A mile

I came up to the boat after an early shift, as I have a boat test on Tuesday.  I stopped before the M1 for food shopping on the way, and arrived at about 4pm. Within half an hour I was heading out of the marina; the turn north was against a fresh wind, but it must have gone ok because a group of towpath walkers stopped to watch and then gave me a round of applause!

It was warm but increasingly cloudy, and I thought it was going to rain.  My favourite spot by the footpath through the hedge was occupied by a breasted up pair of boats which have also taken over the towpath, so I carried on through the next bridge to another place I’ve used before.  It hasn’t rained, and in fact the sun has made an appearance.

1 mile, 0 locks.

Pottering about

It rained on and off this morning, often much more on than off.

As I didn’t have any particular need to go anywhere, I spent the morning pottering about the boat, enquiring about blacking which needs doing, and chatting to my friend Orna in Manchester, and Adrian who’s having a day in Nashville.  Around lunchtime I almost set off a couple of times, but each time it started raining again so I ended up having lunch first.  When I finally go going, at about 1.45, it had really brightened up a lot, and all the Canada geese were in the water having a right go at each other.

I went along to Stoke Bruerne to turn around below the locks.  There was a massive widebeam getting ready to leave the water point, so I was glad I managed to get round before he set off; I really wouldn’t have waited to be behind him.

The afternoon got better and better weather wise.  I moored up just before Bridge 63, in a spot I have used before.  This morning’s rain had washed off quite a lot of the dust from the side of the boat, but I still got out a bucket and gave it a bit of a going over, and it did look better once it was done.  Then I thought I’d better go for a walk, as I hadn’t really done anything all day.  I knew there was a path on the opposite side of the canal, so I walked along to the bridge and turned onto it — only to be defeated by massive thick stinging nettles.  There were some very delicate seed heads on the towpath though.

Instead, I walked down to Bridge 60, by Kingfisher Marina, and took a path which looped across fields.  One of them was full of very tall grass.

Another had what looked like thistles in it, and the route of the footpath wasn’t clear.  I walked around the edge instead, and eventually found Bridge 59, the one the other side of Kingfisher.  For a while, I’d been able to head a boat engine, and eventually cause up with Hood, a Samuel Barlow boat which had been at Braunston.

I said they’d done well to get so far, but they explained that they’d left the rally early yesterday.  I got to Briar Rose before they did, and as he went past the helmsman said he could have given me a lift!

6 miles, 0 locks.  (9 miles, 0 locks)

February Weekend: Day 1

We had some logistics to get through to get to the boat this morning.  Adrian was up early and drove to Bicester North Station, where he got on a train to London for an appointment.  I finished a night shift, got a train to Bicester North, picked up the car and drove to the marina.  Everything was well with the boat, and I reversed the minimal winterisation we do, topped up the water tank, and prepared to set off.  I was under way at about 9.45, on a sunny day with a chilly breeze.  Before long I was going through Cosgrove Bridge.

I was lucky at the lock.  I’d just passed a widebeam going north who said the lock would be in my favour. As I arrived, a couple of volunteers were going to the Buckingham Canal Society work boat moored on the other side, and opened a gate for me.  And there was a hire boat just arrived to come up, so they worked me down.

I boated through Wolverton to the winding hole just beyond the Grafton Street Aqueduct where I turned around.  For some reason, turning here is always quick and easy.  I retraced my steps, past the Wolverton mural, and tied up by the flats.  There’s a lot of work going on under scaffolding on one of the blocks; it appears the insulation is being replaced.

It had taken a couple of hours to get there.  I did a bit of cleaning of the boat, and had a shower, then Adrian arrived back from London on a train to Wolverton.  We walked up to Tesco, had lunch at the Costa there, and did shopping for the next couple of days.  We set off again at 1.30, plodding past all the moored boats.  Cosgrove Lock needed turning, and Adrian went to work it.

The sunshine made the countryside look beautiful, and there was even a bit of warmth in it.

We carried on past our marina to Bridge 62 and moored up in a nice sunny spot.  It was just past 3pm.  Having been up since yesterday evening, I don’t think I’ll be up late.

And an update on the Aylesbury murder trial, from the previous post, in which we both gave evidence.  It turned out that the perpetrator had been convicted of a double murder in Poland in the 1990s, had absconded from jail in the 2000s, and had been the subject of an Interpol red notice ever since.  He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 35 years.  The Mirror and Mail websites both have full write-ups, if you want all the details.

