Home Moorings

Well before we were up an old engine came chugging slowly passed, thanks for going slow Nick. We set off our normal 10am and headed down Dunchurch Pools Marina to fill up with diesel. It was a tad busy with two boats on the service bay, one waiting under the entrance bridge, us behind him and another coming from the Braunston direction waiting behind us. Eventually it was our turn and we took on 90l of the red stuff. That sorted we made our way back to Barby.
The sheep in the area are already showing brightly coloured bums, I don’t know how long the Tup has been with them but it looks like he has made a good start, we didn’t put the Tup to the Ewes until Guy Fawkes day.

We manage to meet a hire boat in a bridge hole on a bend, luckily they weren't speeding and pulled back se we could pass on the wrong side. Back at our marina we follower the boat who had been ahead of us buying diesel through the marina bridge and we slid into our slot.
The water level in the marina was almost back to normal but I still deployed our wooden fenders to prevent Harnser sliding under the pontoon if the level falls again.

Until the next time.

Today’s Journey

 

4¼ miles with no locks in 2 hours.

Barby Bridge 75

We pushed off just after 10am on a bright sunny morning, again better than forecasted and made our way passed the CRT gang doing the piling. The still had two boats abreast but as there had moved along the canal a bit the water was deeper passing them. As the morning progressed the clouds started to gather. Rugby was busier and needless to say we met a boat on the bend by the bridge, just where they start mooring on both sides of the canal, but no one touched anyone else so all was good. Passing Armada cruisers at Newbold they were hard at work cleaning under the base plate of a boar ready for blacking.Not the nicest job in the world. At Hillmorton  locks the offside chamber was empty and as I lined up two Volockies opened the bottom gates and worked us up, Diana hopped off and walked up to the middle lock ahead where again the offside was empty with a boat coming down the near side. Up to the top lock and into the nearside lock, it was the empty one as you will read later. As it was filling I went to photograph the level gauge at the spill weir. The lock was taking a long while to make level and we found one of the bottom paddles slightly up. These are the locks where the square tab you put on the end of the square winding shaft to keep them up.. That sorted we were on our way, we debated whether to moor above the locks or continue to the much quieter moorings further on. The quieter moorings won. It now looks as if all the pub moorings are now long term with the same boats always there, even though the banner says customer moorings only.Passing the winding hole the sky had darkened quite a bit and we just moored up before the rain started.

Today’s Journey

 

9¼ miles with 3 locks in 3¾ hours

All Oaks Wood.

Well the Greyhound looks to be doing well for all day Sunday lunches turning the tables over several time in the course of the day and there were only two spots in the afternoon we could book. Strange thing was that when they turned the table next to us it was taken by someone we know.So we had bit of a chat before giving up our table.
After about 11mm of rain yesterday last night turned out to be fine a stary sky, this morning we woke to rain, so I expected to get wet. A little after ten, after Allan on Purton had chugged by we moved over the the water point. While it was filling I went to look at the new, temporary elsan disposal point, it

looks quite posh at the moment and even has a BWB lock on the door, I wonder how long that will last. The building is in a poor state of repair and I don’t think I would be parking my vehicle just where they are, right below the collapsing gutter and roof line.

the top half only dates back to about 1990 or just before, I found a post card dated 1988 of the original building on eBay with a flat roof.

After filling with water we went through the lock and winded in the entrance to the Coventry Canal before coming back up the lock, by now it was 11 am. so almost an hour messing around.
Again we met several boats and much to my surprise and delight, didn’t get wet, I put the brolly up a few times, but it was nothing much.
At Ansty there is no change at the bridge or the house that lost its back garden, there is till the pipe hung across the cut and still a partly closed bridge .

Bridge 26 has sprouted a new set of railings, but only on one side. This bridge had plastic barriers along the edge for ages, may have been years. Now  it has a galvanised rail set on a galvanised beam.

Yesterday I mentioned the fish pool by a boat, we today I managed to capture a photograph of the top part of it behind the boat.

