All Oaks Tuesday 31 December 2019

Day : Tuesday
Date : 30December 2019
Start : 1000
Finish : 1615 All Oaks again

Yesterday evening we wandered up to The Plough for dinner, quite early at 7pm and as expected it was quite quiet at that time. Its several years since we have eaten there.

This morning Diana went to do a bit of shopping while I motored down to the Marina to wind, she was coming over the bridge just as I moored up in the same spot I left 25 minutes earlier. Once back onboard we headed back to the N Oxford. The island supporting the double span bridge across the junction needs some serious attention. You may recall that on Friday I posted a photo of a boat on Cross straps, well this is how its spouse to be done.

We had a good run down the locks with the top lock full and a boat about to leave both middle and bottom lock as we arrived. Being a bit short of water we stopped at the water point below the locks, but once we saw how low the water pressure was we carried on to Rugby and filled there. We met quite a lot of boats, most of them we had also met yesterday going the other way, including this Kate hire boat, they also had an inflatable Christmas tree on the rear deck and a Father Christmas.

Boaters tend to put something on top of their chimneys and exhausts to stop the rain getting in while the fire/ engine is not in use. I use an upturned, but painted coffee tin, some use mugs and saucepans, even bowler hats and Charlie pots, but this one had purpose made bonnets.

We pushed on and moored back at All Oaks wood visitor moorings.

Today's Journey15 Miles 3 Locks in 5¾ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Braunston Monday 30 December 2019

Day : Monday
Date : 30 December 2019
Start : 1030
Finish : Braunston 1530

Well weather wise the day made a very slow start and didn't really pick up until mid day, but boy it certainly made up for it with warm sunshine until about 4pm.

We met quite a few boats as we made our way to Braunston, we were going to stop at Hillmorton but the weather was so nice we just carried on. All the Hillmorton Locks were with us and a boat came down just as I was leaving the bottom lock, so I didn't need to stop and close it. There look to be a few more houses on the old radio site than last time we passed, I wonder how long it will take to complete the development.

One thing that stuck out today were there old Oxford Canal Company concrete fence posts, but they are not lined up for running wires through them, so ether they have been moved or were put in for another reason.

As we approached Braunston the sun was still bright but getting lower and it left some great shadows on the ridge and furrow land running up towards Braunston Church.

At Braunston Junction we went round to the left towards the village, there were a couple of mooring spots opposite the Boat House pub and as we knew two boats were following us we decided to moor straight way rather than going to the marina to wind first and risk not finding a spot.

Today's Journey14½ Miles 3 Locks in 4¾ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

All Oak Wood Sunday 29 December 2019

Day : Sunday
Date : 29 December 2019
Start : 1045
Finish : All Oaks, N Oxford 1530

A much brighter day today and looking at the sky this evening I am hopeful for tomorrow as well.
Before setting of a short walk round the basin and a visit to the food shop that specialises in eastern European thing. I have never had dry smoked squid before and then we were off. One of the bridges has some interesting art work, I can't call it graffiti as it was commissioned. What did surprise me were the yellow and blue wheelie bins right by the canal, form the labels they contain oil spill clean up kits and no one has set fire to them yet. Further along on the off side there is a complete wall made from old shipping containers standing 3 high.
You can't come down the Coventry Arm and not take a photo of the concrete sofa, no one has thrown this one in the cut yet. Talking of throwing things in the cut I have never seen this branch so clear of floating rubbish, on one trip down the weedhatch in the whole 10 miles.
When we reached Hawkesbury Junction I had to wait for a boat to come out from the Oxford before we could swing under the footbridge to the lock. A group of moorers just beyond the lock look as if they had a joyful Christmas.
Just beyond bridge 44 the fields are well flooded, I wonder if the pylon will grow a few inches with its roots in water.

We carried on and as the sky's cleared and the sun popped out again very low in to the horizon it started to feel a bit cooler, a kind boater taking water at Rose Narrowboats opened the swing bridge for us which was most appreciated as we carried to moor for the night on the rings just before All Oaks corner. We have met quite a few boats today, probably more than we have seen moving all week until today, the first being on the Coventry Arm followed by a couple at Sutton Stop.

