UK Canals - Journey reports

Coventry Canal:Hawkesbury Junction

We were expecting better weather today, which it was until later in the afternoon when rain returned.    So in low sunshine we set off, blinded from time to time by the low light and reflection in the water.  However, canals are windy (as in many turns) which makes the problem short lived.  Reaching Hinckley we revisited bridge 17 which we can confirm is the lowest on the canal, but OK for our chimney without the cooley hat.   This is a new bridge, so why wasn't it built to match the air draft in the rest of the canal.  It only needed 6 to 9 inches more height.    A straightforward trip until Marston Junction with the Coventry Canal.   It is impossible to start a turn until pretty well out of the bridge which makes a turn towards Coventry in one go a non-starter.   However there is plenty of room to mess about in which is when a boat appeared from Atherstone direction.   So we let him go by, and followed clossely behind only for us both to get tangled up in an opposite directon approaching the other bridge.   No real problem, but like the buses, never asee one and then three come at once!   Following our leader we continued only to get hung up again just before bridge 14.   There was a line of what looks like long term moored boats here, but the canal is narrowed by the offside vegetation which makes the channel one way, so of course there was an opposite direction boat here too!    Arriving at the junction there was plenty of mooring available on the Coventry Canal approach so we stopped on this side for the night, leaving the stop lock for the morning.   A "bird in hand", so as to speak.   One cannot see what the mooring situation is on the other side untill too late to turn back.

Coventry Canal:Hawkesbury Junction

We were expecting better weather today, which it was until later in the afternoon when rain returned.    So in low sunshine we set off, blinded from time to time by the low light and reflection in the water.  However, canals are windy (as in many turns) which makes the problem short lived.  Reaching Hinckley we revisited bridge 17 which we can confirm is the lowest on the canal, but OK for our chimney without the cooley hat.   This is a new bridge, so why wasn't it built to match the air draft in the rest of the canal.  It only needed 6 to 9 inches more height.    A straightforward trip until Marston Junction with the Coventry Canal.   It is impossible to start a turn until pretty well out of the bridge which makes a turn towards Coventry in one go a non-starter.   However there is plenty of room to mess about in which is when a boat appeared from Atherstone direction.   So we let him go by, and followed closely behind only for us both to get tangled up in an opposite direction approaching the other bridge.   No real problem, but like the buses, never see one and then three come at once!   Following our leader we continued only to get hung up again just before bridge 14.   There was a line of what looks like long term moored boats here, but the canal is narrowed by the offside vegetation which makes the channel one way, so of course there was an opposite direction boat here too!    Arriving at the junction there was plenty of mooring available on the Coventry Canal approach so we stopped on this side for the night, leaving the stop lock for the morning.   A "bird in hand", so as to speak.   One cannot see what the mooring situation is on the other side until too late to turn back.

Ashby Canal: Stoke Golding (again)

A quite evening yesterday before the storm - the residue of Hurricane Gonzalo.   Well the wind generator was very noisy last night, but survived.   Checking this morning showed that gusts were giving 9 amps or so, but of course for short periods.    However the guy stays were flexing under the stress and needed further tensioning making me wonder at what stage the whole assembly with give way.  Really it does need stainless wires.   Wind and rain delayed our departure as the bad weather seems set to stay for the day.  However, nearing 8:30 the sun came out and the wind appeared to be subsiding except that it wasn't really.   However we had left our mooring and actually had no problems in making way, though the wind certainly was an irritation, though mostly a tail wind.   Where the canal was sheltered it was fine, elsewhere sudden gusts would affect the boat but not steering provided there was sufficient speed.   We have decided just to concentrate on getting back to base.   Pat needs to be home at the weekend, so we made for Stoke Golding again.   Nice moorings with shop and pubs.    Perhaps it was the tail wind, but we did it in just over 4 hours.   The wind and heavy occasional showers both continue!