We carried on to moor in the same spot as 2 nights ago so I wondered down the bank and photographed the patio that some laid with some old slabs.

Of course the boat in the dyke is still there and I am wondering if I should report it to CRT.

 

Today’s Journey

8½ miles with 2 locks in 3¾ hours.

Hawkesbury Junction

Due to the weather forecast for today we set off a little bit earlier and almost got to Coventry Cruising Club before the very fine drizzle started, the sort where you don’t notice its raining but slowly get wet. By the time we reached Hawkesbury it was proper light rain and its been  slightly heavier ever since.
We set of a little before 9-30 am. on the brightest mooring we have had for some time, However the barometer has dropped by 24mb over the past 24 hours, so it wouldn’t last.
The leaves are really falling now and a couple of times we have had to clear the prop. It will be an ongoing thing now until they rot away.

CRT have reenforced the towpath closer barrier leading to the area of the land slip but that has not stopped people forcing a way round up the embankment for some reason. I am not sure where they want to go along there.

There has also been a lot of work at the site of the slippage, all the old gabions removed and the land terraced and graded back, what look like foundations for a retaining wall have been laid behind the towpath.

  At the site of the northern most slip it looks as if the embankment has been sprayed with something green, I wondered if its a compound containing seeds to bind the surface. It looks like the area is covered in moss. Again more grading has been carried out.

At Rose Narrowboat a gent from the long term moorings who had just been getting containers of water to take back to his boat kindly opened and closed the bridge for us which save a stop and Diana doing it. I was able to compliment him on how nice they keep their mooring area. The last boat on the offside Rose moorings has an above ground fish pond complete with waterfall in what looks like small plunge pool. We carried on to Hawkesbury Junction hoping we could moor fairly close to the Greyhound for a very late lunch. When we arrived there was only one boat on the visitor moorings, another moored on the waterpoint and one on the area marked no mooring just beyond the lock, so not to far to walk later on this afternoon.

Todays Journey

7¾ miles with no locks in 2½ hours

All Oaks Wood

Again away a little after 10 and met boats on a regular basis. Our first stop was Brownsover to visit Tesco. I got my days wrong so now we are onboard longer than planned. There were very few boat moored here in what is normally a popular spot, maybe all the boats we met left this morning. A little over an hour later and we were on our way again   and were soon at Newbold, again very few moored boats and we didn’t even meet anyone in the tunnel. Over the past few days we have knowingly met two professional boat movers, they may have been more. As we passed through All Oaks Wood I could see a collection of CRT work boats ahead. Its a pity they didn’t leave them all singled out as I went well aground passing the breasted pair.

They are piling just North of the woods in front of the concrete edging, so I can only assume that its breaking away below the water level. Again plenty of room to moor. I thought I had seen just about every conceivable  type of fly tipping but someone has put a complete cruiser in the ditch behind the tow path and a load of concrete slabs have been laid like a patio.

 

We went to the far end of the piling before mooring for the night. Tomorrow we have booked Sunday Lunch at the Greyhound , never booked ahead before when boating, hope we get there on time.

 

Today’s Journey

6 miles with no locks in 2½ hours

Clifton

A quiet night with no geese to walk us this morning, but the first boat did pass about 7 am.
We left at our normal 10 am. and were meeting boats almost continuously until we reached Hillmorton locks, Here both locks were against us, nothing coming up and a CRT tug pushing a full length flat down towards the middle lock. The back pumps were running flat out trying to replace the water used by the lock.

As we left the top lock one of the CRT crew set the middle one ready for us. They were locking the flat through first and then the tug, so we locked down beside them but left the locks first. By now there was a boat waiting to come up so we left our lock open for them. At the bottom lock the 2 Volockies had the offside gates open ready for us and the CRT crew were setting the near side ready for the flat. When we locked down we found two boats waiting at the bottom to lock up. We only did about another half mile before mooring for the night by the golf course.

 

Today’s Journey

7¼ miles with 3 locks in 3 hours.

