Narrowboat Briar Rose

Signs of spring

2012-02-20T14:42:00.000Z

I meant to mention yesterday that as I drove back through Alvechurch, I passed a big press gaggle outside the school. There were three sat trucks with their dishes up, lots of people, and a fair few police. I heard later on the radio about the teacher from the school who'd died in the coach crash in France.

This morning I got up at a reasonable time, found there was just about enough hot water for a shower, had breakfast, and pottered about. The shower had started dripping again, so I took the whole bar off the wall to have a look inside. Nothing looks damaged, so I'm not sure what's going on.

The two boats moored in front of me, a shared boat, Jenny Wren, and the coal boat Gosty Hill, both set off heading towards Hawkesbury. I also got ready to go, and had a visitation from a couple of swans.

There had been a bit of brightness first thing, but now it was cloudy and quite cold. There had been some lambs in the field next to the mooring, but they were too far away to see properly; as I came past the farm near Bridge 35, there were moor. This pair and their mum, number 15, were right by the water's edge. I hope she was teaching them how to get a drink without falling in.

As I approached the marina, there was a brief shower of very sleety rain. While it hadn't been at all windy this morning, there was the usual breeze blowing across the marina, but at least it was pushing me onto the pontoon rather than away from it, and I was soon moored up. I made all the usual preparations for leaving the boat, and set off for home at about 11am.

2 miles, 0 locks. (4 miles, 0 locks)

Alvechurch and All Oaks

2012-02-19T19:27:00.003Z

To Alvechurch today for a boat test. For some reason, the sat nav took me there via the M6 and M42, and back using the M42, the M40, and the A46. Either way, it's a drive of about 45 minutes. It was beautifully sunny as I left Brinklow with hardly a cloud in the sky. But as I approached Alvechurch there were signs that it had been snowing. It was also a bit more cloudy, although we still had enough sunny spells for the photos.

I don't usually say anything about the boats tested until they appear in the magazine, but someone has already let the cat out of the bag!

After Sunday lunch at The Weighbridge, I headed back to Briar Rose. It was still lovely and sunny, so I made a quick decision to head out of the marina for the night. I got some ropes out, disconnected the shoreline, did the engine checks, and was soon reversing off the pontoon. I felt I was getting a few strange looks from other moorers -- after all, who heads out at 4.15 on a Sunday afternoon?

I wasn't sure which way to go right up until I got out to the canal, when I decided to turn left aiming for All Oaks Wood. The sun was low in the sky and it was chilly, but it was nice to be out of the marina. I went past the moorings, turned around at the former Brinklow Arm, and returned to this favourite spot of ours. There was a nice sunset while I moored up.

I put the dish up and eventually got a satellite signal. The other good news is that the shower seems to have stopped dripping. Maybe now the water system is full again, it's sorted itself out. Whatever's happened, I'm leaving well alone.

2 miles, 0 locks.

Boat check

2012-02-19T08:46:00.002Z

I came up to Briar Rose last night, as I have a boat test to do later today. I left work at 10, and arrived just before midnight, slightly apprehensive in case there'd been any frost damage.

Within a few minutes of arrival I'd unpacked the car, put the chimney on and lit the fire, turned the gas on, turned the water and the water pump on, put a couple of hot water bottles in the bed, and made a cup of tea. I continue to be impressed by the Squirrel stove: it always lights first time and is soon going well -- and it easily stays in all night.

The boat was cold, but we seem to have survived the cold snap. The shower is drippping a bit -- the "flow control knob", to quote the manual, is a bit loose. This could have been caused by freezing, I suppose. I'll take it off later, have a look at the "flow control cartridge" and see whether putting it back together again solves the problem.

The boat was much warmer by this morning. Visible signs of this included the eco fan spinning fast, and the bottle of olive oil in the galley, which had turned back into liquid. The main thing is that it's a beautiful sunny day -- ideal boat test weather.

Blue Haze on test

2012-02-10T14:56:00.000Z

The March edition of Canal Boat is out, and includes my boat test of Blue Haze, by Narrowboats of Distinction.

Ice Breaking

2012-01-16T15:32:00.003Z

This gives some idea how noisy it is when you use a narrowboat to break ice.

January weekend - Day 2

2012-01-15T22:41:00.001Z

It was another cold night, and we knew there was ice on the water as soon as we started moving about the boat, because we could hear it crunching against the hull. We had a late start to the day -- it was gone 8.30 before we got up. With the frost and the sun it was a beautiful day.

After breakfast, we got ready to go. The ice wasn't very thick -- maybe a quarter of an inch -- but it still makes a termendous noise as the boat crashes through it (and when you're inside the boat it sounds even worse). You can also see the ice cracking way ahead.

We were aiming for the winding hole about a mile beyond our mooring to turn around, but we knew it would be difficult to turn in, thanks to the ice. Adrian decided to go past a bit, then reverse up, so we at least had a bit of clear water to swing the stern into. But just past the winding hole, the engine stopped; we'd got something round the prop.

With so little traffic about and the ice holding is fairly steady, we thought we'd try to clear it where we were in the middle of the cut. But it soon became clear that whatever was down there was big, and wasn't coming off in a hurry. I jumped off at the bow, took a rope, and pulled us into the side. Even this wasn't easy, as some large sheets of ice needed to be moved out of the way. Adrian went down the weedhatch with the hack saw, while I was on the bank with the boat hook, fishing about under the stern. I'd got whatever it was with the hook, and Adrian was able to cut it free from the propshaft. What we'd picked up was the biggest collection of assorted rubbish we'd ever had the misfortune find: there was rope, netting, an aluminium stand of some sort, and two varieties of metal mesh.

The whole operation took quite some time, and we still needed to turn, which meant backing up some way and having a run at the ice. Once that was done, I steered while Adrian went and washed and warmed up from having his arms in icy water for some considerable time.

At Hillmorton Locks, all three were against us, having leaked empty overnight. But it was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky.

After the bottom lock the ice was thicker, at maybe half an inch. But we didn't have to go far before meeting a boat coming the other way. Of course, this happened in a bridge hole. But at least we now had a cleared channel to go through, which made life easier. Not long behind, we passed our second moving boat of the day (and the weekend, in fact).

At Rugby there was virtually no ice, and from there on in, there was no rhyme or reason as to whether the ice was thick, thin, or non existant. In some places the trees and cuttings seemed to have protected the water from the cold, in other places they seemed to have emphasised it. In some places the sun, which was quite warm, had had an effect.

We had lunch on the move, and turned into Brinklow marina (where the breeze through the bridge hole had prevented any ice forming). We were back on our pontoon shortly after 2pm, and were quickly packed up and ready to go. We commented that even though we'd be out for only a day and a half, it felt much longer, like a proper break. Perhaps it's because we know we can have weekends like this whenever we like, that a couple of days on board no longer feels like frustratingly short.

8.5 miles, 3 locks. (15 miles, 6 locks)

January weekend - Day 1

2012-01-14T15:38:00.001Z

Never let it be said that we don't make enough use of Briar Rose. The forecast for this weekend was good (cold but sunny), and Adrian's been working very hard the past few weeks, so we thought we'd have a short trip.

We came up to the boat last night. I was on an early shift, so got home at 8.15pm; we set off ten minutes later and arrived at Brinklow at 10.45pm. The car said the temperature was -3C, and inside the boat it didn't feel much warmer. We got the fire alight, moved the oil filled radiator (which is fine for use on shore power) to the cabin, and put the kettle on for tea and hot water bottles.

This morning we woke to a very hard frost, crisp clear blue skies, and not a breath of wind.

After breakfast, we walked round to the other side of the marina to see Doug and James on Chance, where we had tea and coffee, and a full briefing on their January cruise.

Back at Briar Rose we got the boat ready to go, and reversed off the pontoon at 10.45. Out on the cut, there were patches of thin ice, but nothing to get concerned about. At Rugby we passed Oakfield and Piston Broke, then a bit further along at the golf course moorings we saw Derwent6, with its highly polished portholes gleaming in the sunshine. There were no signs of life on any of them.

At Hillmorton, all the locks were in our favour. At the middle lock, the open one has changed to the offside of the pair, from where you get a much better view of the church.

BW are clearly going to do some work on the other lock, with a workboat and pumping gear moored in front. This gate leaks like a sieve, but there was no sign of a new one; the flat contained a new balance beam for one of the top locks, No7.

The sky was a perfect blue as we headed for the top of the flight.

The top of the locks was our target for this unambitious day's cruise. In any case, we were cold and it was lunchtime. We moored up just though Bridge 72, opposite the masts of the old Rugby Radio Station, which are soon likely to be demolished and replaced by 6000 houses.

We've never stopped here before (it's too close to base for most trips out), but it's a nice spot. We have the trains as neighbours, but we've already stopped noticing them. In fact, at this point the Virgin trains are behind the embankment; it's only the London Midland services which are visible. As befits somewhere with a huge mobile phone mast a couple of hundred metres away, we've got a great mobile and internet signal. We briefly talked about going for a little walk to have a look at Hillmorton itself, but in fact we've just enjoyed being on board and relaxing.

6.5 miles, 3 locks.

Back home

2012-01-09T16:08:00.002Z

A train went by at quarter past eleven last night, and another at 6.30 this morning. If there were any in between, I didn't hear them.
I was up at a reasonable time, and soon closed the vent on the stove to put the fire out. I set off just after 8am, and it was all of ten minutes to the marina entrance. The sun was trying to break through the clouds, but the canal still looked a bit bleak with no leaves on any of the trees or bushes.

Brinklow Marina always seems to be breezy, but at least today it was pushing me onto the pontoon rather than away from it. I was all moored up by 8.30, then pack and prepared the boat to be left for a while.

Then it was it the car and on to a nearby marina for a boat test. The weather could have been brighter, but considering how murkey it was on the drive home, it could have been a lot worse.

0.5 miles, 0 locks (12 miles, 0 locks)

January Day Out

2012-01-08T17:46:00.001Z

I've got a boat test in the diary for tomorrow, so I came up to Briar Rose after work last night. (Adrian had work to do today and was also on call, so it wasn't as if we could have done much if I'd been at home). I left Television Centre at just after 10pm, and arrived at Brinklow at a quarter to midnight. The M1 was the quietest I've known it; I guess everyone was scared off by the dire warnings of long delays because of the closure of the motorway immediately after the M6 junction. Once I'd unpacked the car, the first job was to put the chimney on and get the fire going. Then I turned on the gas and put the kettle on, for hot water bottles for the bed, and a tea while I waited for things to warm up a bit.

This morning the weather was much better than forecast. Far from being dull and grey, there was a blue sky over the marina.

I topped up the water tank while I had breakfast, and decided that it would be daft to have a boat and not use it on a reasonable day. So I got the ropes out, put the tiller on, disconnected the shore power, and reversed off the pontoon at 10.15. There's no choice of which way to go to the moment as Bridge 34 is closed for repairs, so I turned right out of the marina. In truth, it was rather cloudy up ahead, but before long the brighter weather from behind me won through, so that by the time I was approaching the aqueducts at Rugby there was some pleasant winter sunshine.

On the approach to Hillmorton, I noticed some unexpected bubbles on the water down the side of the boat. A look towards the bow showed that I was pushing some branches along in front of me. I wanted them out of the way before I did my turn, so brought the boat to a halt in mid channel, rushed through to the bow, and used the boat hook to remove three large branches, probably ten feel long, from in front of the boat. At that stage I noticed there was a boat coming along behind (who probably wondered what on earth was going on), so I quickly went back to the helm and carried on. At Hillmorton, I turned in the winding hole with no drama -- just as well as I had an audience of the following boat and a number of fishermen who were using the lock landing. As the following boat came past, I realised it was Reckless, "The boat that Guy built" (or ruined, depending on your point of view). Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to ask if they've removed all of Guy Martin's contributions, but I can't imagine the steam powered shower is still on board.

It was 12.15 when I turned, so I decided to stop for lunch after Bridge 68, on a long straight piece of piling which is normally full of regulars, but today was empty. Mooring up when single handed always seems like a bit of a trial, and I could quite happily have stayed in that spot for the night. But I didn't want to leave myself too much to do tomorrow morning, so set off again at 1.30. It had clouded up a bit, but still wasn't very cold: I was glad of a hat, but didn't need my gloves. The return trip was uneventful, and I passed just one moving boat. I was surprised to see a Rose hire boat moored at Newbold -- it's the wrong side of the stoppage. I'd spent the outward journey keeping an eye out for a likely mooring place, close to the marina, and preferably with a chance of a satellite signal. The only one that fitted the bill was by Bridge 42A, which takes the railway over the canal. There's one boat length of piling there (the modern type, which takes piling hooks -- a bit further along it's the older type where the hooks won't fit), so I pulled in and moored up. The railway line is very close, but there haven't been too many trains so far (I waited ages to get a photo with one in), and I'd still rather be here than back in the marina.

Once moored, I had a great success with the satellite dish. I stuck it on the roof in what I thought was approximately the right direction, and it worked straight away. Then I checked the batteries, unscrewing the tops of all 24 cells to make sure they didn't need topping up. Now all I need is for tomorrow's weather to be a repeat of today.

11.5 miles, 0 locks.

Anaconda on Test, and VHF advice

2012-01-05T11:12:00.002Z

The February edition of Canal Boat is out, and includes my boat test on the Fernwood-built Anaconda.

There's also an article about getting for VHF operator's certificate, and the other paperwork you need for the tidal Thames.

Christmas Cruise - Day 5

2011-12-27T21:14:00.004Z

Another bright and mild morning, and we had a cooked breakfast just to use up things from the fridge. We set off at 9am, with the sun low behind the trees of All Oaks Wood.

It was a lovely day for cruising, but we had just two miles to do before the marina entrance bridge appeared on the right.

For once, the marina was dead calm; it can be windy here even when nowhere else is. It meant I had an easy job turning the boat and reversing onto the service wharf so the pump out point was on the correct side.

Our pump out token didn't seem to want to start the machine, but then Adrian tried the pause button and it worked. Whoever last used the machine hadn't needed all the time; there was enough time left for use to pump out the loo tank and rinse it through a couple of times.

That job completed, we crossed the marina to our pontoon, and started packing up. While I did that, Adrian made a quick trip into Rugby to get a new fuse for the radio, which means it's now working again. Having prepared the boat for what will probably be a fairly lengthy absence by our standards, we headed home. We routed via Stoke Bruerne, and had lunch at The Navigation.

2 miles, 0 locks, (31 miles, 6 locks)

Christmas Cruise - Day 4

2011-12-26T17:45:00.000Z

I had to go to work today, so I was up at 5am and shortly afterwards walked down the dark towpath to the car park at All Oaks Corner. I'd moved the car there from the marina yesterday. While I was in London, Adrian turned Briar Rose around in the entrance to the old Brinklow Arm, and moored back in almost the same place (but facing the other way).

I got back to the boat at around 3.30, having left the car at the marina and walked along the towpath. A little while later, there was a knock on the boat from the owner of one of the fibreglass boats moored behind. He wanted to know if we'd seen any patrol officers, as the other boat had a patrol notice on it. He said he was new to boating, and that he was still trying to work out where the water from his sink went. He seemed amazed when I suggested it probably went straight into the canal!

1 mile, 0 locks. (29 miles, 6 locks)

Christmas Cruise - Day 3

2011-12-25T18:03:00.001Z

This morning dawned a lot brighter than the forecast had suggested. We had a cooked breakfast with bucks fizz (well, it is Christmas!) and set off just after 9.30. At Hillmorton, the pound below the top lock was very short of water so we ran some down, then went down the lock. All three were against us.

