Picking up the boat, part two

As the boat was trapped North of Stoke by the closure of Cockshuts Lock, we had to get it the rest of the way to the marina between the opening of Cockshuts and the next closure. Which means before Christmas.

Wednesday 13th December 2006

Two-car trick to Rode Heath

Drove a couple of hours to the marina near Northampton to drop the car off, ready for when we get back with the boat. Met by our friend Linda, who had a slightly shorter drive, who gave us a lift to Rode Heath, where we had to leave the boat. All the packing, driving and unpacking fell to Jane, since Ric still has leg in plaster.

Thursday 14th December 2006

Rode Heath to Red Bull Wharf

Rain forecast (and threatening) but started fine. Final shopping trip then to boat near The Broughton (excellent pub). Linda stayed on the boat just for today, to help Jane with the locks. Loaded up, started engine about a quarter past one. Waited for hotel boat "Wood Owl" to finish taking on fuel from motor and butty pair rafted up near the bridge, then got underway about ten to two. Caught up with "Wood Owl" at the first lock, they waved us on so went ahead, leaving the locks set for them as long as they were in sight.

Passed lock 49, which has a memorial bench to Linda's daughter-in-law's grandfather, about twenty to three.

"Wood Owl" caught us up again at lock 48 when we stopped to take track-suit top out of propeller. Yes, Ric into engine compartment and down weed hatch with leg in plaster... Cleared the top lock about a quarter past three.

Stopped at Red Bull wharf to take on water. Left engine on in case we needed to move but no-one came and by the time we'd filled up it was dark, so just stayed there. Engine off about five.

Engine on for 4h45, 2.5 miles, 9 locks.

Friday 15th December 2006

Red Bull Wharf to Festival Park boatyard.

Up early (for us), to rain. Away and into first lock (43) about a quarter past eight.

Moored for another 'final' shop at Hardings Wood (big Tesco just up Kidsgrove bank). The water in this section is extremely low because BW are working on the bywash channel of lock 42. Quite hard to get on and off the boat, particularly for Jane, who is small. "Wood Owl" caught us up here so we went through the paired lock together then proceded in company to Harecastle tunnel. Arrived about three quarters of an hour before the tunnel opened, then had to wait another quarter of an hour for rubbish in the tunnel to be cleared. Had another cuppa and gave thanks for not having to clear it ourselves!

"Wood Owl" went through first (better headlight!). Easy trip through, moored near Westport Lake for lunch. Long lunch as it was raining fairly hard and we are in no hurry today since Cockshutts Lock doesn't open until tomorrow. Leisurely run down to Festival Park, arrived about a quarter to four. All berths taken at the pub so moored at the marina again. Really cannot praise them enough - Chris even pumped out the engine compartment again.

Younger daughter, Ann, arrived in time for late tea. Engine on 7h40, 6 miles, 3 locks.

Saturday 16th December 2006

Festival Park to Weston upon Trent

Much better weather, yesterday's drizzle has cleared to open sky and light frost. Engine on at ten to eight, away at eight, pretty well first light. "Wood Owl" still tied up at the pub. Passed junction with Caldon Canal at a quarter past eight, then onto new territory.

First couple of locks against us but at lock 38 (twenty to nine - we were cracking on a bit) we passed "OK Joe" coming the other way. They had been trapped below the stoppage for three weeks. We pressed on into blinding low sun, glad of the sunglasses!

Caught up with another boat so locks against us again after 36. Reached the incinerator just after eleven. Ann saw our first kingfisher of the trip here. The incinerator really does look as though it straddles the cut, menacing approaching boats.

Since we have a schedule to keep, Jane laid out lunch makings on the saloon table just before noon. We reached Meaford locks just about then, and ate "on the fly" as we worked through. Jane pulled her shoulder working the bottom lock so took things a bit easy working through Stone.

Stone is a really attractive-looking town, even if lock 29 leaks a bit! We'll have to come back for a visit when we have more time. In fact, we're getting on well. This is the point we absolutely had to reach by tonight in order to get back before Christmas.

There are good moorings just south of the town. We saw our first heron of the cruise at Aston lock, and a flock of huge sheep and another heron just north of Iron Bridge (88). This is the point we'd hoped to get to tonight on the optimistic itinerary and we still have an hour and a half of daylight.

Reached Salt bridge (82) just after half past three, so decided to try to get past Weston lock. Sad to miss The Holly Bush in Salt, which Ric had visited in the course of a BCS event a few years ago.

Held up for a few minutes at a boatyard near Weston. One lone boatman was moving boats around and had blocked the canal, obviously thinking no-one in their right minds would be coming past at this time of day. He may well have been right.

Moored just the other side of Weston Lock (24) just after half-past four. Once moored, passed a quiet evening on the boat. Here are Ric and Ann giving thanks for the excellent central heating.

Barney the RNLI bear is sitting on Ric's knee. He's the boat's mascot, wearing an "Offshore" sweater and a mooring rope that Ric spliced for him a while ago.

Engine on 8h40, 16 miles, 16 locks.

Sunday 17th December 2006

Weston upon Trent to Whittington

Another clear bright frosty morning. Engine start at 08:00. Saw a heron almost as soon as we were moving, then a kingfisher near Hoo Mill lock. The low sun kept getting in our eyes at first.

