Cruising
The Leaving of Saltisford
After a week in Saltisford it was time to leave. The weather had changed for the better yesterday and we had enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Warwick as a result. Saturday dawned with a bright blue sky and after a quick trip to Sainsbury’s we paid our dues to Ian and set off on our return journey. It wasn’t quite as simple as all that, Ian had disappeared with the hirers of ‘Saltie II’ which belongs to the Saltisford Canal Trust so we waited outside the office until he returned. While we waited we spoke to Ken and Fiona who were just off on their boat ‘Aileen Rose’. A few minutes later Ian returned and we settled up with him, a lovely bloke dedicated to the arm and a credit to the charity. We returned to Phoenix III and had a brief conversation with the couple on nb Oakdale, the boat that we had been tied to since Sunday. They told us that they lived in Bristol and were taking Oakdale to Braunston to be blacked the following week. Sadly they are giving up boating and plan to sell the boat in September so we wish them well in whatever they do.
We set off and with some sadness left the Saltisford arm before turning right on to the Grand Union canal. When we reached the Cape locks we caught up with Ken and Fiona and quickly dropped through into the pound that would take us through Warwick and Leamington before we started the climb out of the Leam and Avon valley.
We enjoyed our trip on the sunny Saturday morning and when we eventually caught up with Saltie II, the crew pulled over and let us pass. Soon enough we were behind another narrowboat and we expected that they would be our companions as we started our climb from Radford to Long Itchington. In the end it didn’t work out like that because they caught up with another boat at Radford bottom lock and by the time they had gone through and another one had come down, Aileen Rose with Ken and Fiona on board had arrived behind us.
We spent the rest of the afternoon climbing our way out of the valley in the company of two lovely, friendly and very experienced boaters and that made the day very easy and enjoyable. We passed our lock mates between Bascote and Long Itchington where they tied up before we ourselves moored just beyond the Two Boats pub. After a sandwich and a drink we walked to the Co-op in the village before returning to the boat. We soaked up the last few of the sun’s rays and then retreated to the inside of Phoenix III where we devoured another of Susan’s delicious meals, this time an amazingly tasty piece of roast pork with accompanying veg.
Sprink Bank Holiday Sun
Amazingly, we have been blessed with our second sunny bank holiday in the space of a month and so we made our way back into Warwick and wandered around the shops again. The weather forecast has now worsened for the coming days so we have had to make a decision on our travel plans. After a fairly short discussion we came to the conclusion that we would stay for the week in Saltisford and then cruise back to Braunston at the weekend when the forecast is set fair again. After returning to our boat we found Ian and confirmed that we could stay until Saturday as well as plugging our shoreline into the mains power supply.
So with our new plan in place we prepared to spend the week in Warwick and as a result there will be no more blog posts until we take Phoenix III back to Braunston.
Saltisford Sunday
We left our overnight mooring above the Fosse lock at eight o’clock and with no-one else around, made our way down to Radford Semele. As we skirted around the village we spotted a young deer running quickly across the adjacent field. On reaching the end of the field it jumped into the cut and then tried unsuccessfully to climb out on the towpath side. After a couple of attempts it gave up and managed to clamber up the bank on the off-side before disappearing into the hedgerow at the edge of the field.
We carried on with our cruise in the sunshine through Leamington and around Warwick through the two cape locks and into the Saltisford arm. After checking in with Ian the site manager, we moored alongside nb Oakdale and then walked into Warwick town centre. After a few hours wandering around the market place and enjoying a drink outside the local Wetherspoons, we returned to Phoenix III. We ate our evening meal at one of the site’s picnic tables and then spent the rest of our time sunning ourselves on the front deck until the sun finally disappeared for the night.
Spring Bank Holiday
We arrived at Braunston on Friday afternoon knowing that the weather would prevent us leaving the marina until Saturday morning. We weren’t wrong and so we spent a relaxing evening on board while the wind and rain lashed the outside of the boat.
Saturday morning brought the promise of a beautiful day and so we got out of bed just after eight and did our chores before we set off an hour later. We chugged out of the marina and made our way slowly towards Braunston turn in the morning sunshine. Once we had rounded the bend at the junction, Sue toasted some crumpets and we had breakfast on the go. We pootled along until we reached Wigram’s turn where veered to the right and headed for the three locks at Calcutt. We thought that we would be travelling with a hire boat moored at the top lock but they were taking on water and so we entered the first lock alone. Our lone locking carried on but with a number of boats climbing up the flight our passage down was swift and easy. We enjoyed a glass of wine at midday as we made our way from Calcutt locks to those at Stockton. We did the first lock on our own but then caught up with another narrowboat whose crew had waited for us in the second lock. We benefitted from the kindness of their friends who were in front and had set some of the locks in our favour with the result that we were very quickly down and through the eight locks above the Blue Lias pub. We decided to make a stop there for lunch and while we were chatting about our stop I hit the bridge! There is no excuse, I just wasn’t paying attention and although this is a particularly low bridge, it was my fault completely. Fortunately the fairlead on the port side bore the brunt of the collision so at least the paintwork escaped damage. Of course these sort of things only happen when there is an audience and today was no exception, the garden of the Blue Lias was full of customers and as a result I got a round of applause and one or two comments from the pub patrons. It didn’t put us off and within a few minutes we were tied up and sitting in the garden with a drink and a sandwich as we enjoyed a break in the afternoon sun.