After the locks, we saw our first moving boat of the day, Bisous. Shortly afterwards we passed two canoeists, then the only other moving boat, Snipe, which used to be part of a hotel pair; not sure if it's still a hotel boat. The tow path was quite busy, though, with plenty of cheerful dog walkers. We had some mulled wine, and were soon heading past Brinklow Marina, heading for All Oaks Wood.

We moored up just after 1pm, and were surprised at how few boats are here. In the summer, it's often difficult to get a space. We started cooking our turkey, and ate our meal at around half past three, washed down with champagne. We've also spoken to our families, and all seem to be having a good day. Currently, a Christmas pudding is steaming in a pan on top of the stove. By the time it's done, we might just be ready for something else to eat. As far as presents go, one that Adrian got me was the biggest tin of Brasso you've ever seen -- a whole litre!

9 miles, 3 locks. (28 miles, 6 locks)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000Z

Christmas Cruise - Day 2

2011-12-24T17:11:00.000Z

Last night's mooring was very quiet and very dark, just the type we like. You'd never know there was a 700-man jail just over the towpath hedge! Also a great success was Adrian's meat loaf, which turned out very well and was delicious.

This morning was cold and clear, although there was no frost. We had porridge and set off at 8.40, heading for Braunston. The countryside round here looks very medieval, thanks to the ridge and furrow fields coming down to the water. It looked particularly atmospheric with the rising sun low in the sky.

After around an hour, we passed Braunston turn, and spotted Hadar moored up. We carried on and moored just beyond the marina entrance, and walked up the hill to the village where we picked up our pre-ordered rolled turkey breast from the butcher and got a few odds and ends from the general store. The turkey is huge -- 3kg -- so we've cut it into three sections and put two in the freezer.

Back at the boat, we walked down to Hadar taking some of the mince pies I made yesterday. We spent well over an hour in Hadar's cosy saloon chatting to Jo and Keith over tea and mince pies. It was nice because, although we've met and spoken to them several times before, we've never really had time to speak to them at any great length.

We returned to Briar Rose at around midday, and Adrian reversed off the mooring and did an excellent spin in the marina entrance. We headed back the way we'd come, and with the sun out it was a very pleasant (in cold) afternoon.

Less than two hours later we moored up on the short stretch of piling by Bridge 75, which we used twice on our last weekend out. We had a late lunch and have been pottering about ever since. I've turned the leftover pastry into a few more mince pies, as they go down rather well.

We passed just a couple of boats while we were travelling today, and a couple more have gone along since we stopped. Two of them were hire boats, neither of which appeared to have a solid fuel stove, which I think really is a necessity at this time of year. It'll be interesting to see how many boats we see moving tomorrow.

9 miles, 0 locks. (19 miles, 3 locks)

Christmas Cruise - Day 1

2011-12-23T15:48:00.002Z

We came up to the Briar Rose yesterday, many hours apart. Adrian set off from home very early, shopped at Tesco in Rugby on the way, and spent the day working from the boat. In between calls and emails, he unpacked, got the fire going, and changed a gas bottle. I had to go to work and was on a late shift, so I drove up once that was over, arriving about 12.45am. Adrian was somewhat alarmed that I manged to get on board, zip up the cratch cover, and stumble my way down the boat to the bathroom before he even realised I was there!

It was very breezy last night, but seemed a bit calmer this morning. We were both tired, so didn't get up until gone 8am. After breakfast we readied the boat and set off at 9.20, Adrian steering and me being the lookout as we came out of the marina. Then I stayed inside to make cups of tea, and knock together a batch of orange pastry. It wasn't raining on the Brinklow side of Newbold Tunnel, but it was on the Rugby side -- and had been ever since. We worked up the locks at Hillmorton in the wet, but at least all the locks were in our favour.

There were two boats coming down the top lock, so we were able to leave the middle one open, and the second boat left the gates of the top one open for us.

The intensity of the rain fluctuated, so sometimes it almost stopped, while at other times it was harder. By 1pm, I was cold as well as wet as the wind had got up again, so we stopped after Bridge 80. This stretch is very popular in the summer, and there's often no room here at all; today we joined just three other boats. The spot by the bird table, that Hadar used the other day, was taken, so we're further along, just before Bridge 81. We were glad we stopped when we did, as the rain has been lashing it down ever since. Just one boat was gone by, the helmsman looking rather unimpressed.

The boat is looking reasonably Christmassy inside: we brought our cards with us, which have filled up the shelves.

I've also turned the pastry into a dozen mince pies. I'd bought a tin and a rolling pin for the boat, but forgot pastry cutters, so I had to improvise with a couple of different sized glasses.

Adrian is now trying his hand at making a meat loaf. It's always been one of his favourites, but making it is a first.

10 miles, 3 locks.

Post script

2011-12-15T13:30:00.002Z

On my way home from Briar Rose on Monday, I stopped briefly at Newbold to see the flowers laid by the bridge for the man whose body we discovered on Friday. His name, Richard Clish, has now been released. There are reports on the websites of the Rugby Advertiser and the Rugby and Lutterworth Observer.

Sunrise

2011-12-12T13:41:00.001Z

There was an amazing sunrise over Brinklow this morning. This was the view from the cratch. It even makes the Cemex cement works looks quite atmospheric!

December weekend - Day 3

2011-12-11T14:38:00.001Z

No frost this morning, and neither was there the forecast wind and rain. We had a cooked breakfast (potato cakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon), and set off at 9.45.

A Kate hire boat passed us in the opposite direction before Hillmorton, so we had high hopes that the locks would be in our favour. They weren't. Not only were they empty, but the bottom gates had also been left open on the top two. At least the church bells were ringing. At the bottom lock, we spotted a boat approaching as we decended the lock, so at least we could leave the gates open for them.

At Clifton Cruisers, they're currently fitting out a very unusual looking boat. Not only is it a bright colour, it's also got a very distinctive stern and bow.

As we came through Newbold, we noticed a collection of flowers by Bridge 50, and wondered whether they'd been left for the man whose body we found on Friday. There's been no update from the police yet.

We thought we'd better top up with diesel, so reversed into Lyme Farm onto the service point. We also bought some bags of coal -- the same as the ones I got from Calcutt a few weeks ago, but much cheaper.

We arrived back to a somewhat breezy Brinklow Marina, and the wind helped us onto our pontoon. We'd just about got tied up at around 1pm when the rain started, so the timing could hardly have been better. We'll have dinner here, then I'll take Adrian to the railway station; he's got meetings in London tomorrow, and is staying there tonight. I'll come back to the boat and head home tomorrow morning.

7 miles, 3 locks. (24 miles, 6 locks)

December weekend - Day 2

2011-12-10T15:42:00.001Z

Firstly, thank you to everyone who sent messages about yesterday's events.

We slept very well last night, and by the time we woke up the sunlight was streaming in. It had clearly been a cold night: there was heavy frost on the towpath, and the roof was well covered in frost, which means our insulation must be good. We also continue to be impressed by the Squirrel stove, which is so much better than the Villager Puffin we had on Debdale. The Squirrel is more controllable than you'd expect a solid fuel stove to be, and stays in easily overnight.

We had porridge for breakfast, and set off at around 9.30, passing a couple of boats coming the other way. There were a few patches of ice, but nothing serious. But as we got nearer to Braunston, there was more and more ice, although it had already been broken by other boats. The worst sections were between Bridges 85 and 89, where it's much more open and the ridge and furrow fields come right down to the water on the offside.

There weren't many moored boats around. Some of the places which are normally packed, such as near Bridge 80, were empty; presumably the normal moorers have gone to places like Rugby or Braunston where they're nearer services. Even the moorings immediately before Braunston Turn were almost empty, with only Oakfield tied there.

At Braunston, we did a three point turn at the junction, something I've wanted to try since seeing all the parade boats doing it at the working boat rally. So we turned right under the first bridge, then stopped and reversed under the second one, and were soon facing the way we'd come. I'm pleased to say I managed it without touching the side even once.

Retracing our steps, the countryside looked completely different. On the way into Braunston, with the sun low in the sky, the surroundings had looked distinctly cold. Heading back out, with the sun behind us and a blue sky above, the photos look as though it was a summer's day. Only if you were there would you know the truth of how cold it was.

Our mooring at Bridge 75 was still free, so we've tied up here again (although facing the other way). We'd taken around three and a half hours to go absolutely nowhere -- and enjoyed it immensely. We had lunch of yesterday's leftover chili, and I've already started tonight's dinner: lamb shanks, which are slow cooking on top of the Squirrel stove.

I've also turned a couple of frosty photos into Christmas cards, ordered from Moo (which might just arrive before the final posting date), and Adrian has put up a few strings of battery powered LED Christmas lights.

10 miles, 0 locks (17 miles, 3 locks)

December weekend - Day 1

2011-12-09T17:14:00.001Z

It's been a surprisingly eventful and somewhat shocking day.

But first, we came up to the boat last night. Adrian had meetings near Heathrow all day, and came to Television Centre in the evening. We got away at the end of my shift at about 10pm. The roadworks on the M1 were more tedious than usual, because a a couple of sections had lane closures. We arrived at the marina at just after midnight, and Briar Rose was very cold. We lit the fire, and also plugged in an oil filled radiator we'd brought up (we were on shore power, so why not?) It'll stay on the boat on a thermostat for the winter, to try to keep the boat frost free. Even so, the bed was very cold.

By this morning, the boat was really quite warm, and Thursday's storm had well and truly past. It was lovely and sunny, and quite calm. We had porridge for breakfast, then readied the boat for the off. We reversed off the pontoon at 9.30, and turned right out of the marina. Once we were under way, Adrian went inside to get some work done, while I was happy to steer. It was cold, but I was wrapped up well.

As we approached Newbold Tunnel -- a stretch we've done numerous times before -- I was busy watching a raptor of some type circling above the cutting, when I also noticed something floating near the tunnel portal. After an incident several years ago as we came through Birmingham on a hire boat, when we got a sports holdall round the prop, I always keep an eye on anything in the water, and try to keep a wide berth. As I passed, though, I realised that what I was looking at was a man's body, floating face down in the water.

I sounded the horn to let Adrian know that I needed help, and as soon as we were through the tunnel he phoned 999 and reported the body to the police. They took lots of details and said they'd be there within ten minutes. And they were. We were still tying up on the Newbold visitor moorings when two police officers walked down the towpath to find out where the body was. I directed them to the far end of the tunnel, and they asked us to stay where we were. While we were waiting, Adrian went to post a birthday card, and found that considerable reinforcements had arrived: a second police car, a paramedics car, an ambulance, and a community support officer.

We been there the best part of an hour when a police officer came along and took all our details. He said they were waiting for a team to recover the body, and that they suspected it was someone who'd been living rough in the area. He said the likelihood was that we wouldn't need to do anything else, although the coroner might need a statement, and we could carry on. They've issued a news release.

As we were about to leave, a Willow Wren training boat came along, so I told them the canal was closed and the wouldn't be able to go through the tunnel. They got lots of practice reversing! We set off again, and the Willow Wren let us pass, as the winding hole was still some way off.

At Rugby, we passed Derwent6, instantly identifiable because Del was on the gunwales cleaning the brasses. We had a quick chat as we passed.

At Hillmorton Locks, Adrian came out to steer while I worked the locks. The first was two-thirds full, the second had about eight inches of water in it, and the third had just a couple of inches. There's still only one of each pair of locks in operation, as the summer water-saving measures are still in force. The boat yard above the bottom lock much be delighted, as they've completely colonised the lock moorings. I can't help thinking that with the winter level of traffic, BW would be better off opening all the locks -- with two side by side, there's surely a good chance that you'll find one in your favour.

It had clouded over somewhat, so we decided to carry on to a bit of piling Adrian used once when single handing Debdale. Just past the Old Royal Oak, I waved at a cyclist on the tow path, then had a moment of recognition -- at exactly the same time he did. It was Paul from Waterway Routes, checking out the North Oxford for the latest of his online maps. I threw the boat into reverse so we could have a quick chat. He then headed off, trying to get to Rugby station before the rain.

We tied up on the short stretch of piling just before Bridge 75 at just before 2pm, had a late lunch, and called it a day. Shortly afterwards, there was a downpour, then the sun came out again. I started cooking a chili for dinner, which has been sitting on top of the Squirrel stove ever since. There's been a lovely sunset, making a great show from the cratch. It's quite clear now, so we could be in for a cold night.

7 miles, 3 locks.

Barneswood on test

2011-12-03T16:07:00.001Z

The January edition of Canal Boat is out (with a snow scene on the front, but no ice), and includes my review of Barneswood, a semi-trad with hydrid drive by Kingsground.

I notice that Kingsground are already using a photo of the boat in their advert. There it is, with me at the helm, apparently cruising past the Taj Mahal.

This time last year...

2011-11-28T17:41:00.001Z

...we were stuck.

We still had our share in Debdale, and we were in the middle of a two week cruise, going slowly round the Black Country Ring. On the 27th of November we'd battled ice to get from Fradley Junction to Tixall Wide; on the 28th, we were frozen in; on the 29th, we left the boat there are came home. Debdale stayed there for another six weeks or so, during the severe cold snap.

This year could hardly be more different -- there's hardly been a frost, let alone snow falls and several inches of ice. But out love of winter boating remains, so we're hoping to fit in a weekend on board Briar Rose before Christmas.

Pottering about

2011-11-17T11:54:00.001Z

With nothing particularly planned for today, I got off to a rather slow start. The fire had stayed in all night again, so the boat was nice and warm. I didn't put any more coal on, as I'd like it to be pretty much out by the time I head for home.

Doing two boat tests in two days has meant I haven't had much time to do any jobs on Briar Rose, let alone leave the marina. Actually, that's not quite true, because on Tuesday evening I hung the framed waterways map over the dinette. This was the 1985 map we bought for £1 from a second hand bookshop in Tewkesbury when we did the Avon in June.

Today's first job was to replace a broken cabin hook which keeps the rear door open when cruising. In chandlers, these seem to cost more than £10. I got two at £2.50 each from eBay. I replaced the one on the other side too so they match, and have kept the old one as a spare.

Then I decided to check the levels in the batteries. Briar Rose has expensive Rolls batteries, so we want to look after them and try to remember to check them every month or so. Last time Adrian did this job, he enthused about the filler bottle I'd bought -- it's much easier to use that trying to pour top-up water into the hole, and has a valve on it, so puts in as much water as the battery need, before cutting off. It's just as well it's useful because it cost about £20, which seems a lot for a plastic bottle! Checking the batteries is quite a time consuming job as each one has six cells. It's a matter of methodically working through all 24 of them, unscrewing the cab, checking the level, topping up, and screwing the cap back on again. Then there are six more on the starter battery, but those are trickier as they need a screw driver to undo them.

I realised that time had moved on, and I wouldn't be home by lunchtime, so decided I might as well have lunch here and then head home. I tried phoning the owners of the two tested boats, neither of whom were available. I could quite easily spend all day pottering about doing little jobs, and if I hadn't got a meeting to go to this evening, I probably would have done.

Calcutt

2011-11-16T18:15:00.001Z

I had a relaxed start to the day, with poridge for breakfast, before setting off on the short drive to Calcutt Marina for today's boat test.

It was a misty, murky morning, so we decided to do the interior shots and examination of the boat first, in the hope the weather would improve a bit. After a couple of hours, the cloud was beginning to break a bit, with one or two small patches of blue sky. We set off on a short cruise to get running shots of the boat. The conditions weren't ideal -- but hopefully it'll mean the photos will look atmospheric rather than dull! We went down to Stockton top lock. There's not enough room to turn a full length boat above the lock, so we had to go down and turn in the pound below.

Back at the marina, when it was too late, the sky showed real signs of clearing. Before leaving I bought a couple of bags of coal, as supplies on Briar Rose were running very low. David the photographer came back to Brinklow on the way home, to have a quick look at BR.