Dumped rubbish at Gt. Haywood junction whilst waiting for a full-length boat to navigate the corner. On along the main line past Shugborough Hall, where Jane spotted another kingfisher. A squirrel was out foraging near Wolseley bridge (70), and a pair of bullfinches in the hedge near Taft bridge (69).

The aqueduct and bend at the north end of Rugeley had a lot of moored boats so this section was a bit slow. Ann went ashore for shopping at bridge 66, where she found a huge Morrisons. There are good moorings around the bridge but Jane and Ric pottered on to bridge 65 where the towpath suddenly gets bad. They waited for Ann in the bridge-hole, since no-one was passing.

Whoever owns the railway track these days was working on the railway bridge at Armitage. There was to be a complete closure later, but at this stage we were just down to narrow working, one-way in places. Since this is close to the site of the old Armitage tunnel, the next section is very narrow too. We followed a barge-style narrowboat with wheel steering. Made us glad we've got a tiller.

Made good time from there to just above Fradley, where we saw a buzzard. Jane got into the swing of the locks and had started opening the next lock on the main line before we managed to tell her that we were turning on to the Coventry canal!

It started to get dark around bridge 81, so we moored just before Whittington bridge about half-past four.

Engine on 8h30, 20 miles, 6 locks.

Monday 18th December 2006

Whittington to Atherstone

Grey mizzly morning. Engine on 07:55, under way by 8. Saw a wren and a jay on the towpath around Hopwas Wood bridge, and a buzzard perched in a field just before Dunstall bridge. Excellent view of a perched kingfisher near Sutton Road bridge and, amazingly, a lesser-spotted woodpecker in a garden near Anchor Bridge in the middle of Tamworth! Another kingfisher near bridge 71, still in town.

Pressed on to Polesworth and Atherstone. Saw a kestrel hunting near bridge 50. Reached Atherstone bottom lock about ten past one. The first couple of locks were against us but then we crossed with a BW work boat (a tug pushing a shack) so the next three were with us. It was a quarter past two so we decided we had plenty of time to get up the close flight beyond Baddesley basin.

The best-laid plans... We quickly caught up with a pair of boats, each single-handing and helping one another. One boat had a broken water pump so was steaming quite a bit. Progress was very slow. We finally reached the top lock about four, only to get a matress-cover or something round the prop. Fabric, plastic and shock-cord. Ann and a helpful passer-by hauled the boat into the lock. Of course the angles were all wrong and the boat tried to get in diagonally at high speed, giving it the worst bang to date. Once in the lock, Ric went down the weed-hatch and cleared the prop. Crept out of the lock in more or less full dark and moored in first available space about ten past five.
No pictures of most of the adventure - far too busy!

Engine on 9h15, 15 miles, 13 locks.

Tuesday 19th December 2006

Atherstone to Rugby

Weather generally better than yesterday. Engine on 08:00, away about ten minutes later. Ann decided to stay on board until Nuneaton and walk to the station from bridge 23.

Saw a pair of squirrels almost immediately, and two jays shortly afterwards. Dropped Ann about nine-thirty, just before seeing another kingfisher.

Reached Hawkesbury junction just before half-past eleven, and turned onto the Oxford canal.
Lots of moored boats around the junction. The canal itself seems narrower, shallower and a bit unkept. Saw a kestrel just by the M6 bridge and another kingfisher later. The kingfisher made about half a dozen short hops just ahead of the boat. There was a jay in All Oaks wood and a buzzard sitting on a hedge. The next section of the canal has a lot of odd side-arms and disused bits where the canal was realigned.

On into Rugby, where we saw a kingfisher near aqueduct 54 before mooring at bridge 58 for Jane to go shopping in nearby Tesco. Then pressed on into lovely red-cloud evening before mooring at Clifton upon Dunsmore as soon as we got to a reasonable edge, just before bridge 68, about half-past four.

Jesse 'phoned to arrange to meet us tomorrow at Braunston about 11:30 to help with the broad locks of the Grand Union.

Engine on 8h30, 24 miles, 1 lock.

Wednesday 20th December 2006

Rugby to Weltonfield

Woke to quite thick cold clammy fog. Under way a couple of minutes after eight. Reached Hilmorton paired locks just after 08:30, where a lady walking her dog helped Jane with the locks, to the slight bemusement of the dog. We flew up the last two of the three and were away by ten past nine.
Spotted a jay just below the M45 bridge about ten to ten.

Met a boat "Gwendoline" at bridge 82. Lady crew called out "another crazy pair"! We'd just reassured a woman on a moored boat that despite the fog you could actually see things before you hit them.

Reached Braunston turn a couple of minutes before eleven, expecting to pick Jesse up at the marina entrance, but he was waiting further back so we missed him. Moored before the first lock and Jane went back to find him. Then steadily through the locks, quite varied in layout but all 'interesting' for the helm because the centre rope that came with the boat is about two yards (all right, metres!) too short. It's obviously designed so that if you drop it overboard it can't foul the propeller, but on a boat as short as House Sparrow (45 feet) that makes it very short indeed.

Finished with top lock about one and had lunch on the fly whilst negotiating the tunnel. This is very civilised, wide and easy, though we caught up with another boat part-way through. They also appear to have bought their boat from the same boatyard we did. Just after the tunnel they pulled over and waved us on, so we made good time to Norton junction, and up to Welton Hythe for a pumpout before finally moving the boat to its mooring. Packed, loaded, ran down the water in case of frost, switched everything off and stopped engine about 16:40.

Engine on 8h40, 13 miles, 9 locks. Home at last!