9 miles, 2 locks.

Sheffield, and a couple of miles

The alarm went off at 6.30 this morning, and an hour later I was walking through the horse tunnel under the canal at Cosgrove to my car, which was parked in the village. I drove to Towcester, where I met up with Andy the photographer; we went up to Sheffield for a boat test. The weather was, shall we say, less than ideal. However, in one of the drier moments we managed to get some external photos done; near the start I heard Andy say to the guys in the yard, 'Could I borrow that forklift?' I could hardly bear to watch what he had in mind -- so let's just say that he was pleased with the angles he achieved. There's always lots to see at the yard in Sheffield.

Driving back south, the weather got better and better. I parked at the marina and walked along to Cosgrove. On the way, I passed a young duck family, which must be the second brood of the year.

Back at the boat, I was pleased that between 7.30 and 4.30, the solar panel had added 16 per cent age points to the battery state of charge. The Cosgrove moorings are 48 hours, and I'd had every one of them, so decided to move (partly also to give myself some hot water, and a bit more battery charging). I passed the marina and moored just beyond Bridge 62, in a place I've stopped several times before.

2.5 miles, 0 locks. (3.5 miles, 0 locks)

 

Escaping the marina

For the second time this week, I've come up to the boat after work. Today though it was following an early shift, so the drive was somewhat busier, and I arrived much earlier, at 4.30. While on the M1, I'd come through a hail shower, but when I got to the marina it was bright and dry, if a little breezy. I decided that with the extra daylight and reasonable conditions I'd get out of the marina for the night.

There are signs of Spring everywhere, with hedges beginning to sprout leaves, trees almost ready to show too, and even fields of rape beginning to look yellow.

I haven't come far, just down to a spot I like between Bridge 62 and Bridge 61. There's no-one else anywhere nearby. There's been one sharp shower, but it's now sunny again. Tomorrow, I have a funeral to go to in the afternoon in Cambridgeshire, so I'll head back to the marina via Baxter's as we're down to our last few bits of coal, and it can still be pretty chilly.

1 mile, 0 locks.

 

Sunny afternoon

I came up to the boat today as I have a boat test planned for tomorrow. I finished my set of night shifts this morning, and set out after having a shower and getting changed. I stopped on the way to buy some food, and arrived at the marina at around 1.15. The first thing I noticed was that the bank on the far side of the marina was a riot of wild flowers.

I unpacked, had a bit of lunch, and got the boat ready for a little cruise -- just because I prefer to be out of the marina rather than in it. It was about 2.15 when I pulled out of our berth and turned left out of the marina. The Navigation Inn next door is open again after its extensive refurbishment, and looks very smart. The back of the building has been transformed with a new extension and deck, and the garden and car park also look much better.

It was a really lovely sunny afternoon, and warm enough that I wished I'd worn shorts. I went down to Kingfisher marina and turned in the entrance, then returned to just before Bridge 62 -- a nice quiet spot I've used several times before (although not for a couple of years, it seems). Only a couple of boats have been past, but the birds are singing and dragonflies keep buzzing past the side hatch.

I've made a few calls to try to set up more boat tests, and have also spent some time reviewing the Crick Boat Show extravaganza that's going in the next issue of the magazine.

I won't be up late because I've been up for almost 24 hours already. Tomorrow it's about half an hour back to the marina, then I'll jump in the car to the boat test. I hope it's as sunny then as it is now.

2.5 miles, 0 locks.

Crick Trip - Day 1

I finished my fourth night shift this morning, and drove from work up to the boat, arriving about 9.15.  After unpacking the car and putting things away, I made a list and drove to Tesco at Wolverton to do a big shop.  I called in at B&Q on the way back, to get a pack of screws.

Back at the boat, I started a few jobs.  First I installed a telescopic aluminium pole on the cratch, so we can put the freeview ariel higher.  Next I blacked the Squirrel stove, and it looks much, much better.  Then after lunch I washed and polished one side of the boat.  I used Bullet polish, which is a carnauba wax spray and was recommended by Julie from Muchgigglin when we shared locks a couple of weeks ago.  It's fantastic stuff, and is very quick to use.  One side took around half an hour.

There was plenty of activity in the marina.  A pair of swans with four cygnets came in; the was a tern diving and catching small fish, and there were swallows darting about.