Unexpectedly at Redhill

2011-11-15T19:39:00.001Z

Sometimes you have have to sieze the moment, and today was one of those days.

The original plan had been to do two boat tests over two days -- one at Redhill Marina this afternoon and one at Calcutt tomorrow. However, the weather forecast for today was pretty awful, so yesterday we made the decicion to postpone the test (which was a shame, because we'd already had to call it off a number of times last week); the forecast for tomorrow was good, so I decided to come up to the boat as planned.

So this morning, I finished my third night shift at 8am, had a meeting about pension changes at 9am, and by 10am was on the M1 heading north. It was surprisingly sunny in London, and indeed all the way north. I kept wondering when I'd reach the forecast heavy cloud. The fifteen miles of roadworks with a 50mph limit get more tedious each time, even in sunshine.

When I got to Rugby, I stopped as Tesco to get some food for a couple of days. While I was there, I had a text from the boat builder's wife saying it was a shame we'd postponed today, as it was actually very sunny! This seemed like too good an opportunity to miss, so once I got to Briar Rose, I started making phone calls. I knew Andy the photographer wouldn't be able to get up here in time, but his predecessor David lives quite close to Redhill. Within a few minutes, everything was in place; I made a quick sandwich for lunch, then set off up the M1. It was still sunny, and we made the most of Redhill Lock (which is open at both ends under current conditions on the River Soar) and the bridge which goes over it, as a backdrop for the photos.

The whole area is dominated by the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, now probably best known for the attempted invasion by environmental activists.

By the time I got back to Brinklow it was almost dark, and was getting quite chilly. I've got the fire going, and as I've now been up for 26 hours, will soon be off to bed.

Of course tomorrow's forecast has gone from good to bad, so I'm hoping it'll be as wrong as today's was.

Aintree on test

2011-11-05T08:31:00.001Z

The December issue of Canal Boat is out, and includes my review of a boat by Aintree Boats. This was the day when I forgot my trademark hat, and the forecast sunny intervals turned into a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky!

October weekend - Day 3

2011-10-30T16:32:00.000Z

We had a great evening on board Chance last night, with plenty of good food and wine. An added bonus was that the walk home was all of about ten feet.

This morning we were awake quite early; the clocks had changed, but our body-clocks take a bit longer to adjust. After breakfast, James turned up in his overalls, to show us how to change the oil in the gear box. He gave us lots of tips as he completed the job in typically meticulous fashion.

Once that job was complete, we had coffee on board Briar Rose, along with a lovely cake make by Doug. Then we set off at around 10.30; Chance was in the lead this time.

At Hillmorton Locks there was more downhill traffic than uphill, so we had to turn the locks. Where there's relatively little traffic, as there is at the moment, I'm not sure that having one of each pair of locks closed saves much water: with two open, there's more chance of finding one that's already in your favour. At the bottom lock, Tickety Boo, was just arriving. This is a narrow beam Dutch barge, which I did a review of in 2009.

We stopped for a quick lunch below the locks, on a new piece of piling before Bridge 68. At Clifton Cruisers, we saw another boat I've reviewed, Moor and Peace. During the afternoon, the weather improved considerably: a dull cloudy day turned into a nice sunny afternoon, which showed off the autumn colours of the trees.

We got back onto our pontoon at around 3.30. We'll have dinner then head home. We're also giving Doug a lift back.

11 miles, 3 locks. (22 miles, 6 locks)

October weekend - Day 2

2011-10-29T17:25:00.000+01:00

Adrian's train from London was about 20 minutes late last night. He got a taxi from the station, and I walked along the tow path to meet him at the bridge with a torch.

This morning, we got underway before 9am, with Chance close behind. As we arrived at Hillmorton Locks, Free Spirit, was just leaving the bottom lock, so we had a brief bloggers chat. It meant the bottom lock was ready for us, and there was also a boat coming down behind. The next two locks were ready for us, but we had to turn them for Chance.

It was a lovely sunny morning, although rather windy and chilly at times. After a while, Adrian got off at a bridge hole and jumped on board Chance, to make up for the chatting he missed yesterday.

At Braunston, we'd planned to turn in the marina entrance and moor, but spaces were scarce. It was also rather busy with moving traffic. Doug and James ended up mooring near the Stop House, while I turned and moored alongside them. We then started on a Braunston pub crawl: we walked up to the Admiral Nelson by the third lock, but their lunch menu had only big meals on it, no snacks. So after a drink, we walked into the village and had sausage baguettes at the Old Plough. On the way back, we ordered our Christmas turkey from the Braunston butcher, then called in to the chandlers at Wharf House, and the shop at the bottom lock (where I bought a plaque for the Regents Canal, to add to the collection at the stern). Then we went to Tradline Fenders, to talk about new bow and stern fenders. We ended up reversing back to the marina entrance and going in, so the Tradline guy could have a look and advise what we need. We've ordered some for collection next spring. While we were there, Chance winded and headed off to Bridge 88, and we went through the marina to the exit and followed them.

We've passed lots of other bloggers today, including Piston Broke, Skyy, and Maffi on Milly M.

This evening, we're off to Chance for dinner.

7.5 miles, 3 locks. (11 miles, 3 locks)

October weekend - Day 1

2011-10-28T16:23:00.003+01:00

I finished my night shifts this morning, and drove up the M1 to Brinklow Marina, with a brief stop at Tesco on the way. There was patchy fog on the motorway, and the marina was also shrouded in mist, although the sun was trying its hardest to get through. Adrian's on a course in London, and will be coming up later.

It was 10am when I arrived, and Briar Rose felt very cold so I immediately lit the fire. I unloaded the car, unpacked, and got the boat ready for cruising. By 11am, I was reversing off the pontoon and turning onto the North Oxford Canal towards Rugby. It was a really lovely morning, sunny but with a nip in the air. The leaves are turning yellow and red, and it was so still that there were great reflections.

We've travelled this stretch so often that there no longer seems much point in taking photos. However, the canal was looking lovely today, and there was a view right through Newbold tunnel.

I met my first boat of the day at Newbold, then three in quick succession at Rugby, just where the aqueducts form a couple of narrows. Just before mid-day, I reached the golf course and moored up on the piling, leaving enough space behind for one more boat. I had a quick shower and a sandwich, and then heard a boat coming in to moor: it was Doug and James on Chance, arriving for a pre-arranged rendevous. They came on board for tea and home made ginger biscuits, and a good natter.

Adrian will be getting a train up to Rugby this evening, and will come to Bridge 66 and walk along the tow path.

3.5 miles, 0 locks.

Map art

2011-10-25T14:17:00.001+01:00

Sometimes it takes a while for a plan to come to fruition.

When we bought Briar Rose, we knew we needed to get a picture of some sort to put up behind the dinette. The previous owner had taken away a framed piece of needlework which was very precious to him, leaving an outline on the bulkhead.

When we were in Tewkesbury in June we bought an old waterways map for £1 at a second hand bookshop, and this weekend we got round to buying a frame for it. We've had to fold it to make it fit, but the whole connected system is still on show.

We'll be going up to the boat this weekend, so we'll be able to put it in place.

Tidal Thames photos

2011-10-06T13:43:00.002+01:00

I've just received some photos taken by one of my colleagues, Peter, who came down to Limehouse on the day we went out on the Tidal Thames.

Here we are heading into Limehouse Lock, lifejackets on, and a little nervous.

The water is let out by opening the gates slightly.

Once we're at a level with the river, we're free to go -- and already looking rather small in the lock.

When we're out of the lock cut, we make the right turn towards central London. This required virtually no steering - the tide took us round.

Once we were on the river, Peter jumped on his bike and raced us to Tower Bridge. As he got there, he could already see us approaching, and went over to the south side by City Hall to take some fantastic photos of us coming through the bridge.

Honesty on test

2011-10-04T11:50:00.001+01:00

The November edition of Canal Boat is out, and includes my test of the Aqua Narrowboats boat, Honesty, built on a Norton Canes shell.

Autumn Cruise - Day 23

2011-10-02T21:04:00.002+01:00

The late summer continued, but our three week trip was coming to an end. There was a lovely sunrise this morning, and we were up and about fairly early, setting off just before 8am. We hadn't gone very far when the helmsman on a boat called Barbara Ann called across that he reads the blog.

When we got to the top of Hillmorton Locks, there was a boat going down, another waiting, and boats coming up too. There was a lock keeper on duty, who said we'd be ok to carry on down, as we'd meet a boat at each lock. Sure enough, we did. Hillmorton is famous for its radio masts - there are dozens of them. But they could soon be a thing of the past, as there's a planning application for a new town on the site of up to 6,200 houses.

At the bottom of the locks, we waved at Lynn and Paul from Piston Broke as we went past, then shortly afterwards passed Victoria and Phil from Clifton Wharf, who slightly confused me by not being on their own boat!

We had to stop just before Rugby to go down the weedhatch, and removed a bit of rope from the prop. Then we caught up with a couple of boats going very slowly. The leading boat pulled over at Newbold to let the two boats pass, but it turned out that the boat in front of us was equally slow. He also didn't realise that boats can pass in the Newbold Tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, something similar seemed to be happening, only worse: there was a Rose Narrowboats day boat with five boats following. It looked like rush hour on the M25.

The final mile to Brinklow Marina took a good half hour, but soon we were making the turn under the bridge and discovering that even on a calm day it's windy in the marina. Adrian made a well executed approach to our pontoon, and we were soon tied up without any dramas. The original plan had been to move to Barby Moorings at the end of this trip; but the marina there is so far behind schedule (there are still no pontoons, for example, and electricity is available only 12 hours a day), that we've decided to stay at Brinklow.

11 miles, 3 locks. (365 miles, 208 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 22

2011-10-01T17:40:00.004+01:00

Apparently it's now October, but it was a summer's day from the off this morning, with no autumnal mist or dew; instead it was warm and sunny first thing. There was no rush, as the lock flight down to Napton currently opens only at 10am, so we had bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast. We then started a wash load. At about 9am there was some activity at the locks, with a BW staff member running some water down to fill a pound which had got a bit low overnight. Soon the boat at the front of the queue was on its way, and we, at number 4, entered the top lock at 10am.

The last time we did the Napton Flight was on Boxing Day 2008 on Debdale. Today was much warmer and busier. We met a few boats coming up, but there wasn't the same efficient one up one down rhythm that was achieved yesterday at Claydon. It's a very pretty flight no matter the time of year, and the Napton windmill on the top of the hill makes for a nice view.

We got to the bottom of the 9 locks in two hours, and stopped on the water point to top up the tank -- we've done lots of washing over the past few days, as it was good drying weather. In fact, we'll be taking home very little dirty washing. There are two water points at Napton, and we remembered that one is fast and one is very slow, but couldn't recall which was which. They were both free so I tested them and found that the one furthest from the locks was at least three times as powerful as the other one. We had lunch while the tank filled, and as the first load of washing was already dry, started another one.

After the quiet of the summit pound, we went round the corner from the water point to find a rather chaotic scene. There was a boat aground on the offside, and a procession of boats coming the other way, one of which decided to turn in the winding hole, rather to the dismay of the guy who was aground.

The length from the locks to Napton Junction always seems to last longer than I expect.

For the rest of the afternoon, the canal was incredibly busy. We think we've seen more moving boats this afternoon than any other complete day of the whole trip. But some of the usually busy mooring places, such as either side of Bridge 102, were almost empty. The other change since we came this way in June is that all the offside trees and bushes between Bridge 102 and 101 have been cut down, making the canal much wider. Soon we were approaching Braunston, with its distinctive church spire and the sail-less windmill.

We turned left at the junction, and in doing so completed the Thames Ring: Braunston to London via the Grand Union, and back via the Thames and the Oxford.

It seemed to have been quite a long afternoon, so we decided to stop at a favourite mooring just past Bridge 88. There were only two other boats here. It's quiet and peaceful, and we've been sat on the well deck with a glass of wine watching the world go by.

10 miles, 9 locks. (354 miles, 205 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 21

2011-09-30T18:28:00.001+01:00

There was a fantastic sunset through the trees last night.

This morning it was misty again. We didn't need to get going early, as the Claydon locks are opened only at 10am at the moment, because of water shortages. Even so, while we got ready two boats went past. When we got to the bottom of the flight, it appeared we were sixth in the queue. It turned out that one of the boats wasn't going anywhere, so we were fifth. In the event, the first boat was allowed to start up the locks at about 9.45, and we entered the bottom lock at 10.30. By then boats were coming down, and we met southbound boats at every lock and got to the top in 45 minutes.

The summit pound was quite shallow, and going seemed very slow. We went through the most northerly lift bridge, and then through the Fenny 'tunnel', which used to be a tunnel, but had the roof taken off. There's a lovely little bridge which takes the towpath from one side to the other; it has a big road bridge towering over it.

We stopped for lunch at Fenny Compton, where there was plenty of room. One of the boaters I'd taked to on the Claydon flight said the summit was a bit like a ghost town, and so it was: all the moorings you'd normally expect to be full were almost empty; we passed just a handful of boats going the other way, when normally you'd expect dozens.

Adrian went to the little shop at the Wharf Inn for eggs, then we set off again. It was a beautiful day (if anything, too hot!) and the rolling Warwickshire countryside looked lovely. At one point on this quiet, winding summit, there's a sign showing where the planned high speed rail line will cross the canal; as good a reason as any against it, I would have thought.

As we approached the end of today's journey, a hare ran alongside the canal. I don't remember ever seeing one before, but they're easily identifiable as they're so much bigger than a rabbit.

We moored up at the top of the Napton Flight of locks, at Marson Doles. There are restrictions with these locks too, and we're fourth in the queue for the morning. Not long after we'd moored, a helicopter flew low along the canal and landed at the property on the offside. It frightened another hare (or maybe the same one), giving me another opportunity to get a shot of it.

Once the temperature had dropped slightly, we washed the towpath side of the boat, which had got very dusty over the past three weeks.

12 miles, 5 locks. (344 miles, 196 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 20

2011-09-29T18:25:00.001+01:00

It was another autumnal morning followed by a day straight out of high summer.

As we were out on our own, we started a wash load while we had breakfast, as the Travel Power needs the engine revs to be fairly high while the washing machine heats the water. It was misty and atmospheric when we set off.

We stopped shortly afterwards at Aynho Wharf for a pump out. It's a friendly little boat yard, and they seemed to do a decent job. The first lock of the day was another shallow diamond shaped one, Aynho Weir Lock. The River Cherwell flows across the entrance.

Just above Nell Bridge Lock is a nice looking farm shop with moorings, where they produce their own bacon and pork. They also sell gas and coal, and have overnight moorings with electricity. A little further on, we went under one of the typical Oxford lift bridges that's right by the M40. It's one of the bridges we always look out for when we're on the motorway.

At Grant's Lock, the bridge is having its parapet rebuilt.

At Banbury, we came up the lock with quite an audience, including a man with an owl. A real one. Then I went to raise the lift bridge, and we moored outside the Castle Quay shopping centre.

We topped up supplies and had lunch before setting off again. The route out of Banbury to the north is very slow, because of visitor and permanent moorings. Hardwick Lock, which is within spitting distance of the M40, has a new balance beam, but they haven't yet fitted the paddle mechanism. We were glad the lock was in our favour; with only one paddle, it could have been very slow to empty.

Just north of the motorway there are enormous earthworks going on, for a flood alleviation scheme for Banbury. At one point it's on both sides of the canal, and a little canal bridge (admittedly with some protection) is carrying huge vehicles.

Bourton Lock Cottage looks as sad as ever. In fact, things may even be worse, as the flood barrier is just feet from the back door.

