ORCHARDS AND APPLE BLOSSOM

 

Apple Blossom

Our next port of call was Milton Keynes, and we were stopping here for a couple of night to catch up with the Captains sister Ann and her husband Chris, and to celebrate the Captains birthday with them.

We have always been pleasantly surprise with Milton Keynes, the route the canal follows is lovely with open green spaces and well kept towpaths. It is a real green corridor in a city of 264,000 people. Milton Keynes was built in the 1960’s when the government decided a further generation of new towns was required, it attained city status 1n 2022 as part of the late Queen’s platinum jubilee celebration. Covering 22,000 acres it’s roads are based on a grid system similar to the America’s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Keynes

We arrived on Sunday in glorious sunshine, and after lunch decided to try a new pub called Ye Olde Swan, the walk to it took us through the community orchard, it was beautiful as the apple tree’s were in full bloom, there was even an information board (with no graffiti) showing all the types of apples and where they were planted in the orchard. It made for a very pleasant walk and the pub at the end wasn’t bad as well, we sat in the beer garden and had a couple of pints. The food menu looked good too.

https://www.chefandbrewer.com/pubs/buckinghamshire/ye-olde-swan

As arranged we met up with Ann and Chris for the Captains birthday and went for a meal at the Peartree Bridge, its a Stonehouse so the menu was a carvery, pizza and burgers. We had a nice meal and then they came back to the boat for a slice of celebration black forest gateaux.

The Birthday Boy

Next day just 2 locks, the first at Fenny Stratford has a moveable bridge in its centre, this has to be opened before the boat enters the lock and closed when you leave, last time we were here the locking mechanism on the bridge had been damaged and we reported in to CRT. On this occasion I did not have to move the bridge because as we approached there was a boat already in the lock and as we left the lock another boat turned up so we left it to them. We stopped at the water point and also dropped some rubbish off at the bins there. The next lock was at Stoke Hammond and we moored just after it for a quiet night, as we knew the next port of call would be Leighton Buzzard and another of our favourite pubs, The Black Lion.

The Back Lion

3 locks to get there. At Soulbury another great pub called not very original but the Three Locks. As we set off, quite early (for us), the pub was closed and the volunteer lockee’s were only just turning up to start their shift. The first lockee spotted us and came to give us a hand. It made easy work of the locks, and meant we got to Leighton Buzzard just before lunch. We had hoped to moor near Tesco but unfortunately there was no space, so through the bridge and round the corner and we tagged on the end of the moorings there. After a good shop at Aldi, which is next to Tesco and very accessible from the towpath, we walked into the town looking around the shops, picking up a few bits here and there. Then to the pub, The Bald Buzzard a micropub at the top of the town, of course they had a stout on for the Captain and I tried a lager, not really to my taste but ok. Then onto the Black Lion, never disappointed in here, they have a range of real ales on, and more importantly Sam Smith’s stout a real favourite of the Captains, plenty of choice for me too. We went and sat in the beer garden where a Thai street food vendor was setting up, we had to try something so 3 spring rolls were ordered, and at £5 they were a real bargain and very tasty too. Before we left we took a look in the Gin bar, were they have over 200 gins on offer. A great pub and just to mention its the only place I have seen Bedfordshire clangers on sale, for those who don’t know, these look like a large sausage roll, but at one end is a savoury filling and the other is a sweet one. Didn’t try one but maybe next time.

https://www.facebook.com/theblacklionleightonbuzzard/?locale=en_GB

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedfordshire_clanger

After the indulgence at the Black Lion we decide to spent the next night in the middle of nowhere. So after 2 locks we moored behind a wide beam, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake as later in the night they let their dog roam the towpath and it barked and barked at our boat. It sounded very aggressive, and the Captain was concerned as we had our side hatch open with only a fly screen to stop it jumping in. Eventually someone came out and it went quiet, but we closed the side hatch just in case. Not a nice experience.

9 locks next day and we definitely need to get to Marsworth to use the pump out machine there, as our toilet was full. Luckily after the 2^nd lock we met up with another boat, Cut Loose from Yelvertoft with it’s Captain Gordon and crew Jackie. It was really nice to share the double locks with someone as we cant believe how quiet the canal has been, we have seen hardly any boats moving. I enjoyed chatting and doing the locks with Gordon, and my Captain had a good time chatting to Jackie. After the last lock we parted company as they were stopping as soon as they could find a spot, and we still needed to get to the services which are at the bottom of the Marsworth flight and on the junction of the Aylesbury arm. After a much needed pump out and the water tank filled we found good moorings just before the first lock and then headed to the pub of course. Firstly The Red Lion in Marsworth village, a proper village pub with a good selection of real ales, but no darks of course, so a lager. Then on to the Anglers Retreat which was closed the last time we were here, but after a refurbishment it has reopened and was very pleasant, so a couple in here.

