Hawkesbury Junction to All Oaks Wood

Having got thoroughly bored sitting out the rain yesterday (and it really did rain!) we were determined that whatever the weather, we were moving on a bit today.  We set off under heavy overcast this morning, still hot and very humid.  We filled with water and emptied loo cassettes and rubbish at the junction then through the stop lock onto the North Oxford.  We made fairly good progress for a while until we caught up with a Valley Cruises hire boat.  They only seem to have 2 speeds – very fast or very slow!  We had a hard job staying behind them, we kept having to come out of gear and just drift, they were so damn slow.  And a good job we did as they didn’t seem to be able to judge whether they were closest to a bridge, or to narrows or whether a boat coming towards them was closer.  Twice the boats coming towards them had to take rapid evasive action as they just kept on crawling through.  How they got away without ramming something, or having a boat ram them, I’ll never know.  There were plenty of places where they could have pulled over and let us go by, but they steadfastly refused to make eye contact or acknowledge in any way that we were almost up their arse!  After an hour and a half crawling along behind them we were getting really pissed off.  They then pulled in far too early for the Rose Narrowboats swing bridge, and just sat there!  Nobody went down to the bridge to open it, consequently 4 boats came through in the opposite direction.  I was just thinking of getting off and going ahead to open the bridge, but due to the stones at the bank we couldn’t get near enough, when they cottoned on and moved.  Thankfully, they then discovered the water point and pulled in again, which allowed us to pass them and go through the narrow bit – we even had the bridge opened and shut for us by a couple of Rose Narrowboats chaps.  Result!  We continued on a little, through the cutting and found that the visitor moorings at All Oaks Wood were practically empty so we decided to stop for the day.

A very pleasant mooring

8.6 miles and 1 lock

Too bloody hot…..

Yesterday afternoon was spent dozing in the sweltering heat.  At one point we had some scrotes on motorbikes come tearing along the towpath.  A bit later we heard them coming back so Rog got his camera ready.  As they came around the bend, Rog lifted his camera and snapped a photo or two.  When they spotted the camera, the lead motorcyclist yelled to his mate to turn around quick, and, as they rode off, seemed to be shouting something about Rog being a ‘Barclay’s banker’ – at least that’s what Rog thinks he heard!!!  Ozzy also decided to see them off, but I doubt being chased along the towpath by a black and white woolly teddy-bear would have alarmed them much.

We did wonder whether we’d find our ropes cut and us drifting all over the canal this morning, and in fact Rog thought he heard someone outside the boat not long after we turned off the lights last night, but, when he looked out of the front there was nobody about – I think he might have dreamt it!  Not enough in the photos to identify the culprits, so no point in contacting the local police, but at least it got rid of them.

This morning when we set off it was already hot with 70% humidity.  As we were coming through Nuneaton we had an unexpected heavy shower of rain – heavy enough for Rog to put on his waterproof, but it didn’t last more than about 15 minutes.  The thermometer we took out onto the back deck this morning registered 34 deg C as we arrived at Hawkesbury Junction and we could hear the Greyhound pub and a nice cold cider calling, so we decided to call it a day – it was just too bloody hot to be standing on the back of the boat.  Lunch and the aforesaid cider was consumed at the pub, which means I don’t have to cook again tonight. The weather forecast for tomorrow is thunderstorms for most of the day, so I think we’ll be staying put.

7 miles and 0 locks

What a scorcher again…..

The forecast was correct yesterday, we had some fairly heavy rain yesterday evening, but it had stopped by about 9 o’clock – and we were rewarded with a lovely rainbow.

There was a lot of mist around this morning when we got up at just after 7am and by 7.45 we were on our way, determined to get the 11 Atherstone locks under our belt before it got just too hot.  And so we did – we had a reasonably quick ascent, and in just 2 1/4 hours we were at the top.  We used the service point to fill with water and and get rid of rubbish, and Rog popped to the shop for milk and a few other items.  It was very hot by this time and we were glad to get moving and create a bit of breeze.  The original idea was to push on to Hawkesbury Junction today, but by lunch time we’d had enough of the heat and have moored up just past Springwood Haven marina.