Refreshed and re-energised we set off and dropped through the two locks to Long Itchington. As we passed a line of moored boats, we were advised by someone who had been tied up at the pub to “watch out for bridges”, there’s always a smartarse somewhere!
We partnered up with a lone locker through the remaining locks down to the Fosse lock but we were entertained along the way by a Canal club hire boat whose crew wanted to turn before the Bascote staircase lock. Unfortunately the canal is not wide enough at that point to turn a 55’ boat so they had to drop through the staircase before turning around with some difficulty and a great deal of help from our lock partner. Leaving the hire boat behind, we made our way gently to our mooring just above Fosse lock, our lock partner moors below the lock so as I tied Phoenix III to the bank, Sue assisted him through his final lock.
So after 19 locks and umpteen miles in just over eight hours we were moored up for the evening. We had an hour out on the back deck with a drink before retreating to the cabin where we had our evening meal. All that was left to do was to flop into our chairs and contemplate the rest of our journey down to Warwick and hopefully a mooring in the Saltisford arm.
Birthday lunch at the Wheatsheaf in Crick
After a late night and a deep sleep, we hauled ourselves out of bed this morning and prepared for the short hop to Crick. We took the opportunity to dump rubbish and take on water near bridge 19 at Yelvertoft and then we were on our way again, braving the cold gusty wind along the way. We passed nb Cyprinus Carpio again between Yelvertoft and Crick but the same as last week there was no sign of its owner Lee, probably too early in the morning for him!
An hour after setting off we were mooring again, this time opposite Crick marina. We took a look at ‘The Moorings’ restaurant/cafe/shop before walking into the village itself and after a quick stop at the Co-op we went into the Wheatsheaf on the opposite side of the road. May 11th is Sue’s birthday and that gave us cause to celebrate so we enjoyed a bottle of wine with our delicious two course lunch. After a couple of hours spent relaxing in the Wheatsheaf we wandered back to the canal. We had already decided to move on a bit so we untied and headed for the tunnel as soon as we got back to the boat. We reached Watford locks around four-ish and after passing through the top lock, waited for the lock keepers to bring four boats up the flight. Our timing was perfect, while we sat inside with a cup of coffee each, the heavens opened and dumped rain and hail on everyone in the area. The sun came out as the last of the four boats passed out of the staircase part of the flight and we made our way down in relatively pleasant conditions. We cleared the bottom lock with a little help from the lock keepers and the crew of the next boat which was ready to ascend the flight.
We tied up for the evening outside Weltonfield Narrowboats and thus avoided the heavy rain that arrived half an hour later. With the fire lit our boat was cosy again and we settled down for the evening on this the last night of our holiday. We have left ourselves with just the tunnel and locks at Braunston to complete our journey so unless anything out of the ordinary happens, this blog entry will be the last for this trip.
Windswept and interesting???
After spending our third night in and around the vicinity of Foxton locks, it was time to start heading back across the Leicester summit. It was still windy when we awoke but the sun was out and the sky was bright blue so we got up and made an early start by pulling the boat back around on to the water point so that we could top the tank up. In the few minutes that had passed since we climbed out of bed the sky had turned dark grey and the odd spot of rain had started to fall. I made a quick trip down to the CRT facilities and had a final farewell chat with the ever friendly lock keeper before returning to the boat where Sue had sorted out the water and was cooking us up a super breakfast.
Despite all of our activities it was still only a few minutes after nine when we pulled away from the bank and into the drizzly morning. The first boat for the locks arrived as we left and we didn’t meet any more until we passed one an hour and a half later in Husband’s Bosworth tunnel of all places! The rain gradually faded but the dull skies and fierce winds persisted but with so few boats around we made good progress and had no difficulties in steering at all.
It is well reported that this stretch of the Leicester summit is quite desolate but on a sunny summer’s day it is a pleasure to cruise along it. This was not a sunny summer’s day however and the cruise became a bit of a chore so we were quite glad to tie up near Yelvertoft at half past one.
In the time it took to secure the boat, the weather changed as quickly as it had in the morning and we were suddenly presented with blue skies again. After a shower and a change of clothes we were ready to walk down to Yelvertoft village roughly half a mile away. Still as windy but warmed by the sun, the day had suddenly become very pleasant for us as we explored the main street of this picturesque little village. I did my usual research at the local pub, The Knightley Arms and Sue got her fix with a walk round the local graveyard, so with a short stop at the village shop in between, our village tour was complete.
We were back on board Phoenix III by half past four and with the sun now warming the boat and the wind still blowing a gale, we settled down and found ourselves drifting into a sort of boater’s siesta!
