UK Canals - Journey reports

Coventry Canal:Atherstone Bottom Lock

Overcast this morning and the wind has dropped.  Got a good few amps in the wind yesterday afternoon from the wind generator but it had all stopped by the evening.  Set off early as usual and met very little traffic until around 11:00 am.  Discovered a massive new logistics centre being built on what I believe was a brownfield site on the approach to Nuneaton.  On he opposite side of he canal, ground is being broken for what I guess will be a new housing estate.  Otherwise the only comment I can make is the rapid growth of vegetation offside with many bridge holes partially obscured.  I was first in line at Atherstone Top Lock and had a very easy run down the first 6 locks, then a bit slower with opposite direction stuff to the end.  However all went to plan and no problems.  Moored now at the bottom of the flight, slightly ahead of plan still which will help tomorrow as I am hoping to reach Kings Orchard Bridge for overnight to set me up at a reasonable time for Fradley and a shopping detail on Saturday at Rugeley.

Coventry Canal:Hawkesbury Junction

Brighter weather this morning although it looked as if there has been a lot of rain in the night.  Got cracking around 07:30.  Very little other traffic until just before Ansty when they seemed to come in threes and often at bridge holes needing one emergency stop.  I had a hire boat on my tail through all this which added to the complications for the opposite traffic.   Just before arriving there was a sudden squall and a little rain, enough to scare others rushing to put on waterproofs but in the end not enough to wet the deck.   The stop lock was full, but today I had to open the top gate myself!!   Today’s journey 5 hours 47 minutes.   I have “cashed in” the bonus I acquired yesterday, but still a little ahead of plan as I was supposed to moor up a little way back, maybe 1/2 hour.   Went for a stroll and took a nice photo of the junction from the footbridge.  Unfortunately the phone signal here is too poor to upload it just now.  Addendum (Thursday): Now done.  The canal in the foreground is the Coventry which leads straight ahead to Coventry - worth a visit.  The lovely cast iron bridge behind the brick hut leads to th Oxford canal which needs a 180 degree turn.  It’s just visible behind the trees.   There is a stop lock there, built to prevent the Coventry Canal Company taking the Oxford Canal co’s water.

Oxford Canal:Hillmorton

I have always wanted to join the Braidbar Owners’ Group weekend at Higher Poynton, but it never happened due to clashes with The Cutweb gatherings.   The latter haven’t happened recently, probably due to Covid.    The Braidbar Owners’ Group (BOG) meeting  has always co-incided with the Braidbar Boatyard open day.  Latterly, with water issues on the High Peak Canals due to the reservoir rebuild, Bosley  and Marple Locks have been very restricted.   The same applies this year and I appear to be the only member arriving by boat.   So it is a bit of a challenge in that respect.  Bosley Locks operate open on set days, and the appropriate day for me is Wednesday next week.  Given that I was booked for flying on Monday (yesterday) the first opportunity to make this cruise is today and here I am.  I arrived at the marina about 11:30, transferred a load of victuals sufficient for a week on the boat, got a pump out, filled up with water and got going.  I don’t know if this is going to work out.  I guess really it is a test.  Am I still up to it, single handed?  Will I enjoy it?  When Pat was with me the boat was such an important part of our lives and I still feel the same contentment as if she is still with me.  Perhaps that is why all three top gates were open for me this afternoon.  She is there sorting it all out as she always did.  Now I’m moored up just below the Hillmorton Locks I’m ahead of plan because I am timetabled to leave the marina tomorrow (Wednesday). Lots still to do on the boat, make the bed up, sort the gas, store away all the food, TV aerial, and cook supper.   Chloe has a new wheeze.  Preparing food into unit size zipup plastic bags which store nicely flat in the freezer. I have taken to this idea. Tonight I have enjoyed a (proper) bolognese sauce with spaghetti which I made into five flat packs last week.  There’s more coming  over the next few days.

Oxford Canal:Return to Barby Moorings

Still very windy, but far fewer other boat movements today and many of the less popular in-line mooring sites were deserted, so good progress and I was back at the moorings by 11:25.  Then it's cleaning and packing.  Always comes with a list of jobs.   I need a new combined CO and smoke alarm for the bedroom.   It is unlikely that I would hear the carbon monoxide alarm from the front cabin at night.  Not a problem if the stove is unlit, but next month it would be.  It's also about time that the alternator belt should be replaced, so check that the spare is available.

Oxford Canal:Napton Bottom Lock (Wednesday)

Another early start right behind anotherr boat going the same way.  My intention was not to rush so wouldn't have been a problem except that the boat ahead seemed to be going very slowly.  Shades of an experience many years ago when trying to keep behind another boat meant dropping out of gear from time to time.   I wasn't crowding this boat so it must just have been telepathy that propted the helmsman to speed up after a while.   In the end I was three boats behind when the boat stopped on the Napton flight.   I'm always interested in the HS2 goings on at Wormleighton.  Some sort of what looks like a road bridge now crosses the canal and I can only assume that the foundations for this will be reused as part of the promised sleek viaduct, or has that idea already been abandoned as cost cutting?  As for the rest it just looks an utter mess to me, but I suppose there must be some logic to the huge mountains of spoil.  A bit far removed from the old method of cut and fill as used by the old railway engineers.   Getting back to journey, reaching Marston Doles it decided to start raining just to add an extra variable into the mixture.   There was a boat ahead which fortunately moved off the only lock landing spot just as I arrived.  The nearby water point was occupied.  The boater ahead was having difficulty with the turn into the lock with the combined effects of a strong wind and the outflow from the backpumping conflicting.  Then a squence of upcoming boats helped to a degree with my descent.  Being single handed what slows one down is the need to moor up to return to shut the gates, so if this need is avoided by a boat cominmg the other way, or a boat behind offering to do that instead of just waiting, it is a bonus for everyone.   Fortunately at the bottom there was a space for a 60 foot boat which I was grateful for.   I wondered about a meal in the Folly Inn, but the pub is really quite small and was full of happy punters.  There is a large well appointed garden, but the wind and showers made that less than optimal, so settle for a pint and a meal back at the boat.

Oxford Canal:Fenny Compton (Tuesday)

Sorry, bit late in posting due to nothing in particular.   Well I set off early this morning expecting a clear run at least to Cropredy but not a chance.  Everybody was up.  I followed one as far as Cropredy, but there were opposited directions which broke things up in a nice way.  So actually reached Claydon top by 12:55 and stopped for lunch.  I had made a beef casserole using the slow cooker yesterday, warmed this up with some new vegetables.  Then continued on to Fenny.  There is no doublt that the water at the south end of the "tunnel" is very shallow.  First it looks like boating through thin mud and the displaced water moved to the stern very rapidly and meeting a following mini tsunami.  Further when lining up to have some visibilty down the narrows the boat started to list on the bottom mud.   I rather suspect that the whole length from here to the feeder is all very shallow.   Anyway, arriving at Fenney in good time allowed me to get some diesel to calm my fears of running out.  Further I was able to visit LeeSan for some more de-scaler solution.  It's very expensive at around £20/litre, but certainly does the job keeping the pipes clear.  Chewiing the cud with other boaters the thought was that the heavy canal traffic was the result of the recent Napton stoppage.