Boredom on the water

Well not boredom for the adults but the last picture was the highlight of the day for the children. 

After the first boat past before 6:30 (Why ???) we got up and eventually set off at 8:30. 

Today had the nicest weather of any day so far and we might look like we've been to Costa Rugby. 

The Oxford canal is beautiful. 

Just outside Coventry you have canal, railway and M6 within yards of each other. We know which we prefer. 

It got hotter and hotter and these horses decided to have a bath in the canal. 

Then it was Hawkesbury junction and the end of the Oxford. 

I decided to be clever and take a picture on my way into the lock. 

Which provoked much panicking as I realised that allowing the boat to steer itself into a lock is perhaps not the best way. Anyway we made it. 

CanalPlan said we should stop at Charity Dock. However it proved more of a graveyard than a dock so we pressed on. 

We briefly thought about going up the Ashby canal as we are ahead of schedule but decided this would make it more of a mission and being ahead of schedule means we can stop if we see something interesting.  This is the turning we did not take. 

There is lots of history to see if you look for it and here is a lone telegraph pole from when they canal would have them all the way along its length. 

Finally we stopped at the Anchor pub jus through Nuneaton. The kids went to the bouncy castle and we haven't seen them in an hour. Happy Holidays but it's more Costa Lotta than Costa Rugby. 

And on the seventh day we rested.

Our mooring in Newbold turned out not to be as nice as we had hoped. It turns out the canal banks are inclined here so the bottom of the boat hits the bank before the fenders do, and it makes a large metallic clang. 

It also does the same clang and a horrible grating noise every time anybody on board moves. 

After an evening on tiptoes and not daring to move in bed all night, the first boat past in the morning woke us all up with what can best be described as a peel of clangs an amateur campanologist may make on an initial foray. 

The second boat did the same as well as horrendous grating noises so at this I leapt into action and announced we were moving straight away. 

Up we all got, me more willing than others and before long we were travelling through Newbold tunnel. 

We did find a lovely mooring just past the next bridge, but this meant that we had to walk back through the tunnel to get anywhere. It does have a nice towpath but the lights don't seem to work anymore. 

We found that our mooring spot was lovely but the volume of traffic going past meant our mooring pins were being slowly eased out of position by the movemen of Magpie II. Luckily we were moored straight across from Armada boats at Falls Bridge Wharf who offered helpful advice and sold me some chains to make the mooring more secure. 

Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure, which had been purchased from Calcutt Boats along with the new fenders was duly applied to the leaky windows and finally our day of rest could begin with a nice walk. 

We followed a path I used to walk our dog on and some came across another abandoned loop of the canal. 

We then walked into Rugby meeting several old friends and one who is bound for Canada who it was lovely to see before he leaves. Finally a quick drink at our favourite resting place from many dog walks. 

Before back to Magpie II who was still where we had left her thanks to our new chains. We did get the lovely sight of a full moon over the canal with tha long abandoned Newbold loop on the right. We are not sure why, if they bricked up the old tunnel, they would leave the other end in water and build an iron bridge over it. Research to be done I think. The moon would not photograph well but I tried. 

Made it to our planned destination.

We had a short lie in today to recover from Alison's birthday and with slightly woolly heads we set off at About 9:00. 

The bridges on the Oxford Canal are of a grand scale and easy to negotiate. 

We got the iconic view of Braunston Church and correctly managed this Piccadilly Circus of canal junctions taking the left turn towards Rugby. 

It was nice to be back on a narrow canal with no huge craft and no need to share locks. There were only three today, at Hillmorton. 

No fender problems here though we were very curtly told that if we were using the left hand locks we should stick with them, this is apparently canal etiquette. Some people should remember they own their boat not the whole canal system. 

In Foulridge, where I grew up, there was a picture of a famous  cow on the pub wall which had fallen in the canal and swim through the mile tunnel. 

We were pleased this beast wasn't trying to swim, he is HUGE. It did make us inclined to have a steak tonight though 

We moored up at Newbold on Avon, where the children and I would regularly walk our dog when we lived locally. On our favourite walk we used to pass the portal of the original Newbold tunnel. 

And walk over this former canal bridge. 

All this industrial history on our doorstep and we never really appreciated it. 

We will stay here for another day and explore our former stamping ground. 

Great progress.

Today we made excellent progress, getting much further than CanalPlan said we would. 

The Grand Union was much more rural as we left Warwick. 

But we were soon into lots more locks. 21 in total today so we are now past half way. 

We got lots of help by pairing up with NB Moonstone. Their skipper, Tom Lewis, even gave the children one of his CDs  called Tinker Tailor Soldier Singer. What wonderful people. 

