A visit to Dunhampstead today for a boat test. In an effort to get some different photos, we reversed up to the mouth of the tunnel (rather confusing a boat which came through!).
When we were done, I drove the short distance to Droitwich, where Helen and Andy from the Jam Butty had not long arrived at Vines Park for this weekend’s St Richard’s Festival.
They kindly provided lunch, and we had a good catch up. If you’re in the area over the weekend, go and buy some jam or chutney.
This time last year, we were out on the boat for our ten year ownership anniversary -- stuck in Aylesbury because the canal was closed due to the murder of the CRT worker, Clive Porter. In the intervening year, we both gave evidence at the trial of his killer, who was then locked up for at least 35 years.
On the water, we've had a year which is at the bottom end of the scale in terms of miles, locks, and nights on board.
We have travelled on a long list of waterways this year, thanks to our autumn trip taking in parts of the BCN backwaters:
After quite a late night, I had breakfast in my hotel in Manchester, and managed to fit in some canal spotting on the way back to Piccadilly station: a couple locks on the Rochdale Canal alongside Canal Street.
The train journey home was an hour longer than the way up, because engineering works meant a couple of diversions were necessary. There are plenty of canals to spot along the way. I got back to the boat early afternoon, and as it was a lovely sunny day I walked down to the Wolverton Aqueduct and back, helping a boat up Cosgrove Lock on the way — the same boat which was coming out of the River Tove and had to wait while I turned round the other day.
Back at the marina, one of the female ducks is trying to fend off the attentions of one of the males. This involves a great deal of loud quacking, and thundering up and down on the roof, before moving on to next door.
Back to work tomorrow.
My cousin Catherine and I had a great evening last night, watching live music. The Stables in MK is a cute little theatre, and Sam Outlaw and Ruthie Collins were both excellent. We even had a chat with Sam afterwards.
This morning was another very sunny day. The main task was the re-do the sealant around the shower tray, which has turned a bit black over the winter. It’s a job I’ve done several times over the years, and it never gets better. Getting the old stuff off takes about an hour, and putting the new on takes about 30 seconds. This year’s effort is a lot neater than last time, so maybe I am learning.
I set off at 11, and while the sun was out and there was some warmth in it, it was also very windy and a bit chilly.
It was so windy that I was concerned about getting back into the marina, but decided to go for it. I left the turn into the entrance very late because I knew the wind would blow the bow round, and that worked well. But the wind was straight up the marina, so I knew there was no way I’d be able to get in backwards; so for the first time ever here, I’ve come in forwards, and even that was a struggle.
This afternoon I drove down to MK and caught a train, and I’m now in Manchester for a friend’s birthday party.
2 miles, 0 locks. (39 miles, 4 locks)
It was a very misty start this morning, but with the promise of sunshine to come. The level of the canal had also dropped a bit overnight, and the boat was on a slightly jaunty angle which required a loosening of the ropes. Later, I walked along to the spill weir, and found it had much less water going over it than yesterday.
I spent the morning writing up yesterday’s boat test, during which time the mist was burnt off by the sun. Before lunchtime, the solar panel had topped the batteries right up again. After lunch, I set off to turn around. There are signs of spring everywhere, and I particularly liked seeing that the blackthorn blossom is out.
It was a bit chaotic at the bottom of Stoke Bruerne locks, where I wanted to turn around. The Jules Fuels boats were on the water point, two boats were coming out of the bottom lock, and a boat ahead of me was going in. I initially held back for the exiting boats, because I didn’t want to turn right in front of them — but they indicated that they both wanted to go onto the water point. So I started my turn in the mouth of the arm, only to find there was a boat coming out; fortunately he waited, while behind me, the Jules boats pushed across to their moorings the other side, and the two boats eventually got near the taps.
I retraced my steps, but continued past last night’s mooring and pulled in opposite Kingfisher Marina. I’ve never stopped here before, preferring to go on a few more bridges where the A508 is a bit further away. But I’m off out with my cousin Catherine this evening, and this is a more convenient place to be picked up. We’re going to see Sam Outlaw at The Stables in Milton Keynes.
This afternoon I went for a walk up to Yardley Gobion, which I’ve only previously driven through before. It’s a rather pretty village.
I followed another foot bath across a field back down to the canal a few bridges along. On getting back to the boat, I chatted to Leon on The Old Bovine which is moored behind me, partly because I remembered that he knew Lesley and Joe from Steadfast. I texted Lesley, who accidentally phoned me back — so it was was nice to have an unexpected catch up!
5 miles, 0 locks. (37 miles, 4 locks)
It was a beautiful sunny morning today. I walked up the towpath, which while still quite muddy wasn’t as bad as I’d feared it would be, to the marina and my car — and drove to Gayton for a boat test. The owners of the boat were heading out for a couple of days, so we boated down to Gayton Junction and turned right. Ryan on the fuel boat, Southern Cross, was there serving customers, and came past us a bit later when we’d stopped.
Andy the photographer and I walked back to the marina and headed off. I came back via Towcester, where I did some store cupboard shopping for things we’ve noticed we needed over the past few days. I dropped the shopping off at the boat in Cosgrove, then returned the car to the security of the marina. Once I’d walked back to the boat I had some lunch and set off.
While the sky behind me was still blue, up ahead was much cloudier, and there was a cold bite to the wind. The canal is very full; the spill weir near Cosgrove has lots of water going over it, and as I approached my intended mooring at Grafton Regis, the weir their was also flowing well. As I came in to moor I found that the flow on the canal was quite significant — when normally there’s hardly any. Once tied up, I walked back to the weir to have a proper look at it.
My mooring has a view of the Manor House at Grafton Regis from the galley window, and the Tove valley on the towpath side. The River Tove is well up, flooding the fields, and the extra water from the canal is only adding to it.
I suspect the river has put a lot of water into the canal at the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne locks, so turning there tomorrow could be either really easy or really difficult.
4 miles, 0 locks. (32 miles, 4 locks)
