Sun Run to Hillmorton
It was just gone half past six when we awoke, the sun was shining and the sky was blue so we got up, got the kettle on and set off. Sue sorted out a bacon sandwich for me and thus fortified, we made our way to Ansty. By the time we reached said village it was just after eight o’clock and one or two hire-boaters were starting to stir.
We continued through the golf course and under the M6, eventually getting to Stretton stop. We shook off the two boats that we had in tow, a couple of Rose Narrowboats returning to base. With light winds and temperatures in the low twenties, we enjoyed our morning cruise. There was a bit of congestion after we exited Newbold tunnel but nothing serious and then it was clear to Rugby. Boats were moored both sides at Brownsover but we managed to tickle Caxton past them and a couple of oncoming boats before we saw Bruce & Sheila on Sanity Again tied up on the Tesco side of the canal. We had a brief conversation with them and then carried on to Hillmorton where we tied on the visitor mooring.
Off we went into the village, did some shopping in the Londis and then called in the Stag & Pheasant to carry out some research. I had a couple of pints of Stella, Sue had a glass of wine. The staff were pleasant and friendly and we had a sandwich each, pretty basic but at £4 for both of us, no complaints.
We wandered back to Caxton, opened the Houdini hatches and the cratch covers, poured ourselves a drink and started to relax. Minutes later we were joined by Bruce and Sheila who had moved on from Rugby and were now moored a few hundred yards behind us. We had a drink and shot the breeze for an hour before they returned to Sanity Again. Sheila had brought us some chilli plants so we are now looking forward to a crop of spicy peppers later in the year.
Afterwards I put up a couple of artistic works that personalise Caxton for us.
Tomorrow it will be on to Braunston where we will find our new mooring before returning home. Funny really, normally we take the car to pick up the boat, this time it is the other way around!
Cruise Resumed
Hurray! It’s Friday and time for us to resume our trip from Stone to Braunston. We boarded Caxton at half past two, completed our pre-departure checks and chores before leaving Trinity marina. Sue waited on the bank for me after she had returned the key fob to the shop. As I neared the exit, Sue informed me that there was a model boat stranded directly opposite the marina, that explained the concerned look on the face of the bloke standing next to her. I avoided smashing the model to smithereens but later discovered that the owner was hoping that Sue would somehow rescue it for him! Anyway, he had to walk over the bridge and retrieve it himself in the end. I picked Sue up outside the Brewers Fayre and then we exchanged pleasantries with Jim again who was moored nearby before passing under the Coventry Road bridge.
We passed nb Sunny Brid between Nutts Lane and the Limekilns so Sue was able to re-aquaint herself with the theatre assistant from Glenfield hospital.
We pootled our way down the Ashby to Marston junction in what we would describe as perfect boating weather; warm with cloud cover and only light winds.
At the junction we swung left towards Hawkesbury, when we used to do this with Phoenix III we could make it in a single sweep but it is a different matter with Caxton. We got around without trouble and carried on down through the Charity Dock and then passed what was once the Navigation pub and is now a beautiful house, well done to the new owners.
We hadn’t expected to get a mooring anywhere near Hawkesbury on a Friday evening and we were right so we carried on through the junction and stop lock. The turn was a potential source of entertainment for the many patrons of the Greyhound pub but they soon lost interest when it became obvious that we knew what we were doing.
We passed through the lock and then slipped between the boats moored on both sides of the cut. We noticed that the Elephant & Castle pub has gone the way of the Navigation and is also a private house now. A few minutes later and we reached our mooring for the evening, close to the M6 motorway but from past experience, a peaceful one.
Sunshine cruise to Hinckley
We had a good night’s sleep on the visitor moorings at Market Bosworth, probably for the last time ever, the next time that we are here it will be inside the marina.
The sun shone and it was warm enough to get away with wearing a short sleeve shirt for a change. I have been wearing T-shirts all week it’s just that I have also been wearing a jumper or a fleece or both on top!
We met more boats in the first half an hour than we had done in the previous two days, obviously the sun was inspiring boaters to get on the move. Time really flies by when boating in this kind of weather and soon we were passing through Stoke Golding again. An hour later we reached Trinity marina where we filled up with diesel and paid for three night’s secure mooring. We have a few things to do at home and unfortunately I have to go to work for the rest of the week.