I wished later that I had asked Gordon if they wanted to join us in doing the Marsworth flight, but we ended up doing it on our own, we had waited for awhile to see if they came, but had to go in the end. There are 7 locks close together, so I walked. Between the first 2 locks there was a RCT floating market on for the weekend, I recognised the very last boat NB Wobbley, we had shared locks with it in the past, so I stopped and had a short chat with its Captain.

We only met 2 boats coming down the flight, the first was a little stand offish and its crew didn’t approach the lock until we had exited and I walked away from the gates, the second was a couple doing a helmsman course, so they took a bit of time, but hey ho we weren’t in any rush. The top of the locks is Bulbourne Junction and the turning on to the Wendover arm of the GU.

In the Lock

7 more locks to get us to Berkhamsted were we were stopping for a couple of nights. Again we didn’t see many boats at all, it is so quiet.

We found good moorings and headed to the pub (again), the Highway Man and the first one we have not tried before, no real ales but a lovely pub which serves food on a lower level and then onto the Mad Squirrel micro pub, very good beer but pricey.

25 miles 31 locks and 2 moveable bridges

WHAT DAY IS IT ???

 

And that’s what I woke up this morning thinking, I couldn’t remember if it was Thursday or Friday. This is what happens when you drift along at 2mph, the days just merge together. As it turned out it was Saturday, where has this week gone?

We started on Tuesday moored below the first lock of the Long Buckby flight, with 6 more locks to do. As we prepared to set off NB Teal passed us, as did a group of volunteer lockee’s. Great, thought I someone to go down the locks with, and helpers to boot.

I walked to the first lock and made polite conversation with the lockee’s. Teal had a large crew on board, so once both boats were in the lock and its crew were happy to lock both boats down I walked down to set the next lock. This made easy work of the remaining 6 locks.

Our aim was to get to Weedon Bec and to the pub (of course), there are2 pubs, The Heart of England which is right by the canal, and the Wheat Sheaf a short walk away. We tried the Heart first, no darks on but we weren’t surprised, its a Marston’s pub and has an extensive food menu with different offers on every night. We have eaten here before and the food was good but we were not eating out tonight. The Captain had to make do with lager. Then we walked down to the Wheat Sheaf, and although there was a Camden stout on the bar the Captain was still out of luck as they had run out so lager again. The pub is a little scruffy and could do with some tlc but the beer was good. After a quick shop at the Tesco express opposite we headed back to the boat and a quiet evening.

It rained heavily during the night, I love the sound of the rain on the boat, its quite soothing. The rain was meant to clear by mid morning next day but it really didn’t and after only 6 miles the Captain had had enough and we moored up just before Gayton Junction and the Northampton arm of the GU. We have been down this arm in the past and there are 16 narrow locks which take you down to Northampton itself. From here you can drop down onto the River Nene and do what is known as the Mid Levels, a trip we still have to do.

There are boater services at the junction and we stopped to drop some rubbish off, a wide beam was on the water point but it wasn’t until I returned from the bins that I realised it was an old friends boat, Steve Jay. We haven’t seen him for ages so we had a long chat and got caught up on all the gossip.

Eventually we said our goodbyes and headed for the village of Blisworth and the Blisworth Tunnel, its the 3rd longest tunnel on the system at 3075yrds and extremely wet in places. It opened in 1805 after the second attempt to build it, the 1st attempt in 1800 failed and a tramway was built over Blisworth Hill. The goods were unloaded and transported by horse and cart over the hill to boats waiting at the other side to continue their journey to London.

It was very wet, not surprisingly after all the rain we had had, and we followed a hire boat through which meant it took us a little longer than usual.

Our day wasn’t done yet, as just after the tunnel is Stoke Bruerne, considered to be the spiritual home of boater’s, it has a canal museum, 2 pubs and an Indian restaurant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canal_Museum

Its most famous resident was Sister Mary Ward, she dedicated her life offering free medical care to the boat people and was awarded on BEM in 1951 and appeared on This is Your Life in 1959.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoke_Bruerne#History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ward_(nurse)

The 2 pubs are the Boat which sits above the first lock, and the Navigation which is just below the lock. But we weren’t stopping to try either so set off down the 7 locks. We had help at the first 2 but then we were on our own, not a problem for a pair of old pros like us. At the last but one lock I got chatting to 2 lovely ladies walking a dog, and with the Captains permission I offered them a ride down the lock, one accepted gladly but the other stayed with the dog.

We decided to moor up not far after the last lock and had another peaceful night.

We had an almost lock free stretch before us. The weather had improved and we cruised the 5miles to Cosgrove next day. The aim was to go to the pub, The Barley Mow. We found lovely moorings opposite the pub and after a late lunch we headed out to sample the beer. To get to the pub we had to use the horse tunnel that takes you under the canal. It was very low and narrow and the Captain had to be careful not to bump his head, I even ducked, even though I had plenty of room. The pub was lovely and had a selection of real ales but unfortunately, as usual, nothing dark to suit the Captain, so for a change he had Guinness zero, which I must admit is very palatable and I had Madri. The food menu looked good to.

