The Caldon cruise

As the boat was trapped North of Stoke by the closure of Cockshuts Lock, we decided to explore the Caldon Canal. In November. Things didn't go entirely according to plan.

Sunday 19th November 2006

Rode Heath to Harding's Wood junction

Early trip to boat to switch everything on, pump a couple of inches of water out of the engine compartment and run the engine for about an hour to get an initial charge whilst we loaded stores. Then drove to the locks in Stoke to check if they were really closed. Yes, they were. Set up two-car trick for Linda and Jackie to get home then back to boat.

Under way about ten past twelve. Ran just past lock 49 (Hall's lock) and moored for picnic lunch. Not enough chairs with two extra passengers but made do. Set off again about two, carried on to Red Bull wharf, where we stopped for water about a quarter past three. Filled for 20 minutes, then decided to move on as the light was fading. Moored very close to last lock before Harding's Wood junction, engine off about ten past four.

Linda and Jackie left, then we switched engine off and discovered we were without domestic power. Brief panic before discovering that jury-rig repair to broken isolator hadn't worked. We'd been on alternator power all day. Re-rigged it and ran the engine for another hour to get some charge back in the batteries. Surprised we didn't fry the alternator, but assume that the connection to the starter batteries held the voltage under control.

Engine on 6hr but only under way for 4, 2.5 miles, 11 locks.

Monday 20th November 2006

Harding's Wood junction to Mill Farm

Engine on just before 9AM, through the last lock by 09:25, steady progress to Harecastle tunnel for booked passage. Squirrel on the parapet of the rail bridge. Short wait for the tunnel, then took nearly an hour to get through. Great tunnel but difficult to keep to centre because there are closed doors at the South end (to provide forced ventilation) and we only have a glow-worm on the front.

Pressed on to Festival Park for lunch, moored opposite new office blocks on the Shelton Bar Works site, a dramatic contrast to the way it looked when I worked in the area.

Moored for a while at Festival Park marina. Nothing but praise for them. New paddle for the isolator switch, they pumped out the stern compartment really thoroughly and they gave us a lot of useful advice. Continued with teapot in place under stern gland to catch the drips.

Turned onto Caldon canal about 14:15. Up the staircase in company with another boat who were taking on water at the museum as we passed. This is where the rain started.

Passed some bank works (towpath seriously undermined). Dredger and small tug, but everyone helpful and no serious delay.

Stopped again about half past three to check teapot and found it already overflowing. Emptied it.

Steady run to Ivy House lift bridge. Couple of yobs on tow-path just before lobbed a bottle when I refused to give them a ride, but ran when I produced camera. Unfortunately we then dropped the camera down the companion way and although it seemed to be working it wasn't recording anything. No more pictures.

Ivy House Lift bridge took a bit of working out, but once you have dropped the barriers it all goes much better! Got through it OK but boat going nowhere so I stopped and dived down the weed hatch. After emptying the teapot. A couple of plastic bags and a pair of jeans later we continued.

Now well behind our schedule, we got out of town and moored just north of Mill Farm about a quarter to five. Another overful teapot... Batteries seem well charged but one of the gas cylinders ran out whilst cooking tea.

Engine on 7h55, 8.5 miles, 4 locks.

Tuesday 21st November 2006

Mill Farm to Deep Hayes

Engine on 08:40 but then Ric tripped going ashore and twisted ankle badly, so didn't get underway until 09:05. Gave up with teapot - too much trouble getting into engine compartment to empty it. We saw a perched kingfisher about 09:25, just before the Foxley pub in Milton, which has an interesting corner.

Reached Engine lock (number 4) about a quarter to ten. This was the start of a bit of a trial for Jane since Ric couldn't walk, the locks are not as well maintained as on the main line and Jane is rather small (less that 5'). But at least there was another kingfisher just before the lock. And so on to the Stockton Brook flight.

By lock 7 we were passing other boats coming down, so things got a bit easier. There was a woodpecker on a dead tree by lock 8. At lock 9 we crossed with a boat whose crew were bemoaning the lack of gas suppliers further up the canal - bad news given that we have an empty cylinder. Saw a sparrowhawk as we came out of the final lock (9) at half past twelve. Bank not good here but stopped for lunch anyway.

Ric rested up ankle after lunch - swollen but no obvious damage. On the move again just after two, with Jane having to clamber over the rather large balance beams of the Hazelhurst locks. Thank goodness for waterproof overtrousers. Most of the mechanisms are pretty stiff. Finally stopped about five, between bridges 39 and 40 on a good towpath edge close to Deep Hayes country park.

Engine on for 8h20, 7 miles, 9 locks (all Jane).

Wednesday 22nd November 2006

Deep Hayes to Cheddleton, Leek and Endon

Weather still mixed. Ric's ankle still swollen and painful. Decided that with Jane working locks single-handed Froghall is not really on, so will turn at Cheddleton. Also decided that Jane's overtrousers are long enough to be dangerous around locks so cut an inch or so off the bottoms.

Engine on about ten past nine but didn't leave until twenty five past. Reached Cheddleton Mill not quite the half hour later and turned the boat. Overshot the winding without recognising it so much backing and filling!

Decided in view of Ric's ankle not to look at the mill this time, although it does look interesting. Must come back and actually get to Froghall some time.

