UK Canals - Journey reports

Harefield

We were ready to depart at 7:00 and locked out behind Wren and a narrow dutch barge type.   In hindsight we should have gone first, because we were delayed 30 minutes at Brentford by their need to obtain canal licences.  We followed them up Hanwell, but far from being held back they left us standing even though we were up to the top lock in 2 hours.   There was quite a bit of traffic moving from Cowley onwards, but no real delays.  During this cruise we have built up a list of boat jobs to be done and formed a plan to go to Bristol after Saul and return via the Kennet & Avon.  There 's not much time.

Teddington

Not far to go today and we need diesel to be safe for the tidal river.   We would look stupid to run out although we have enough in theory to get back to Harefield.  So .. we delayed leaving until 9:00.  Before we left the first canoe came past.  Pat said it looked like army chaps with backpacks, so something serious.  As we found out later it was the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race and they must have been the leaders.  We went into Shepperton Marina for diesel as all the other yards we passed had boats moored in front of their pumps and this would have made manoeuvring tricky with the fast flowing river.   As it was, Shepperton Marina is tricky too.  A narrowboat has to reverse between a gauntlet of expensive looking cruisers to get to the diesel pontoon and there is just enough room to turn between all the closely moored boats.   Do not try this on a windy day!    By Kingston we were starting to see the main body of the canoeists passing us.  Some were looking decidedly tired.  The seniors race non-stop and this is the longest continuous canaoe marathon in the world.   We stopped at Teddington, paid our overnight mooring charge to the lockkeeper and arranged for a locking out in the morning.

Staines

As we made preparations to leave our mooring, the sun was a red ball in the sky above an almost grey scene of the footbridge framing Temple Lock approach.   There was a thin mist rising from the water.  Needless to say when we got to Temple Lock it was a wind up self service job completed in 15 minutes. (For the novice by way of explanation: Thames Locks below Oxford are all hydraulically operated, gates and paddles. Although some have been converted to push button powered use out of hours, many still have the power switched off in the absence of the lock keeper and the only way of using them is to generate the necessary hydraulic pressure manually winding a large wheel).  Marlow, our next lock promised to be the same but as we approached, we saw a large cruiser moored on the only easily usable lock layby, but the gates were just being wound open obviously not just for us.  So we got cheeky and went straight in, noticing a small one man launch just in front of the lock.  Today's quiz!  Which boat belonged to the man winding open the gates?   The massive multilayered cruiser, or the tiny launch?  Clue: the man was wearing a life jacket.  Yes, of course.  It was the tiny launch and he was shortly joined by a rowing four and two singles.  We did our bit on winding the handle and continued our lonely journey down the river.  Only at Bray lock did another boat join us and by Windsor (Romney Lock) almost full lockfuls were coming up, but again just two of us going down.

 

Romney Lock. A load coming up!

We were warned that Bell Weir Lock might be closed due to "an incident" but this came to nothing.   Having booked Monday morning to enter the canal at Brentford we planned to stop at Runnymead, but the moorings were full, so we continued to Staines and found a spot in the bushes just below the Swan Pub.  We are making good time as there is quite a stream running on the river and the GPS indicates that we are easily maintaining 5 mph (the river speed limit) on canal type power settings.  The cruisers always overtake, so must be going faster, but then they have to be seen to do so or lose face.

Plain sailing

We left the moorings at 07:40.  Departure was a little tricky because of the current, the fact that we were partly aground - the river had dropped slightly overnight - and the bows were some 10 feet away from the bank.  We detached all mooring ropes and stowed the pins.  Then I stood on the bank securing the boat with the stern rope while Pat put into reverse tickover.   This dislodged the bows and turn them into the stream and at the appropriate moment I slithered aboard.   We arrived at Cleeve Lock about 10 minutes before opening time, so took on water but by the time we had finished the lock keeper had not arrived, so we used the newly fitted electric controls and worked it ourselves.   The trip then on was uneventful.  Wanting to stock up on provisions we aimed for Tesco at Reading.   For an important shopping opportunity like this the moorings are poor and could be vastly improved.  We had to wait for a space.   Tesco was heaving and not very pleasant.  Pressing on we experienced a mass of gongoozlers at Marsh Lock.   There was a steady stream of onlookers walking up the path on the opposite side.  "Its always the same when the sun comes out", said the lock keeper.   There is a pleasant mooring below Hurley Lock (£3) which we aimed for.  Otherwise there is not a lot that I know of until Maidenhead.   We have booked Brentford for Monday morning 7.30 tide.