Adrian arrived at the next lock to find it almost full and with a boat approaching, so he topped it up and opened the gate. They were very grateful, saying that sort of thing doesn't happen very often. As we approached Cropredy, I got off to walk to the shops for ice creams, as it was so hot. The village and the lock cottage were looking particularly pretty in the sunshine.

I was working the final locks of the day, and at one of them a robin landed on the raised paddle rack. I took several photos, but of course the only one in focus is the one where the robin is looking the other way!

We moored for the night in a nice open spot just past Clattercote Wharf, less than a mile from the bottom of the Claydon flight. We'll have an enforced relaxed start tomorrow, as the locks are open only between 10am and 2pm, as a water saving measure.

14 miles, 12 locks. (332 miles, 191 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 19

2011-09-28T19:31:00.001+01:00

Last night's mooring was fantastic; you'd never have known that the A40 was just a couple of fields away, and we were only a few miles from Oxford. We had a swan which lurked outside the side hatch until it was dark; birds flocked overhead; the river was alive with little fish; what looked suspiciously like bats swooped over the water; there was a great sunset.

This morning was misty as we set off at about 8.15, but the sun soon burned it off.

We soon reached the junction of Duke's Cut, which links the Thames with the Oxford Canal. It was much longer than we remembered, but the end result was the same: Duke's Cut Lock, which is located underneath a railway bridge, and comes as a bit of a shock after the wide open spaces of the Thames.

Duke's Cut Lock takes you down a foot or two onto the Oxford Canal, and as we're going north we were immediately into Duke's Lock, which goes up.

We've thoroughly enjoyed our week on the Thames, more, I think, than we'd expected. But it was nice to be back on the canals, even if the Oxford did feel narrow and shallow. Briar Rose was certainly missing the depth of water under the base plate.

Thrupp looked as lovely as ever. Adrian went ahead to open the lift bridge, which is powered these days, while I took the boat through and did a turn onto the service point, watch by a group of people who looked as though they were Jehovah's Witnesses. Once moored, we filled with water and started a wash load.

Once the tank was full we set off again, passing Shipton on Cherwell Church and heading into Shipton Weir Lock, which is shallow but diamond shaped, to send more volume of water down the canal. The section beyond the lock is actually the River Cherwell.

We stopped for lunch by the former quarry above Pigeon's Lock. We'd felt that the morning's journey had been slow going; this afternoon was even slower: the pound above Northbrook Lock was at least a foot down, so when a boat came round the corner, we both ended up aground. Lower Heyford was packed as usual; it would be nice if Oxfordshire Narrowboats could hire out some of their boats, to clear the way a little.

The weather was absolutely beautiful with not a cloud in the sky, the Oxfordshire countryside looked great, and bridges and locks came at regular intervals.

The final lock of the day was Somerton Deep Lock, at 12ft one of the deepest on the system. It has a lovely cottage alongside, although the Alsation dog wasn't very friendly. We moored up just along the canal; it was 5.30, making this one of the latest finishes of the trip.

18 miles, 12 locks. (318 miles, 179 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 18

2011-09-27T17:54:00.001+01:00

Yesterday evening, Nick the editor of Canal Boat came to visit us at Lechlade as it's on his way home. He had a look at Briar Rose, and then we went to the Riverside Inn for a drink. Nick had to go home, but we stayed for dinner, and the food was excellent. We had a look round Lechlade (in the dark); it's a very pretty village, although the busy road detracts from the appeal somewhat.

This morning we were retracing our steps of yesterday, so there was a real feeling of heading for home. There was a misty feel to the air as we left at just after 8am.

It was too early for a lock keeper to be on duty, so we worked through St John's Lock by ourselves. At the next lock, Buscott, the lock keeper arrived as we were in the lock, and opened the bottom gates for us. At the next few locks, they were either open waiting for us, or boats were just coming out.

It's difficult to explain just how bendy this part of the river is. There are u-bends and s-bends, and in a narrowboat it's quite hard work. I've struggled to capture the bends in a photo, but in this one we're at the apex of a bend: we've come from the left and will soon be facing the opposite direction to the right.

When we got to Grafton Lock, the self service sign was showing, but the lock keeper was there. He worked us through, but said he was just about to set off for Rushey Lock, a couple of locks downstream. At Radcot Lock, they're rebuilding the weir.

Just below the lock, and young man in a small boat was checking various nets; I'm not sure what he was catching. Just around the corner was his four wheel drive and trailer, where he'd obviously launched his boat. The cows in the field were taking a great interest - one had even got into the trailer!

The lock keeper we'd seen earlier was at Rushey Lock. He was very chatty, which gave me a chance to get a decent photo of this lock's topiary.

We had lunch on the move, although we were making much better progress than yesterday. While there are occasional wooded sections, this is an area which is quite flat with big skies.

At one point, I spotted a kingfisher sitting on a branch and he stayed there while I took his photo.

Along this whole section we could see planes on their way into RAF Brize Norton. They included Tristars and Hercules.

We stopped for diesel at Oxford Cruisers (a little dearer than the last time we filled up, but they allow any declaration), and then filled the water tank above Eynsham Lock, where we also got rid of the rubbish. Once down the lock, we carried on for a mile or so, looking for somewhere to moor. We found a spot in a field of sheep, with a fantastic view of the Wytham Great Wood. We're not sure exactly where we are, but we can see the spire of Cassington church behind us.

The clouds has vanished and the temperature has shot up - apparently the next couple of days will be very warm. In another surprising success, we stuck the satellite dish on the roof, and got a great signal straight away; normally, we spend half an hour trying the find the satellite.

25 miles, 9 locks. (300 miles, 167 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 17

2011-09-26T17:18:00.000+01:00

There was rain overnight and the forecast wasn't very promising, but in fact the sun has been out, on and off, all day. We set off at 8am, and almost immediately went past the Anglo Welsh/Oxford Cruisers base, from where we hired our first boat, a plastic cruiser, some fifteen years ago. Neither of us recognised anything about it!

It was still early, so we had to work Pinkhill Lock ourselves, the first Thames Lock we've had to do that wasn't electrified. The paddles are raised with large wheels.

Northmoor Lock was also unmanned, and the wide plastic boat from yesterday was already inside. As there was no lock keeper around, we thought it unwise to go in with them, so worked them through before going up ourselves.

The bridge at Newbridge is anything but new, dating from the thirteenth century.

The lengths so people will go to to stop people mooring is extraordinary! In fact, there are pill boxes all along this stretch of the river, and they look very out of place.

There are some very testing bends on this stretch, some go on for such a long time that you expect to meet yourself coming back. Fortunately, when we met boats they were on the straighter sections. We got to Radcot Lock at 1pm; the lock keeper came out of his office, flipped the sign to self service, and went to lunch. We worked through ourselves. There are a couple of large topiary faces alongside the lock.

The old bridge at Radcot, the oldest on the Thames, is over the original channel, which is now used for moorings. The bridge in use is narrow and much newer.

We worked Buscott Lock ourselves, and an elderly canoeist came up with us. His trip for today was 12 miles; in the past he's canoed the Oxford Canal and the Grand Union.

There was a lock keeper at St John's Lock, where Old Father Thames is equipped with a shovel.

We continued to the end of navigation at the Inglesham Round House, where the Thames and Severn Canal used to join.

We turned, and went back through Halfpenny or Lechlade Bridge and moored up opposite the church. This last part of the Thames is in Gloucestershire, but this bank of the river is the border with Wiltshire. So with our mooring pins in Wilts, I think that means we've visited ten counties this trip (assuming you count London as a county).

25 miles, 8 locks. (275 miles, 158 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 16

2011-09-25T19:56:00.001+01:00

The moorings above Day's Lock are excellent, and we slept well. When I looked out this morning, the field was full of cows, but a few minutes later they'd all moved on. We set off just after 8am, on what started as a nice morning but soon clouded up. There were some very large houses set way back from the river as we passed Burcot, then we reached Clifton Hampden Bridge.

The lock keeper hadn't yet come on duty when we reached Clifton Lock, so I went to press the buttons. We passed the new junction of the Wilts and Berks Canal (there's not much to see), and then went through Abingdon, which looks lovely from the water.

Abingdon Lock was very noisy; it sounded as though the lock keeper was watching a Grand Prix in his little office, or there was a swam of wasps close by. In fact, it was a Professional Motocross race taking place a mile or so away at Culham. As we passed the site, which was full of motor homes, we could see the riders doing spectacular jumps.

The next section of the river is, frankly, the least interesting we've travelled. There's not much to see, and very little of interest. Sandford Lock is the deepest on the Thames at 8ft 10in, but was also one of the calmest as we went up. The lock keeper was being very careful, as we were sharing with a canoeist.

Iffley Lock, on the outskirts of Oxford, is very pretty.

The approach to Oxford is nothing to write home about. Then the University boat houses appear, followed by Folly Bridge - where you wonder where you're supposed to go. It becomes more obvious when you get closer. In the past, I've seen dozens of punts moored the other side of the bridge; today there were none.

Beyond Folly Bridge, Oxford could be any town - there are no dreaming spires to be seen, just houses and a railway bridge. We shared Osney Lock, which was self service, with a trip boat which seemed to be electrically powered. Four of those on board were having lunch; the rest appeared to be there just for the ride.

We stopped above the lock for lunch. Osney Bridge was our first after setting off again, and we took the chimney off as it's the lowest bridge on the Thames, and stops all the gin palaces.

We passed Sheepwash Channel, the entrace to the Oxford Canal. If you didn't know, you'd never imagine that it led to the canal.

At Port Meadow, we found ourselves involved in a sailing race. There are a few spires to be seen as you look back towards Oxford, and there are horses and cows grazing on the meadow. But Adrian had a full time job avoiding the sailing boats.

The Lock Keeper at Godstow Lock told us that the lock in three inches narrower than all the others. Even so, she managed to fit a wide plastic boat in the lock with us.

Beyond King's Lock (the first which hasn't been powered - the Lock Keeper said he preferred the more reliable manual method), is another entrance to the Oxford Canal, at Duke's Cut. This one at least has a sign (visible from the other direction), but still doesn't look like much. But we stayed on the Thames to Eynsham Lock, where are large Dutch barge was coming out of the lock.

We went up, stopped at the water point to fill the tank, then went through the very attractive Swinford Toll Bridge.

With useful info from the Lcok Keeper that the first field beyond the bridge charges £5 a night but further on it's free, we picked a spot in a field of cows. It's popular round here, with boats at almost every available mooring. The sun had come out but the wind had also got up, so there was no problem getting to the side. There's a great view from the side hatch, as there's also the occasional intesresting plane heading into RAF Brize Norton.

25 miles, 9 locks. (250 miles, 150 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 15

2011-09-24T18:41:00.000+01:00

The moorings at Sonning Lock are lovely, although they were slightly compromised by what some might call the 'hippy hutch' moored on the other side, which turned on a generator at about 5.30pm, and still had it on at gone 10pm. We got so used to the noise that we were both asleep before it was turned off.

This morning, it was beautifully still as we set off at 8am, heading into Reading, and passing the entrance to the Kennet and Avon Canal.

We were soon tied up on the moorings outside Tesco in Reading, where we went for shopping. We'd seen one black swan as we arrived, then a whole family came over. The young aren't very black!

The approach to Caversham Lock gives a good view of The Blade, a new office building which appears to be mostly empty.

Above the lock, and all through Tilehurst, there were loads of rowers and canoeists. At one point it looked as though we were under attack.

There was more canoe chaos at Pangbourne, where the Toll Bridge appears to be having work done.

Above the lock, the reach by Beale Park was very atmospheric, particularly as the sky had clouded over.

On the approach to Goring, there's an unusual glass summer house, jutting out over the river.

We stopped for lunch below Goring Lock, in front of a large hotel barge, Louisa, on which the trip we'd just done costs £200 per person (albeit with bucks fizz, lunch, and a cream tea). Goring Lock was self service, and three boats went up, all crews doing a bit to help. The next pound is the shortest on the river, and the Cleeve Lock is the shallowest, at just 2ft 3in. Again, the three boat crews all pressed buttons to work the lock.

Wallingford has a fine bridge and a church with an attractive open spire.

The final lock of the day was Day's Lock, which is approached round a right-angle bend and under a metal bridge.

We'd hoped to moor above the lock, but it looked as though every decent space was taken. However, Adrian spotted one skipper putting on his tiller and starting to get ready to leave, so I did a quick u-turn and we went into their space as soon as they'd left it. It's a lovely open spot with views of the Sinodun Hills and across the flood plains.

24 miles, 7 locks. (225 miles, 141 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 14

2011-09-23T18:35:00.002+01:00

It was very misty when we woke up this morning, so we had a relaxed start and set off at 9am, when visibility was a bit better. Even so, it was very atmospheric with the mist rolling off the water and the sun trying to break through.

By the time we got to Marlow Lock the sun was out and the sky was blue. Leaving the lock the scene was perfect,with the church and the bridge, and some lovely houses.

There are fantastic riverside houses all along the banks, and while Medmenham Abbey is notable there are plenty more along the same lines.

Temple Island marks the start of Henley Reach, where the regatta is held. There were plenty of rowers out on the water, practising.

Henley Bridge has a couple of arches closed for work. We weren't sure what they were doing, but each block of stone appears to have been numbered.

We moored for lunch at Henley, just along from the River and Rowing Museum, where the moorings are free between 10am and 3pm; overnight, it costs £9! When we arrived at Marsh Lock, which has an elaborate network of footbridges over the weir streams, it was on self service. The lock keeper arrived and took over once three boats were in the lock.

At Lower Shiplake, we spotted a house for sale. At that price, we'd probably want more than three bedrooms! Shiplake Lock is another pretty one. Along the next reach, we spotted Derwent6 moored up, and slowed for a brief chat with Del and Al. At Sonning Lock, Dogma was coming down. We stopped just after the lock to buy ice creams from the tea garden.

We moored up just along from the lock and I went for a walk round Sonning, a very pretty village completely clogged by traffic, thanks to the one way Sonning Bridge. The traffic lights stay red (or green) for ages, so plenty of cars jump the lights when they change.

17 miles, 7 locks. (201 miles, 134 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 13

2011-09-22T18:39:00.000+01:00

We set off from Runnymede at about 8.15, so reached Old Windsor Lock before the lock keeper had come on duty. A blue circle displayed at the lock indicated that it was in self service mode. Adrian went up to press the buttons.

It was a lovely sunny morning as we skirted Windsor Home Park, with Crown Estates signs warning against landing or mooring. There were glimpses of the castle through the trees.

Romney Lock, just before Windsor, provided an example of the contrasting boats on the Thames. We had to wait for boats to come down the lock, including one which appeared to be made of a few floats and some bits of caravan. Then after we'd gone up, an enormous hotel barge, the Magna Carta, was coming along the lock cut.

We moored in Windsor, as Brian and Mike were catching the train home from there. We took a brief walk into the town to have a quick look at the outside of the castle.

At Boveney Lock, we went to the other side of the lock island to the water point, and filled the tank. At the lock itself were some giant flower pot men.

At Bray Lock, the lock keeper must have been on his lunch break, as it was self service. This time, I went to press the buttons.

Between Bray and Maidenhead there are substantial houses of all styles.

Maidenhead has two great bridges, a railway bridge by Brunel which has the widest, flatest brick arch in the world, apparently, and an earlier road bridge.

Boulter's Lock in Maidenhead is very large, and is crossed by an attractive bridge.

We thought about stopping at Cliveden Reach, but the moorings are described as 'informal', which seems to mean getting into whatever gaps there are. And the gaps were filled with plastic boats. It's a dramatic part of the river, with steep wooded sides and Cliveden House high in the trees.

We went up through Cookham Lock, which is in a beautiful spot, and on through Cookham Bridge, a surprisingly flimsy-looking Victorian cast iron structre.

