UK Canals - Journey reports

Birmingham - Cambrian Wharf

We left our overnight mooring 5 minutes early at 06:55.   Our expectations of a slow difficult journey through the Solihull cuttings fighting through rubbishh were unrealised.   No problems at all, so there have obviously been some work done there since our last visit.   Consequently we were a little earlier than expected reaching Camp Hill at 9:20.   We moored up by the modern service block and began taking on water.   While the tank was filling we had a look at the facilities which are very clean and tidy with lots of helpful tourist information leaflets.   We didn't look in the laundry room.   Apparently, we were informed later, had we done so we would have found that the washing machine is not there, possibly stolen.  We missed our anticipated rendezvous with Aidan, a local historian, so carried on regardless.   It took us 3-1/2 hours to get to Cambrian Wharf where he was waiting.   One of the crew of a following boat helped us get started at Camp Hill by closing bottom gates as I was ostensibly single handed, Pat having gone ahead setting the next lock.   A bunch of locals on a bike tour, following a demonstration of how the lock works helped at the third and then we were so far ahead of the following boat that we closed our own gates.      At the bottom of Farmers Bridge flight the expected gaggle of nearby homeless hostel residents greeted us with a cheerful "Welcome to Birmingham" and one offered to help Pat through the first lock for the price of a cup of tea.   This lass, sleeping rough, has just lost her boyfriend 3 days before.  He had fallen in the canal, high on drugs, and drowned.  All the locks on the flight, bar one leaky, were in our favour.   We were guided to an available pontoon where Aidan was waiting.  A welcome visit and a few pints at the Prince of Wales nearby.  A real pub where we received a warm welcome.

Catherine de Barnes

We are at Catherine de Barnes and should be at Camp Hill Locks tomorrow at about 9:30.    Hopefully the weather will hold off until the afternoon.

We had a very smooth climb up the remaining 19 locks of the Hatton flight in 2 hrs 45 mins.  One of the Norwegian crew of an opposite direction boat asked why Pat wanted their offside bottom gate closed when they left the lock ahead of us. Surely it will only open again when you go into the lock".  "No!"; said the english group leader. "It won't  They have an english boat!"

Today was warm and sunny with scattered cloud, but still that chilly wind persists.  Knowle Locks are so exposed and the boat blows around at the most inconvenient times.  Ever onwards arriving Catherine de Barnes at 14:15.

Hatton - Lock 27

An eventful day really.  We were in a good position to make Calcutt Locks early in the day and only caught two Calcutt hire boats returning to base.  One, behind us coming from Napton, took the turn at Napton Junction so fast and so badly that he just ran at full chat nose onto the opposite wall under the bridge.  There was a loud bang and a cloud of vapourised stone dust.  Goodness knows what happened to the crockery.   Perhaps he wasn't happy with his boat.

We continued on to Stockton Locks where a cruiser was waiting for us two locks down and we made a good partnership exiting the lock through one gate.  He stopped at Long Itchington.  At Bascote I went to open the top gate after Pat had filled the lock and foolishly left the boat unsecured.   The wind took it.  I ran back and had a now or never moment.  I decided now and made a leap.  My hands made it to the hand rail, but my feet slipped off giving my shins an awful thwack on the gunwale.  I now have a gigantic bruised shin.  

We were making for Cape Locks, but knowing that the TV reception is bad there decided to continue on to the pound above Lock 27.   Not much better there actually, but we did get a black & white grainy picture with sound.    However, we are in a good situation for a head start up the Hatton flight tomorrow.

Bridge 99 (Oxford Canal)

A long day!  Not that we set out so to do, but a case of "Just let's go a little further" and then finding no moorings.  We reached the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne flight of locks in about an hour from Yardley Wharf and set off up.  Half way it appeared that a boat was coming down, confirmed by a passer by so we waited.  It turned out that there was a boat ahead of us after all and the boat coming down was waiting too!   The boat ahead was a small (plastic) cruiser and we named the skipper "Bob the Boater".  We were to meet up later.  Moving on with more opposite boats in between we reached the top and passing straight through the canalside village reached Blisworth Tunnel entrance.  Bob was waiting there seemingly not knowing quite what to do because he had no tunnel light.  I suggested that he might like to follow us.   We have a stern navigation light which can be quite helpful.  He did and kept up well.  After the tunnel it is four hours plus to the bottom of the next flight at Whilton.  We needed a few odds and ends from the chandery there as well as a pump out (now £12), so while we were getting that done, "Bob" passed us and set off up the flight.  We followed joined by nb Charity.  Pat as usual worked ahead and got chatting to find out that "Bob" had only picked the boat up that day and had no previous boating experience whatever.   We reckon he had done pretty well.  "Charity" stopped at Buckby top pound.   We carried on, through Braunston Tunnel and down the flight looking for a mooring below the marina where a TV reception might be better.  Nothing.  The only option was to carry on onto the Oxford Canal section where there is plenty of new metal piling and lots of popular mooring spots.   It was nearly seven by the time we settled down for the night.  Good freeview though from Sutton Coldfield.