Wallingford

A cold and frosty morning with blue sky and promise of a warmer day welcomed us.  Pat walked off to prep the lock and I started pulling the stakes.  Just as I pushed the front of the boat off I saw another boat approaching in the distance.  We were down and away by the time it arrived, but we must have spoilt their day.  At Dukes Lock the boat Manitee that we had followed last evening was just entering the cut.  They told Pat that they moored at Trupp normally, but were escaping the bank holiday mayhem that they said was the norm there.  We followed and down Kings Lock.  Godstow Lock was unattended, but the Kings Lockkeeper drove round to work it for us.  Very helpful.  There was a very strong stream through Osney which made mooring just below the bridge a little difficult, but we made it in the end.   Pat bought a few essentials and we carried on, now behind an ownerships boat on the way to change crew at Devizes.  Cudham Lock is quite deep and has large gate paddles.  It was the end of lunch hour and the lock was empty apart from a small narrowboat which had just come in and the gates were being wound closed.  Our crew moved in to help, but there was a lot of high pitched shouted instructions and counter instructions being shouted from the helm to the poor chap on the lockside.  I opened the ispilateral paddle a bit and after a short while was asked to open it more.  When the lock was half full, the helmswoman must have lst control in the swirling water because the boat started running forward and there was a lot of panicky shouting.  The chap on the lockside dropped his rope at the bow and rushed back to help, but this made matters worse.  There was just enough rope for me to hold the boat on the front bollard and bring it to a stop before it hit the top gate.  There was no way that the paddle could be closed in time to make any difference.
By lunch time it was getting warm and by 2 pm it was shorts and beach wear.  Lots of folk were out picknicking and walking and the kids were out enjoying the sun.  Wallingford seemed our best overnight destination, but the left bank moorings were taken and we were left with the dodgy spot below the bridge.  An anchor provided extra security, but moored right on a sloping bank, would the level drop overnight?

The Floating Farm Shop

We left Banbury at the usual hour and had the first half hour to ourselves.  However, from Grants Lock onwards we faced a steady stream of hire boats working uphill.  At each lock we seemed to be just out of synch. so we would arrive to find the lock just draining for the upcoming boat.  At Nell Bridge Lock there was even a queue of three boats waiting to come up.  All the time there was no boat ahead of us until Lower Heyford when one pulled out just in front.   That slowed us down of course.  At Kirtlington we stopped at and Pat fell in love with the waterbased farm shop abord the boat Pan.   There was no cream available as the proprietor was "waiting for it to settle".   We did get some home made mayonnaise, though, and cake.   The river section level indicator was just touching orange and we shot down that bit.  Just round the corner after Shipton Weir Lock we came to a lifting bridge.  Pat got off to lift it but wasn't heavy enough.  We swapped roles and I had to sort of haul myself up the chain to get it to lift.  How a single hander could cope with this I do not know.  At Thrupp (our intended overnight point) we came to the 1 1/4 mile long wall of moored boats, most on "permit only" moorings.  There is very little room for passing trade and none for us although Pat reckoned that the boat we were following after Lower Heyford was there.    We had to go on to Kidlington and have moored up on the piling just before Roundham Lock.  Quiet enough apart from the railway with its regular freight trains all night.

Banbury

Here we are in Banbury.  Last night we had a very decent meal at the Wharf Inn and came back early to watch some telly. The boatyard at Fenny didn't want to open until 9:30 today, so we had a fry-up breakfast while waiting. It is the only time Pat eats breakfast and Mike does the cooking.  So we were well prepared for the bitterly cold wind that has blown up again.  Such a shame after a lovely day yesterday.  Although there were a few boats on the move we had little in the way of hold-ups at locks.   Opposite direction traffic merged well, although there seemed to be quite a queue at Cropedy going north.  The Oxford Canal is really little more that a mud bath, particularly on the top pound.   Our progress is very slow and stirs up the mud, not helped by our 2 foot draft.  So we were suprised to see the dredgers in action just before Banbury.  What a difference it makes.  Our speed picked up considerably and the back wash disappeared.  Plenty of moorings here in Banbury alongside the shopping centre.  We noticed that the Somerfield supermarket in the Castle Quay Centre is closing down on the 21st April.   Not suprising with rents as high as they must be and with Morrison's and Tesco at opposite ends of the town.   Not sure where we will be tomorrow evening.

Fenny Compton

Leaving the location of our boat rally behind we set off at 06:40.  First I had to winf the boat while Pat went up the bottom of the Stockton flight setting a couple of locks ready.  Then we were off.  1 hour to the top followed by the short cruise to the Calcutt Locks.  Turning right at Napton Junction we are aiming now for Oxford and the River Thames down to London and home.  At Napton more boats were apparent.  We followed a hire boat up the Napton Flight interspersed with opposite direction traffic.  We found DRACO still on its moorings.  The top pound seems down a little and progress was very slow.  A trip down the weed hatch revealed very little, so it must just be the shallow water.  The wind was quite strong and made it difficult to get off the bank.  Our night stop is Fenny Compton.  We need a pump out, but the boatyard is closed Mondays, so we will sort that out in the morning.