A long day - South of Stone to well past Stoke on Trent.

(Boat Chalice - posted by Cath)

The Star pub at Stone.

I woke up with a pain in the neck - I could barely get out of bed. I suppose that I had pulled a muscle in my neck or shoulder yesterday, which had then stiffened up overnight. It was agony, so I knew I'd be doing very few locks. I started taking painkillers to allow me to move about a bit.

Tow-path tunnel at Stone.

Family of ducks who insisted on sharing the lock.

We had a plan to get up to Stoke on Trent, and then moor below the staircase locks at the beginning of the Caldon branch of the canal, quite a few locks, but we ought to be able to do it by about 5:30 or 6:00 pm.  The locks are scattered along the whole of the route, in some small groups, but also lone locks.  Then there is a flight of five up into Stoke, and the beginning of the Caldon branch.




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Passed very nearby by a Virgin express train.

Etruria Bone and Flint Mill.

Near the top of the Stoke flight we passed the Bone and Flint mill at Etruria, outside wasa pair of Admiral class working boats, "Lindsay" and "Keppel".

The staircase lock at Etruria.

We made good progress, and found ourselves at Etruria a bit earlier than expected. I suggested that if the others were OK with the idea, we should press on up the Caldon branch for an hour or so, to be out of the main town. So we turned right and headed for the staircase locks.

View of the gates between the two chambers from the lower one.

Passing from lower to upper lock of the staircase.

The staircase locks are quite deep, and there are big drops from the locks onto the parkland around, which has resulted the in the locks being surrounded by white painted railings, making them look rather like a water treatment plant.

Charlie helps David look at his paw.

Soon after this Charlie began limping very badly. He was very patient while we checked his paw, although we couldn't find anything. He relished the attention, and seemed OK after a while, although we don't know what had caused it.

Charlie always enjoys any excuse for attention!

When we had proposed going up the Caldon branch, we had been told, "You'll like the Caldon", but also, "don't stop at Hanley Park". The park is not far above the Planet Lock, and in the early evening there were families out enjoying the park. Then we came around a corner to a group of perhaps 25 young men, standing around, leaning on walls or bikes, chatting. Seeing us one of them leaped over a small wall and ran up to the boat, waving his arms and shouting, "Scrapyard, Scrapyard".  "Where I find scrapyard for dis boat?" 

Bottle kilns stand alone - a likely feature in a new housing estate ?

It wasn't clear what he was asking, as he was heavily accented, was he saying that the boat should be scrapped?  Was he thinking that he could buy a second-hand boat from a scrapyard? The other men watched intently, some laughing.  If I had been alone it would have been quite threatening, as we had to go through a very narrow gap at that point, and if any of the group had decided to board the boat there would have been little we could have done, fortunately we were all outside, and after a brief interchange with the young man, we carried on, and they ignored us.

I didn't like the beginning of the canal a lot, obviously it wasn't going to be rural immediately, and we've seen a lot worse. It was a mix of very new housing estates - quite large and imposing houses - and urban dereliction: abandoned factories, graffiti and razor wire.  It was also quite badly overgrown at the bridge holes, with quite large bushes or trees scrapping the paintwork as we passed.  There was also, even in quite green bits, quite a bit of rubbish floating on the canal. Then, after a couple of miles it began to get more rural, and I began to think that I might get to like it after all. 

We moored just below Engine Lock, very rural, and with a really nice walk for Charlie through the fields - however, the local populace don't appear to have bought into the idea of picking up after your dog, and the towpath even in this area was covered in dog poo - despite warnings of a £1000 fine.


Because of my neck I had worked very few of the locks, Alan really knew about the 19 locks at the end of the day.

Weston on Trent (Trent & Mersey) to Engine Lock (Caldon Branch)
Miles: 21.1, Locks: 19
Total Miles: 147.0, Total Locks: 79

Steady Progress - Lots of Miles - Only Sporadic Locks

(Boat Chalice - posted by Alan)

Surreal sight of shrink wrapped loos at the Armitage Shanks factory.

Someone on Canal World Discussion Forums has been forcefully expressing their view that boating blogs are interminably boring.  Whilst the obvious response to that is "if you find it so boring, simply don't read it!", it is of course true that just recording a days happenings isn't going to be of the greatest interest to the public at large, if nothing out of the ordinary actually happened.