We stopped for the night the other side of Bourne End, just past the town's on-river marina.

16 miles, 6 locks. (184 miles, 127 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 12

2011-09-21T23:00:00.000+01:00

There was heavy rain overnight, although we didn't hear it, and the morning was very misty and murky.

From Teddington Lock we made the short trip to the John Lewis moorings at Kingston, for shopping. When we set off again, we played leapfrog with the New Southern Belle, which stopped at various jetties before overtaking us again.

We passed Hampton Court (with Epiphany on the moorings outside) and made for our first lock, Molesey Lock. As we waited, a large barge arrived; we were glad when it was called into the lock in front of us.

By our next lock, at Sunbury, the weather had improved a lot. We stopped for lunch on moorings at Walton on Thames. At Shepperton Lock, which is very pretty, the lock keepers appeared to be touting for votes -- albeit discreetly.

As we approached Chertsey, we were on the flight path for Heathrow, and spotted an Airbus A380.

We stopped for the night on a National Trust mooring at Runnymede, and a man in a Land Rover came to collect the £6 fee. At first sight, it wasn't a great mooring, with the A308 running alongside and planes leaving heathrow overhead. But when the traffic, both road and air, quietened down later on, it was very peaceful.

Brian, Mike, and I, set off to see the Magna Carta Memorial and the John F Kennedy memorial which is in woods nearby. The Magna Carta memorial was easy to find -- indeed, it's visible from the river.

Our hunt for the JFK memorial was unsuccessful, largely because we headed off in the wrong direction. We climbed the hill, where there were great views across London, and took a footpath which went to the top of the hill to the Air Forces Memorial. The top of the tower is visible from the river, but in fact there's a significant cloistered building which contains the names of 20,000 air force personnel from the Second World War who have no known grave. It's immaculately kept, and is a very tranquil and moving place.

I went up to the roof of the tower, from where there were spectacular views of Heathrow Airport and, in the far distance, the skyline of London from the BT tower at one side to The Shard at the other.

18 miles, 6 locks. (168 miles, 121 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 11, Part 2

2011-09-20T23:30:00.000+01:00

We spent a nervous couple of hours waiting for our timed entry to the Thames. In that time, we checked the engine and removed a pile of London's rubbish from the weedhatch. We also packed away anything breakable, as we could be in for a bumpy ride. An expanded crew assembled: as well as Brian and Mike who've been staying for a few days, we were joined by Nigel, one of the co-owners of Debdale. A colleague of mine, Peter, also arrived to take photos of us as we went onto the Thames. His plan was then to race us to Tower Bridge to get more photos there.

On schedule at 3.15, Limehouse Lock opened and the green light came on. We went into the lock, roped onto the risers, and the gates closed behind us. The water is let out by opening the bottom gates a fraction, and we were soon going down. At the same time, I radioed London VTS to tell them that we were about to go onto the tideway. When the lock gates open, the lock cut looks huge. I sounded a long blast on the horn as we headed out to the river. Adrian signalled that there was no traffic coming, and out we went; Briar Rose turned right without any steering from me: the tide just takes you.

As we approached Tower Bridge, the water was surprisingly calm; later in the trip it was decidedly choppy, particularly when we had other traffic coming the other way and overtaking us. At one point, there was water splashing over the bow and up the sides of the boat. The rudder shakes as each wave passes, and you can hear the prop getting more or less water as we bobbed up and down.

Sue from Indigo Dream said she was working near the river, and later texted us a photo from her phone as we passed Westminster.

At Brentford, Simon from Tortoise was spotted as we passed the entrance to the Grand Union. He later brought us a fantastic set of photos.

We arrived at Richmond slightly too early, as the half-tide barrier was still down, but it did mean we could watch it rise into the bridge.

It was getting dark as we reached Teddington Lock, where we joined a large Dutch Barge that we'd also seen at Limehouse, and who'd passed us at Richmond. They'd done the trip in an hour less than we had! I went and sorted out a Thames licence, and we moored up just above the lock in the gathering gloom. Nigel's wife, Alison, was there to meet us, and we all went to a pub for dinner. It had been a surprisingly exhausting afternoon, but also very exciting and not a little nerve wracking at times. It's a great trip -- and if you get the chance to do it, say yes.

21 miles, 2 locks. (150 miles, 115 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 11, Part 1

2011-09-20T12:38:00.000+01:00

As we're not due out on the Thames until this afternoon, we took a trip round the East London Ring this morning.

We set off just before 8.30, retracing our steps of yesterday up four locks of the Regent's Canal. Then we made the very tight turn into the Hertford Union Canal, or Duckett's Cut.

Duckett's Cut is about a mile long, mostly alongside Victoria Park. There are three locks, all with very different characters.

At the end of the canal we turned right onto the Lee Navigation, with fantastic views of the Olympic Stadium.

Old Ford Lock is push button operated.

As we headed back towards Limehouse, we passed Three Mills and Bow Locks. There's been a lot of work in preparation for the Olympics, with a nice new footbridge and some waterbus stops.

We've been across to the service pontoon to pump out the loo tank and fill the water tank in preparation for this afternoon. We're booked to lock out onto the Thames at 3.15pm.

5 miles, 8 locks. (129 miles, 113 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 10

2011-09-19T19:07:00.001+01:00

It was a lovely sunny morning when we woke up after a quiet night in Paddington Basin. We had a cooked breakfast (our first of the trip), and a relaxed start to the day. We started a wash load, and set off at 9.30. Our route took us along the Regent's Canal: though the Maida Hill Tunnel, Regent's Park with London Zoo, before we arrived at Camden Locks.

We stopped for lunch at Haggerston, where we spotted some mooring rings in the tow path. It's been busy with walkers, runners, and cyclists. Setting off again, we headed into east London, past Victoria Park, and down several locks. There's lots of duckweed on the canal, making it look as though we were travelling though a green carpet. Somewhat bizarrely, it closed up behind us so you couldn't even seen that we'd been through it.

On arrival at Limehouse Basin, we moored up alongside another boat, and set off to speak to the lock keeper about our trip tomorrow. A large boat was being locked up into the marina, and then a narrowboat was locked down onto the river. We watched as it headed out through London -- the trip we'll be making tomorrow. The boat looked tiny on the river.

Once the lock keepers were back in their office, we went and got outselves into the diary for tomorrow afternoon. Some boats moored on the visitor mooring were just leaving, so we moved to the space they'd vacated. We went for a drink in a riverside pub where we could watch the Clippers speeding by, then had a walk around the area. As we returned, a motor boat was coming in, which needed the road bridge to be swung.

9 miles, 12 locks. (124 miles, 105 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 9

2011-09-18T21:52:00.001+01:00

After last night's rain, this morning was quite sunny, although there was a chilly breeze. We set off just before 8am, and made a brief stop to dump rubbish at Packet Boat Marina at Cowley Peachey Junction. Then it was down to Bull's Bridge Junction, along the Paddington Arm, to Paddington Basin -- with plenty of interest on the way, including crossing the North Circular on an aqueduct, the A40 high overhead, passing widebeam restuarant boats, Little Venice, and Paddington Basin itself.

We arrived at 1pm, turned at the end of Paddington Basin, and slotted into a space out the HQ of Marks and Spencer. In the afternoon, we had visitors. Our friends Brian and Mike are staying with us for a few days; Adrian's cousin and her family came to see us; and various colleagues of mine dropped in through the afternoon.

This evening, we went out for dinner just along the Paddington Arm.

17 miles, 0 locks. (115 miles, 93 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 8

2011-09-17T18:30:00.001+01:00

The Cassiobury Park moorings were very quiet -- just the odd plane going over. As we headed to Iron Bridge Lock in the still of the morning, you wouldn't have known it was Watford.

At the second lock of the day, we teamed up with a little boat called Ellesmere, heading back to moorings at Uxbridge after a summer in the midlands. Immediately after the lock, we passed under the Tube for the first time.

At one of the locks this morning we passed Halfie's share boat, Shadow, with some Americans on board. We'd hoped to get water at Batchworth Lock, but there was a widebeam boat on the water point so we carried on to Tesco, which has its own moorings, for a stock up. While we were there, the fuel boat Baron was delivering to customers up the arm, so when he'd finished we called him over and filled with diesel.

We started a wash load while on the Tesco moorings, leaving once the washing machine had finished heating the water. We were testing whether the Travel Power would still work in neutral, while we were in locks. The resto of the cycle clearly doesn't take as much power, so it was fine.

Stocker's Lock is one of the prettiest down this way, with a nice lock cottage and a large house apparently built for the collector of coal duties.

We'd planned to fill with water below Copper Mill Lock, but as we decended a widebeam boat arrived to use the water point. We stopped for lunch a little bit further on. We'd just finished lunch when a boat went past, so we quickly set off to share the next couple of locks with them. It was Viking, a boat we've seen several times over the past few days, returning to Harefield Marina after a week out. It meant we were on our own for Denham Deep Lock, where we had help with the gates from some children out for an afternoon at the cafe.

Past Uxbridge there are some extraordinary boats.

Above Cowley Lock, it was third time lucky with a water point. It took a while to fill -- we knew it would as we've done three loads of washing since we filled at Marsworth Junction. The bow was a couple of inches higher out of the water than usual. While the tank was filling, I cleaned the brass portholes on the towpath side, and did all the mushrooms again. Once we'd moored, Adrian cleaned the windows that side. Obviously, it's now raining.

We went down Cowley lock (our last on the GU), and moored below, next to the park. It's been a long day, mainly due to the lines of moored boats we've come past.

12 miles, 13 locks. (98 miles, 93 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 7

2011-09-16T17:58:00.000+01:00

After a couple of easy days, we knew we had quite a lot to do today. Consequently, we were up early and set off at 7.30. It had rained in the night and was a bit murky when we set off, but it soon cheered up. As the commuters of Berkhamsted made their way to the station (3 trains an hour from £14 return), we slipped past the attractions of the town, and down the three locks.

Many of the next locks have to be left empty -- which meant that we had to fill them all. Lots also have very leaky gates, so that you wonder whether they'll ever reach a level. Then we started meeting boats coming the other way: at one lock there was Black Swan, and ex-OwnerShips boat which also moors at Brinklow; at another we met Black Bess, and we were both able to say that we read each others blogs. Along this stretch, the Winkwell Swing Bridge added a bit of excitement, and at the boat yard next door they were about to use a very large crane to lift a very small boat.

At Boxmoor Lock in Hemel Hempstead, we wondered if the lock was ever going to empty, thanks to the water weiring over the top gates.

Apsley I recognised, as I did a boat test there a couple of years ago, and we made good use of the modern footbridge as a backdrop. In fact, the wide beam boat that was the subject of the review was still moored outside the marina.

At Nash Mills, the paper mill has been replaced by a huge building site.

After the two Nash Mills Locks, we stopped for lunch. At King's Langley Lock, a boat was just going in, so we joined them. Andante turned out to be good lock partners, a retired couple who spend about six months a year on board. It's their first time down the southern GU too. We shared a couple of locks with them (including one where they waited while I went down the weed hatch to remove a length of rope from the prop shaft), then passed under the M25, which means London must be really close now.

At the nexy lock, a single boat was waiting, and our locking partners suggested that we go ahead as they have no schedule to keep. The boat turned out to be crewed by an elderly man who was on his own. I wish I could say that his boatmanship as a single hander was to be admired; unfortunately, I can't. We were somewhat relieved when he moored after Lady Capel's Lock, and we could wait for Andante again.

The section through The Grove is lovely, with fine bridges, views of the mansion, and a former water mill.

We continued through the Cassiobury Park Locks with Andante and moored above Iron Bridge Lock. It's felt like a long day. We've done 25 locks -- but they've felt like hard work mostly because they're all evenly spaced out, which means a lot of walking. 25 in a flight doesn't seem anything like such a chore. We needed to do more washing, but all the locks meant there was no opportunity to run the Travel Power; so once we were moored up, we changed the bed and put the washing machine on.

11 miles, 25 locks. (86 miles, 80 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 6

2011-09-15T17:26:00.001+01:00

Last night we walked through the reservoirs back to Marsworth, to eat at the Angler's Retreat. We both had pie and veg, which were good, although all the other customers seemed to know each other, which we always find a bit disconcerting! The state of the reservoirs was quite shocking. Tringford and Marsworth were both several feet lower than they should be, but Startops End was verging on empty.

The moorings at the current end of the Wendover arm are very quiet, and we slept well. This morning was sunny and calm, and we set off at about 8.45. We'd planned to do a wash load while on the lock free section, but the Travel Power (engine driven generator) wouldn't come on. We tried it a couple of times, and checked all the basic things. In the end, we gave up. The Wendover Arm seemed to have much more water this morning -- I guess the levels had recovered a bit overnight, while the locks weren't being used. We reached Bulbourne Junction in about half an hour, and turned right. A little way further on is BW's Bulbourne Depot, where lock gates are made. Part of the building has clearly been let to someone who creates metal scuptures.

We entered the Tring Cutting to find a boat across the canal. Adrian got off and pulled it to the side, banging in its one mooring pin; the other ropes had apparently been attached to bit of wood stuck in the ground, which may explain why it had come loose.

The cutting itself is lush, green, and chilly. It's not as deep as some of those on the Shroppie, but remarkable none the less.

At Cowroast, we turned into the marina to see if someone could look at the Travel Power. In the mean time, Adrian had posted a question to the Briadbar Owners' Group, and had replies saying that sometimes these things take a while to wake up. That probabaly explains why it worked fine when an engineer came to look at it. He recognised Briar Rose: the previous owner had bought it there, and stayed for a while in the marina.

I reversed out of the marina, while Adrian went down to the lock, where a boat was coming up. They stayed in the lock quite a long time after it was open, as they went to empty their loo. As we finally went in, another boat arrived, so we had a partner for the locks down to Berkhamsted. Radinka had two ex-squaddies on board, one of whom was recovering from a broken back -- yet still managed to work quite a few of the locks. Some of the locks here need to be left empty and with a bottom paddle open, so needed filling. Some need a BW key to unlock the gear. At some, we met boats coming up.

At Berkhamsted, we moored up below Lock 52 at lunchtime. We went to Waitrose, which is alongside the canal, for lunch in the cafe and provisions. We then decided to stay put for a while and do the washing; while that was going on we washed the towpath side of the boat (using the Washmatic system we bought at the IWA National; you really can do a whole boat side and the roof with one tiny bucket of water), and I did the mushrooms and portholes. Until now, we've been about half a day ahead of schedule, and Berkhamsted was in the plan as tonight's overnight stop. So we decided to stay where we were. It's a nice spot, opposite a park, although the Virgin trains are quite loud. I decided to start trying to clean the brass Houdini hatch, and Adrian started setting up the satellite dish. A couple of minutes later, I heard a splash, and saw Adrian swimming to the side: he'd fallen off the gunwales. He was OK -- a little shaken at first, but was able to stand up get out of the water. It certainly gave our neighbouring boats something to talk about.

7 miles, 7 locks. (75 miles, 55 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 5

2011-09-14T17:06:00.002+01:00

We knew we didn't have far to go today, so we had a relaxed start to the day. Even so, we were away by 8.45, on a lovely autumnal morning -- blue skies, bright sunshine, but a nip in the air.

Yesterday afternoon, we had to keep going up locks because there was no-where to moor. Typically, this morning we found that if we'd gone up one more (or two, even) there were great mooring places. Above the three Seabrook Locks is a swing bridge. A single-hander was waiting the other side, and asked if he could sneak through while we had the bridge open. He was even happier to see that the gates of the lock had swung open ready for him.