The owner of the marina was around with the pump out tractor, so I had our tank emptied.  You don't get a rinse at all, but it is cheap.  Then I set off for Baxter's at Kingfisher marina for diesel.  The journey takes about 40 minutes; I took on 108 litres, but the price has dropped to 87p.  I also bought a bag of coal, in case it gets as chilly as they're predicting this weekend

On the way back, I moored near Bridge 62, so I could wash and polish the other side.  The boat really does look a lot better.  I then started a chili for dinner, which I left on the hob very low.

As I was about to set off back to Thrupp Wharf, a boat called Tumbleweed went by, and the helmsman said they read the blog, which was nice.  The journey back to the marina was uneventful, and getting back into our berth was fairly straightforward as there was no wind at all.

I'd been back about an hour when Adrian arrived, having driven up from work in Portsmouth.  It was about 6.15, and fairly pleasant, so rather than staying in the marina we headed off.  We've come just a mile to a nice spot just past Bridge 62, which I've used a few times before.  It's very peaceful and the birds are singing; but more than anything it's just nice to be out on the cut.

Fuel trip:  4 miles, 0 locks.

Crick trip:  1 mile, 0 locks.

Village at War

It was a glorious morning, with blue skies and bright sunshine.  Stoke Bruerne's Village at War festival was due to get under way at 10am, so at about that time I started walking up the locks to the village.  On the way, I met a few people I knew, so it took a while to get to the top.  Getting there relatively early meant I could have a look around before the crowds arrived.  As well as the boats, there's a field of vintage vehicles, an army camp, and a field of traders.  Lots of people had dressed in period costume.  At lunchtime, there was a display by two Spitfires.

 

I had a bacon roll for lunch,bought some fire lighters from Hadar, some fudge from the fudge boat, and walked back down to Briar Rose.  I'd seen Allan Jones and his newly repainted boat Keeping Up at the top lock, and they were at the water point at the bottom lock when I arrived, so we were able to have a longer chat.

I needed to run the engine to charge the batteries, so thought I might as well combine that with giving myself a change of scenery.  I set off at about quarter to three, and moored an hour later in my usual spot just before Bridge sixty two.

3.5 miles, 0 locks.  (25.5 miles, 2 locks)

Short trip

Normally at this time of year we'd be out on our autumn cruise.  But Adrian's mum is ill, so he's spending the time with her.  I'm off work, though, so I've organised a little excursion -- of which more over the next few days.  I'm on board Briar Rose for just one night, to break the journey.

I arrived at the marina at just after 4.30 this afternoon.  Following my usual policy of not spending a night in the marina unless necessary, I unloaded the car, got the boat ready and set off at 5pm, turning left out of the marina.  As I was making the turn, a boat appeared from my right.  It turned out they were going into the marina, so it was just as well I was out of the way.

It had been sunny the whole journey up, but it was quite blustery across the marina and there was a big black cloud which appeared overhead.

I had a pleasant trip along to Kingfisher Marina, where I turned in the marina entrance.  As I did so, I was able to have a quick look at the boats in the paint dock at Baxters.  Both look very nice and shiny; one is dark blue, the other black and white.

As I retraced my steps, the black cloud had moved aside, and the tower of Hanslope church picked out by the sun against the dark sky looked quite spectacular.

I moored up in a spot I've used before, just short of Bridge 62.  Fortunately, the towpath is no longer as overgrown as it was earlier in the year.

2.5 miles, 0 locks

Return to Bridge 62

There was, eventually, exceptionally heavy rain last night, but not until gone 10pm.  It was coming down so hard that the mushroom vents were ringing.  This morning it was also raining, but much more gently.  As it was wet, it didn't make much effort to get going very early as it looked as though the rain was here to stay -- as it turned out, although the rain was fairly constant, it was the sort that doesn't really have much effect.  I never felt particularly wet, the day was reasonably warm, and there was very little wind.

Before setting off I made a cup of tea.  At the same time, a cyclist came haring along the towpath, skidded in the mud, and ended up in the hedge right opposite the galley window.  He was OK, just a bit embarrassed.  He quickly got up, brushed himself off, removed the mud wedged in his pedals, and set off again, although rather more slowly.

