EVER CHANGING PLANS.

 

The Perfect Veiw.

And this is what boating can be about for various reasons. But before I get into that, I was going to call this instalment ‘The Land of the Hire Boats’.

That’s because there are a lot of boat hire firms in this area, and we seem to have seen all of them. The companies include, Napton Narrowboats, Kate Boats, Rose Narrowboats, Ashby Boats, Clifton Cruisers and Diamond Resorts to name just a few. We always approach hirers with some caution, as you never know if the Captain and crew are complete newbies, or seasoned boaters. And we know all about being newbies on a hire boat, as our boating life started in2010 and our first holiday on a narrowboat. 3 more holidays over 2 years, and look where we ended up.

Hiring a narrowboat is not cheap, but a great experience, and something we always advise people to do if they fancy living on a boat full time.

Right back to our journey. We left Banbury on Wednesday and headed for Cropredy and found good moorings. Of course we headed off to the pub, firstly The Red Lion, a quaint local pub with very friendly dogs and a good pint, then onto the Brasenose Arms, a bit of a foody pub, but we had an interesting chat with a local about the Cropredy Festival, known as the Fairport Convention Festival after the 1960/70’s folk rock band.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairport%27s_Cropredy_Convention

We know a few boaters that attend this but never fancied it ourselves, maybe something for the future.

Stayed put next day, the weather has been good for the time of year, but we were promised rain, and got it. We did venture out later but just to the Red Lion again.

https://www.redlioncropredypub.co.uk/

At Cropredy lock we met up with David on NB Jennoria once again and I helped him through. I was chatting to a gongoozler called Keith from Rotherham, on my request the Captain gave him a trip up through the lock and explained how locks, and in particular how the mitred gates work.

A short hop to Fenny Compton and we were lucky to nab the last mooring spot just before the Wharf pub. We had to give it a try, and for once I was very disappointed on how organised I am with planning our meals, because the food looked and smelt amazing, but tea was waiting for us back on the boat.

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

The locks on this stretch tend to be spaced out rather than being a flight, but that changed with the upcoming Napton flight of 2 locks, a short gap, and then 7 locks together. The village of Napton on the Hill is a short walk from the canal

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

We moored at the top and descended next day, with it being Sunday the locks were busy with boats moving in both direction, which is what you really want, as it helps with water conservation and makes it more fun with lots of chatting and banter.

A lock

We moored between the 2 bottom locks were there is room for about 4/5 boats, a boat coming up nabbed the space we really wanted, but we still managed to moor without a problem just further away from the pub, The Folly. A great canal side pub we have visited a few time before, once before we even had the boat as we were camped nearby. During Covid they built the Potting Shed, which is an amazing outside bar, and this is were we sat rather than going into the pub itself which is on the small side and would be busy with people eating their Sunday roast. A good pint and another friendly dog.

http://follyatnapton.co.uk/

The Potting Shed

The next stretch of the Oxford canal is sadly lacking in good pubs, or pubs at all. So we spent the next night in the MONW.

I needed a little shopping the next day so Rugby was our destination, but as we set off it seemed like every man and his dog was on the move, and 10 boats passed us as we set off, this continued until we reached the 3 side by side locks at Hillmorton. The Captain reckoned another 10 boats passed us whilst we were moving.

At Hillmorton I was pleased to see a Vol Lockee on, another boat was already going into one of the locks and we soon were in the one next to them, 2 boats were going down ahead of us, one being a single hander who did not impress the lady crew of the boat with us at all. Although she asked him to drop a paddle and shut the gate he made no effort to get off his boat, she was not happy and we had an in depth chat about boating etiquette.

I helped as much as I could whilst locking the Captain and our boat down, and we were soon on our way to Rugby. We were told, much to our surprise, that the majority of boats using the locks were travelling in our direction, very strange bearing in mind how many boats had been coming towards us before we reached the locks.