We passed busy little basins at Pitstone Wharf and Cooks Wharf, then negotiated a long line of fishermen. There was even a fisherman on the landing at the next lock. At the two Marsworth Locks before the junction, there was a little day boat from Grebe Cruises at Pitstone Wharf. The young couple were being helped by a woman from a private boat, which was waiting for them in the next lock up. They needed a hand because they had absolutley no idea what to do, and hadn't been given any instructions beyond a diagram. Once they were through, Adrian turned the lock so we could go up. The next lock also needed turning, but a family of swans took the opportunity of an easy ride down.

At Marsworth Junction we stopped on the services and filled the water tank to the brim. I love junctions, but this one isn't the most attractive. The BW office is closed and the area is due to be redeveloped, which has caused some controversy. I hope they build something suitable here.

Once we'd filled the tank, we moved over to the other side of the canal and moored on the visitor spaces. We did a circular walke taking in the village, where we admired the church and the older houses, and the start of the Aylesbury Arm, which begins with a narrow staircase lock. Even though we're ahead of schedule, we haven't been able to find enough time to do the Aylesbury Arm -- the tide times on the Thames dicate which day we need to do that part of the journey. However, I'm sure we'll be back down this way before long.

After an early lunch, we headed up the remaining seven Marsworth locks. This section of canal is incredibly twisty. We had to turn the first five locks, which I worked, then when Adrian had taken over the lock work we met a single hander comingi down with two boats breasted up. Even with Adrian's help the lock seemed to take ages, not helped by him getting a bit stuck on the way out of the lock because of the multitude of fenders he had out.

For a lover of juntions, today was a good day, as Bulbourne Junction is immediately after the top lock. The Wendover Arm leaves the main line to the right, next to an impressive junction house. A widebeam trip boat came towards us as we left the lock, so our turn into the arm gave them something to photograph.

The Wendover Arm is very shallow, so it was slow going. It's also surprisingly industrial, with a huge flour mill.

But it's soon out into the countryside, narrow and twisty, before you get to the current limit of navigation, a large winding hole. We turned and moored up -- we're on a bend because there isn't much that's not on a bend. This evening, we plan to take up a recommendation of Neil from Herbie, who commented the other day about the food at the Angler's Retreat in Marsworth. We'll the footpaths round the reservoirs to get to the pub, which is just a mile away.

5 miles, 12 locks. (68 miles, 48 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 4

2011-09-13T18:35:00.001+01:00

Last night we had more visitors to Briar Rose: Russell, whom I've known for more than ten years, since we were both in local commercial radio together, and who's recently moved to the area because he's working for Anglia tv, came to see us with his partner, James. It's ages since we've seen each other, so there was plenty to catch up on.

Today was much calmer than the forecast suggested, although the wind has increased during the day. It was lovely and sunny but rather chilly as we made our way through Milton Keynes. Everyone seemed relieved that the wind had dropped, as we saw more moving boats in the first hour than we had the whole of yesterday. Soon we arrived at Fenny Stratford Lock, our first uphill lock since Saturday. A boat was coming the other way and had already swung the bridge, and opened the gate for us.

Many of the locks on this stretch once had narrow locks alongside, in order to save water -- it's a pity they're no longer there. Stoke Hammond is one such lock, and the position of the narrow lock can clearly been seen. At the lock, there were bags of tomatoes for 50p, which turned out to be very juicy and tasty.

We'd passed plenty of boats going the other way, so the Soulbury three locks were in our favour. It was too early for the pub to be busy, but with tables right up to the lock side I can imagine that there'd be dozens of gongoozlers on a weekend afternoon. A pair of boats were coming down the top lock, so we all had to pass in the top pound.

This is a lovely canal, much prettier than we'd been expecting, and it still looked good when the sun suddenly disappeared and was replaced by rain. It was quite heavy at times; but as one passing boater said, it was better than yesterday's wind. Leighton Lock was done in the rain, then we arrived at Leighton Buzzard. We moored beyond the bridge and had lunch, by which time the sun had returned, so we walked into the town which is very attractive with lots of interesting-looking buildings. We found a decent hardware shop, where we bought a new cable for the satellite dish, in case it was the old cable rather than incompetence responsible for our failure to get a signal so far. (We have got a signal tonight, but whether it's down to the cable is anyone's guess.)

We set off again intending to do just a couple of locks, then moor somewhere. Church Lock gets its name from the little chapel alongside (according to the Pearson guide, once the smallest chapel in Buckinghamshire). It's now a house, so I hope the owners didn't mind me taking a photo over the wall.

We ended up going much further than anticipated, more by accident than design. All the decent bits of towpath edge had boats on them, then above Horton Lock we couldn't get near the side because it was too shallow. However, it hardly mattered because it was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and the views across towards the Chilterns are stunning. The Whipsnade chalk lion was clearly visible.

We ended up coming up the two Ivinghoe Locks, and mooring just beyond Bridge 123, below the Seabrook Locks. It's quite breezy again, but it's a pleasant spot with a nice view of Ivinghoe Church in the distance.

17 miles, 12 locks. (63 miles, 36 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 3

2011-09-12T20:16:00.001+01:00

It rained during the night, but neither of us heard it. We set off before 8.30, in blustery conditions, grey skies, and rain in the air. The first of the remaining Stoke Bruerne locks was full, but the others were empty. The pounds in between are quite wide, and Adrian had to fight to stop the wind taking Briar Rose over to the far side. There was a boat coming up the bottom lock, which meant it was ready for us.

By the time we reached the foot of the flight, the sky had cleared and the sun was out -- but it was still extremely windy. At times, steering and direction of travel had very little in common. However, the Northamptonshire countryside is charming, and the Grand Union has some fine bridges.

One of the finest is at Cosgrove, where we stopped to fill up with water.

We had to fight to get away from the bank at Cosgrove, and there were waves on the water on the approch to Cosgrove lock (where we had our photo taken by a woman who thanked us for coming through at just the right time!) Shortly after the lock comes the Iron Trunk aqueduct over the Ouse.

We stopped at Wolverton for lunch and to visit Tesco. We struggled to moor up because of the strength of the wind -- a boat who came to help said he'd needed five people to get his boat in earlier in the day; they'd come from the surrounding flats to help him. Since we were last here, the new flats have been completed, and the old railway building has been converted into houses and offices.

There's a modern aqueduct over a dual carriageway a little further on. The winding hole just beyond is where we turned when we came this way on Debdale four years ago, so the rest of the Grand Union is virgin territory for us. At Great Linford there's a pretty church and a lovely wharf house.

We stopped for a while at Giffard Park, tired of the wind. But having had a look around we decided to carry on into Milton Keynes proper, and went another half an hour to Campbell Park. We moored opposite the park, and walked up into the town centre. It's quite a long walk, but the park is full of interest, with a cricket ground and a band stand, each with natural amphitheatre seating. We achieved our main goal: buying a new kettle. What's more, the famous concrete cows have been relocated to the shopping centre.

It's still windy, and will continue to be so tomorrow, if the forecast is to be believed.

14 miles, 6 locks. (46 miles, 24 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 2

2011-09-11T18:39:00.000+01:00

Last night, we had a great evening with Kath and Neil from Herbie. We hope they found their way back along the dark towpath to their car.

The moorings by Bridge 10 were very quiet, but for some reason we were up early. It was a lovely morning -- blue skies and sunshine, and much calmer than had been forecast. We were soon heading through the bridge to the junction, and on to the top Buckby lock.

The lock was full with its gates open. We (possibly rather cheekily) decided that as we'd been up at least an hour and had seen no boats heading for the lock, that would count as our one hour waiting time, so we headed down alone. The second lock was empty, but the subsequent ones all had their top gates open, and in most cases paddles too.

When we got to the fifth lock down, a lock keeper came along and asked us to moor up. The pound below was extremely low -- the couple on a boat moored in the pound said they'd fallen out of bed when their boat settled on the bottom at an angle. The lock keeper (who'd just asked us whether we'd waited for another boat to travel with) then started to run water down to refill the pound. It took a while, so we had enough time to make some tea. The boat which had been grounded joined us for the final two locks -- the bottom one had water weiring over the gates, and there were four boats waiting to come up.

The next stretch of canal has the M1 close by, but then veers off so becomes much quieter. It's also surprisingly pretty. We came this way four years ago, but we didn't remember much. Weedon was busy, and we passed the base of William Piper Narrowboats. We remembered Bugbrooke, where last time we stopped at the pup for lunch. Not today though. In an increasingly strong wind we carried on until we spotted a stretch of piling just past Bridge 42 where we stopped for half an hour for lunch.

Gayton Junction, where the Northampton Arm goes off to the left, came next, then Blisworth with it's nicely converted mill building, and the tunnel. We thought we'd make some tea before the tunnel, but when I'd filled the kettle, the handle fell off! There was water all over me and the floor, but at least it was cold and not boiling hot.

We passed three boats in the tunnel, including the trip boat. The other trip boat, which goes to the tunnel mouth, pokes its nose inside, then backs out and turns, confused us slightly at the far end. Until we realised it was the trip boat, we wondered what on earth was going on.

Stoke Bruerne was its usual chaos. There were gongoozlers everywhere, a boat coming up the lock, a boat in the middle waiting to go down, and the trip boat was winding and coming into its mooring. There's also a backpumping scheme, which sends a jet of water across the canal above the lock. All this meant that I ended up in a less than ideal position to get into the lock. However, Briar Rose's ability to turn came into its own again, and I did the sort of swing into the lock that makes it look as though you know exactly what you're doing!

While in the lock, we were being photographed and filmed from all sides. Also, a woman introduced herself as the owner of Braidbar boat No 102, Up Spirits, which she said was moored down below the second lock, where we also planned to moor.

Once we'd moored, we walked back up to the top lock and had an ice cream from the museum shop (which doesn't stock kettles!) When we returned from our walk, another boat had moored in front of us. It turned out to be Nuggler, yet another Braidbar boat, and we had a chat with the owners and their dog.

We seem to have made very good progress today. It was only 3.30 when we moored up, and we're already half a day ahead of schedule. This may turn out to be a very good thing: the forecast is for even stronger winds tomorrow, so we may not go too far.

16 miles, 9 locks. (32 miles, 18 locks)

Autumn Cruise - Day 1

2011-09-10T17:58:00.000+01:00

Adrian picked me up from work just after 10pm last night, and we headed up the M1 to Rugby, arriving at Brinklow Marina just before midnight. We unpacked the car and went to bed.

This morning was very murky looking, but we were up reasanably early, prepared the boat, moved the car round to the car park, and set off at 8am on the dot. There were only a handful of boats on the move, but the pattern of moorings was unusual: Newbold was absolutely full, as were the moorings by the aqueducts at Rugby; the moorings by the park and Tesco's were almost empty. At Hillmorton, the offside locks were closed and there was a lock keeper on duty. We were slightly dismayed to see a boat going up in front of us, but the lockie said we should turn the lock and follow them, as there was no-one coming down. It was a similar story at the middle lock, but by the time we got to the top lock, the downward traffic had started.

Between Hillmorton and Braunston, there were a couple of attempts at rain showers, but they never lasted more than a couple of minutes. It was also quite warm, so it was a case of putting the waterproof jacket on, then almost immediately taking it off again.

We had lunch on the move on the approach to Braunston, where we stopped for a visit to Tradline Fenders. We were hoping to get new bow and stern fenders, but apparently they make them in the winter and sell them in the summer -- and they've sold them all. We set off for the locks, where there's a sign asking boaters to wait up to an hour for a locking partner. We had to wait half an hour for another boat to turn up, time which was spent browsing round the chandlers at the bottom lock. By the time Susie B had joined us, a boat was coming down the lock. It seems people coming down weren't bothering to wait, because we met three single boats during the course of the flight.

Our locking partners were very competent, and we made it up the six locks in little more than an hour. Again, we'd had rain showers and sunshine, so coats were on and off several times. At the tunnel, we followed Susie B, and passed four boats coming the other way, including a tupperware. On the far side of the tunnel, the weather seemed much better. Boats coming the other way had relayed stories of seventeen boats waiting to go down the Buckby flight, so we thought we'd better stop before Norton Junction. We found a nice spot, with mooring rings, just before Bridge 10, with great views across the Northants countryside and the Leicester Arm of the Grand Union.

I've got a chili on the go, and Kath and Neil from Herbie are on their way to share it with us.

16 miles, 9 locks

Hanbury Range on test

2011-09-07T07:44:00.001+01:00

The October edition of Canal Boat is out, and includes my test of two boats from the Hanbury Range by the New Boat Company. First there's a narrowboat, then as 12ft wide beam.

Tidal Thames preparation

2011-09-05T13:45:00.002+01:00

We're trying to make sure that we're as prepared as possible for our trip through central London on the Tidal Thames. So we've downloaded the upstream edition of the Tideway Handbook which has been printed out, laminated, and put in a level arch file. This is a tip we've picked up from Sue and Richard on Indigo Dream.

The handbook has a guide to all the bridges, complete with a diagram showing where the channel is and which arch to go through.

The file also contains my ships licence and my VHF operator's certificate, so everything is in one place.

Oxford Canal

2011-08-30T21:16:00.000+01:00

To the Oxford Canal today, for the third boat test in three weeks. We're trying to get ahead before winter. The promised sunny spells didn't materialise, but at least a handwritten sign in a window opposite some moorings provided some amusement.

We were all done by lunchtime, so I drove a few miles to Lower Heyford and went to the waterside cafe at Oxfordshire Narrowboats for lunch. While I was there, the Jolly Boatman day boat, of Muddy Waters fame arrived back.

September planning

2011-08-27T08:18:00.000+01:00

In two weeks, we'll be setting off on a three week cruise. For some time, we've planned to do the Thames Ring, heading down to London on the Grand Union, going to Paddington Basin, then doing the Tidal Thames from Limehouse the Teddington, up the Thames (all the way to Lechlade if there's time), and returning via the Oxford Canal. That would be 346 miles and 199 locks.

The most crucial point of the trip is the Tidal Thames, and the tide times during the week in questio aren't very helpful. In order to do the trip on a day with a reasonable tide time, we've had to sacrifice a trip down the Aylesbury Arm.

But our big trips wouldn't be the same unless we had to replan (two years ago we were scuppered by the closure of the Shroppie; three years ago the floods on the Avon and the breach on the Stourbridge made us rethink). This time, it's water shortages on the Oxford. BW have imposed restrictions on the locks each side of the summit, and would really prefer people not to go that way at all.

So we've come up with an alternative plan. After the Tidal Thames, we'd go and do the River Wey. The we'd return to Teddington, do the tidal section to Brentford, and return up the Grand Union. That would be 315 miles and 282 locks.

Of course it's nice to do a ring, but this route does have a number of plus points. The Wey is the connected waterway closest to home, and we've walked quite a bit of it. It would be good to boat it. It would also mean that we'd complete the GU, by including the bit from Brentford to Bull's Bridge Junction. And we'd probably be able to fit in the Aylesbury Arm.

We'll probably wait until we get to London, assess the latest situation, and decide then which route to take home.

Another job done

2011-08-25T13:16:00.001+01:00

The All Oaks Wood moorings are very nice and quiet, even allowing for the heavy rain and the ducks in hobnail boots playing on the roof early this morning. Yesterday evening, I managed to get a big chunk of my boat review written. This morning, after breakfast, I wrote most of the rest. It needs a bit of a polish in places, but the back on it is broken.

I set off at about 10.15. It was cloudy, but reasonably warm, and at least there was very little breeze, which made getting onto the pontoon relatively straight forward. Having tied up, I drove into Rugby to get a few things to enable me to tick a job off the list: replacing the very corroded interior trims on the mushroom vents.