The Horse Tunnel

A single lock next day and I thought I would get rid of some rubbish at the boaters services, but what a sight met my eyes, the large industrial bins were overflowing and there was bags of rubbish all over the floor, I decided my rubbish could wait as I didn’t want to add to the mess. The Captain emailed CRT (Canal and River Trust) informing them of the issue, so hopefully they will get it sorted sooner rather than late. They really need to keep on top of these things, but also boaters need to report issues when they occur, its a 2 way street.

We stopped at Wolverton to do some shopping, there is an Asda, Tesco and Lidl all within walking distance of the canal, however it does included a number of steps so maybe not so good for disabled boaters. The moorings in Wolverton are ok but very hemmed in by buildings, so after shopping we decided to find somewhere a bit nicer and of course we ended up at a pub, The Black Horse. We moored right outside the pub and gave it a try. Once again no darks on for the Captain so we had Prahva instead, it was lovely sat outside in the sun watching the world go by.

During the last couple of days of the cruise we had people running past the boat at all hours of the day and night, it turned out these brave (or stupid) people were taking part in an ultra race, which meant they had 100hrs to run 250miles, which was a circular route taking in the Thames, Grand Union canal and the Oxford canal. Absolutely mad in my opinion but each to their own. Out of the 39 runners who started 9 actually finished including 1 woman. The overall winner was Colin Crowhurst who completed it in 74 ½ hours, and then went on to run the London Marathon 2 days later in 4hrs 13min. MAD, that’s all I am saying

The Route

https://challenge-running.com/thames-ring-250/

Thats all Folks, for now.

27miles, 13locks, 1tunnel 3057yrds long.

THE FIRST LOCK OF THE YEAR

Happy Times

The blog is back.

Yes we have set off for our summer cruise, but first I will update you on the winter months.

Most of you will know I don’t write a blog in the winter as we don’t move, so there is not a lot I can talk about, apart from work, what’s going on around the wharf, visitors and our visits to family. None of which are really cruising related.

I will say, work has been a joy this year, and I was very sorry to leave, which I did at the end of March, a little early this year as we took a trip to Budapest, the capital of Hungary for 4 nights. It is an amazing city, with beautiful architecture, stunning parks and amazing memorials. We found great food, and of course beer whilst we were there. We also took a busman's holiday by doing a night time cruise down the Danube, really the only way to see the city at night, with many of the landmarks lit up and looking stunning from the boat.

The Parliament Building

On our return we took a couple of shake down cruises, firstly with my cousins Gary and Toni down to Hawkesbury Junction, were after a couple of pints in the Greyhound we had a lovely (if I say so myself) Sunday lunch on the boat. Then a trip down to Coventry basin with the Captains daughter and grand-kid's and lunch in Playwrights also in the basin, which I would highly recommend.

https://www.facebook.com/PlaywrightsCafe/

Now onto our plans for this years cruise which is going to be split in half, as we will be returning to our home mooring in Coventry at end of June to head off for a big ship, and a cruise round the Adriatic and Mediterranean. We did the Caribbean last year for the Captains birthday and decided since we enjoyed the experience so much we would do another.

So the first half of our cruise is to London, were we will stay for about a week and hopefully take in a west end show. On our return from the Med we are heading north, probably Lincoln and Boston before our annual cruise up the Erewash in time for family birthdays. We have to be back at Swan Lane wharf by the end of September for our dear friends Col and Mags wedding, where the Captain is the best man.

Our cruise to London will take us down the Coventry to Hawkesbury Junction before we go through the stop lock (hence the title of this episode) and onto the North Oxford, through Rugby, the 3 locks at Hillmorton and Braunston where we will turn onto the main line of the Grand Union canal to London.

As I have already said, we have already set off, our first, night was spent in Coventry basin and we met up for a pint or 6 with Col and Mags, it was a great night and we ended up in the Windmill, a great pub for real ale in Coventry.

Col and |Mags

Next day we travelled down to Hawkesbury and through the stop lock. As we put in water I walked round to the lock, and with the help of a very nice volunteer lock keeper set it for us, but we were pipped at the post as NB Cariad got there first, its Captain was most apologetic for stealing our lock, but it wasn’t a problem, we met him again when we moored at Rugby and he reiterated that he hadn’t meant to nick it, but I assured him again it wasn’t a problem. We moored for the night just past the lock and for the second night went for farewell drinks, this time with Keith and Andrew.

Next day and our journey began in earnest. But it wasn’t long before disaster struck. I decided after my morning walk I would bake some breakfast muffins. I put them in the oven only to find out the gas bottle was empty, I wasn’t bothered by this as it was due to run out. The Captain pulled over and swapped onto what we thought was a full bottle and I tried again. Still no gas. Bugger. We soon worked out that he had forgotten to swap the empty bottle with the full bottle which was in the coal store back at the wharf. So no muffins for us or really any tea, as I was planning to cook chicken fajitas. I knew I could use my air fryer and we could get by but it put my plans for meals in disarray. We made it to Rugby by late afternoon and luckily we knew there was a pub there, the Bell and Barge, which turned out to be a Harvester so we went out for tea.

