Hillmorton

We were away earlier today as we decided we would head through Hillmorton in case they reviewed the opening hours on Monday, so off at 9am.Crossing the second aqueduct coming into Rugby the off side railing have rotted away, it will probably be put down to vandalism.As we approached bridge 58 it all looked a bit strange, not a boat in sight, the first one was round the corner, even all the moorings offside weren't taken.

It looks as if most of Clifton Cruisers are out, with a couple getting ready to go as we passed. Thankfully we met this beautiful craft on a straight section. It may look like she is built with wooden planks and

over 100 years old, but she is brand new and made of steel, fitted with a Kelvin engine and looks absolutely splendid.

We carried on to Hillmorton where I accidently jumped the queue when the boat I was following pulled in at the water point rather than carrying on to the lock moorings where two boats were waiting. We gave our apologies and explained out thought to which the steerer said well we could do with a fill up so carry on. One of the bottom locks is broken so they have locked off one of the top locks to save water, with a Volockie at the top and bottom controlling the flow. The water above the flight is probably down 100mm. Once at the top we passed these young Belted Galloways not only in the shade but also the canal. You have to look hard to see them.

Rather than mooring on the first vacant mooring above the flight we slipped into a gap half way to the first bridge to leave room for people arriving to queue for the morning. 
There are two things in the flight a bit unusual, a boat abandoned on the lock moorings of the second Lock and this chap between the bottom and middle lock towpath side

 

  
Today’s Journey

7½ miles with 3 locks in 3½ hours

All Oaks Wood

Away just before 10 and went over something hard just before bridge 15, that’s a little less 2 pack on the base plate. Round passed Charity Dock and there looked to be a few boats missing so this old wooden hulk was on display.

About half a mile further on out in mid channel we scraped on something else. As I turned at Hawkesbury Junction I didn’t expect to meet a Coaster and a Gun Boat, so I didn’t get round in one.

Hawkesbury Lock was like a real lock today with the Coventry being so low,just a bit more difference in level.

When we last came under this bridge at Ansty it was being repainted to cover the graffiti, it looks as if it may have worked.

This wouldn’t be my chosen spot for a mooring for the night but maybe they like trains.

It looks as if work is finally complete at the two breaches in the narrows between All Oaks and Rose Narrowboat, unlike the one further north hat has had nothing done and the towpath closure fences put to one side . We will see what happens when it rains, if it ever does. Floating in the narrows was a flower arrangement complete with miniature solar panel. I may walk back and see it it illuminates tonight.

We moored on pins at All Oaks Wood until the boat ahead who was moored to the piling left, then with great difficulty we moved down a boats length once we were clear of the mud.

Today’s Journey 10½ miles with 1 lock in 4 hours

Marston Junction

About half nine this morning a CRT chap walks by and said the locks are off. They needed to let water down so the boaters waiting may as well make use of it so opened early. We set off and were third up the locks behind yet another member of The Cutweb Internet Boat club, that was three of us moored in the same pound over night completely unplanned. The cottage at Lock 5 has a rather splendid Sun Flower, I would say it’s over 4Mt high. Once we were into the 5 top locks we were away with Volockies helping single handers and boats queuing to come down, often with one waiting in the pound above for us as well as one coming down in the next lock. This is normally bad practice as it wastes water, but today they needed to get excess water down the flight. By the time we cleared the top lock there had been 10 coming down.
In the winding hole above the lock flight for some reason someone has erected a stop, no sure why because its a dead end and the sign wont stop you hitting it, the buoys will which have made the winding hole even shorter, no chance winding a full length boat

We had been told about the buoys along the canal in front of the now flattened hat factory and this was what greeted us under Coleshill bridge.

The sign asks you to glide by but as we had to stop and wait for a boat already coming that was impossible. The reason for the dam is they are repairing the old factory foundations that run in the canal bed.

Further along yet another garden now has manikins residing in it.

This boat gives an indication of how much the Coventry summit is down along with all the Ashby.

Looking at the weir I would estimate it between 150 and 200mm. When you consider the pound is approximately 38 miles long its going to take a lot of water to bring it back up to the correct level.

There was no water coming in at the Anchor Bridge opposite the Anchor pub, there is normally a steady flow there and this was the level gauge.

A most unusual sit by Springwood Haven, this normally has at least half a dozen boats moored there, today just one at the very end near the bridge.

It amuses me the different items people put on top of their exhausts to jeep the rain out, I have seen everything from a Chamber Pot to a leather hat, this one had a stainless jug, we have a painted coffee tin.

Passing Boot Wharf I see there diesel price is very much in line with others now at £1-30 domestic price. As we left Nuneaton we passed the large Rhenus Logistics establishment and I noticed they had repaired the faulty glazing since we last were this way.

Time to look for a mooring for the night, we tried our usual spots but all were too shallow for us to get in so we carried on to just prior to Marston Junction

Today’s Journey9¾ miles with 5 locks in 5 hours

Lock 5 Atherstone Flight

Today’s plan was to moor below Atherstone Locks as the last entry was at 1400 hrs. but that changed.

Soon after setting off we passed a CRT mooring basin that has no boats moored in it. It did however have a couple of geese in residence sitting on the mooring buoys along with a duck.