When we used to moor here with Phoenix III, it was very often difficult to negotiate our way around the marina and into our berth when it was windy. Today was easy because despite being a longer boat, Caxton has its bow thruster a.k.a girlie button. I reversed Caxton in through the marina entrance and then with a combination of throttle, direction control and thruster, popped the good ship in her alloted berth. We then went to the shop and settled our bill, emptying the wallet in the process. The dishwasher was still running so we decided that we would walk home and return later to check that everything was in order.
We went home, then went shopping and then walked to the Marina pub for dinner before giving Caxton the once over. All went well until it was time to leave for home again, Sue didn’t want to go and seemed to think that if she sat quietly maybe we would forget to go home! Unfortunately, she has to be at home from 7 am tomorrow to take delivery of some furniture and I need to be on a train at around the same time. It would have been possible to stay on board but it was more practical to spend the night at home. In the end I had to drag her by the hair, kicking and screaming like a prehistoric man dragging his woman to a cave – well, metaphorically speaking anyway.
On to Market Bosworth
The high winds of yesterday had been subsiding before we went to bed last night and by this morning they had all but gone with just the odd gust remaining. We were boating by 7.30 and pulled up at Sutton Cheney Wharf where we did our chores just over half an hour later. On the way, we saw nb Sunny Brid which belongs to one of the team who electrified Sue’s heart at Glenfield Hospital a few weeks ago.
We attempted to buy some coal from the fuel boat that was tied at the wharf but there was no one board when we called so we had to pass on that one.
We only passed one more boat on our trip to Market Bosworth but despite the cool, dull weather it was a pleasant enough journey. When we reached the site of the new marina we could see that the contractors were preparing to remove the clay plug from the entrance and connect it to the canal. We passed through and winded just beyond bridge 44. This of course was the first time that we had turned Caxton since we left Stone almost a week ago. There were no issues, in some respects, the move was easier in the longer boat because the bow had to be touching the bank and then it was a matter of pushing the tiller over and leaving the rest to the prop.
Half an hour later and we were back near the visitor moorings where we tied up and headed of into town for some lunch and to do a bit of shopping. We had a belated birthday lunch for Sue at the Black Horse before returning to our mooring. After we deposited our shopping at the boat we walked over to meet Chris Hubbard who is the new manager at the marina and he gave us a private tour of the site as well as explaining about the facilities that were being installed there. We returned to Caxton at four o’clock and five minutes later the heavens opened! An hour later and it was a different day altogether, Sue sitting in the cratch with the windows open and the canalside covers up underneath blue skies and full sunshine.
Tomorrow we will need to head back to Hinckley for a few days before resuming our journey to Braunston at the weekend.
Short hop to Stoke Golding on Sue’s birthday
Strong winds continued to blow during the night and then we had torrential rain in the early hours of the morning. We considered our options and then decided to stay put for the day, the wind then dropped and the sky brightened so we changed our mind and set off. With the wind being not as strong as yesterday, progress was quite good despite the odd showers that came and went.
We were surprised to find the visitor moorings at Stoke Golding completely deserted so we moored there and phoned our boat painting friend Cliff and his partner, Liz. They visited us for an hour and we gave them the grand tour of Caxton, both were suitably impressed of course.
The rain had gone but the wind had picked up so we spent the rest of the afternoon just lazing around indoors.
Change of plan.
Our plan for this trip had always been to get into Braunston for Tuesday 13th May and then I would go back to work the following day. In getting to the top of Atherstone locks last night, the run back would be simple enough, Hawkesbury today, Newbold on Sunday, Braunston on Monday.
It was bright and dry when we got out of bed although it soon became apparent that there was a strong wind blowing. We untied and set off just after nine o’clock, heading towards Nuneaton. Sue posed the question as to whether we had time to “nip up” the Ashby to Hinckley and collect a couple of chairs from home that would fit in the cratch. There would be time but I had other ideas, I suggested that we could stay on the Ashby for a few days and as long as we were near home on tuesday, I could use Sue’s car to go to work with mine being parked up at Braunston. On Friday we would recommence our journey south to Braunston. Sue agreed with the suggestion and rewarded me with a breakfast sandwich of bacon and black pudding!
