite tomorrow.

10 miles, 2 locks.  (94 miles, 42 locks)

Heading north: Day 7

Another sunny day.  We had scrambled eggs for breakfast as it was Sunday, and set off about 9.15.  Just around the corner was Huddlesford Junction, where a boat club use the remains of the Lichfield Canal as moorings.

Parts of this canal are very pretty, with nice little bridges and reeds.

Parts of it, at Streethay, run right next to the A38, which isn’t so nice.  Before long we were entering Fradley, where lots of new houses are still going up on the old airfield.  We found a space before the junction and tied up.  We went for a walk down the locks, dropping off our rubbish on the way.  There were loads of people out and about enjoying the weather and the canal.  The junction was looking particularly pretty, and I think the Swan pub has had a repaint.

We walked up the locks too, and then went for an early lunch at the Canalside cafe at the holiday park, where the toasted sandwiches were pretty good.  Returning to the boat, we set off again, with Adrian walking back to swing the little bridges out of the way and walk up to the locks.

There was a volunteer at Middle Lock, so he worked that one and sent Adrian up to get Shadehouse Lock ready.  Shadehouse is one that has a bridge over the tail.

A little further on is Wood End Lock, and as we arrived someone on the towpath said hello to me.  It was a boat builder I’m visiting tomorrow for a magazine boat test; I hadn’t recognised him at first, out of context.  At the lock, the new bottom gates both swung open, but some people watching came and held them closed.  We moored just along from Kings Bromley Marina, because of my boat test tomorrow morning.  It was only about 2pm, but we have a former colleague of Adrian’s visiting as he lives nearby, and Helen and Andy are coming round this evening.

7 miles, 3 locks.  (84 miles, 40 locks)

Heading north: Day 6

The mooring at Grendon was excellent, with the hill between us and the railway line really cutting out the noise of the trains.  This morning, there was a lot of birdsong, including a weird robotic type noise, which is that of the lapwing.  Once I knew, I could then see them in the field next to the towpath.  The Merlin birdsong app also picked up dunnock, robin, wood pigeon and collard dove.

We set off about 8.45, under cloudy skies and with a stiff breeze.  The sun soon burned off the clouds, but it didn’t get warm until this afternoon.  We crept through Polesworth and past the mining heritage centre with the big wheel outside.

There’s then a brief glimpse of the Golden Tower of Leaves poking out above the trees, from its position on top of a spoil heap.  In 2022 we walked up the hill to it, so there are better pictures on that blog.

The back gardens of Amington were enjoyed, and then we reached the Glascote Locks.  A boat was coming into the top lock from below, with a very chatty couple on board.  They moved to a life afloat in 2001 planning to do it for two years; they’re still liveaboards 24 years later!  Their boat had crossed with one in the middle pound, so the bottom lock needed filling before we could go down.

As we dropped, a boat arrived at the bottom, so we could leave the gates for them.  We carried on to Fazeley Junction, where the Coventry Canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley.

We tied up and went to the little Tesco to stock up on hot cross buns, then we decided we might as well have lunch while we were stationary.  We wanted to get out into the countryside for the night, so we set off again at 12.30.  This is a very pretty section of canal, and was even better in the sunshine.  Past Hopwas is Hopwas woods, which look lovely — but actually contain a firing range, with warning signs.  No red flags today though, so no shooting.

This part of the Coventry Canal was built by the Birmingham and Fazely Canal company, who got fed up with the slow progress that was being made.  It changes back at Whittington and there’s a marker by the canal.  But you can also tell who built which bit, because the B&F used names for their bridges, while the Coventry used numbers.  At Whittington you get the last named bridge and the first of the numbered ones.  It’s number 78, picking up from the bridge at Fazeley Junction which was 77, as if all the ones in between hadn’t happened.

We pulled in after a couple of hours before Bridge 82 and Huddlesford Junction, in a nice sunny spot.  We have the trains for company, but that’s true all along here.

14 miles, 2 locks.  (77 miles, 37 locks)

Heading north: Day 5

We were up a bit later today, and untied about 8.30.  A boat was coming through the lock, who Adrian went to help, so we could go straight in, and then a boat arrived behind us.  The tiny lock takes no time, then I did the about turn through the bridge.

I confess I needed a blast of reverse to get round, but that was still a lot better than the boat behind, which seemed to take several minutes to make the turn!  We stopped at the water point to fill the tank and get some washing on.  It’s not a very fast tap.  We set off again at nearly 9.30.  Charity Dock is as mad as ever, and I think has some new displays.

The huge warehouse on the edge of Nuneaton now looks fully operational.  There’s even a roof garden on top of the office section, which has a five storey tall atrium at the front.