5.7 miles and 11 locks

What a mess!!!!…..

We discovered late yesterday that we had a split tin of blacking in one of the front lockers and did what we could to minimise the mess, but decided on just a short cruise today so we could do a proper clean up job, so we left Alvecote this morning went through Polesworth, and moored at the bottom of Atherstone locks on the visitor moorings there.  Neither of us felt like tackling the locks today as we are still suffering the after effects of our colds so we set to and emptied the front locker, putting aside all the stuff that needed cleaning up, and putting the stuff that was just too covered in blacking to save in a black bin bag.  Next using a scraping stick and copious amounts of kitchen roll, Rog scraped up as much of the blacking as he could, leaving just a thin covering of it in the bottom of the locker, which we have left empty and open in the hope that it will dry enough to replace stuff later today.  After we had cleaned up the rest of the stuff with white spirit, we cleaned ourselves up – that blacking gets everywhere!  We then rewarded ourselves with a cup of coffee and sat in the sunshine and watched the world and his wife queue for the bottom lock!

Pretty meadow full of poppies and other wild flowers that we passed on the way today.

Queue for Atherstone bottom lock, one in and 3 waiting – Rog decided to do his good deed for the day and went up and helped 2 single handers through the lock.  Shortly afterwards our German ‘friends’ on the Anglo Welsh that we encountered yesterday appeared – there were at least nine of them on board, possibly 10!  The chap we spoke to yesterday asked Rog why everyone was opening the top paddles only half way at first and he explained about the surges of water that pull the boat backwards and then shoot it forwards.  The chap just shrugged and said ‘But you have an engine’.  They then proceeded to make a right hash of the lock, forgetting to shut the bottom paddles before opening the top ones, and wondered why they weren’t going up!  Did we laugh?  Of course not!!!

4.6 miles and 0 locks

You may have won the World Cup, chum, but you can’t get a pump-out here…..

An hour or so after setting out this morning, we were at Peel’s Wharf, just short of Fazeley Junction, and needing to fill with water and get rid of rubbish and empty the loo cassettes.  There was an Anglo Welsh on the service point, no sign of a water hose or anyone about.  In fact they were inside the boat having breakfast.  We gave them a couple of hoots of the horn, and Herr Urlauber (holiday-maker) appeared, and informed us that they were waiting for the office to open so they could get a pump out!  We pulled alongside and asked if we could go across their boat to do the necessary, and disabused them of the idea of a pump-out.   He pointed to the sign which said ‘Strictly no self-pump out here’.  I explained that some boaters carried the equipment to pump themselves out, and it meant they couldn’t use the Elsan disposal point to do it.  He had assumed, in typical German pedantic fashion, that because he couldn’t do-it-himself, they would do it for him!  I don’t think he believed me because he still waited for the office to open and went in and asked.  They told him where to go (in more ways than one!).   He was slightly dis-chuffed because it meant they had to turn around and re-trace their steps to a nearby boatyard.  I sent him back into the office to try to purchase a pump-out card just in case they found that the boatyard had a D-I-Y machine.  Bless!!!

At Fazeley Junction we found some unusually tasteful graffiti – makes the change to the misspelt quips you usually see.

We continued on the Coventry past the junction, up the two Glascote Locks and through Amington, and are now moored at Alvecote, opposite the ruined Priory, which is just visible through the trees on the off-side.

After more than 6 weeks on the boat, Ozzy is looking decidedly fluffy – he will definitely need a visit to the groomer as soon as we get back!

 

6.7 miles and 2 locks

Looks like we got us a convoy!…..

Just after I’d published yesterday’s blog, we had yet another meeting – Ann and Kev, ex of nb 4EverMore, and having bought Carol and George’s nb Roll ‘n Roll, appeared.  We moved back a couple of feet so they could squeeze in in front of us.  We met them briefly in 2008 when they were showing 4EverMore at Crick, and have read each other’s blogs ever since.  We shared tea and biscuits and later, beer, and had a good old chinwag.  It was great to get to know them better.  It was an altogether most enjoyable day!