When we had Briar Rose surveyed before purchase, the surveyor noted that inside the mushroom vents you can see a gap between the wood of the ceiling and the sprayfoam insulation above it. He thought moisture could get into the gap, and then condense, making the back of the wooden ceiling damp; he suggested filling the gap. This seemed logical to me, so I got some expanding foam filler, to do the job while the trims were off anyway.

This turns out to be the stuff of nightmares. You have to hold the can upside down and apply the filler through a straw. This is not easy when you're working above your head, and are trying to fill a circular gap. It also expands enormously, and keeps on doing so for a considerable time.

After about 45 minutes, it's stopped growing and is hard enough to trim with a knife.

Finally, the new brass trims could go on. They're a huge improvement, and make quite a difference.

2 miles, 0 locks. (6 miles, 0 locks)

Crick Marina and singlehanding

2011-08-24T17:52:00.003+01:00

I had to go to Crick Marina this morning for a boat test. Because the boat builder had quite a distance to travel, we agreed to start a bit later than usual. This meant I ended up with some time to kill, so routed through Braunston, where I made a visit to the chandlery at the bottom lock, and had a cup of tea at the Gongoozler's Rest floating cafe.

When we got to the marina, the boat in question was hemmed in, with another boat right in front. All the staff qualified to move it were apparently out shopping, but eventually, thanks to a bright idea from the marina manager, we managed to extract the boat from its mooring and get going. Fortunately, the weather was far far better than the forecast, with blue skies and warm sunshine.

We seemed to be very efficient today, so were all done by lunchtime. I headed off to Rugby, where I stopped at Tesco for some provisions, then made my way to Brinklow and Briar Rose. As it was such a nice afternoon, I couldn't resist taking a little trip. Surprisingly, this is the first time I've been out on the boat on my own, although Adrian has single handed a couple of times (first on Debdale, then on BR).

I turned left out of the marina and was soon going through the dappled sunshine in All Oaks Wood. There were quite a few boats on the move. At Stretton Stop, I turned in the arm just as a boat was about to come through the little swing bridge. I moored up just after Bridge 34 at the All Oaks Wood moorings that we've used a few times. The guy who'd come through the swing bridge also moored here; he just managed to fit into the gap behind me. Shortly afterwards a heavy shower came through, but now it's sunny again. Heavy rain is forecast for tonight, which is probably just as well given that British Waterways has just imposed even more restrictions because the reservoirs are so low. Now Foxton Locks will be all but closed from this weekend, and there are restricted opening times at Atherstone and Calcutt Locks.

4 miles, 0 locks.

Lifesavers

2011-08-23T16:00:00.000+01:00

The latest items we've bought for our Thames trip next month have just arrived: a pair of automatically inflating life jackets. Briar Rose already had two life jackets on board, but they're the foam type and rather bulky. Also, some friends are joining us for that part of the cruise so we needed a couple more.

Going Nowhere

2011-08-21T19:22:00.000+01:00

I arrived back at Briar Rose from work at around 11.30 last night, and went straight to bed. This morning, we had a relaxed start to the day, just pottering around doing very little. We filled the water tank, which took much longer than expected; it seems we didn't fill up after our weekend trip earlier in the month.

I had to leave for work again at 11.15. The commute from Brinklow is further than the one from home, but takes no longer -- even with the 20 mile stretch of the M1 that's got a 50mph limit. Adrian thought about going for a little trip on the boat on his own, but decided against it. He had to leave late afternoon for London, ready for work tomorrow.

Our next visit will probably be for the start of our three week trip next month. We've planned a route, and are now planning a contingency. The water levels on the South Oxford are low, and there are restrictions on the locks up to each end of the summit pound. Someone has posted some photos on the Canal World Forum, taken by a BW manager, showing the state of the reservoirs which serve the Leicester Line and the South Oxford: it's easy to understand why there are problems.

August Weekend

2011-08-20T21:28:00.006+01:00

I joined Adam on Briar Rose soon before 5pm on Friday. My journey up from Portsmouth was quite good, considering it was an August Friday afternoon. We had dinner on board, and then went for a walk around the marina, getting back to Briar Rose just before it started raining.

This morning Adam and I took Briar Rose across to the pump out point, and completed our first solo pump out. Very exciting stuff, really....

Before Adam had to head off to London for work we drove across to visit Barby Moorings, the marina we're moving to at the end of September. The marina is technically open, with a number of boats onsite, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The bridge across to the mooring island has been completed, and is looking really good. They're waiting for the concrete to cure before they can finish the pointing of the underside of the bridge, and then they can remove the coffer dams to allow the water through.

The mooring pontoons are due to be floated into place over the next few weeks, so it's all ahead for our move at the end of September.

I have spent the rest of the day on board, dodging the rain showers. Adam will be heading up to Briar Rose after work, and is probably heading up the M1 as I write.

Mercia Marina Again

2011-08-19T15:31:00.000+01:00

It's seems strange that in three years of boat tests I'd never been to Mercia Maria before last month, and yet the very next one was also there. Today's boat was very different from the one a couple of weeks ago, and we turned left out of the marina, going down to Stenson and back, to make sure the photos look different. The sun came out, too.

The whole area is dominated by the disused cooling towers of the old power station. Looking the other way from the marina, you can see the rather less impressive (but operationla) chimneys of the Toyota factory.

I've come back to Briar Rose, and Adrian is coming up this evening after work.

It's curtains!

2011-08-18T20:26:00.000+01:00

I came up to Briar Rose this morning, as I have a boat test to do up this way tomorrow. It turned out to be the slowest and most difficult journey since we've been coming up here, thanks to torrential rain for most of the route. I hope it's been doing the same on the reservoirs which feed canals like the Oxford, which are exceptionally low at the moment.

After lunch on the boat, the first job was to take the old oil from our first oil change to the recycling centre in Rugby. It's less than ten minutes drive from the marina.

Then I set about hanging our new curtains. The old ones were a bit better since we washed them all, but they were still falling apart. The new ones were made for us by Southsea Nets who know all about narrowboat curtains because the company is owned by the daughter of Sue from No Problem.

Before

After

They look fantastic. We'd been a bit concerned they'd be too bold, but they look great. They've got blackout linings which will keep the light out on bright mornings. We've also got some cushions and porthole bungs, although they're not quite as tight a fit as the old ones.

This evening, the rain has cleared and there's been a beautiful sunset.

While I was taking some photos of the sunset out the side hatch, I was surprised by a huge fish splashings its tail out the water. I enticed it back a little later with some bread.

Chance on test

2011-08-11T13:21:00.000+01:00

The September edition of Canal Boat is out and includes my review of Chance, the MGM boat which came second at the Crick Show.

Early August Weekend - Day 3

2011-08-07T17:21:00.000+01:00

The Hartshill moorings are really very nice, and we woke to a sunny morning without a cloud in the sky -- not a bit like the forecast. It was quite breezy, though, and a bit chilly at first. As it was Sunday, we treated ourselves to a cooked breakfast, and set off at just before quarter to nine.

It was a fairly uneventful run through to Hawkesbury Junction, with a reasonable amount of traffic coming the other way, but we tended to meet the boats in open sections rather than at blind bridge holes, which makes a change. An old working boat passed us with an umbrella set up in the hold. Closer inspection revealed that this was providing shade for their rabbits.

At Hawkesbury, Adrian did another good turn round the junction while I prepared the lock. We stopped for lunch past Bridge 4, quite close to the M6, so there was a constant roar of traffic, but pleasant enough.

This afternoon, we've had a mixture of warm sunshine and light showers, so the jackets have been on and off numerous times. The canal towards Stretton Stop runs on an embankment with the railway on another embankment alongside.

At Stretton Stop, Adrian got off to open the little swing bridge, and we left it for the boat just behind us to close. We turned into the marina to a typically windy situation, with waves being whipped up on the water. It took quite a lot of power to get us onto the pontoon, but we managed it without hitting anything and we soon tied up. One of the harbour masters came along offering cup cakes, which he's given regularly by one of the other moorers.

We'll pack, have something to eat, and then head home ready for work tomorrow.

18 miles, 1 lock. (44 miles, 2 locks)

Early August Weekend - Day 2

2011-08-06T20:03:00.001+01:00

Last night, the music being broadcast by the boat permanently moored across the cut got louder and louder as the evening went on, being turned up even further when the three women on board went inside. By 9.30, Adrian was trying to call to them to turn it down a bit; he was joined by the man from the boat moored behind us -- but they either couldn't hear, or didn't want to. Eventually the man from the boat behind went to get his bugle (!), and a few blasts on that got them to turn the volume down a bit. However, it was soon back to top volume again, and stayed that way until well after 10pm. Surely the same rules should apply to music as to running engines -- in that neither should be heard by anyone else after 8pm.

This morning, we resisted the temptation to crash into the boat opposite as we left at about 8.45. A boat was in the stop lock as we approached, but the one foot difference in level doesn't take long so we were soon entering the lock.

Once through the lock, Adrian did a great job of getting round the junction in one go. Of course there was no-one around to see. As we hadn't planned to come in this direction, we didn't have a firm idea of where to head for. We considered turning onto the Ashby, but decided instead to carry on along the Coventry Canal. At Nuneaton, we stopped at Boot Wharf and where diesel was a reasonable price, and they take any split declaration. It turned out to be a very friendly and helpful place. While we were there, there was a half-hearted attempt at a rain shower, but before long the sun was coming out. We stopped for lunch at Hartshill, getting onto the end of the moorings just before Bridge 33. It was such a nice spot that we decided we'd stay for the rest of the day, so we made a five minute trip to the winding hole just beyond the bridge, then came back and moored in the same place.

I Brassoed the mushroom vents (even though the roof was too hot to kneel on). We then walked across the fields from Bridge 33, under the railway line, and along the road to Dobbie's garden centre, where we bought a few provisions including some cooking apples to go with blackberries we'd spotted in the hedgerow next to the boat. We came back via the road, while eating an ice cream, to make a circular walk. I then picked the blackberries. I intended to make a blackberry and apple crumble, but it turned out we had no flour on board, so that turned into fruit and custard.

During the afternoon, we achieved one of the main jobs we'd had earmarked for this weekend: an oil change. Adrian pumped out all the old oil, I got the oil filter off, and we put new oil in. For a first time, we managed the whole thing without any drama, and without getting too much oil in the bilges. No doubt the next time will be easier, because we'll know what we're doing.

We've had a couple of heavy downpours during the afternoon, and there's been a steady stream of boats by. One of the most dramatic was an old working boat, with its unladen bow high in the air. It certainly scared a group of Swedish people who'd just gone by on a hire boat, who must have panicked as they ended up across the canal.

9 miles, 1 locks. (26 miles, 1 lock)

Early August Weekend - Day 1

2011-08-05T19:06:00.001+01:00

We came up to the boat last night. Adrian drove to London and picked me up from work at 11pm. The M1 has an infuriatingly long section with a 50mph limit, and there were overnight works in a few places making the motorway just one lane. Even so, we arrived at the boat at quarter to one.

This morning, we unpacked the rest of the things from the car, and filled the water tank while we had breakfast. The idea of the weekend was to go to Braunston for a few things, including fenders from Tradline. We left at 9, and all was going well, with only a few boats on the move, until we got to Hillmorton Locks. We knew that BW had closed one lock in each pair, in order to save water, and were expecting the flight to take longer than usual. But we found ourselves ninth in the queue -- it seems the problem had been that there was one-up-one-down in operation, to avoid turning locks, and there hadn't been enough people coming down. I walked up to the top of the locks, and found there were four boats on their way or waiting at the top. We'd been there 45 mins, and had moved up to sixth in the queue, so decided to turn round and go the other way instead.

It was turning into a lovely day as we made our way back through Rugby, passing plenty of boats. We decided to have lunch on the move, and passed Brinklow Marina at about 2pm. We wondered whether Briar Rose had even been straight past the marina entrance without turning in.

At the All Oaks Wood mooring, we did our good deed for the day. A boat coming the other way had warned us that one of those moored ahead was on a long line. As we went past, it was clear that it wasn't attached to the bank at all. Adrian reversed to a position where we could push the boat towards the towpath, then I crossed onto its gunwales, and pulled it into the bank. It had fore, aft, and centre ropes all dangling in the water, and all with mooring stakes attached. I got the lump hammer and banged them back in.

The demolished bridge at Ansty has had some more work done on it since we were last here, with new brickwork. It's not clear what they're doing, unless they're planning to put a wooden span on the brick supports.

As this wasn't our planned trip, we didn't have a destination in mind. Ansty was full, so we carried on and got to Hawkesbury Junction at 5.15. It was lovely and sunny and warm, so we didn't mind at all. To our surprise, there was a Briar Rose sized gap, with a straight edge, on the approach to the junction, so we slotted in. There are occasional motorbikes up and down the towpath, and the permanent moorer opposite is playing music quite loudly -- reinforcing my view that Hawkesbury Junction is never as nice as it could and should be.

17 miles, 0 locks

July weekend - Day 3

2011-07-31T18:37:00.000+01:00

We were up and about reasonably early this morning, on another lovely sunny day, and slipped away from our moorings just after 8. Less than an hour later we were turning through the iron bridge into the marina.

Adrian put us expertly onto our pontoon, we packed, and left in the car bound for the IWA festival at Burton on Trent.

The show ground seemed quite quiet, although we were there not long after the gates opened. We had a look at the commercial boats, walked round the stands, bought a few things, talked to lots of people, had an ice cream, and walked along the towpath to see the visiting boats.

Then is was back to the car for a really good run home. We'll be making the most of having our own boat, by having another few days on board next weekend.

2 miles, 0 locks.

July Weekend - Day 2

2011-07-30T19:36:00.001+01:00

Yesterday afternoon, we walked back to the marina and moved the car to the little car park at All Oaks Corner, so that it was ready for this morning. After breakfast, we picked up the car and drove up to Cheshire to spend the day with my sister, her husband, and their two girls, Rachel and Emily. We were meeting Emily for the first time.

We had a lovely day with them, taking the dogs for a walk, having lunch, and going for a look round Stonyford Cottage Gardens, where there's a nice place for tea and cake.

Rachel, who's two and a bit, is talking amazingly well; Emily is the spitting image of her, and while we were having tea this afternoon rolled herself over for the first time.

We drove back, and while Adrian came to open up the boat and run the engine for a bit to charge the batteries, I took the car back to the marina and walked back along the tow path. Just after I arrived back, there's was a meeting of day boats next to where we're moored, which provided a few minutes entertainment.

0 miles, 0 locks.

July Weekend - Day 1

2011-07-29T17:43:00.000+01:00

Adrian drove up to Brinklow Marina last night after work; I worked a night shift, then got the train to Rugby this morning. There's lots of canal spotting to be done on the way, particularly towards the end of the journey when the railway line passes close to various marinas, including Whilton, over the Buckby locks, and over the bridge at Hillmorton. Amazingly, along one stretch of canal I spotted the boat of a Canal World Forum member, who moors at Napton Junction. The chances of that must be pretty slim.

Adrian suggested that rather than going direct to the boat, we go and have a look at the new Barby Moorings -- as we've booked to move there after our long trip in September. The basin is in water, and the first paying boats are moving in this weekend. There's still some work to do, not least installing the pontoons. The owner was telling us that they've been pre-fabricated and will be floated into place, which is apparently much cheaper. We went to find our berth, which is off the central island. The most fascinating thing was the bridge which is being built to connect the island to the mainland; it's being done in a very traditional fashion. It was good to see the place in more detail, and we're quite exciting about moving there in the autumn.

Back at the boat, after a reviving shower and a cup of tea, we set off at 11.30 and turned left out of the marina. It was immediately very busy and we met boats at every bridge hole. At one narrow section, the crew of a little plastic boat jumped off -- and the harder the woman pulled on the bow rope, the further out across the canal the back end went.