It’s two years since we were last on this stretch of water and we were surprised to see just how much housing development has taken place on the outskirts of Nuneaton. The trip through Nuneaton was fairly quiet with not many boats on the move at all. The rain behaved itself with the odd shower now and again but the wind wasn’t so benevolent, particularly in the exposed areas. The turn at Marston junction on to the Ashby was a bit of a challenge but we made it. The second challenge came at bridge 5, an awkward one at the best of times but today we met a convoy of three boats and had to try and hang about in the wind as they each came under the bridge. Half way to Hinckley we found our old friend Jim moored near the corner at Burton Hastings where we faced our third and final challenge of the day. As we went into the corner the wind kept pushing us towards the line of long term moored boats, the end one, Carpe Diem owned by Stuart and Treena coming closest to getting clunked. In the end, I wrestled Caxton around the corner to safety and we continued on to the Lime Kilns where we have moored for the rest of the day.
It didn’t takes us long to walk home and pick up the chairs and a few other bits and pieces before returning to the boat where Sue quickly rustled up a chicken curry.
Up to Atherstone on a windy day.
Blue skies greeted us when we awoke at Alvecote on May 9th. Our research expedition to the Samuel Barlow pub the night before had been a good one. We didn’t eat there but the place was spotlessly clean and the staff were very pleasant and courteous.
The blue skies were accompanied by strong winds but we set off regardless with the intention of mooring at Atherstone for the day. We didn’t see many boats on the move, it was quiet except for the odd train or two on the West Coast main line. We eventually reached the bottom of the Atherstone flight but before we started our ascent, we pulled up and serviced the boat at the CRT facility. The first two locks were easy because we had boats coming down, the next two were alright too because the chambers were empty and although the final two of the day had to be emptied before we could use them, we had the help of a volunteer lock keeper on lock six. After we cleared that lock, we took up the last space on the visitor moorings below lock five. It was just before midday so we locked Caxton up and toddled off into town for some shopping and lunch at the Red Lion. We later ambled back down the towpath to just generally laze about on board Caxton for the rest of the afternoon.
At six o’clock we decided to take advantage of the evening sunshine and work our way up through the remaining five locks of the Atherstone flight. It only took us an hour, there being no other boats on the move and with space to moor above the top lock, we settled in for the rest of the day.
Whilst that concludes today’s post, there is a bit more because today is a little bit special.
My interest in boating came from a couple of family holidays when I was a teenager. My parents and my youngest sister had many more over the years but Alvecote always makes me laugh when we pass through now and I recall the start of one holiday. A boat had been hired from a company who used the small basin at Alvecote, we stowed our belongings and listened to the instructions given by the man from the hire company. After telling us all that he had to, the man then told us that he would take the boat out of the basin because the bridge that formed the entrance was low and there was a danger that we might struggle to get out. With all of the confidence of one who has made the manouver many times, he edged the boat under the bridge and smashed the top off the side hatch! A temporary replacement was cobbled together and we were then able to get underway, the only other damage being the large dent in the bloke’s pride! At the end of the holiday, I seem to remember that my Dad had no trouble slipping the boat through the self same bridge hole and into the basin. It’s fitting that we were at Alvecote on this day because the ninth of May is Dad’s birthday. So Happy Birthday, George Senior and thank you for being the inspiration for this life afloat, without you we probably wouldn’t be doing it.
Here is the challenging bridge, still standing after all of these years despite the best efforts of the hire boat company!
Here comes summer!
We know that summer is definitely on the way because the rain is here! You just have to imagine George Formby grinning and announcing in his distinctive Lancashire accent, “Ee, it’s turned out shite again!”
It wasn’t actually raining when I awoke at 6.30 so we got up and were on the move just before seven o’clock. We actually got a good hour in before the rain began but for the most part it was no more than a steady drizzle, nothing that the waterproofs couldn’t handle though.