Artmitage "Tunnel" has long since been opened out.

That said, we have a family member who rings us to check we are OK if blog updates don't happen regularly, so even on "nothing much happened" days, the blog still serve a purpose for us.








 

Someone should walk ahead to stop boats entering the other end, as you can't pass.

Single parent (?) at our overnight mooring

But this was a "nothing much happened day", and apart from a few delays around Fradley Junction, when boats were queuing for the locks we just made very good progress, exceeding expectations.

Fabulous floral display while walking to the pub.

Hopwas to Weston on Trent
Miles: 24.4, Locks: 7
Total Miles: 125.9, Total Locks: 60

A sunken boat - working boats - no diesel

(Boat Chalice - posted largely by Cath, but finished by Alan)

The scene as we are told we must stop.

I took Charlie for a walk, and then we got going at about 9 am, knowing that we had to negotiate around a sunken narrowboat a mile or so north.  It was raining intermittently as we came under bridge 36, and saw the boat in the middle of the cut.  A man on the towpath waved us over, saying that they had already begun the raising of the boat, and as they had men in the water, we would have to wait.  So we took the opportunity to watch the process.

Trying to stop water going in faster than it can be pumped out.

It was only a small boat, some 42', and, while not new, it was clearly cared for.  One side was under water above the gunwales, while the other side was clear by a couple of inches.  The team had already got an inflatable air bag attached to the outer side, to help with the process.  The boarded up as much of the cruiser stern as possible with wooden sheets, and plastic sheeting, then began pumping water out.  For a while it looked like nothing was actually going to happen, but they added some more sheeting, and the boat slowly began to tilt back again - with the danger of the side nearest the towpath going under as well.  The men used more sheeting, and began heaving the boat towards the bank.  Eventually, the whole boat was floating, although at a heavy tilt.

Afloat, but still listing heavily.

The owner, and his son, were present, although we didn't speak to them, so can't confirm the story, but we were told that the boat had been in the family for some time, and they had done quite a lot of work on it.  The son had been using it for 4 days.  He had taken the weed hatch off, but for some reason it had not gone back on properly - the men raising the boat said that the weed hatch sealing was missing. The result was a sunken boat in the middle of the canal.

Early in the descent of 11 locks at Atherstone.

We were eventually waved on through at about half past ten.  When we got to the top of Atherstone Locks, I went off to the large Co-op supermarket, while Alan and David began to work down the flight.

At one of the locks I saw a damson tree overhanging the lock apron, and tried one of the damsons, thinking that it would be under ripe, but on the contrary, it was delicious. Alan isn't a great one for plums, but we pulled a bowlful from the tree while we waited for the boat in the lock below.

This is a perhaps unexpectedly beautiful setting.

Alan winds the side-pond paddle.

One of the Atherstone locks has a working side-pond.  These formerly existed in large numbers as a way of saving half the water used as boats locked through.  Sadly nowadays, virtually all have been taken out of use, and a single one in a lock flight is of little practical use.  Still, we worked it, just to prove we could!

"Chertsey" no longer sporting her Red Oxide finish.

We knew we were getting very low on diesel.  The Nicholson's guide said it was available at Grendon Dock.  This sounded unlikely, and indeed it was not.  However we did see our friend Sarah's boat "Chertsey" well advanced in receiving its striking new paint job.

Spectacular line-up includes 7 Joshers, 6 of them loaded!

Our next port of call for diesel was Alvecote Marina. There were many working boats moored, several heavily loaded. Unfortunately, the marina had no diesel, but told us that Fazeley Mill Marina should have some. A bit of calculation, and Alan decided that we could make it there.









There was a bit of a mix-up at Fazeley Junction, as Alan had wrongly understood that  Fazeley Mill Marina was on our intended route, and he should still turn right.  Fortunately the rest of the family checked, and we turned round and headed to where the now much needed diesel could be bought.  Not so long ago fuel costs were not that big a boating cost compared to others, but increased cost and increased taxation means a fill like this costs over £175.