Willoughby

Last night we ate at the Folly and I must say it was top notch, I had home made lasagne which was full of meat and served with a decent bit of salad, not the normal token bit of green, Diana had the steak pie, again full of tender meat with more meat and gravy on top, a huge portion of mash and peas.
We had a bit of rain overnight but it didn’t record on the weather station so this morning I evicted the spider that had taken up residence in it.
We were ready to set off at 10 this morning but as it involved a very short revers to the winding hole we waited for a boat heading to the locks to come by. The canal seems quieter  today and we have only seen 16 boats on the move. 
CRT have done several towpath repairs  putting in a short length of piling, this would make a handy mooring for one boat if they hadn’t set reeds along half of it.

We had our way steadily to Braunston where we turned up the North Oxford, Checking the level indicator it was the same as yesterday. There were fewer boats moored in Braunston on the N Oxford than yesterday but we have passed many boats been in the same spot since the lock closures went on, I thought they would have been on the move by now as some are not moored in the best of places.

We passed the wide beam boat still moored just outside Braunston on the N Oxford, they have a notice in the window saying “Broken down”. As they have reflective windows its hard to see, the reflections of our boat are clearer.
We only went just passed bridge 88 where we found a length of piling that is not under any trees  where we called it a day.

Today’s Journey

7¾ miles with no locks in 3¼ hours

Napton

We set off about 10-30 heading down to the marina entrance to wind and also fill with water. The canal was quite busy and we must have had ten pass between the junction and the Marina both while we were still moored up and also getting water. There was a boat already on the water point so we continued and winded in the marina entrance, the scaffolding had all gone now and the painting finished, but they still have to complete work where the deck meets the wall.

 

At the stop house they are erecting scaffolding at the side so it looks as if CRT are planning some maintenance on it. Don’t worry about squeezing passed the barriers to get to the waste bins because they have gone.

By the time we got back to the water point by bridge 91 the boat that was there was just moving off so we stopped to fill up. This tap has a very good pressure, I have a wet leg to prove it. Once full we set of towards Napton. At the site of the old railway bridge we caught up with a very slow boat, I was steady behind him on absolute tickover, thankfully as soon as we cleared the bend he pulled over and waved me by.
What would you think to having this chap peeping into your bedroom window in the morning?

The front fender on this boat caught my eye, I don’t think he would last long on our front fender, but this one may be thick enough to keep him safe.

We made our way to Napton and spotted one mooring slot just past the winding hole, so we drifted into there for the night, its only a short revers to the winding hole in the morning, I bet it will be blowing a hoolie.
Diana has been for a walk up the flight and didn’t notice any padlocks. On her way she called into the Folly to book a table for us for tonight, I think the last time we ate there was a Cutweb dinner. At the top of the locks it looks as if they have driven a pipe under the canal for some reason. I wonder if it will result in the canal leaking along the trench if its not sealed.

 

 

Today’s Journey

 

7¾ miles with no locks in 3½ hours

Braunston

The weather as we travelled to the boat it was drizzle most of the way, but no hold ups with traffic.

Once at the boat we had a quick lunch at at 2-30 slid backwards from our mooring, the wooden post suspended from the handrail had done their job stopping us sliding under the pontoon. It looks like the management have installed new guides in the stop plank groves at the entrance to the canal. Last time we were on the boat there was talk of fitting the stop planks to seal off the marina from the canal, but the steel guides were badly distorted where boats entering of leaving the canal have hit them. I hope they don’t plan to fit the planks any time soon.
Once out of the marina we turned left and headed down to Braunston. The level was probably an inch or so down on last trip, We met a few boats including Narrowboat Ellis, Home | Hotel Boat Ellis with Mark at the helm. As we came into Braunston I was able to get a reasonable photo of the level gauge and as you can see its down by about an inch on last time we passed.

Then crossing the bridge at the junction was Kate, so we stopped for a natter with here for a while before going just round the bend on the Grand Union and mooring for the night.

Today’s Journey

 

4¾ miles with no locks in 1¾ hours