We soon found ourselves running alongside the A38 and on the approach to Streethay Wharf and it was at that juncture that Sue produced a couple of bacon and black pudding banjos. It wasn’t many more minutes before we passed Sanity Again moored just outside King’s Orchard marina and as we passed, we were spotted by Sheila who greeted us with an enthusiastic wave. We knew that we would probably see them at some stage on our trip, maybe they’ll catch up with us later on.
The rain drizzled on until we reached the edge of Hopwas and it was there that we decided to moor for the day.
The rain stopped around midday so we decided to walk to the Red Lion for a bit of lunch. The Red Lion is a great place, spotlessly clean and great value food; two baguettes with potato wedges and salad for less than eight quid and the quality was excellent. The sky was brightening by the time we finished eating so we returned to Caxton, untied and set off again. As with our cruise in the morning, we didn’t see many boats on the move so it was an easy trip first of all to Fazeley and then on to Glascote. We were just clearing the top lock when the rain came again and it stayed with us until we reached Alvecote where we really have moored for the night!
We’re going to take a walk over to the Samuel Barlow pub this evening, apparently it is under new management but recent reviews on tripadvisor give it the thumbs down. Seems like a valid reason (for a change) to do some research. The rain has stopped and the sun has come out so I will try and drag Sue out of her favourite seat in the cratch.
Girlie Button A-Go-Go!
The title of course refers to Caxton’s bow thruster.
We awoke at seven after a peaceful night near Little Haywood, got up and dressed and set off by half past. It didn’t take long before we reached Colwich lock and although we had to fill it first, we were soon down and through it. Sue then made some tea and toast for us to eat on the go. It was breezy but there was enough sunshine to keep us warm as we made our way south on the Trent and Mersey. We cruised past the pig farm at Taft Wharf before using the Brindley aqueduct which took us over the Trent and then into Rugeley. It is almost six years since we passed this way on our miserable four counties ring trip but strangely enough we moored in exactly the same spot as we did then. In 2008 we went shopping in Morrisons, today there is a newish Tesco on the towpath side of the canal so we took the opportunity to visit it and fill up the larder. However, despite filling the shopping trolley, the larder on Caxton is so big that it would take several trips like this to fill it!
We untied at half past ten and left our mooring, heading in the direction of Armitage. The weather, which had been benevolent, took a turn for the worse as we reached Spode Hall. We braved through the rain and by the time we had cleared Armitage “tunnel”, the rain had eased off so everything seemed alright again.
When we passed by the marina at King’s Bromley, the wind blew so fiercely across the canal that we were driving at 45 degrees to the bank! At the wharf, we met another boat near the bridge and as a result, the bow thruster, aka “Girlie Button” was pressed into service. What a marvellous device, for years I have sneered at boaters who have these but in less than 24 hours I have been converted!
Eventually we reached the first of the three locks that would take us down to Fradley and the junction with the Coventry canal. We were assisted at Wood End lock by a boater ready to ascend and experienced our first moment of “cratch envy”, Paul & Elaine had warned us of this when we bought the boat with its nine foot long well deck. I had to turn the next lock and then opened Middle lock for another ascending boat while Sue lingered in the shelter of Shade House lock. The wind by this time was ferocious but our passage downhill and the subsequent turn on to the Coventry canal was an absolute breeze, pun intended, thanks to Caxton’s bow thruster or girlie button for those without one.
After securing our mooring beyond the swing bridge we took a walk back to the junction, dumped our rubbish and headed for the famous pub, The Swan. The heavens opened just as we reached the old drinking hole so we took refuge and I managed a couple of pints of Stella to well behaved Sue’s glass of lime and soda.
The rain had stopped by the time we were ready to return to Caxton so we made the short trip and then settled down in the much envied cratch to eat dinner and then catch up on emails and internet stuff.
Sue tells me that tomorrow’s weather forecast is terrible as is the following three days but who can believe the Met Office and the BBC? Let’s face it, when it comes to weather forecasting, history is definitely not on their side!!!
Planes, trains, automobiles and of course the small matter of a boat!
In January we planned to have the mayday bank holiday weekend in Paris, we didn’t plan on buying another narrowboat in March and we certainly didn’t plan for Sue to have a pacemaker fitted!