At the junction we carried straight on towards Tamworth. The Glascote locks were against us and again I found someone had left the top paddle up 3 notches. Looking back a freight train was crossing the canal and every truck was painted with bright graffiti.

By the time we where up the bottom lock a boat was working down the top one so we both had locks ready for us. At the top lock there was a CRT employee who gave us a hand, he was waiting for a tug and pan coming  down, we met them just through the next bridge hole. We had to pass on the wrong side but it was no problem. We soon passed where they were working, replacing the piling, well inserting another layer in front of the old stuff.

Then we actually had some rain and I had to deploy the brolly, all 0.4mm. But it was enough to get you wet. When we came through Polesworth on our way out this was an open piece of land, now its an almost complete bungalow.

Looking at the spill weir the water level didn’t look too bad, but it was heavy going in places due to the bottom being too close to the top.

We stopped at the Grendon Services to top up with water as it was twenty to two and supposedly the last entry up the Atherstone flight was two o’clock with the padlocks going on at Three. It was spot on two when we finished filling with water, just as a boat came by, so now we would be second in the queue in the morning. However when we arrived at the locks a boat had just come down and another was holding the bottom gate open before they turned the lock to come down. We waited expecting the boat ahead to enter the lock, but they didn’t as they couldn’t decide whether to go part way up the flight or not. In the end they said they were staying there so we went up, meeting boats in the next three locks which worked well. One of the bridges now supports some bright graffiti, I don’t thing the artist was paying attention doing the biology lessons. The pounds were down a bit until we got to lock 7 where it looked to be on weir, we went up through lock 6 and moored for the night, only to find we were behind two lots of boating friend who we had not seen for some years.

Today’s Journey  10 miles with 8 locks in 5½ hours

Fazeley Junction

It was warm from the word go, clear blue sky and a few gusty puffs of wind. We hadn’t gone far when we met this chap. On the wrong side but well out of the way.

This boat was moored by the Waterworks, a nice mooring. The flowers looked spectacular but I wouldn’t want to steer the boat with that lot on top.

On to Brookhay Bridge, this bridge seems to get well clogged with leaves and other rubbish, I had my fingers crossed that the rubbish was not going to be joined by anything larger.

Between here at where the canal gets wide at Street Hay someone has put a bench where the towpath is extra wide. The bench looks out at the A34, not the most peaceful of spots, strange that people can manage to carry things to the bench but not away.

As we approached The Plough at Huddlesford I was looking at all the new benches and tables they have

out on the towpath when Diana said “Look she is still painting the mural”, I snapped the photo as quickly as I could but couldn’t really see the mural, next time.

A short way before Fazeley I  saw there was a Fire Extinguisher laying on the offside bank. At first I thought it was dredging's but then realised the bank had been on fire. Luckily the field of maze adjacent to the bank is still quite green, had it been wheat or Barley it would have been a different story. I have no idea how this caught fire other than an empty glass bottle laying on the bank.

We carried on into Fazeley mooring well back from the actual junction with a bit of shade from the offside trees.

Today’s Journey

9½ miles with no locks in 3¾ hours

Fradley Village

Last night we ate rather more than we should have of an Indian Takeaway from Indian Cottage, the Bengal Chicken was on the warm side, but the beef dish really tender. About 11pm I was getting the tv aerial in and the moon had just risen above the bridge by Tesco, shame about the clouds.

A quick visit to town before setting off a little after ten. We met several boats in the course of the morning and there was one ahead of us who came by just as we were setting off, the next time was saw him was as he left Fradley Middle lock.

The have been building this rather posh shed for probably 5 years, it looks as if it may now almost be complete.

There is a sign like this by the aqueduct the other side of Rugeley, this one is opposite Ashtree Boat Club but looks to be facing the wrong way

On to Armitage Tunnel, well its actually a long cutting, there was a tunnel once I believe, with a concrete road bridge over it, but its still called a tunnel and CRT spends a lot of money with tunnel warning notices.

This is the actual bridge at the end of the long cutting.

The chimney at the Armitage Shanks toilet factory looks as if its expecting a visit from Fred Dibner. I have just received a stoppage notice saying they are going to demolish it. I bet they don’t knock a hole in the side and then light a big fire .

Between Kings Bromley Marina and Woodend Lock I saw something I haven't seen for several years, a jet black Mink scurrying along the offside bank. Just after Woodend Lock before the bend there is a lot of activities going on with excavators etc. I couldn’t see what was happening through the undergrowth, but I can’t see how it ties in with HS2. This was the site 3 months ago. Harnser's Travels: Rugeley 
The only low water we have experienced was the short pound between Shadhouse lock and middle Lock, I did wonder if Diana would need to let water down from the lock above to get into middle lock. Thankfully she didn’t and I entered without touching the cill.

At the junction we turned onto the Coventry Canal and nearly all the visitor moorings were free, Ideal I thought. This is the reason.

We stopped anyway, well they are not going to turn up this afternoon are they. We had lunch, I went and removed the tiller, took my boots off and what cam chugging through the swing bridge from the junction, a tug pushing a flat full of ballast. We were away before he was ready to pull in and made our way just past bridge 90 to moor for the night in Fradley Village.

Today’s Journey

8¾ miles with 3 locks in 4 hours