At this point we started meeting boats, first the Hargreaves trip boat — but for once they were all at fairly sensible places, such as just after Boot Wharf rather than in the middle of it, because it’s always a tight squeeze.

We had lunch on the move after Hartshill, and got to the top of Atherstone Locks right behind another boat.  However, with lock keepers going down with us, and boats coming up, we made good progress down the first five.  It’s always a pretty flight, which helps.

By the time we got to Lock 6 another boat had set off from the moorings there, so we were following them down.  It was a boat we recognised from the Crick towpath moorings, as they volunteered at the show every year.  They only did four locks before stopping.  At the last pair, a boat had just come up the first, but the other still needed filling.

We carried on to moor just beyond bridge 50, past Grendon Dock, and treated ourselves to an afternoon hot cross bun.

14 miles, 12 locks.  (63 miles, 35 locks)

Stargazer on test

The May edition of Canal Boat is out, and included my boat test on Stargazer, a 70ft widebeam by Bespoke Boats.

Heading north: Day 4

We were awake early for some reason, so set off at about 7.30.  It was a stunning morning.

These waters are very familiar, from when we used to moor at Brinklow.  It’s still very pretty though, and we seemed to have the canal very much to ourselves.

In a couple of hours, we reached Hillmorton Locks.  Adrian topped up one so we could go in, and opened the gates to the paired lock for a boat heading up.

We swapped with a boat at the middle lock, and at the bottom one, so the flight hardly took any time at all. 

We needed shopping, so were hoping for a space at Rugby.  There were several to choose from including one that was on a straight section and close to the footpath to Tesco, so we moored up.  While we were shopping, I also got the battery in my watch replaced.  It was around 11.30 when we set off again, and were soon at the short Newbold Tunnel.

Just before All Oaks Wood, I saw my first ducklings of the year.  You may have to squint to see them.

The main point of interest was the cutting beyond All Oaks Wood, where landslips closed the canal for a while last year (or was it the year before).  The two sites still don’t look all that stable.

We passed through Stratton Stop without having to swing the bridge as there was a boat in front and one coming the other way.  The boat ahead stopped on the permanent farm moorings further along.  We went under the M6, through Ansty, and under the M69.  We were aiming for Hawkesbury Junction, in a repeat of a day we did back in 2020, on the trip which was curtailed by Covid.  We arrived about 3.45, and got a rare space with straight edge, just before the lock.

23 miles, 3 locks.  (49 miles, 23 locks)

Heading north: Day 3

We didn’t light the fire last night, and slightly regretted it this morning!  We were up in good time, and moved across the canal to the marina, where Boating Leisure Services were to fit a new Eberspache diesel boiler.  The old one, which must be more than 20 years old, has been patched up a number of times, but now too many things have gone wrong.  Josh swapped the old and new, overseen by Dave, and we were good to go.  We had a quiet heater and warm radiators!

We got going just before 10, heading along the familiar waters to Buckby locks.  There, a boat had just gone up the bottom lock but would wait for us.  There were a dozen volunteer lock keepers between the two locks, as they were having a training day.  One of the trainers said that for the past couple of years there have only been about four volunteers on the flight, but now there are 16.  The ones at the second lock thought a boat above was ‘loitering’, so waited for it.  It was obvious to that it was moored, so some additional training might be needed.  Once we were under way we made decent progress together.

We got to the top lock at about 1.30, with just a few people enjoying the sunshine at the New Inn.

We turned left at the junction, where the hedge behind the nice towpath mooring there has been radically reduced.  We hardly recognised the place.

We had lunch on the move, before heading through Braunston Tunnel.  We had it to ourselves, which is always a relief, because there are so many places we’re passing a boat coming the other way is tricky.

At the locks, a boat had gone down the top lock but was then waiting for a boat to come up the next one, so we went down to join them.  It was a couple moving from the Nene, where the whole winter had been on red boards, to Dunchurch Pools, where they should have more cruising options.  We moved between each lock together, and had the assistance of a lock keeper so we flew down.

We got to the bottom a little after 3.30, so decided we’d head out into the countryside to moor.  But we spotted Derwent6 opposite the Boathouse pub, gave them a toot, and they popped their heads out the side hatch.  We changed our plans and moored up in a space between the junction and the road bridge.  Walking back, it turned out there were lots of boats waiting after the turn in the Napton direction, because the canal had been closed by the police, after a man was found in the water.

We spent a lovely couple of hours with Del and Al, with a lot to catch up on.  Then later in the evening, just as we were finishing our dinner, we had a visit from my cousin-in-law, Nigel, who came to find us while out for a walk.

13 miles, 13 locks.  (26 miles, 20 locks)