Retracing our steps back over the bit we had already done when we should not have, we then made our way up a piece of canal that should logically still be part of the Coventry, but for historical reasons is part of the Birmingham and Fazeley for a while.  We moored at Hopwas.

The pie that I made from the damsons looked delicious, but was not to everybody's taste.  Strangely only Alan, the one who is not usually a plum fan, found it acceptable, and actually finished his helping!

Hartshill (Coventry Canal) to Hopwas (Birmingham and Fazeley Canal)
Miles: 17.0, Locks: 13
Total Miles: 101.5, Total Locks:53

A Less Intensive Day!

(Boat Chalice - posted by Alan)

We still don't really have any plans!  Both Birmingham, and even Manchester had been cited as places we might try and pass through, but following the news of rioting in both these, (and other) cities, we are not feeling drawn to them at the moment.

"Taygeta" - Full length "Middle Northwich"

Still, now we are on our way up the Northern Oxford and Coventry canals, I guess the Trent and Mersey will follow, but today we had no particular objective where to end up.

"Taygeta" - "Sickle" was initially this length.

Which is probably just as well!  We had agreed to call at Brinklow Boat Services, as we had an item to collect for Sickle -  a "pigeon box" - the vented cover that goes on the engine room.  Ultimately someone has one to sell us, but it's currently in use, (long story!), so they have kindly offered a loan of another for the time being.  Brinklow is down an arm from "Stretton Stop", but we simply had no idea that this arm is as long as it is, or houses so many interesting boats.

Very convincing but totally new "Northwich" boat.

The owner of the pigeon box also owns Sickle's sister boat, (and another of the middle Northwich ice-breaker conversions), "Sextans", and is a mine of information about boats of many types.  I hope we didn't interrupt his working day too much, but the opportunity to get a guided tour of the boats there was not to be missed!  As well as some wonderful restoration work, they also build replicas of working boats.  Their interpretation of the Grand Union "Northwich" boats is fantastic, and really the only thing that makes the replica distinguishable from the original is that the replicas are dead straight, and dent free, whereas the originals like "Sickle" and "Sextans" are full of ripples, and bear the scars of 75 years of use, in a wide variety of roles, ("Sextans" even having been a hire boat for part of her life).  If I were in the market for a good replica boat, (I'm not currently!), this yard would be easily at the top of my potential builders list.

"Bexhill" - The first working boat I steered  (Early 1970s)

We really spent longer at Brinklow than intended.  The pigeon box is heavy, and Cath volunteered to start carrying it back to Chalice whilst I walked forther down the arm to look at more historic boats.  I actually started to feel like I was walking through somebody's garden, so turned back, but was surprised not to catch Cath until she had carried a lump of steel all the way back.

"Dorado" - Another lovely tug - a "Woolwich" this time.

The rest of the day has been fairly uneventful and undemanding.  We followed a couple of overly slow boats, both of whom might easily have waved us past.  One did eventually, but not until after many many slow miles.  The other trend has been for people with "top end" boats of the fake rivet "Washer Josher" variety to assume that they have a right to mid channel whilst pushing us into the bushes to scratch our paintwork only applied a year ago.  In Sickle I would have called their bluff, I think, but we have been forced to give way a few times when more reasonable behaviour by the other steerer could have avoided it.  Also it has been a very blustery day, meaning that it has been hard not to get blown to the side when forced to slow more than actually required, or even to keep stopping.

Classic Hawkesbury Junction View (Number 1)

We didn't experience these behaviours a month or two ago when we came down the canal, but probably passed a lot less "upmarket" boats then, who do seem to be the ones not showing a balanced consideration for others.

Classic Hawkesbury Junction View (Number 2)

We stopped at the Anchor Inn, near Hartshill.  Thoroughly recommended, unless you don't like your chips very heavily "pre-salted".  (My view is that I can always choose to add salt, but very hard to take it away!.)

The Anchor Inn, near Hartshill

Newbold to The Anchor Inn, Hartshill
Miles: 20.1, Locks: 1
Total Miles: 84.5, Total Locks: 40

The Northern Oxford Gets The Vote

(Boat Chalice - posted by Alan)

The replies to a question on Canal World Forum seemed to indicate that the water saving measures British Waterways have in place on the Northern Oxford would not after all cause us excessive delay, so the vote was to revert to our original plan, and go North on that route.  It was also suggested that it would be less busy at Hillmorton later in the day, so it seemed sensible to try and get through those locks today, if we could make good progress before then.