Unfortunately with it being a bank holiday weekend we didn’t know if any of the boatyards on our route would be open, the first one we tried, Clifton Cruisers wasn’t, and the second, Braunston Marina didn’t answer the phone which didn’t bode well.

Next day as I walked to Hillmorton locks I decided to give the second boatyard another ring, and luckily this time very very nice lady answered, and I was pleased to find out they were open until 4 and also 10 til 4 the next day, and yes they had gas. Yippee.

I reported back to the Captain and he decided that we could last until the next day, which meant we could moor just before Braunston rather than trying to find moorings in this very popular spot.

But before this we had Hillmorton locks to do. These are 3 single side by side locks and claim to be the busiest on the system.

https://www.hillmortonlocks.co.uk/

And it did seem they were busy as we approached the bottom lock. I jumped off early with my trusty windlass and walkie talkie to go and see what was occurring. There was a boat in one coming down and a boat in front of us waiting to go into the other lock. Me being my helpful self I went to see what I could do. However as I started to help the boat coming down I was told very sharply not to as they were showing their friend how to do the locks, the boat coming up was the same but not quite so rude about it. So I stood back and let them get on with it. It didn’t take us to long to do the 3 locks and we were on our way to Braunston, it was a lovely afternoon for cruising and we spotted a Red Kite being harassed by a couple of crows.

We picked up a bottle of gas next day, the price nearly gave the Captain a heart attack £60!! but need must and maybe next time we will remember to check them before we set off.

https://braunstonmarina.co.uk/

And onto the 6 Braunston locks, these are double locks and we were lucky enough to share them with a hire boat with crew on board. It worked well as it meant I could go ahead and set the next lock, whilst their crew looked after the one the boats were in. It mizzled (fine rain) the whole time so we got a bit wet, but not too bad.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/places-to-visit/braunston

After the 6 locks is Brauston tunnel, 2042yrds long and 2 way working, it was the second tunnel of the cruise, the first being Newbold tunnel which is actually more like a long bridge at only 250yrds. The Captain hates meeting other boats in tunnels because its always in the worst place but on this occasion it was fine and we glided past without any problems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braunston_Tunnel

We moored up for the night after the first lock on the Buckby flight and headed to the pub, the New Inn which unfortunately was closed, should have remembered this pub does close on a Monday.

33 miles, 11 locks, 2292yrds in 2 tunnels

FAQ

 

On to the Tidal Trent

This years journey has covered 722miles, 348 locks and 105 swing or lift bridges. We have travelled on 16 different canals and 3 rivers including the tidal River Trent.

But now our adventures for this year are over, and we return to the peace and quiet of the wharf for the winter. So I thought I would write a blog about all the questions we get asked about living on a boat.

I will start with the most frequent;

Doesn’t it get cold in the winter​?

Well it does but so do houses, its a matter on managing the fire and keeping the core temperature of the boat up. We keep our fire in 24/7 during the colder months, burning mainly coal rather than wood. We also layer up, although at times we have to strip off if the fire is blazing. We have a stove fan which circulates the warm air through out the boat. We have a winter duvet and an electric blanket to take off the evening chill. Also as the lower part of the boat is below the waterline and the water is actually warmer than the air above we keep toasty. To answer the question is the boat cold in the winter, no its not.

Post?

Another frequent question is about our post. There are a number of solutions boaters use to access their post, we use my sisters address for ours. Others use PO boxes or organise to collect mail from a local post office or sorting office. There is always a solution.

Doctors and medicine?

Same with accessing a doctor or getting a prescription. The Captain has a regular prescription, and whilst we are out he can order it from a local pharmacist on line and pick it up. If we need to see a doctor (hopefully never) we can visit a walk in centre, or just go to a local surgery and sign on as an emergency patient.

Internet?

When we first had the boat mobile wifi was in its infancy and we could only get 20gb. Things have changed a lot in 11yrs, and now we have unlimited internet, and we are able to stream TV, use the laptop and phones. Sometimes if the signal is not very good because of the area we are in, we use the Captains phone as a hot spot, as he is on a different network from our main WiFi. It is handy to have 2 networks to choose from for this reason.

TV?

As I have explained in the paragraph above, we have enough internet now to stream, but we also have a satellite dish, which the Captain has set up at the right angle for the signal, and the dish is fitted so it can be turned to find the right satellite, and hey presto we have digital TV. The digibox can also record programmes, and we also have an aerial which means we can pick up normal TV. So all bases are covered. Again there are other solutions used by boaters but this works for us.

Power?

A very important part of boating, and again it has come on leaps and bounds in the last 11yrs. Our set up originally was 2* 250W solar panels and 4 leisure batteries and a starter battery (all lead acid). It was OK and meant we could run our 12v fridge 24/7 (some boaters turn theirs off at night to conserve power) but things like an electric kettle, air fryer and freezer were a no go. All our lights and pumps are 12v, but the TV and chargers are 240v. To use these we needed to run our inverter which converts 12v to 240v, but uses power to do it. We always turned our inverter off at night. But with our new set up of 3*410W solar panels, 2*200Ah lithium batteries and a starter battery, we can run all the above, and leave the inverter on all the time. I won’t try to explain how they work differently to lead acid batteries, but they basically hold charge better, can be discharged more, charge quicker and last a lot longer, a very simple explanation. The engine also charges the batteries, so moving every day keeps them topped up nicely. If power gets a little low and we are not moving that day, we will simply run the engine to top them up.