They were stopping at Long Itchington, but we pressed on and were fortunate to be able to pair with Katy Jade for the rest of the day. Another great person and a pleasure to travel with. 

Unfortunately the jamming fender was up to similar tricks yesterday. We had moved it to the port side so I could keep a check on it but in the top Calcutt lock it jammed again and did this. 

As we were by the chandlery we immediately bought 4 new rubber fenders and ditched the rope ones that have been causing the trouble. 

We will see if we can stop bending the boat. 

As we went to the pub to celebrate Alison's birthday we passed two interesting signs. 

If you are going to order people about with a big sign you could at least spell it correctly. 

Whereas this one made us laugh. 

It was late when we got back but we had had a thoroughly good day. 

Two flights in one day!

We set off early today, being up at 6:30 and casting off at 8:03. 

The generator got another run this morning and powering the fan heater we managed to get everything dry. 

First up it was the Lapworth flight. 

The Stratford canal is well known for its split bridges where the horse rope could go down the gap in the middle. We were more concerned with whether it would split our chimney from its mounting. There were several near misses. 

The helpers tended to need more rests today, again the camera never lies. 

It also took a little persuasive encouragement and the threat of docked pay to get them to keep up. 

Through Lapworth and onto the Grand Union. A new canal for us. 

We passed these, which incredibly had a For Sale sign at the far side. 

Then there was Shrewley Tunnel which as you can see has its own horse tunnel. 

Unfortunately I'm the dark of the tunnel we hit the side several times and unbelievably trapped the same fender as two days ago and now the hand rail is bent much more. Not a happy skipper. 

We stopped for thirty minutes to repair damage and paint over all the new scraped areas, most of which were down to bare metal. 

Then it was on to the Hatton flight. 

Our first real experience of wide locks, and 21 of them to do. 

They are very big. This is a view inside the lock that we visited on the open day in February. 

We were really lucky to share the entire flight with NB Kestrel. They were brilliant and as well as superb locking techniques they also passed on lots of other advice, including ideas on how to fix the hand rail. Hopefully we will meet again. 

 

We have moored by another Camra GBG

pub and are meeting a former work colleague tonight. 

It's beginning to feel like a holiday. 

Another flight begins

Last night's trip to the Weighbridge proved very nice. We found a very appropriate drink considering what we had done earlier. 

Today it rained. 

And rained. 

And rained. 

Consequently there are few photographs. 

We set off around 10AM. The nicest part of the morning was sailing through the Wast Hills tunnel. That was 2726 yards and about 40 minutes of not being rained on. Also all traffic was moving in the same direction as us, so no awkward in tunnel passing required. 

We finally stopped at the Drawbridge pub in Shirley  once we were on to the Stratford Canal for a large Sunday afternoon meal. 

Two and a half hours later, and a lot fuller, we left, together with a pink pig and a pink fish that had proved irresistible to the children and cost them 20 locks worth of money each. A lack of canal side shops has proved very frustrating for them. 

We had a brief bit of fine weather and I got these pictures of the lift bridges. 

This is bridge 26. 

And this is bridge 26 about five minutes later. 

Eventually we got through and made it to the start of the next flight of locks. 

Then it started to rain again so we moored straight after lock 3. Hopefully we will progress further and on to the Grand Union tomorrow. 

Not that we are worried about our leak, but the measuring jug used for catching the ingress was up to 300 ml today in just 8 hours. 

The longest flight

Today we started off a bit later than scheduled due to unforeseen escapades trying to dry wet clothes. 

We finally thought we could use the small fan heater we have but to power that we would need the generator. 

The first time it has been used in proper service it started on the 346th pull of the chord. 

So first thing after a late morning coffee we set off. 

The crew were still willing to help though the bribery of 10p each per lock is working well. 

It's always nice seeing this sign on the way down but today it was the start of a mission 

The weather was far more clement than yesterday, though tomorrow should be appalling. 

We made the most of today. 

There was the odd sneaky rest, strenuously denied but the camera never lies. 

There were plenty of gongoozlers along the way, but all crews going in the opposite direction were keen to lend a hand. 

Alison and Km set went ahead to set the lock, then when it was filling they would go on to the next. 

I would close the paddles and Gracie operated the upper gate. 

Finally we made it. I am £6.20 worse off but both children worked hard and will sleep tonight. 

We have moored up at Alvechurch so a visit to the Weighbridge is in order after tea (Camra GBG pub). 

The only down side today was a jammed fender in a lock which did an instant stop and we now have a bent handrail to show for it.