"Chalice" passes "Ocelot".

By pushing on to Weedon last night we had left ourselves with not too many miles to reach the lock flight at Whilton and Long Buckby.  Despite it being very busy with people coming down, we actually worked the whole way up neither catching nor being caught by another boat.  This flight can be a "pig" but today it was relatively easy.  Part way up we met "Proper Job", (or just "PJ"), from the Canal World Forums who is doing the Thames Ring on his boat "Ocelot".  He reported just how low he found water levels on the summit of the Southern Oxford - fortunately not where we are heading.

Braunston Bottom Lock

We pressed straight on to Braunston.  I am developing a theme about boats that have tunnel lights quite unfit for purpose - usually a bright penetrating spotlight beam, rather that something that illuminates the arch of the tunnel, but does not blind oncoming steerers,  Every passage of one of the long Grand Union tunnels now seems to be marred by these horrors, and the worst have left me protesting to their owners about just how dangerous they are.  Some boats also now have multiple headlights, so blind you doubly.

Braunston locks are some of my favourites, being much shallower than those at Buckby, and far easier to operate.  Again there was very heavy traffic going the opposite way, but initially we started the descent alone.  We did catch another boat after a bit though, and shared for the remainder.

Straight through Braunston and turn right onto  the Northern Oxford.  Yet again much traffic towards us, but we had an unimpeded run through to Hillmorton.  Charlie got a long walk with Cath, who I was surprised didn't ask to be picked up again sooner.

Padlocked paddles on half the locks

Hillmorton locks are paired, and normally some of the busiest in the country.  To limit lock uses BW currently have one of each pair locked out of use,  We feared long queues, but need not have worried.  Clearly boat numbers are down, and we only had to wait for a couple of boats ahead.

The couple on the boat following us down approached us and said that it was their first ever lock - would we mind showing them how to do it?  Cath stayed with them, working down a couple of locks, to make sure that they felt confident. A lovely couple, and it's nice when beginners feel that they can ask for assistance.

Hillmorton Top Lock(s)

These are very picturesque locks, and it is a route we have seldom used, although, unusually we have already passed them once this year, in the other direction, collecting Sickle.

Leaving a Hillmorton Lock

By  now we were running well ahead of our expected schedule, so decided to carry on right past Rugby, to Newbold, where we knew a Co-Op would provide supplies.

I really must organise having a shave!

Weedon (Grand Union) to Newbold (Northern Oxford)
Miles: 20.3, Locks: 16
Total Miles: 64.4, Total Locks:39

A windy day - Linford to Weedon Bec

(Boat Chalice - posted by Cath - again)

I took Charlie for a fairly extended walk through the parkland, then back along the other side of the canal.  Alan did various engine checks - the fan belt had become loose, and he wanted to check it.

Unfortunately, we had moored next to a wasp's nest, so Alan opened the back of the boat up to find wasps crawling all over the roof.  He managed to fix the fan belt without getting stung, and we headed off - with wasps realising one by one that they were getting further from home - the last few needed a bit of a push to get rid of them.

"Greenock" and "Bordesley" near Blisworth

I steered for a long way around the northern reaches of Milton Keynes - although the wind made it quite difficult, and you needed to keep a bit of speed on even when passing boats, to stop the boat drifting.

At Stoke Bruerne Alan took over steering, and David and I worked the boat up through the locks.  Once again we worked up with another boat with an efficient crew.  Then, on through the tunnel.

"Clover" and "Fazeley" head South, well loaded.

We kept going, thinking that we would get to Weedon, which we did at shortly after 6 pm.  We moored on the embankment, although it was at the same level as the trains passing through, and was quite noisy.

Possibly the most interesting thing at the "Heart of England" pub.