We were pleased to see a few spaces at the moorings just past All Oaks Wood, where we stopped on the final night of our June trip, but we carried on towards Easenhall Bridge, where there's a double width work boat moored, which splits in half to get through narrow locks. There was a long line of boats coming through the subsequent cutting, where there have been a number of landslips which reduce the width of the cut. Among them, was the Muddy Waters hire boat from Oxfordshire Narrowboats. The helmsman asked if we were going to a Braidbar convention, as we were the sixth Braidbar Boat he'd seen.

Just before Rose Narrowboats was the coal and diesel boat Callisto, moored alongside its butty. Naturally, a boat was coming the other way. At Rose Narrowbaots, we turned in the arm and headed back to the moorings we'd spotted earlier. Of course, some of the many boats we'd passed had stopped for lunch, but we still managed to fit into a gap, although it was on a bit of a bend. An hour later, when one of the boats left, we moved back a couple of spaces onto a straighter length.

During the afternoon, we went for a walk, and I polished the mushroom vents and portholes. One passing boater said it was looking good; I said I'd be happy as long as he could tell which mushrooms I'd already done.

It's been very busy all afternoon, with boats coming past the whole time. We're getting a taste of the canals on a summer weekend in the school holidays.

4 miles, 0 locks.

Midland Pacific

2011-07-27T12:14:00.000+01:00

Thanks to exceptionally fast service from Piplers of Poole the handheld VHF radio I ordered yesterday arrived this morning. There are quite a lot of functions but very few buttons, so most things need a sequence of presses to set up. I know it works, though, as from home I can hear conversations out in Chichester Harbour!

Classroom Day

2011-07-25T18:04:00.000+01:00

Today, for the first time in a considerable period, I've spent the day in a classroom. Where I had to take an exam. Fortunately, it was a classroom at a marina on the south coast, and the exam was only thirty minutes at the end of the day.

I was taking the RYA's VHF-DSC radio course, in order to get an operator's licence. This, along with a licence from OfCom, is needed for the tidal Thames through central London, which we plan to do as part of out September cruise.

The course, run by the Emsworth School of Navigation, was quite fun, with plenty of hands on operation of a marine VHF radio. A lot of it I will never use, as we plan to get a handheld radio rather than a fitted one with DSC.

But it all has to be done if you want to pass the exam, which I did -- with full marks!

Mercia Marina

2011-07-14T21:43:00.001+01:00

An hour's drive this morning up the M1 to the vast Mercia Marina for a boat test. Well, almost two boat tests. Our "on the water" route took us to the winding hole at Willington -- and some of the boaters moored up seemed a little confused when we did the same route again an hour later, in a boat very similar but with one big difference (and I do mean big).

Among the boats on brokerage at Mercia is Whitefield (on the right in the photo) which I tested after its appearance at Crick in 2008. It cost in the region of a quarter of a million pounds then; now it can be yours for £115,000.

Step installed

2011-07-13T20:07:00.000+01:00

I came up to Brinklow this afternoon as I'm doing a boat test in the morning near Derby, and spending the night on board Briar Rose means I don't have to do all the driving in one day. It was a fairly easy journey, although the A34 during the day is a real test of patience, thanks to the 55mph lorries overtaking the 54mph ones.

Once at the marina, the first job was to put a coat of varnish on the 12ft pole we bought at Braunston at the start of our trip last month. There was just enough varnish left over from building the step to cover the pole. It could do with another couple of coats, but that's a job for another time.

I'd brought the newly-built step from home, so it was time to try it in position at the stern, and fix the cabin hooks to hold it in place.

It fits better than I could have hoped! I know that shouldn't be a surprise as I'd taken the measurements, but the style of construction (ie amateur) doesn't really lend itself to great precision. But it's exactly the right height, the cabin hooks hold it very securely, it feels very solid to stand on, and the anti-slip tape is great.

While I had the screwdrivers out, I added a couple of plaques to the collection. One was the Leicester Ring, which the previous owner had bought but hadn't got round to putting up (we have done the Leicester Ring, although obviously not in this boat); the other was the River Avon, which we bought from the lock keeper at Tewkesbury.

While all this was going on, I filled the water tank (as we're up in a couple of weekend's time, and won't want to spend time doing it then). I've also pointed the dish at the satellite, made the bed, made dinner, and found a Magnum Mini in the freezer for dessert. In other good news, there's sunshine forecast for tomorrow morning.

Step by step

2011-07-07T11:23:00.000+01:00

One of the things we noticed on our first outings on Briar Rose was that it was difficult to find a comfortable place to stand when steering.

We are firm believers that the correct place to stand is forward of the tiller, not on the counter (a view apparently not shared by an increasing number of boaters; I'm particularly amazed by the number of semi-trad owners who stand on the very back of the boat, next to the tiller, even though they've got a whole deck to stand on). There are a couple of reasons why we believe you should stand in front of the tiller: one is that it's much easier to swing the tiller from one side to the other if necessary if you're not standing in the way of it; the other is that if something hits the rudder the tiller could move sharply, and if you're standing beside it you could be knocked off.

Lecture over, back to the story. The trouble with Briar Rose is that immediately inside the rear doors is a 9 inch drop to the engine boards, and if you stand down there you can't see anything.

For our first couple of weekend trips we balanced on the door sill. Then when we bought a tool box for the boat I managed to find one that was about the right height and size. But although it's designed to be stood on occasionally (it has a metal body and foot treads on the lid), it wasn't a long term solution.

So this weekend, I built a step.

I confess that there's very little skill or craftsmanship involved. I got the local DIY store to cut the wood to size, and the pieces are simply glued and screwed together, with some very chunky batons down the corners. However, it is very solid and sturdy, it's had plenty of coats of varnish, and I've put some strips of anti-slip tape on the top. I've also bought some cabin hooks, so it can be secured in place yet easily removed when we need to take the engine boards up. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with it (as long as I measured correctly...)

Barolo on Test, and Crick special

2011-07-02T10:17:00.002+01:00

The August issue of Canal Boat is out, and includes my boat test of the Crick winner, Barolo.

There's also a Crick special feature, with mini reviews of twenty boats from the show.

June Cruise - Day Sixteen

2011-06-26T15:54:00.000+01:00

With only a couple of miles to do this morning, we had a relaxed start to the day and set off at 9am. The sun was coming out, and it was already warm. As we approached Brinklow Marina, there appeared to be a boat coming towards us, so I held back to let it through. However, it was a Napton hire boat trying to wind in the marina entrance. They failed, and ended up going right through the bridge. I followed them in, and Adrian shouted some advice about keeping the tiller over, so they didn't just end up facing the same way. We were on our pontoon before they'd managed to turn around.

We had a quick cup of tea, then walked round to the car and set off for Braunston, to visit the working boats rally. We parked and walked down the canal to the junction, buying an ice cream on the way. We were fortunate that Sarah Edgson's boat Ling was there, and we were invited on board. Already there were Amy and James from Lucky Duck, Dan from the Canal World Forum, and Lesley from Caxton. We had a great time going through the junction and back through the marina. When James took the tiller he made the turn out of the marina onto the main line look easy -- many hadn't.

We also bumped into Sarah from Chertsey, then sat chatting to Kath and Neil from Herbie. Then I collected a pair of plank and pole stands which Peter Milburn from Milburn Boats made for us, and had left at the marina office.

Then it was back to the boat to pack and clean. We'll have an early dinner, then I'm off to London on the train from Rugby as I have an early shift tomorrow, and Adrian will head home in the car.

It's been a great trip, with a good mix of new territory and familiar places. We've done plenty of entertaining on board, and Briar Rose has been everything we hoped. In our 206 miles and 209 locks, we clocked up 99.9 engine hours.

2 miles, 0 locks. (206 miles, 209 locks)

June Cruise - Day Fifteen

2011-06-25T17:54:00.000+01:00

While the rain was coming down yesterday evening and last night, the water level in the pound where we were moored was also dropping. It was down by around eight inches by this morning. We were awake when a boat went past at 6am, and decided that as the Atherstone flight can be slow at the best of times, we'd beat the crowds by getting up and going early. We set off just before 7 -- noticing that the boat which had been moored behind us (and going the same way) had gone. This meant all the locks were full and had to be emptied before we could go up.

The Atherstone locks fill painfully slowly. But halfway up the flight there's a lock with a working paddle on the side pond (all the rest have been taken away). I used it to speed up the filling process, but of course you have to lower the paddle when the lock is half full, or you start losing water to the side pond.

We met a boat coming down at lock five, so the next few were in our favour. But the top lock was full -- not just of water, but of the result of someone's gardening. I managed to fish out quite a lot of the rubbish, but we still ended up with yards of rose cuttings trailing behind us, which had to be extracted from around the rudder.

We passed Bendigedig moored at Bridge 34 just before Hartshill (and noted the mooring for future reference!). The Hartshill yard is looking a bit unloved, although the buildings are still impressive.

At Nuneaton it rained, although even this couldn't make this stretch of canal look any worse. There's rubbish in the water, graffiti on every bridge, and the towpath (which looks as though money was spent on it at one point) is overgrown along the edges. I like the description of Nuneaton in the Pearson's Guide, where it's given a whole two lines: "Oddly nebulous town of some size which holds itself at arms length from the canal. Nice fountain in the middle of a roundabout on the ring road."

As we passed Marston Junction, where the Ashby Canal starts, a woman was arriving by car to the little car park there, apparently to walk her dog. She was paying so much attention to us going past that she drove straight into on of the wooden posts on the waters edge, cracking he bumper and grille. The noise gave the ducks a fright, too.

Charity Dock looked, to my eyes, much tidier than usual. The mannequins appear to be arranged in proper vignettes now. Here's the obligatory photo of today's entertainment.

We stopped for lunch at Hawkesbury Juntion, then set off again round onto the Oxford. A boat was just coming through the stop lock, so it was ready for us, and Adrian did a great 180 degree turn through the bridge. I thought, yet again, though, that I really don't get the appeal of Hawkesbury. The junction itself is fine, with the bridge and the engine house; but the noise from the M6 is loud, the moorings are next to a bit of scrub land, and there's a huge electricity sub station right there.

The northern Oxford canal was straightened in the 1830s, so there are several long straight sections without much interest. We went through the recently demolished bridge at Ansty, then onto the embankment where Vigin trains fly by right next to the canal.

At Stretton Stop, lots of Rose Narrowboats were waiting for their hirers to arrive. Adrian got off to swing the little bridge which connects the shop to the sheds on the other side. We moored up for the night in a lovely and popular spot past Bridge 34, just before All Oaks Wood, less than two miles from the marina.

20 miles, 10 locks. (204 miles, 209 locks)

June Cruise - Day Fourteen

2011-06-24T20:11:00.000+01:00

Last night we went for a walk round the junction after dinner, taking in the rubbish point which includes useful recycling bins. Just as we got back to Briar Rose the rain started, and it was quite heavy for the rest of the evening. It also rained overnight, I'm told, although I didn't hear it myself.

This morning boats started leaving Fradley Junction early. We set off at 8.10, which proved to be not quite early enough. We thought the boat in front was going slowly, but it turned out to be the one in front of him. Fortunately, he pulled in at Huddlesford to let the two of us pass. But it seemed we were still in a long procession -- a boat was passed going the other way at Whittington said we were the seventh boat he'd passed in five minutes.

Because of this, we were expecting to be in a long queue when we finally reached Glascote Locks. But three boats stopped at Hopwas, more appeared to be tying up at the Fazeley moorings, and boats were also on the two water points there. It meant that as we went through the junction bridge at Fazeley there was no-one in front of us.

At Glascote, the bottom lock was empty so we went straight in, and someone was just coming down the top lock so that was ready for us too. We stopped just above the locks for lunch.

We haven't done the section between Fazeley Junction and Marston Junction (which we'll reach tomorrow), for four or five years, and I'm quickly realising why we haven't rushed back. The suburban gardens of Tamworth (many with little boats moored up) lose their appear fairly quickly; Alvecote marina looks very tired, if not a little delapidated; Polesworth by canal is nothing to write home about; and the next section's main features are a ramshackle smallholding, a sewage works, and the Trent Valley railway line. Perhaps the only bright spot is the Pooley mining heritage centre, with a brightly coloured pit wheel outside.

We got to the bottom of the Atherstone Locks to find no queue, but lots of boats coming down. Two further boats then arrived to follow us up. The people coming down said the flight had taken them hours, as everyone seemed to be going in the same direction, and they'd all tried to set off at the same time. These locks also fill painfully slowly. I helped an eccentric single hander who was broadcasting Steve Wright in the Afternoon to the whole of Warwickshire come down the final lock, then it was our turn. We'd already idintified the long pound above the second lock (lock 10) as a potential overnight mooring, but did consider carrying on up, if all the locks were likely to be in our favour. But the pound looked very inviting -- in the country, decent piling, a few other boats moored, and a hill to protect us a bit from the train noise -- so we moored up.

We then walked into town, mainly to buy a cork screw, as the bottles of wine I bought on special offer at the Tesco in Fazeley yesterday have old fashioned corks in them. On the way we spotted Elsie and Eric from Bendigedig, and stopped for a chat, mostly about the problems they've had with their Travel Power. We got back from the Co-op just in time, as the rain started and looks set to go on for a while.

20 miles, 4 locks. (194 miles, 199 locks)

June Cruise - Day Thirteen

2011-06-23T18:42:00.001+01:00

Wigginshill Bridge proved to be a very good mooring - neither of us heard the road at all. The boat moored in front of us left before we were up; we set off at 8.15, which wasn't exactly late. There had been rain in the night, and the forecast was for showers. The sky certainly looked threatening as we reached Curdworth TopLock, which was relocated when the M6 Toll was built. We got wet a couple of times during the morning.

We like the Curdworth flight. It's pretty and very well kept, with number markers set in flower beds; only the sound of the M42, which runs alongside, spoils things a bit.

Once the locks were out of the way, we carried on to Fazeley Junction, where we saw more boats in a few minutes than we'd seen for days. As we approached the junction, two boats crossed in front of us; another did the same as we poked our bow through the junction bridge, and once we were on the waterpoint opposite, boats came from all three directions.

There's a new building site right at the junction, which wasn't there when we came this way on Debdale in November. We can't remember what was there before; we just hope that whoever moves in doesn't complain about all the boats! While Adrian filled the water tank, I went to the nearby little Tesco to top up supplies.

As there's still a danger that we'll arrive back at Brinklow early, we decided on a small diversion. Instead of turning right towards home, we went left, planning a night at Fradley. We stopped for lunch at Hopwas, pulling in just in front of Piston Broke, although there didn't appear to be anyone at home. The next section always seems to take much longer than it should. There were lots of boats coming the other way. Unusually, we didn't meet them at bridge holes, but many of them were at narrow places with people moored up, or on sharp bends. I felt like suggesting to one helmsman that they stand up to steer, in order to see over the roof. Another might have been able to see better without the pram cover.

At Streethay Wharf, the canal was temporarily blocked while they slipped a boat. This involves moving a pontoon out of the way, so that it drifts across the canal. The wind was strong just here, so we ended up being blown into the side of an open flat moored on the towpath.

With so many boats coming the other way, we hoped there would be space at Fradley. There wasn't, however. Adrian checked below the lock as well (we would have reversed down the lock if necessary), but that was full too. So we decided to wind in the junction, and head back. Fortunately, with quite a few people sitting outside The Swan, the turn went very well, in spite of the wind. Unusually, Adrian had the camera.

We decided to stop just off the end of the official visitor moorings. We're using mooring pins and there's plenty of vegetation up against the windows, but it's fine. The side hatch is on the water side, and Adrian has had great fun feeding a clutch of large-ish ducklings which came visiting.

18 miles, 11 locks. (174 miles, 195 locks)