Foxton Locks, bottom to top
We enjoyed a peaceful night tied up outside the Foxton Locks Inn and awoke to blue skies just after six o’clock this morning. We had a light breakfast before going to find the lock keeper so that we could register our position in the queue. As it turned out there were no boats waiting to come down and we were to be third in line to ascend the staircase. The first boat entered the flight just after eight o’clock and within twenty minutes we were closing the gates behind us in the bottom lock. The wind increased in speed as we took the ‘stairs’ one at a time but it presented no difficulties to us and we left the top lock just an hour after entering the bottom chamber. We didn’t go much further, we had never intended to but the high winds only convinced us that mooring here was the right thing to do.
After lazing around for a couple of hours we wandered down to the pub at the bottom of the hill, hoping to see some fun and games as descending boats leaving the locks fought against the wind as they turned towards Market Harborough. The first boat didn’t disappoint us as it drifted sideward towards Leicester before managing to get itself under control before it completely blocked the canal. After that there was nothing to see with each of the following boats managing to negotiate the turn without incident. It’s a known fact in boating that you will only make a mess of a manoeuvre when there is an audience, clearly the lack of gongoozlers had ensured a safe passage for all concerned today.
Nevertheless we whiled away another hour or so at the pub before walking back to Phoenix III where we ate dinner, lit the fire and settled down for the rest of the day. The wind soon brought squally showers but it was too cosy inside for us to be concerned about the elements.
Moving On
After a full day tied up just outside the basin at Market Harborough we turned around, did our chores and headed back towards Foxton. We tied up near the bottom lock at around seven o’clock for the night and after a shower each we settled down for the evening. We reflected on our time in Market Harborough where we had shopped and eaten as well as strolled through the streets with the occasional stop for a libation or two. Our final few hours saw us having an impromptu lunch at Pizza Express, Sue’s birthday treat for me and very nice it was too!
After lunch we made a final trip to Sainsbury’s where we picked up some essentials before walking back to the Union Wharf. And that was it, our holiday to Market Harborough had reached its zenith and now we would be heading back to Braunston even though we were in no hurry to get there.
On to Market Harborough
We awoke to blue skies just after six o’clock and after a cup of coffee and some discussion about the day’s cruising plan got up, dressed and ready to go. We decided to take the less complex way of getting to Market Harborough and instead of reversing to the bottom lock, untied and made our way to Debdale wharf and turned there. Of course this added about forty minutes to our journey but we didn’t care and anyway it helped to heat the water up for our daily showers. We passed the odd boat leaving the arm but with the exception of operating the two swing bridges at Foxton, the journey was peaceful and uneventful. The route is about twice as long by water as it is in a straight line but on a sunny day it was a pleasure to cruise this way, even the rendering plant didn’t seem to be operating so we had a smell free trip into the basin.
We didn’t actually reach the basin because the hire fleet that resides there was having a changeover day so we backed up and tied on the visitor moorings just outside it. After emptying the toilet we got changed and made our way into Market Harborough where we met up with Amy and Louise and had some lunch in the local Weatherspoons, The Sugar Loaf. After spending a few hours laughing and generally enjoying the craic, we parted company and did some shopping before making our way back up the hill to the Union Wharf where Phoenix III was moored. We stopped along the way to enjoy a coffee and some carrot cake at a small bistro tucked away from the main street before completing our journey.
Arriving back at our mooring we sat on the back deck and shared a bottle of cold white wine, the perfect accompaniment to a hot sunny afternoon. As the sun moved around we moved our chairs until eventually we were grabbing the last few rays on the towpath near the front of the boat.
And that was it, the last rays of direct sunlight gone, we retreated inside and lit the fire to keep the chill off for the evening. A quick check of the forecast tells us that tomorrow will be similar to today and that the day of our departure, Wednesday will be cloudy but dry – perfect for the start of our journey back to Braunston.
Yelvertoft to Foxton
After a peaceful night just outside Yelvertoft we awoke around eight o’clock and had a cup of coffee. We did all of the usual morning checks before setting off just after half past nine and made our way across the Leicester summit. As usual there was little to see except the countryside as it rolled from northamptonshire into leicestershire but we did meet quite a number of boats and encountered many that were tied up.
A hire boat from Gayton shot out from the Welford arm and harassed nb Woodsey for a few miles before overtaking it just before the tunnel at Husbands Bosworth. We followed Woodsey into the tunnel and met two boats at the far end before emerging into blue skies and sunshine.
The final leg of our journey from Husbands Bosworth to Foxton was lovely in the warm sunshine and we were soon tied up waiting to take our place in the queue to descend the locks. We took on water and waited for an hour until two boats already in the flight emerged from the top lock. I drove and Sue locked assisted by a young girl, Sophie and so we made our way to the bottom in what seemed like no time at all. We tied up just under the bridge on the main line to Leicester with the intention of reversing to the junction and turning into the Market Harborough arm in the morning.
After we secured the boat, we walked up to the Foxton Locks pub and had our evening meal before returning to Phoenix III where we picked up our bin bag, walked to the designated area and dumped our rubbish. Along the way we called into the other pub at the locks, Bridge 61 and had a drink as we listened to the live music that was on. It was nine o’clock by the time we made it back to our berth on Phoenix III where we turned in for the night, ready for our trip into Market Harborough in the morning.