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

The mooring at Rugby were surprisingly quiet and we moored up with ease.

It was at Rugby that our plans began to change, the Captain has been suffering with a bad leg which hurt when he walks, this needed sorting out before our cruise on the big ship. It came to ahead in Rugby, as I fancied catching the bus into the town, but he didn’t want to walk anywhere, he didn’t even want to come shopping with me, (I hate shopping on my own). So I told him that he needed to get it sorted.

Our plan after Hawkesbury Junction was to head to Atherstone, and then maybe go up the Ashby canal to Stoke Golding, there are very good real ale pubs in both of these towns.

But if he needed to see a doctor we needed to head back to Swan Lane. The plan kind of remained the same until he had had a telephone consultation with the doctor. The doctor confirmed our thoughts on what the problem was, and that we were doing everything possible to alleviate the symptoms, but he needed to see a physio and this was booked in 2 weeks time, but still before our holiday.

The issue of a pump out then reared its head, we could head to Atherstone and get one at a marina or boatyard and pay £25-30, or we could return to Swan Lane and do one for free, then head off to Atherstone, sounded good. But like the title said, ever changing plans. The Captain suggested after getting the pump out at Swan Lane we could head down Coventry basin for a night or 2, go to the Hop and have meal at one of the many restaurants there. Then we could take a couple of days to get to Atherstone, and then see. The world is our oyster. So that’s what we decided (up to now).

After leaving Rugby we had another night in the MONW, then our journey took us to Hawkesbury Junction, where we were able to catch up with an old friend Barbara on NB Meander Lily, she had moored at Swan Lane for a time and it was great to have a chat, and we again managed to nab the last mooring just before the stop lock and pub. As with a couple of days earlier, boats just kept coming and coming, one after another in both directions. And of course we had to visit the pub. The Greyhound

https://www.thegreyhoundsuttonstop.co.uk/

The Greyhound

50 miles, 24 locks, 1 tunnel (250yrds) and 1 movable bridge.

WILDLIFE AND NARROW WATERS

 

The Black Swan

Before I start writing about our journey over the last week, I just wanted to fill you in on some of the wonderful wildlife we have seen whilst on the Thames. The biggest shock, and surprise, was a large seal that joined us in one of the locks. I was in position at the front of the boat holding onto the bowline, when I thought I saw one of those foil balloons pop up in the water, then it popped down again, balloons don’t do that I thought to myself, so what was it? then a head appeared at the side of the boat, a big doey eyed black seal, swimming leisurely up and down the lock between the boats. It was an amazing sight.

The sea in the lock

Then shortly after we spotted one of the prettiest birds I had ever seen, a black swan with a bright red beak. These beautiful birds are native to Australia, but have been introduced into the UK because of their unusual plumage, a bit like mandarin and wood ducks.

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

We have also seen, Little Egrets, sleek terns performing aerobatics above the boat, Great Crest Grebes, Cormorants, Herons and more Mandarin Ducks and Egyptian Geese. The usual run of Swans, Mallards, Canada and Greylag Geese, with their ducklings, goslings and signets. We hear but don’t see, Chiffchaffs, Wrens, Blackbirds, Robins and Black Caps. But it definitely has been the year of the Red Kite, and I don’t think a day has passed without seeing these magnificent birds over and over again, and we have seen a couple of buzzards too.

Right onto our journey. We spent a very quiet day in Abingdon and didn’t even venture out to the pub, the weather wasn’t great. It was better weather the next day and so we made our way to Oxford, saying goodbye to the wide river, and rejoined a very narrow canal at Isis lock. I felt that if I spread my arms out I could touch both sides of the canal as we went along. A narrow canal means narrow locks, and these you do yourself with your trusty windlass. I had gotten used to the friendly lock keepers who do everything for you, or just the push of a couple of buttons to operate the locks. It was now back to winding and pushing.