This morning we said our goodbyes and headed of down the two locks and onto the Coventry canal.

In Shade House Lock, and it was already promising to be another scorcher of a day

We made a brief stop at Streethay Wharf to fill with diesel and to exchange and empty gas bottle, and they very kindly allowed us to fill the water tank as well.  Shortly afterwards we encountered a convoy!  3 boats in front of us travelling at tickover – it took us forever to reach Hopwas. 

4th in line – 3 ahead, the first having just disappeared around the bend – you can just see their heads if you look carefully.  Now, we don’t travel at a great speed, and if a boat that is obviously travelling faster catches us up, we always move over and let them pass.  You’d have thought that the fact that there were 4 boats following closely might have given the lead boat a clue that they were going too slowly, but no, they were oblivious!  We had half thought we might carry on to Alvecote today, but by this time we were fed up with the convoy and, as the moorings at Hopwas were empty we decided to stop for the day.  The boat 2 ahead of us also stopped, but only for lunch, as did the boat behind us.  We repaired to the Tame Otter for lunch and a welcome couple of pints for cider for Rog and Coke for me.  That’s another night I don’t have to cook – marvellous!

8.4 miles and 2 locks

Another first…..

No, not the photo, the first comes later – this is sunset over the pig farm on Friday evening!

We left our moorings opposite the pig farm yesterday morning, and, having had a quick stop in Rugeley to pick up a few bits from the new canal-side Tesco, and were surprised to find that we were on our way again by 10.30!  Our plan was to stop at Fradley if there was room, but we weren’t holding our breath as it was Saturday and Fradley is usually rammed at the weekend, especially in nice weather.  So were were quite prepared that we might have to extend our cruising time a little bit and find somewhere further on. 

Soon we were through the narrow confines of the old Armitage tunnel, now roofless, and into the wide stretch past Spode House

Through Armitage and I resisted the urge to take yet another photo of the toilets, and onto the tedious stretch between Armitage and Fradley – it seems to take forever!  However, we were glad of the shade of the trees which hem the canal along here as it had become very hot and humid by this time.  Eventually we reached Woodend Lock, and were third in the queue to go down.  Tail end Charlie, as usual – I helped all the other boats through, but by the time it was our turn, we were all alone.  A lovely couple who were getting their ‘canal fix’ helped me open and shut the horrible little gates at the bottom of the lock.  They have a share in a boat, but find that they need a fix every few weeks, so they walk the towpaths regularly, helping out where they can.

And now for the ‘first’ – when we rounded the bend with Fradley in front of us, it looked like the visitor moorings above Shade House Lock were full as usual.  But as we drew closer we discovered that they were actually nearly empty!  In all the years we’ve been boating and the number of times we’ve been through Fradley, we’ve never, EVER been able to moor above the locks.  Well, this time we have!

Space for about 3 boats behind us as well – this filled up by evening time, but they all went again this morning.

And very pleasant it is too!  So pleasant in fact that we decided to stay today as well.  We immediately went to the Swan to celebrate – well, we can’t possibly come through Fradley without a visit to the pub – it would be just too rude!  A good decision as it turned out, because it was hissing with rain this morning.  At above 11.30 there was a  knock on the side hatch and there were Lindsay and Paul (?), who used to own nb Teapot.  We met them in Paddington Basin, or at least I did while Rog was in hospital there.  They sold the boat a couple of years ago, and are now caravanning.  We spent some time catching up on each other’s doings since we last saw each other.  Forgot to take a photo though!  It was lovely to see you both again.

It’s brightened up now so we’ve had the chairs out, and Ozzy has found a new bezzie mate, a 7 month old orange roan cocker called Harvey – they have had great fun rolling around and chasing each other up and down the towpath.

While we were chatting to Harvey’s owner, another ex-RAF chap, I spotted a very familiar boat coming towards us.

Beacon’s No 8 boat, nb Merryweather, with Les and Susan Merry on board.  As soon as we’d finished our chat with Harvey’s owner, we went to the lock and had catch up with Les.  Lovely to see them again after so long.

9.2 miles and 1 lock