Shopping?

After so long travelling the canals we have an encyclopedic knowledge of the shops in most areas, and know were I can do a big shop or just were to pick up a few bits. It does help that I keep a lot of spares in, so extra tins of things I use a lot. Spare jars of pickles and sauces. Plenty of pasta, rice and noodles. And nowhaving the freezer means I can now keep a selection of meat, fish and bread. Before the freezer I just had the little ice box in the fridge, but you would be amazed how much stuff I could get in there. I also find that by cooking meat it will last longer. Fresh fruit and veg are a little more challenging, and I sometimes find I have things to use up rather than throw away. But there is always a recipe for that.

Onto a favourite topic of boaters, toilets​?

There are up to 4 types of toilets on boats. The 2 most popular being the cassette toilet, like you find in a caravan, or a pump out toilet, which is what we have. The cassette toilets have to be emptied at elsans which are dotted a round the system and maintained by CRT, these are free. Most boaters who travel a lot tend to have 2 or 3 cassettes so they always have a spare. A pump out or drop through toilet requires, as the name suggests a pump to empty it. The waste is held in a tank below the toilet and is pumped through a pipe usually accessed on the roof or side of the boat. This we have to pay for, there are CRT machines or we go into a marina and pay them to do it. Average cost is £20. Our tank isn’t very big and needs pumping out every 14/16 days.

Water?

Our water is held in a tank at the front of the boat and needs filling up every 5/6 days. There are water points all over the system. A diaphragm pump is used to pump the water around the boat, and the system is kept pressurised by using an accumulator. So if, when you are on our boat you hear a pump going off, its just the accumulator pressurising the system.

The dirty water goes into the canal. We have a full sized shower and this is emptied by using a gulper pump, as the shower sits lower than the drain hole in the side of the boat.

Rubbish​

Again this is one of the services CRT provides along the canals, which we pay for with our license. Unfortunately there is a lack of recycling, and even though I keep packaging and the like separate from food waste, they usually end up in the same bin. There is at some compounds a bottle bin for glass and I use this when it is available.

Safety​?

Boats are inherently less safe than being in a house. But in 10yrs we have never had a problem with anyone trying to break in or damage the boat. However we would never leave the boat empty overnight on the side of the canal, we would put it in a marina for peace of mind. We have a good padlock on the back doors, the side hatch is always secured, and we close the curtains to stop people from looking in and seeing the boat is empty. As a sign of the time we fitted a lock to our fuel tank last year. There is also the danger of sinking, we don’t like to think about this but it does happen.

That’s it for now but if there are any other questions you would like answering, then ask away.

SUCH LOVELY PEOPLE

 

Our Home

There are some really lovely people on the canals, and this year, as with every year we have met lots of them.

After saying goodbye to Phillipa at Fradley Junction, we headed off down the Coventry and decided to stop at Huddlesford, a place we have stopped before, and try the Plough which is right by the canal. No darks on for the Captain so he made do with lager once again (he is becoming a bit of a lager lout like me). A nice pub with outside seating and a good menu. The food looked and smelt lovely, but we didn’t partake as we were saving ourselves for Fazeley chippy.

https://www.theploughhuddlesford.com/

The weather was still cool as we cruised to Fazeley, and after a warming lunch we headed out. The pubs in Fazeley are nothing to write home about tbh (it could do with a decent micropub). We did, however have a pint in the 3 Tuns, which is right by the canal, and a second pint in the Three Horseshoes, it was in here we met some of those lovely people I was talking about. I didn’t get their names, but their boat was called Liberty and had an old ‘put put’ engine, better known as a 2 pot engine but ‘put put’ describes the noise it makes. Our conversation turned to cats and we had a lot in common. For those of you new to my blog we did, up until 2019, have 2 boat cats, Sam and Bubbles. They also had boat cats so we had lots of stories to swap, and opinions on which are the best type of cat. It was really enjoyable, and made me realise how much I still miss them.

Sam

Bubbles

After a pint we headed to the chippy. The Captain got his fish chips and curry sauce, whilst I indulged in one of my guilty pleasures a kebab. All I can say is mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

First locks for a while next day with the 2 Glascote locks, I got my exercise in walking to them, so arrived quite a bit before the Captain and boat. There were boats waiting to use the locks so I pitched in and helped. Some seemed more thankful than others, but hey ho that just folks for you.