Today's Journey14½ Miles 1 Lock in 4¾ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Coventry Basin Saturday 28 December 2019

Day : Saturday
Date : 28 December 2019
Start : 1030
Finish : 1545 Coventry Basin

A much brighter day and the thermometer said it was warmer, but it didn't feel that way.
One of the tasks today was to fill up with water again so we stopped just passed the A5 road bridge to top up, all the taps we have used on this canal have all had good pressure. I think I have seen more Canal Company boundary markers along this canal than anywhere. The company set them in the ground on the off side to show how much land they owned beside the canal, in some cases all this land has eroded and now the canal bank is the boundary.

The very last mile marker can be found at Marston Junction where the Ashby joins the Coventry and as expected it indicates 0/30.

Once on the Coventry canal we turned left, a bit tighter than 90° and due to taking the photo I wasn't on the best line, still we got round. I better give Christine a mention as she was hanging the washing out as we passed and invited us in for a cup of tea, We refused her kind offer as it would have meant we wouldn't have made our destination this evening.

The excitement of the day came at Charity Wharf, first there were clouds of billowing thick smoke and then just as I was into the bend I saw a boat coming the other way, with boat double moored on the bend I think it was the bow riding against the build up of silt that prevented us actually touching as we came round. The fire turned out to be a bonfire in a large metal container.

At Hawkesbury Junction we sailed straight on, under the bridge with the metal swans heading for Coventry basin. There are a lot of new houses since I came this way last and a lot more being built, not only that the canal on the whole was an awful lot cleaner probably thanks to the canal society who works very hard clearing the rubbish that people just discard. When we arrived at the basin there were probably half a dozen boats moored there so we winded and slid backwards into what use to be the Excellence Afloat moorings for the night.

Today's Journey16 Miles 0 Locks in 5¼ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Hinckley Friday 27 December 2019

Day : Friday
Date : 27 December 2019
Start : 1020
Finish : 1435

It was a dull old morning when we set off and it didn't improve at all, in fact it got quite damp, not rain of drizzle but the air was very damp.
As I said the other day the top end of the canal is a SSSI and British Waterways installed a barrier along the off side in Shackerstone to protect the offside vegetation and bank side, This is Nicospan on wooden poles with holes cut in the material so that birds and mammals can swim through. In the past we have always seen Water Vole up this canal, but none this time so far.

Yesterday I posted a photo of a defaced milepost, so here is one that has not been got at.
Something I have never seen before is a brick bridge with the centre section of parapet wall built independently of the two approach walls, I wonder if the designer was allowing for someone to hit the approach wall section and so limit the damage? but I really don't know.
I also mentioned a couple of days ago about a strange boat, well one with a coffin on the roof was a first for me, there are also a couple of skeletons sitting up there. The wind generator is unusual as well, not sure how well it works on an inland boat with hedges about.

If you are a fellow boater then you will know about following a boat on "Cross Straps". This normally entails having two short equalled length ropes with an eye spliced in each end. One end of each rope is placed over the towing dolly, or T stud of the butty, these then drop both sides of the bow of the butty before being crossed and one put over each of the towing dollies on the motor boat, This holds the bows of the butty inline with the centre of the towing boat. This boat owner has taken the name literally and used strapping to connect the boats.
We passed yet another case of fly tipping, this time actually into the canal, well the road does run right beside the canal at this point. I should point out that the car in the picture was just passing as I took the photo and has no connection to the incident. I have of course reported it to CRT.
We didn't travel much further before mooring for the night on the outskirts of Hinckley feeling somewhat chilly and damp.

Today's Journey12 Miles 0 Locks in 4¼ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Shackerstone Thursday 26 December

Day : Thursday
Date : 26 December 2019
Start : 1000
Finish : 1530 Shackerstone

Well the weather today was somewhat different to yesterday, dull, overcast, cool and light rain, not the most pleasant conditions to be boating in.