Yardley Gobion

Yes! A very pleasant evening in the Grove Lock (pub) last evening.  Up at the usual 6am.  Whilst checking the weed hatch, the plate dropped off its securing bracket and fell through the now open weed hatch onto the canal bottom.  I had visions of having to get into the water to retrieve it, however, after a bit of feeling around with the 'Seasearcher' magnet I managed to locate it and pull it up.   Mental note: Modify weed hatch opening technique.  So the delay was short and we were underway by 7:20.   A brief half hour stop at Tesco and we were on our way again.  The broken down dump of a pub at the Soulbury Three Locks has had a makeover and is broken down no more.   It looks really welcoming and even sports an outside bar.  Here we passed two opposite direction boats, the wind making manoeuvring testing.  The garden at Stoke Hammod lock (sponsored by Wyvern Shipping) looks pretty and well cared for.   The bridge at Fenny Stratford lock now needs a key, but in contradiction to the operating instructions, the key can be removed with the bridge open.   Sensible.  Otherwise coping with multiple boats would be a nightmare.  After the long drag through Milton Keynes where we joined a traffic queue behind a broadbeam (they go very slowly on account of the fact that they are not in any sense hydrodynamic) we finally decided to stop at Yardley Gobion.  Passing Wolverton, the huge blocks of apartments are still not occupied, but the arriage works on the other side seems to be having a sympathetic conversion, though what into is not clear.  Today the weather has been kind.  It is warm, but he wind has been quite troublesome at times.

Winkwell to Grove Lock

Well, we didn't expect to get this far really. On waking this morning it was raining with leaden sky.  The sort of rain that goes on all day.   So out came the summer rain gear, short shorts and waterproof padded jacket.  Below lock 52 at the top of Berkhamsted a hawthorn tree got the better of our roof stored TV aerial.   With all the rain, branches tend to drop more!. We were on our own as far as Cowroast and the summit pound but catching up with a pair, one of which stopped for water at the top and was later destined to join us for the descent to Marsworth Junction.  This was Morning Mist on the way from Ware to the Great Ouse.   Carrying on we then joined with Michael on Leapfrog, a single hander working the locks just as we do.   Lots of fun swapping yarns.  Not so tired today.   We know we get a good TV here and 3G modem signal.   A good evening in the pub beckons.

Mike's Raven! 

Harefield to Winkwell

Finally the Fishers pushed the boat out.  Finally we are able to start our summer cruise. And we had to push the boat off its mooring where it was firmly aground.  Pushing was not enough and hard astern wiggling the boat from side to side was needed in the end to get the bows off.  The drop in levels seems to be caused by the mismatch of water between Denham Deep Lock and the only upper source that we are aware off at Black Jacks Lock which is actually quite shallow.   No surprise to us to find the bottom paddles half up and the top fully open.  Little traffic to start with and the weather was almost pleasant.  At Lot Mead, Gospel Belle was waiting for us but only for one lock, then at Cassio Lock, "Taurean" was just entering as we arrived.   We continued with John and Paula sharing pour life histories on the way as you do!   Canal boating is supposed to be terribly laid back, "no rush". Unfortunately family matters still impinge.  We had to await daughter two's return from holiday to return her Scotty Dog and we have to be in Birmingham by 29th so that Pat can return home and we can host two Australians keen on cricket.  Since we can't travel at greater speed, the only way to cover more ground in the time is to travel for onger.   This we said goodbye to Tauren at Kings Langley and continued on as far as Winkwell for the night, reaching there at 18:00.   Interestingly there were many low pounds for no good reason that I could see. The pound above Fisheries Lock was especially low and the lock landing at Boxmoor Top Lock (62) was inaccessible.   We left a bottom paddle up on leaving so that the lock paddle bywashes could work,but I don't suppose the next boat would understand and think that someone was just lazy.   Finally here is the first picture in a series of "Waterway Conundrums".

So here's the conundrum.   Which arch am I supposed to go through then?