Then on to Polesworth, I haven’t actual been in the village for a while, we have stopped there but not left the boat. Last time we did, we visited The Spread Eagle which had only recently reopened after refurbishment, we met up with the Captain of NB Mr Blue Sky and had a great afternoon. Apparently he still goes in the pub and was well known to the barmaid.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polesworth

https://www.facebook.com/thespreadeaglepolesworth/?locale=en_GB

On this occasion we had a similar experience and met the Captain and crew, Andy and Jane off NB Rosalan. They even admitted to reading my blog, which was lovely to hear, and we had a great time chatting. Later another gentleman at the bar joined the conversation, as he knew our good friend Keith and his steamboat Hasty. All in all it was a fantastic afternoon.

A busy day for me next day as we had the 11 locks in 2 miles of the Atherstone flight to ascend. At first it didn’t seem very busy, and we saw no one ahead or behind us, but then the boats coming down the locks just came and came and came. All saying how busy it had been with boats going up the flight, this did not bode well for finding moorings at the top of the flight. As usual the volunteer lock keepers were only helping boats through the top lock, and none of them ventured down the flight to help out. I will keep my opinions to myself on this.

But we made it to the top, and our fears were realised as there were no moorings to be had on our favourite stretch. But there was very little git gapping to see either which was good. We did find mooring further out, and it meant a longer walk into the town, but hey ho the pull of the pub was strong so off we set, plus I needed some shopping.

Our favourite pub in Atherstone is the Angel Ale House, so that was our first port of call, they had Poseidon Porter on by Brentwood Brewery, but it was a little on the wishy washy side. So only the one in there.

https://www.brentwoodbrewing.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/theangelinnrealalehouseatherstone/?locale=en_GB

The Market Tavern, a pub we have never been in, as it has had mixed reviews over the years (and people smoking outside the front door, a big no no for me) had recently changed hands and we decided to give it a try, and I must say we were impressed.

A great selection of cast and keg ales on including 2 stouts. The Captain tried Forged Stout from Dublin first, very nice. Then he tried Positive Grindset from Shiney, an espresso martini stout, which was lovely and rich, but with just the right amount of coffee flavour.

I had Pure Pilsner by Purity, a very nice pint. They are planning to do food in the future as well.

https://www.shinybrewing.com/about/

https://puritybrewing.com

I think it will give the Angel a run for its money from now on.

After walking into town next morning, getting a couple of their world famous faggots from Bates butchers for Sunday lunch we set off. Initially our plan was to get to the telegraph pole, a favourite mooring spot of ours between Atherstone and Hawkesbury Junction, but the weather was lovely and quite warm for a change so we just kept going. As usual we met all the boats coming towards us at the worst possible places, on blind bends, just before bridges and passing moored boats. The Captain certainly had his work cut out. We even met one boat over taking another on a blind bend, the boater who was overtaking apologised, told us the boat in front had waved him through, but then not indicated to him that we were there, the first boat didn’t even acknowledge us at all. Again nowt as strange as folk.

Of course we had to go and have a pint in the Greyhound, another real favourite of ours.

We stayed put next day, the rain came down and down. However we did make it to the pub again in between the downpours. Never underestimate the pull of a good pint of Theakston’s mild.

The rain didn’t really abate next day, but we decided we needed to move and head down to Coventry basin for a couple of nights. We kept the pram cover up for most of the journey, only dropping it at low bridges. We waved at the wharf as we passed by, and managed to catch up with Fliss off NB Emancipation and one of our neighbours at Swan Lane. She filled us in with the comings and goings at the Wharf.

The Coventry basin was busy with boats, which we always like to see busy, but we managed to find a reasonable spot for the night and headed to the Hops d’Amour, our favourite pub in Coventry. On more upsetting news, Selmina’s Mexican restaurant is closed due to some planning argument with the council, hope they get it sorted and reopen soon.

https://www.facebook.com/hopsdamourcoventry/?locale=en_GB

https://selminas.co.uk/

We also had a pint in the Old Windmill.

We stayed in the basin next day and the Captain took the opportunity to to touch up the blacking above the gunnels. We headed into town after lunch for a bit of shopping and another pint.

38 miles, 13 locks and 1 canal.

YOU'RE SURE ITS NOT WINTER​???

 

The shirt says it all

The weather has taken a definite turn for the worse. After a night on the pontoons we decided to headed for Shardlow for the night, we waited for the wind to die down, as it was gusting at about 40mph and to let the rain to pass through. Luckily for me there were only 3 locks to do, the first one was manned by lockees, yippee, the second was a flood lock and open, double yippee, but I had to jump off and do the last one which took us onto the Trent and Mersey at Derwent Mouth. The rain just about held off as we moored up outside the New Inn at Shardlow. This is a pub we have been in on numerous occasions, they usually have a decent dark on for the Captain, and the food served is very good. Of course we had to have a pint, Titanic Plum Porter for the Captain and Amstel for me.

https://www.thenewinnshardlowpub.co.uk/

The temperature dropped significantly the next day, and just as we set off the rain started. The first lock was not far, and as I jumped off the rain felt like ice cold needles on my skin, not a pleasant feeling at all. With the lock done I disappeared below and cleaned the whole of the boat, leaving the poor Captain to the inclement weather, I also did a load of washing but had no chance of getting it dry. The decision was taken to put the fire in, both for our comfort and for the drying of the clothes, unheard of this early, we usually hold out until at least October.