We set off for the end of navigation, the far side of Snarestone tunnel. The canal is actually a bit longer than this as the Ashby Canal Association have a bit more in water, but to access that there is a swing bridge and we are to long to wind at the end, so we winded before the swing bridge, had a chat with Mike who is now the resident manager before mooring on the visitor mooring for lunch.

Before we reached the tunnel, which although it wide, it is not wide enough for two boats to pass and also it is not quite straight, we had to pass under Gopsall Wharf bridge, The parapet of this bridges was knocked off some time ago and its still awaiting repair.

The Ashby canal Association decided a long time ago to install mile posts that they have had made all the way from the terminus at Moira and Marston Junction, a distance of 30 miles, each post shows the distance from each end but some has decided that the end is actually Snarestone and has defaced the three posts south of there to show 1, 2 and 3 miles.

After lunch we did walk to the end of the restored section at Faulks Bridge and back, the restored section now looks very established.
As you can see by this map from Waterway Routes the restored canal will have to deviate from its original route quite soon.

There were 4 boats came down and winded while we were moored up and we followed the forth one back to Shackerstone where we both moored for the night in almost the same spot as last night.

Today's Journey7½ Miles 0 Locks in 3 hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Shackerstone Wednesday 25 December 2019

Day : Wednesday
Date : 25 December 2019
Start : 1000
Finish : 1315 Shackerstone

Firstly a merry Christmas to you all.

I went for my early morning wee and the sky was blood read along the eastern horizon, I really should have got the camera an taken a photo, but I went back to bed.

We set off at 10 am. in bright sun and it stayed out for most of the day making it feel quite warm, but this after noon the temperature made a marked drop. First job was to top up with water at Sutton Wharf, before you get to the wharf you pass a long line of offside long term moorings, one of the boats had an interesting fender on the bows., there is also another interesting boat but more about that on the return journey. The moorers here are also very specific at what speeds they would like boaters passing their moorings, I don't think I can actually go that slow without dropping out of gear.

As we filled with water I looked over to the rubbish disposal compound, they have a real problem with rats here with fresh holes all over the place and quite a bit of soil on the concrete base inside the compound. There are ten poison boxes around the perimeter, whether they are being kept fully baited I don't know. As we filled with water a hire boat came by, the only boat we saw moving all day. Once full we push on and soon passed that single hire boat as he was mooring up.

It wasn't long before we entered the SSSI that this canal runs through, its a good job its not positively policed as the official as there are not that many official moorings and I don't know what they expect to happen to the grey water.

We decided not to stop for an early lunch as the sun was getting lower in the sky but to continue on to Shackerstone visitor moorings where we have stopped for the night. We just had a light Christmas lunch with fresh fruit salad made wit slow gin for desert. The vegetables are now on the top of the Dickinson and the Turkey roll is in the oven, so we have that to look forward to later.

Today's Journey8¾ Miles 0 Locks in 3¼ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Dadlington Tuesday 24 December 2019

Day : Tuesday
Date : 24 December 2019
Start : 1020
Finish : 1520 Dadlington

Last night we went to sleep listening to the rain on the roof but by this morning it had all stopped and things looked bright. We were about to set off when it started drizzling which was followed by a rainbow and it stopped again, right until I dropped the front rope off, which was for the signal for it to start properly. If we had only waited until 1030 I would have stayed dry. Things were quite quiet today, several dog walkers about and a couple of fishermen. The first boat we saw turned into the Ashby canal ahead of us, I must say its much easier turning off the Coventry into the Ashby the way we were coming rather from Sutton Stop. We didn't meet another boat until we approached the A5 road bridge where we planned to stop for water, the boat coming the other way had the same idea, still we have plenty to last until tomorrow. We caught up with the hire boat we were following when they moored up opposite Ashby Boats, I asked if it was the end of their holiday, but they said that they would still be onboard for Christmas, so we may see them again. As we didn't stop for water I had planned to moor opposite Dadlington Wharf but there were already 2 boats there so we continued for another quarter mile of so to moor between bridges 30 and 31.