Saw a kingfisher on the return journey about ten, then, more or less where we had been moored, a huge bracket fungus and a couple of squirrels chasing one another. There are good 24 hour moorings near the Holly Bush inn near the Hazelhurst aqueduct. Saw a kingfisher there, and the first heron of the trip as we reached the first lock of the Hazelhurst flight about 11.

The boat we came up the first staircase with caught us up in the locks - they'd been to Froghall and back. Jane grateful for assistance (the paddles on these locks are heavy). Even so, Ric and a member of the other boat's crew got harangued by a passing woman for letting Jane struggle with the locks. Jane's reply was short and to the point.

Through the locks we turned onto the Leek branch. Spotted two flocks of long-tailed tits between bridges 2 and 3. Moored for lunch about noon, but raining hard so we decided to stay put and switched the engine off about half past one.

Ric's ankle still not good so 'phoned Linda to arrange for her to pick him up for run to A&E tonight. Weather improving so set out again about twenty to three, saw a kingfisher almost immediately and another at bridge 9 near the winding. There is a sign that suggests that a forty-five foot boat like ours could turn further down. We must investigate that when we have more time to spend backing out if it isn't true!

Slightly more elegant turn this time, then a steady and lock-free run back towards Stoke, to find anywhere Linda can get her car close enough to the canal to pick Ric up. Moored at BW yard at Park Lane bridge (31) just after half-past five with darkness falling.

Ric off to hobble-in clinic with Linda. They referred to North Staffs, who x-rayed. Thin bone in lower leg (fibula) broken near ankle. Ric back at boat in plaster about 10 PM for late tea. Long day. Bless Linda.

Engine on just over six and a half hours, just over eight miles, three locks.

Thursday 23rd November 2006

BW Endon to Festival Park

Ric had broken night and woke with headache. Lots of water in engine compartment. Engine on about 08:50, away about 09:05.

Passed the ostrich farm about 09:15, just before the obstructed bridge (27). No problem in a short boat like ours, but worth taking slowly anyway! We're still trying to make good time because we'd like to get to Festival Park marina.

Lock 9, at the top of the Stockton Brook flight, has no mooring or landing, not even a towpath under the bridge (26). All the locks were against us but still Jane managed to get us down them in an hour and a quarter for the five. Stopped for lunch near Mill Farm, more or less where we'd moored on the way out, about one o'clock.

Back under way just after two, spotted five magpies mobbing a crow on some waste ground, then two kingfishers between bridges 13 and 12. Reached Ivy House lift bridge a bit after half-past two.

Nightmare! Jane not tall enough to read (or even see) the instructions (which are on the horizontal top of the control box), nor to work the barriers, which have to be pulled down on chains. Ric hobbled over to help but the control box is on the "wrong" side of the canal so he nearly got trapped the far side from the boat. After that, it took a while to work out that when the bridge's standard sequence is interrupted, you have to close the bridge, open the barriers and switch everything off before it will resume operations. Took until three-thirty to get clear.

Pretty plain sailing after that, though several times needed bursts of full reverse to clear large leaves from round the propeller. Reached lock 3 about a quarter to four, met Linda and Nic at lock 1, moored at Festival Park marina (squarely in front of the "reserved for customers" notice) at ten to five. Linda and Nic then went home. Ignored a prophet of doom on the towpath who predicted drunken riots and attacks on the boat. We actually had a quiet night, if you discount the sirens.

Engine on for eight hours, 8 miles, 9 locks (8 by Jane).

Friday 24th November 2006

Festival Park to Harding's Wood

Ric off up tow-path on crutches at half-past eight to meet Linda for lift to hospital for appointment. Cast off; examination; cast on; X-ray; another consultation. All this and back to the boat for 11:00! Well done, North Staffs! Jane had met up with boatyard, organised pump-out (back to the porta-potti from here), new gas cylinder and vac-out of the engine compartment (again). Their engineer turned up just after Ric, adjusted stern gland a bit, refilled greaser (basically emptied in about 60 hours of running, because the bits are so worn the grease goes straight through). Again, excellent service. Under way about noon for booked passage through Harecastle. Ric lying down most of the way, keeping foot up, but concerned that the boat wasn't actually going very fast. Took until half-past three to get to the tunnel and more than an hour to get through. Got past Hardings Wood junction and the first lock (41, bridge 133) before late lunch (a quarter past three!). Managed to clear lots of leaves off the propeller without recourse to weed-hatch. Hardly moved at all after lunch. Engine off, and Linda off home, just after four.

Engine on just over 4 hours, 5.5 miles, 1 lock.

Saturday 25th November 2006

Harding's Wood junction to Rode Heath

Rain early so started packing whilst waiting for Linda. Engine on 09:45, away 10:00 into clearing weather. By third lock it was obvious there was still something round the prop, going into reverse wasn't fixing it and this and the wind was making maneovering difficult.

Stopped in lock 45 and Ric went down weed-hatch. Down into engine compartment first, cast and all, but Jane is very short and Linda not much taller so Ric is the only one who can easily reach the propeller through the hatch! Managed to remove well-engineered lady's swimsuit from prop without too much drama, under way again about eleven. Locks are very convenient places to stop when there's no-one else about ;-)

Passed the last lock of the voyage (52) at 12:40 and moored for lunch, then on to the winding by the Broughton Arms in Rode Heath. Moored by the bridge to unload just before two, then manhandled the boat back to a decent edge and chained it down about a quarter to four.

Engine on for 4h10, 3 miles, 11 locks.

An 'interesting' trip.