I had 3 more locks ahead but the rain had stopped, and although it didn’t get any warmer, at least I didn’t get wet doing them. We moored for the night at Swarkestone, just above the lock, and before the water point. The nearest pub was the Crewe and Harper, a short walk across the fields on a public footpath. We managed to dodge the showers and had a couple of pints in there.

https://www.creweharpurpub.co.uk/

After filling with water and getting rid of some rubbish we headed to Willington. Just before we set off NB Augustus passed us so we were hopeful of sharing the one and only lock of the day with them, these double locks are much easier when you share with another boat, and its also good water management, something we found out a lot about on the Erewash.

We did indeed join them in Stenson lock, and found out they were also stopping at Willington for the night. The moorings in Willington can get very busy, as the village has a railway station, a Coop, other shops, a chippy and 3 pubs. And its only a short walk for the moorings.

When we reached the beginning of the mooring, we could see them starting to pull in near the Dragon pub, and the Captain assured me there was room for us too. In fact there was room for 3 boats as long as nobody left git gaps. It appeared that, until I challenged the Captain of Augustus, he was intending on doing just this. I pointed out that he would be better mooring up close to us, therefore leaving room for a boat (should it arrive) to moor in front of him. This he did, although I am not sure how well he took my suggestion.

We walked into the village as we needed a few bits from the Coop, and of course we had to have a pint. We decided to give The Green Man a try, no darks on but a good pint of John Smiths, so the Captain was happy. As he was getting the drinks I heard my name mentioned and looked over to see Lesley and Nigel off NB Orkney. We had first met them in the Angel Ale House in Atherstone, and then on the Ashby canal, its was great to see them, and we spent a lovely hour or so chatting and catching up.

When we parted company we decided to give the Dragon a try, hoping that Tuffer’s Old by Boots brewery would be on, but it was not to be, however the Captain was very happy with another pint of Titanic Plum Porter.

Only a short hop to Burton upon Trent next day, and out first narrow lock for quite sometime at Darrow Lane. We found good moorings near were the hire car was being delivered. No pub tonight though.

The hire car was delivered right on time (thanks Enterprise car hire), and we were able to use it to run some errands and do some much needed shopping. After a quiet afternoon we headed out for a pint, (of course). Firstly The Weighbridge is a tiny micropub next to Lidl. Railway Porter for the Captain and Two:20 Lager by Titanic for me.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Weighbridge-Inn-Burton-100057584283863/

As you know we like to sniff out new micropubs to visit, and the Captain using all his detective skills found one to try not far from the Weighbridge. Outwoods Brewing, it is located in the railway arches, and the brewery and tap room are side by side. So we took a poddle and weren’t disappointed. There was a good range of beers on from Outwoods (obviously brewed on the premise) and Thornbridge brewery, which is based near Bakewell in the Peak District. The Captain tried the Nitro Stout and I had Czech Mates lager, both from Thornbridge. So good we stayed for another pint.

https://www.facebook.com/OutwoodsBrewCo

We had a long day next day, travelling all the way to Chorley (by car) and back for the Captains granddaughter Olive’s christening. It was a lovely day and great to catch up with all the family.

Grandad Pete and Olive

We set off from Burton and headed for Alrewas, 7miles and 5 single locks away. The weather was lovely for a change. At the first lock we encountered a bit of a queue, so I headed off to help, and discovered the boat in front of us NB Fledermaus (German for flying bat) was a single handing lady, and of course we had to help out were ever we could. I walked between locks getting some much needed exercise, which also meant I could have the lock set and ready for her when she arrived, so no messing about. As we locked up the last lock for the day, the Captain walked up to see what the moorings were like, he managed to find us a great spot but it was a little to short, but the very helpful Captain on NB Wild Cherry offered to move up so we could fit in, and we did.

Alrewas has 3 pubs, and we decided to head to our favourite The George and Dragon, but nothing on to tickle the Captains taste buds, so just a pint of lager. Then we moved on to The William IV, still nothing on in here for the Captain, but we decided to stay. As we were ordering our drinks, the lady who we had helped out came over and thanked us for all our help and offered to buy us a pint, this then turned into a bit of a session. We discovered her name was Phillipa and she had only had her boat a short time, but was an experienced boater.

Our time of the Trent and Mersey was coming to an end, and after 5 locks and a couple of miles we joined the Coventry canal at Fradley Junction.

We saw Phillipa again, she was helping a friend through the locks at Fradley, so we got to say a proper farewell and hope to see her again.

We are heading home to Swan Lane in time for my daughter in-laws 30^th birthday at the end of September, and it will probably be the end of our cruise for this year, but we will see.

29 miles, 19 locks, 1 river and 2 canals.

WORK TO DO AND FAMILY TIMES.

 

Springfield Mill Sandiacre

Our visit to Langley Mill had 2 main reasons. The first was to black the boat, and the 2^nd was to attended 2 birthday parties, my grandson Dylan's 1^st and my sister Diane's 60^th which were on consecutive days the following weekend.

