Tixall Wide

Well I got it wrong yesterday, the temperature was down to 14°C so I fired up the shove, Diana got the dinner in and cooking and what happened, the sun came out, the doors were open and it was 30°C inside the boat, needless to say, as soon as dinner was cooked the shove was off. When we went to bed we had to have the rear doors open for ¼ hour to cool down.

No rush to get away this morning as we were only going to Great Haywood as that was decision point and time.
Yesterday Nanney’s Bridge on the Middlewich branch was hit by a vehicle, closing the canal. CRT were going to examine it today to see if the canal could be reopened, If it couldn’t we have to reroute via the Shropshire Union canal and the only place we could do that id Gt Haywood so we didn’t set off until 11am.
Just a short way ahead of where we were moored are the famous “Bloody Steps” There use to be a much bigger information board there than there is now. There is also another notice under it saying we are entering a smoke free zone, its the first one of these I have noticed, I guess there must be one at the other side of Rugeley as well.

There were several boats moored just the other side of the Aqueduct, maybe this sign is the reason. Word of warning, don’t get close to the towpath between the aqueduct and the road bridge, is shallow a long way out. Just round the bend the lambs were enjoying life bouncing around on the field.

Taff Wharf have the back end of a working boat hull laying upside down on the bank, not something you often see.

One of the houses a short way before Colwich lock has this carved tree in its garden, I have photographed it before but I think this is the best photo so far.

The village church looks an interesting building, maybe we should stop one day and visit it for a closer look.

The boat ahead was rather slow at Colwich Lock after taking some time to get in he was so busy chatting he forgot all about the top gate paddle. There was a single handed lady waiting to come down and we soon had her through and away, by the time I was in the lock another boat arrived above and below so many hands made light work. Up at Gt Haywood lock the top ground paddle was out so slow, just above the lock the Shrugburgh Estate have laid the Sycamore into a hedge, something I have not seen before.

We had already decided to go to Tixall Wide for the night as we expected Haywood to be packed on a Bank holiday, but it wasn’t but there were a few people about who had already had more cans than were good for them and passes by we spoke to said they were being a pain. As we approached the Wide we saw our first family of Cygnets with mum and dad.

We moored at the very start of the wide and checked the stoppage list. Engineers will be checking the bridge tomorrow so we will continue on to the Staffs and Worc to the Shropshire Union .

Today’s Journey

5 miles with 2 locks in 2½ hours

Rugeley

I must say I did enjoy boating this summer, now its  back to 14°C and 12mm of rain overnight. I now have the stove on and its 26°C in here and 14 out.

When we left at 10am I think we were the first boat away, Diana walked up and opened the swing bridge  the crossed the top of Junction Lock to meet me at double lock. I think they have mover the strong stream warning notice as you now see it as you leave the Coventry and turn UP the T&M, it’s to the left of the sign post .

Anyone coming down the flight may have problems waiting for Junction Lock as there is a row of barriers on over the bollards on the lock moorings.

Middle Lock was just about empty and there was a volockie up on Shadehouse Lock with a boat coming down. As we approached Wood End Lock which was against us I noticed there is earthworks taking place in the field adjacent to the towing path.

We met several boats above the locks and even spotted this pony and trap crossing bridge 56.

At Handsacre I spotted a boat winding ahead of us and we followed them at a distance all the way to Rugeley. It was handy when we got to Armitage Tunnel as I had caught him up a bit and could follow him straight through.

Passing the long term moorings just after the tunnel this clutch of Mallards have found a way to keep their feet dry, but its a case of one on, one off.

At Rugeley Tesco had the magnet switched on stopping us against the bank until they had extracted a some of money from our Credit Card. Whilst Diana went into the store to pay our dues I lite the stove for this evening.
Once the magnet was switched off we continued passed Naomi’s Landing, it’s good to see they are supporting Fund the Waterways.

 

We didn’t go much further before mooring for the mooring for the night a short way before “The Bloody Steps”

 

Today’s Journey

8.5 Miles with  3 locks in 3¾ hours

Fradley Junction

For some reason we even slept late for us and that takes some doing. The smoke alarm in the bedroom had the decency to wait until half nine to tell me its battery needed changing rather than wake us earlier.
Again it was a glorious day, not quite so hot as yesterday but very pleasant. We still managed to get away a few minutes after ten.
After a short while we met a paddle boarder coming towards us on the mirror like canal.

Much to our surprise there were very few boats moored in Hopwas and none at all outside the two pubs. Despite the comments I have read on line this week all the water levels on the Coventry and T&M to Fradley have been spot on. We did pass a sitting goose who was obviously concerned about flooding when she built her nest.

Coming into Whittington is much better since CRT dredged some of the offside reedbed from the canal.

There were some lovely reflections, this one resulted in me kissing the offside of Whittington Bridge, thankfully its s rectangular concrete one, not a brick arched one.

We passed the first two moored boats on the approach to Fradley junction, one of which was here at New Year and the time before that when we were here (maybe they move the same as we do) before dropping into the first available mooring spot. It turned out to be the only one, with a boat left on one waterpoint and the crew of a Dayboat having lunch on the other

 

Today’s Journey

 

10¾ miles with no locks in 4 hours.

Fazeley Junction

Away around ten this morning,the first hop wasn’t far just to the services for water and dump rubbish. Just beyond the bridge ahead of us are a row of moored boats, the first moored on the approach to the bridge and the last two right across the winding hole. It was so hot by now that the iPad on the slide shut down due to high temperature.
Coming into Polesworth you can see the canal is right on weir which is good, I had read reports of the Coventry canal being low.

Only a few bots moored in Polesworth but we met 3 Napton Narrowboat hire boats who I think were traveling in convoy, the last flying a Norwegian flag. Nice little place up for sale, canal side at on the way

to Tamworth. We did have a 5 minute stop at bridge 66 to stock up on bottles of beer.
The “No Mooring” sign is still on the garden fence just by bridge 73. We never moor there as its adjacent to a scrap yard.

There is now no water point above Glascote top lock, it was removed a couple of months ago.

As we approached the top lock a boat came up behind us and kindly opened and closed the offside gate for us, we in turn started filling the bottom lock for them when we left. A first for us today, I had to wait for a boat to clear the aqueduct over the river before we could proceed. We moored for the night just before Fazeley Junction on the 7 day moorings with rings .

Today’s Journey

(note where it failed to log due to the heat) 
8 miles with 2 locks in 4¼ hours.