Today's Journey15 Miles 0 Locks in 5 hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Springwood Haven Monday 23 December 2019

Day : Monday
Date : 23 December 2019
Start : 1030
Finish : 1530 Springwood Haven

A bit of rain overnight but fine with a little cool breeze this morning. Off up the locks with them all in our favour until we reach lock 4 and a I watch a boater turn lock 3 they then wandered off with their boat still in lock 2 so we had to wait for them to arrive and then lock down, we met another boat coming down lock one.

Once above the lock we moored up for a spot of lunch and shopping. We also had a chat with an old boating friend Brian, who we hadn't seen for some time. It was then off to just south of Springwood Haven marina for the night, in the field next to the marina this poor old bull was up to his elbows in the mud. He did move before we left so I know he wasn't stuck fast.

Today's Journey5¾ Miles 9 Locks in 3¼ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Sunday 22 December Atherstone Flight

Day : Sunday
Date : 22 December 2019
Start : 1330 hrs
Finish : 1610 Atherstone flight

We got to do a new section of the A14 today, thankfully the traffic was light so you could read the numbers painted on the road, unlike the normal nose to tail traffic we encounter there. We arrived at the boat we worked our way through the mud to load all the Christmas goodies onboard and then set off south along the canal. This old BCN wooden butty has just come out of the dry dock after having a leak attended to, it certainly looks very smart.

The plan was to moor overnight at the bottom of the locks, but while we filled with water at the services there was a noticeable surge in the canal which could only mean one thing, a boat had just come down the bottom lock and the bottom lock would now be empty and ready for us, so a change of plan to do the first two locks. As I hopped off below the lock I could see it was actually full and the top gate open. First thoughts a boat had just gone up, but then a cruised appeared at the top of the lock coming down, so all was good. We went up the first two locks and moored for the night just before the disused foot bridge.

We plan to spend Christmas on the Ashby and then head towards Hillmorton, possibly via Coventry.

Today's Journey5½ Miles 2 Locks in 2½ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Home Mooring Sunday 8 December 2019

Day : Sunday
Date : 8 December 2019
Start : 1030
Finish : 1130 The Marina

A bit of rain and lots of wind over night but not bad this morning when we set off. A slow gentle run back to the marina to top the batteries up, needless to say just I turned into the marina we had a rain/wind squall which didn't help reversing into our berth, as soon as we were secure the wind dropped and it was the last of the rain.

Today's Journey 2½ Miles 0 Locks in 1 hour.

Total this trip 87½ miles 26 locks 5n 33¼ hours

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.

Polesworth Saturday 7 December 2019

Day : Saturday
Date : 7 December 2019
Start : 1020
Finish : 1300 Polesworth.

Our reason for mooring opposite the Samuel Barlow last night was so that we could use the car to go to the Trent and Mersey Canal Society Christmas dinner at The Red Bull, Kidsgrove.

This morning was a late start at 1020hrs, we thought it was going to be a glorious day as when we got up the sun was streaming in and the pressure had gone up, but by the time we set off it had clouded over.

Just after passing Polesworth we could heat the shooting going on and on the way back a line of beaters were brushing the root crop, I didn't see much get up but did hear a few shots later.

The field to the off side of the canal a short way before the winding hole is still flooded but no so much waster as last time we came this way, I would have thought the farmer would have dug a small drainage channel to let if off unless the middle is lower than the canal level. It was much easier winding this time without the strong flow of water entering the canal and pushing the bows round the wrong way.

Passing Grendon Dry Dock we spotted Birchills, a Earnest Thomas day boat moored up, she was towed here from Birmingham a couple of weeks ago.

It wasn't long before we reached Polesworth and moored up for the night giving us just enough run in the morning to top the batteries up a bit. After lunch we went to look at Polesworth Abbey but it was all locked up.

Today's Journey6¾ Miles 0 Locks in 2½ hours.

IMPORTANT NOTICE All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices. All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted any made anonymously are accepted but if you leave a name I could say thanks.