We arrived exhausted on the Thursday and managed to moor with Vicky’s help, the basin was quite busy but we managed to find spots for both boats.

Then off to the pub, The Great Northern, they had Dark Drake by Dancing Duck brewery on for the Captain. Carolyn ordered fish and chips, and they looked great, and very reasonably priced at £9approx.

https://www.facebook.com/greatnorthernlangleymill/?locale=en_GB

Luckily we weren’t booked into dry dock until the Monday, it turned out Carolyn was joining us for the same reason. This meant that Friday was a day just for resting and catching our breath after the nightmare journey up the canal.

We had a quiet day and headed for the Bunny Hop for a pint at tea time. We did call and see if she wanted to join us, but she was still getting over the previous day.

https://www1.camra.org.uk/pubs/bunny-hop-langley-mill-161440

The Captain was a happy bunny with Vanilla Chinchilla, an ice cream porter from Little Critters brewery of Sheffield, and I had Madri. We saw they had a band on on Sunday called Swindle, a Sex Pistols tribute band, not quite our taste in music but thought we would give it a try.

I had invited Carolyn for Sunday lunch, and she was happy to join us and come and see the band too.

The rest of the weekend was quiet, mainly shopping and bits, making sure we were rested and ready for the work ahead.

We did go and see the band, they looked and sounded the part, so a great afternoon was had by all.

Monday and the real work started, more for the Captain than me, as he had the job of pressure washing the hull of the boat, making sure it was ready for us to start applying the bitumen that protects the hull when its in the water. Its a job we have to do every 2/3 years. Carolyn was having the work done by Dan and Vicky, so she could sit back and relax, although she did take little Oscar (her dog) out of the way during the pressure washing, as its an extremely noisy job and no good for little ears.

https://langleymillboatyard.co.uk/

I stayed out of the way whilst the Captain pressure washed, and he was given instructions to come get me when it was time to paint. But he didn’t, naughty Captain. I popped out to see how he was getting on and he had already started without me, very naughty. But I soon joined in.

We had thought after our little mishap at the Anderton Boat Lift, (we hit something in the water whilst winding) that the skeg may have been damaged, and this turned out to be correct. The skeg was cracked and needed welding. Dan is an expert welder and soon had it fixed.

We soon had the first coat on (you usually apply 3 coats below the water line). We also paint up to the gunnels to, just to make the boat look tidier. The Captain wanted to sand the top part first before applying the bitumen, so did this whilst the 1^st coat was drying.

Unfortunately it rained next day, and you cant apply the bitumen in the damp, so that meant nothing got done. Luckily the next day was dry, and we managed to apply the second coat and sand down and paint below the gunnels. Then it rained again so play was halted again. However the final day Friday was glorious and very hot, so the Captain managed a final coat and painted the tunnel bands. I cooked food for Dylan's party the next day rather than painting.

We did manage to eat out one night. We headed to Ripley and the amazing Turkish restaurant

Rokaa. The food was amazing. We had a couple of pints beforehand. First in the Pear Tree and we were amazed at its transformation since our last visit, very smart indeed. Then down to the Talbot, the best real ale pub in Ripley, and finally the Nags, which was our local when we lived in the town. Another great transformation in here to. All 3 well worth a visit.

https://www.rokaturkishkitchen.co.uk/

https://peartreehotelripley.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Talbottaphouse/?locale=en_GB

The bus trip back was a bit of an adventure. A serious accident blocked the bus route, and the driver, not knowing the area needed to find a way round, I was more than happy to guide him with my local knowledge. We soon had him back on track and he didn’t charge me for the trip, bonus.

We were re-floated on Saturday before heading off for Dylan’s party, we had a wonderful time catching up with the family. The same can be said for Diane’s party next day. They made a very enjoyable end to our visit to Langley Mill.

Happy Families

The hard work commenced next day, we needed to be in Burton on Trent for Friday to pick up a hire car, this was to go to Olive’s christening near Preston on Sunday, it has been a very busy time for family events. We decided to do the whole of the Erewash in one go, that’s 16 locks over 12 miles. Carolyn asked to join us, she is a single hander and not in the best of health (bad knees), and was finding it hard to do the locks on her own. We were pleased to be of help.

We made good time to the Gallows lock, which is about half way, and stopped and had lunch in the lock. The second half of the journey seemed to take much longer and we arrived at Trent Lock after about 6hrs. Carolyn managed to breast up against Last of the Summer Wine, whilst we went down the last lock onto the river and moored on the pontoons, which surprisingly only had 2 boats on. We arranged to meet Carolyn in The Steamboat, and then she joined us for a curry I had already prepared, knowing I wouldn’t want to cook after a full day doing locks.

We said our goodbyes here as she was turning left on to the river Trent and her moorings at Cranfleet, and we were turning right and on to the Trent and Mersey canal, heading to Burton upon Trent. Hopefully we will meet up again at some point.

12 miles, 16 locks, 2 canals and 1 river