Anyway, all of those things happened and came together to give us a pretty busy few days, hence the title of this post. We flew back from Paris on Monday evening and thought about tuesday’s logistical puzzle. Prior to our trip to Paris, Sue had gathered together the few items that we would need for our boating adventure so we didn’t need to do too much preparation.
Tuesday dawned and we were in the car for half past eight heading for Braunston where we planned to catch the bus into Rugby, leaving the car in the marina car park. There were only a handful of passengers on the 9.25 when we got on it outside the Boathouse pub on the A45. The bus collected another thirty bus pass toting passengers as it meandered its way into Rugby and by the time it reached its destination it was full. It was fairly clear that the youngest passenger was about four years old and I was the second youngest, quite a feat given that I am now 52!
We walked to the local Wetherspoons where we stuffed ourselves with a big breakfast each to see us through the day. “Breakfast at Wetherspoons”, the modern day version of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” but starring miss Stella Artois instead of Audrey Hepburn. Fortified by our mid morning repast, we walked the three quarters of a mile to the station and waited for the 1142 to Stone. The train was a few minutes late, well ten to be exact but we got on and found seats beside an elderly lady who was returning to Liverpool from London via Stafford, maybe a football fan returning from the Crystal Palace match last night? Probably not. We had a bit of banter with two other ladies, sisters we presumed, who were also going to Liverpool to then catch the Isle of Man ferry (not to be confused with the Manly Ferry which is something entirely different!).
The train eventually arrived in Stone and we were pleased to see a solitary taxi in the car park, we were beaten to it by another passenger – bugger! We were a bit surprised by the taxi driver’s reaction when we asked him about the possibility of another cab. We had expected him to radio or phone the office but the miserable old sod just mumbled something about there might be another one in twenty minutes. We walked into town instead, made our way into Wetherspoons and asked if they had a number of a local taxi firm and got a shake of the head, we asked where the local taxi rank is, another negative answer, most frustrating!
We found our way to the canal, got on the towpath and struck out in a southerly direction, heading for Aston Marina a mile and a half away. Despite the warm sunshine, the backpack, the shoulder bag and the shopping trolley, we reached the marina in just over thirty minutes.
Once there, we made our way to our new pride and joy, nb Caxton where we emptied the trolley before Sue retraced her steps and bought some food at the marina farm shop. In her absence, I made the final preparations for our departure. When Sue returned, the engine was running and only a slip knot held us in place on the pontoon so within two minutes, we were off. The bow thruster (girlie button) was pressed into service immediately and we exited the marina smoothly and without incident. It took an hour before we reached Sandon lock and that was plenty of time to adjust to the handling characteristics of Caxton. Broadly speaking everything is the same, the difference is in the response time from the tiller. Pushing the tiller in either direction does not have the same immediate effect that we were used to with Phoenix III but then when things do start to happen, they keep on happening, just the extra length I guess.
It started raining as soon as we reached the lock and stopped as soon as we left it, maybe the lock has its own permanently moored raincloud?
Another feature of our new boating adventures is that Sue is not allowed to work the locks, her pacemaker op has seen to that so now she has to drive and I am the lock wheeler. We carried on to Weston lock where we found an Ashby hire boat just about to leave it giving us easy passage in. The third lock, Hoo mill, was empty when we reached it and had to be filled but like the two before it, its gates and paddles were well maintained and were therefore a breeze to work. Once through Hoo mill, we started looking for a mooring but at this time of day, the best are usually taken so it was no surprise that we found ourselves descending through Haywood lock too. We found a mooring between the villages of the Haywoods, Great and Little and settled for the night. We had travelled just over four hours and as a result it was almost half past seven when we sat down to dinner, amazingly those breakfasts in Rugby had seen us right through the day.
We ate our dinner in the cratch and at a generous 9′ x 6′, a bit like eating in a conservatory, especially when the rain came on.
We were totally off-grid at our mooring, no mobile phone reception, no internet and no tv, no big deal – we listened to some music from the ipad played through my birthday present from Sue, a bluetooth amplifier speaker by Edifier. We eventually retreated inside and listened to Radio 2 with “Whispering” Bob Harris for a while as we reflected on our first day out on the cut with Caxton and then contemplated day two of our voyage.