We got changed, and headed off to the pub - we had decided to go to a 'Two for One' pub, as Alan and I had had some reasonable veggie meals in the one in Braunston.  However, the service was extremely slow, we had to go and ask for them to come and take our food order, and they forgot to bring us one of the side orders (although they did not try to charge us for it).  The food was really not particularly inspiring, and David's pint of orange juice was a staggering £7.20.  OK, they had made it up out of mixer bottles, but it would have been nice to be told that they would have to do that.  Not somewhere we'll be rushing back to.

We were wavering about where to go tomorrow.  The original plan had been to go up the Northern Oxford, but measures due to limited water were making us wonder.  Alan posted a question on the Canal World Forums to try and help us ascertain what the actual situation was, so we could make an informed decision.

Despite the West Coast Mainline next door, we slept well.

Great Linford to Weedon
Miles: 22.7, Locks:8
Total Miles: 44.1, Total Locks:23

Beginning the summer trip

(Boat Chalice - posted by Cath - whatever it says at the bottom!)

Saturday 6th August

We usually have a very clear idea of where we are intending to go on our summer trips, although it is not unusual to find ourselves turning in the opposite direction to 'homeward', when we ought to be getting back.  However, this time we aren't sure at all. The reason is the continuing drought.  Two of the three routes to the Midlands are suffering water shortages, and locks are being restricted, so we are going to set off, and see where we get to.

Night time trip boat

We had needed to sort a few things out, so stayed at home for two weeks after the end of term. Although we got away on Sickle to the Linslade canal festival for a couple of nights last weekend we knew that if we wanted to get away then we had to just pack up and get gone.  We rushed around packing things and finally turned up on Chalice at about 9 pm. We threw bags into lockers and cupboards, not really packing things away, just so that we didn't trip over things, and put some pizzas in the oven.  At about 11 pm we heard loud 1980's music, and had one of the local trip boats come past the mooring with a party of revellers - although they looked pretty tired by the time that they came by us.

Off to bed, although Alan woke early, and drove back home to pick up the things that we had forgotten - like a plank (if there is a water shortage, we might find ourselves some distance from the bank).

Sunday 7th August

Passing the Narrow Boat Trust's "Nuneaton" and "Brighton"

Set off early, the day bright, but windy, and were caught up with by another boat when we got to the first lock.  We travelled through several locks with them, until we got to the outskirts of Leighton Buzzard. Unusually it was a busy day for the southern Grand Union, with many more boats moving about than usual.  I walked Charlie down through the Seabrook locks, only to have him leap in for a swim just above the bottom lock.  To dry him off I decided to walk him down to the Ivinghoe locks - but with one moment of my inattention he jumped back in again - I gave up at that point.

Through Three Locks

The rain started as we got to Leighton, and I steered past the empty moorings which had been packed with bunting strewn boats only last week.  Alan filled up our water tank while I went and got supplies at the big Tesco, and then we carried on again.

Charlie through Milton Keynes

It was still quite early when we got to Fenny, where we often moor on the journey north, so we decided to press on to Bridge 83, another favourite mooring spot.  However, a bit of thinking meant that if we carried on even further, then we might be able to make Weedon Bec the following day - so Alan steered as I tried hard to make 'toad in the hole'. This takes a bit of ingenuity on a boat, as due to the slope from front to rear, it's not uncommon for one person to get a bit of dry sausage in a burnt layer of pancake, while the others get a mattress of partially cooked batter. I solved the problem by wedging a fork under one end of the pan, and turning it every 5 minutes until it began to set. It wasn't a total success (as there was a lot stuck to the pan) - but much better than last time.

in Great Linford

Alan spotted a space on the short term moorings at Great Linford, so we stopped, as we have often wondered about the place.  After dinner we took Charlie for a walk in the parklands.  Quite amazing, it's like something out of a Jane Austen novel (although with my limited knowledge of architecture I guess the buildings are probably closer to 300 years old than 200).

Charlie thought it was amazing, but given his propensity for plunging into any muddy ditch for a swim these days, he needed to stay on his lead.

Back of the Alms Houses and School House 1696 (I think)

Great Linford Church

in Great Linford

School House and Alms Houses

Back at the boat I spent some time planning for my new courses in September, then fairly late to bed. Once again, I slept like a log.























































Cook's Wharf to Great Linford
Miles: 21.4, Locks: 15
Total Miles: 21.4, Total Locks:15