I finally got under way at around 10.15am, heading for the winding hole at Great Linford where I turned around.  Just as I was completing the turn, a Wyvern hire boat came through the bridge.  Because of the permanent moorings at the Black Horse and at Great Linford, it's a pretty slow section, so the best part of an hour had gone by before I passed my overnight mooring again.  It was then an uneventful run back to Wolverton, where I moored up by the new flats and made a dash to Tesco for some fresh bread.  I had lunch before setting off again.  It turned out that the boat at the other end of the moorings was Summerlea, owned by Douglas Nethercleft, with whom we did out RYA Helmsman's Certificates on Debdale back in 2007.  He said he was off to the Olympics -- I didn't have time to get more details, but as he usually helps out at the IWA National Festival, it may be that he's helping with the Olympic moorings, which the IWA are running.

By now the rain had stopped, and the weather was showing signs of improvement.  I decided to go up the lock at Cosgrove.  There's an enormous amount of water going down the by-wash, which comes out at the far side of the winding hole below the lock.  It means there are some very unexpected currents as you approach the lock.  I had to turn the lock, and as I did so I could see another boat approaching.  I took my time, but even so I was in the lock with the gate closed for quite a while before the boat arrived.  When it was clear they were going up too, I opened the other gate so they could go straight in.  The helmsman seemed to be on his own, but his wife and dog arrived up the towpath a few minutes later.

I continued past the marina, aiming for the mooring near Bridge 62 which I used a couple of weeks ago.  By now the sun had made an unexpected appearance, and conditions were very pleasant.  I moored up in the same spot, in deep undergrowth, but with the stern next to a slight break in the vegetation.

I noticed from the guide book that there was a footpath on the other side of the canal, so I locked up the boat and went for a little walk.  I went back to Bridge 62, where an Alvechurch hire boat with an extraordinary number of people on board went underneath.

Once over the bridge I turned along a ridiculously muddy path through a small wood.  At one point I thought the mud was going to come right over my boots.

The path soon emerges into a corn field, and I was opposite Briar Rose's mooring.

I carried on to Bridge 61, from where there was another nice view of Briar Rose in the distance, and where I could rejoin the towpath.

Since then, I've been sitting in the cratch in the sunshine with a cup of tea.  There have been numerous boats past, the majority of which haven't slowed down at all.  Tomorrow morning, I'll turn round and head back to the marina, before my appointment.  The forecast is for sunny intervals, which should make for some nice photos.

9 miles, 1 lock.  (13.5 miles, 2 locks)

Thrupp Wharf and Whilton

It was sunny and bright this morning, which I was pleased about as I had a boat test lined up.  I'd ddecided to move nearer the marina and the car, so had to go up Cosgrove lock.  I wasn't ready when the first boat went past, but when another came by at 9 o'clock I dropped everything and set off behind them.

It's much easier sharing a lock when you're single handed.  I still got off and worked paddles and gates though.  A single boat arrived to go down, so I even closed the gate my side and pushed Briar Rose over to the other side to leave the lock, so the downhill crew didn't have to walk all the way round.

When I got to Thrupp Wharf, I was delighted to see a mooring space opposite the marina - I don't recall seeing a space at these moorings before.  It was just long enough (there was at least a foot between my bow and the buoy marking the no mooring area opposite the marina entrance) and meant I didn't have to go into the marina and get into our berth.

Once moored up, I popped back to the boat club just the other side of the bridge where I talked to a man about his boat, which will eventually make a nice little feature article.  At mid-morning I walked round to the marina to the car.  It was strange seeing Briar Rose moored on the other side of the canal.

I drove to Whilton Marina, which is about 15 miles up the A5 for the boat test.  It had clouded over quite considerably which was annoying, but during the external photographs it was a least bright, even if it was trying to rain at the same time.

Once to test was done I drove back to Thrupp Wharf and parked the car.  I needed to run the boat engine to charge the batteries, so rather than staying opposite the pub and marina I decided to move on a bit.  Shortly after I set off there was a shower of rain, but it didn't amount to much.  My aim was to moor in a nice spot between Bridges 62 and 61.  In the spring, the towpath here was well cut, even looking reasonably manicured.  It's grown a bit since then, although I was able to find a gap in the vegetation to line up with the stern.

There's nothing on the tv again tonight, so I'll try to make a start on writing up today's boat test.  Fortunately, there's plenty to say.

3 miles, 1 lock.  (13.5 miles, 2 locks)