Ashby Canal: Snarestone

The wind had dropped this morning. There was a beautiful sunrise with the rays of the early morning sun highlighting the distant trees against a dark sky. Magic. Why people want to stay in bed in the morning and miss the best part of the day I don't know. We left just before 8:00 and by 9:30 seemed to have got nowhere as the canal does three sides of a large square at this point. With 18 miles to go according to the mileposts there seemed little prospect of reaching Snarestone and the terminus of the canal today, until that is it dawned on us that the 18 miles is measured to the end of the as yet unrestored canal at Moira. So by 12:30 we were there. The canal skirts all the main towns or villages, such as they are. Market Bosworth is the largest, but its centre is nearly a mile away and the straggly bits nearer to the canal are easily missed. Shackerstone is the most obvious as it lies in the angle of the canal and there are rows of moored boats advertising its existence. Passing through the kinky tunnel one is soon at the terminus

The present terminus of the Ashby Canal. The part being  restored is beyond the swing bridge

where there is a presence of the Ashby Canal Association and the continuation of the unrestored canal past a swing bridge and temptingly round a corner. We had lunch there and then retraced our steps to the moorings on the southern side of the tunnel which are nearer to the village above the canal (literally as the canal goes underneath). A pint of Marston's Pedigree was found at the Globe.

Ashby Canal: Stoke Golding

Blue skies to start the day, though the wind is still with us.   The wind generator was quite noisy overnight, not that the noise bothers us.   We passed quite a number of steel piled lengths ssuitable more mooring and mostly empty. Approaching Hinkley there are signs of a lot of industrial development and one very large distribution centre under construction.   The Watling street bridge was our first hint of a low bridge, the chimney and cooley hat just clearing by a few centimeters.   The arm to the old wharf looked pretty decayed with a few boats inside, but round the corner there is a new marina and a "Brewers Fayre" bankside.   Further on, Ashby Boats seems to have only canal moorings, but the boats we saw look well cared for.   There is a regular marina on the left side just a bit further on.   We were hoping to stop at Stoke Golding for a Sunday lunch and were getting a bit pessimistic about how to get there when we came across the advertised moorings which are offside, adjacent to a lane and with access also across a field and well maintained with bollards even.   48 hours is plenty for us.   We crossed the field and found the White Swan, a small family run pub (Everard) where we got a decent lunch after all.    The wind is dying down, but gales forecast for Monday night.    Finding the moorings very pleasant, we stayed put.  

Oxford Canal:Hawkesbury Junction

Deep thought overnight determined that I need some LS-X to seal all cable access to the leaky junction box, so early morning Pat and I set off to find some, she also needing some wool!  We eventually found a Plumb Center (trendy american spelling) and a Wilkinsons to fulfill our needs.   So near 10:00 we were off towards Hawkesbury Junction.   A lovely day with sunshine and just a hint of small shower clouds which we missed.  We got stopped on the was by a single hander in front who couldn't manage the swing footbridge at Rose Narrowboats.  We thought he was waiting for a crewmember in the shop, so hung back, but an opposite direction boater realised his predicament and came to help, letting us through in the process.    Amazingly there were no boats moored at Hawkesbury Junction on the left hand side so we took pole position.   I took the opportunity to test out the electric polisher on the port side.   Very good at putting the polish (AutoGlym as used by Andy Russell) on, not so good at rubbing it off and a hand cloth worked better.   Very good overall result though.   We also have tried out the modified wind generator.   The modification allows the fin to swivel forwards when the generator is lowered, so lowering the profile to escape low bridges.   Very successful too. 

Autumn Cruise

We left home early to miss the London Traffic and arrived at the marina at about 7:30 am expecting to leave early afternoon after completing a few housekeeping tasks.  It was not to be!   Having got everything ready and preparing to leave the engine would not start.   Just the panel illuminated and the alarms squeaked. I'm afraid to say that the complicated engine electrics are beyond me.  Really it should be simple enough, just engage the starter and the engine will run.  It doesn't need any electricity, but then there are two alternators and the panel display, the starter circuit itself, alarm indicators and the stop circuit and this is where it all gets complicated.  I called RCR and Chris from Willow Wren appeared later and set to work.  It took him, an expert, over two hours to focus down on the junction box holding some relays and to open up a relay to find it full of mud.  Rainwater was bypassing the deck drain somehow and dripping down onto the box which obviously leaks.  Chris drilled a small hole in the bottom of the box which might help, but this whole issue needs dealing with.   With a new relay fitted the engine fired up straight away.   By now it was too late to leave.   At least we have shore power and can watch TV as much as we like without worry.