Sign in a Thames Lock

The moorings in Oxford were surprisingly quiet, and we moored up opposite the boatyard quite easily. We nipped for a pint or two. Firstly the Old Bookbinders Ale House, but no darks on in here, then onto the Harcourt Arms, a nice bottle of London Porter for the Captain, then the Rickety Press, a bit of a students bar but a nice pint.

We had to go into Oxford next day to pick up the Captains prescription from Boots, and decided to have a few pints and then tea at Cosmos. After visiting Boots we called in at the Royal Blenheim, a Titanic brewery tap house, so plenty of choice in here, then onto the Grapes, another great real ale pub. Tea was very tasty.

https://www.titanicbrewery.co.uk/pubs-and-bods/pubs/the-royal-blenheim

https://www.thegrapesoxford.co.uk/

Sweet Treats at Cosmos

We had intended on getting a pump out at the boatyard before leaving next morning, but it was the turn round day for their hire fleet, and it would have been late afternoon before they could have fitted us in, so we decided to head to Thrupp and use the pump out machine at the boat club there.

We are back in the realm of lift bridges and locks and we reached Thrupp after 3 lift bridges and 4 locks. We were very lucky and got moorings right outside the Boat Inn, and were soon joined by NB Nellie Jean who we had met a couple of times on the Thames. We had a chat with its Captain and Crew before heading to the pub.

https://theboatinnthrupp.co.uk/

The boat club services were busy next morning and we had to wait our turn, but soon we had it all, an empty toilet tank, a full water tank and rubbish binned, perfect. We headed off to finding moorings in the MONW for the night.

Sunday, and every man and his dog seemed to be out on the water. We met day boats, hire boats and private boats enjoying the good weather. We were following NB Even Balance, and at each lock I went up to help out and enjoyed chatting to its crew, who I think was called Julia. Another night in the MONW.

Don't ask me how !!!

The Captain had thought to take 2 days to get to our next stop at Banbury, but the rain that was forecast changed his mind, we had an early start and managed to get there just after lunch. We met up with Even Balance again, but they stopped at Kings Sutton, so we had to part ways.

We have been lucky so far with finding decent moorings, and this continued when we got to Banbury and we moored outside the GF social club and Banbury Museum, which is very handy for Lidl (3 mins walk) and the town centre. It is a very busy spot, and very narrow as boats are moored on both side of the canal, and there is always someone on the move.

I had wanted to get to Banbury by Monday so I could go to a Slimming World meeting to get weighed. There were a couple to chose from, but before that I really bit the bullet and went and got my hair cut, first time in at least 2yrs. I tried to explain to the very nice Turkish lady that I only wanted a little off the length, but she told me in no uncertain terms I needed more, so I let her get on with it and was happy with the result. Although I do feel like she scalped me, as I am used to having very long hair. It will grow back. I was also very happy when I got weighed as I had stayed the same, a miracle given the amount of beer I have drunk over the past 6 weeks.

On my return from SW we took a walk to the local Wetherspoons, The Exchange, the app was showing it had Broadside on, a favourite of the Captains, but when we got there the clip said Old Peculiar, not a problem, its another of the Captains favourites. However a rather confused barman tried to tell use that although the tag said coming soon, it actually meant they didn’t have any, so he had a Singha lager instead. Only 5 minutes later we spotted the barman was pulling a perfect pint of Old Peculiar! It wasn’t that they didn’t have any, it just wasn’t quite ready when we asked. So the Captain grumbled but eventually got his preferred pint.

The rain came the next day and we stayed put, only walking out in the afternoon to shop at Lidl, and then have a pint in the Social Tap in the food court in Lock 29. A very good pint of Dead Wax, a London porter from Orbit brewery, and at £4 a pint a bargain.

https://www.tapsocialmovement.com/pages/lock29?srsltid=AfmBOoon8syqbLAZpN_OczjFB7K5D07CMc7i4EhRUgkM0zMIfLgKflNb

We are slowly getting back home and ready for our adventure on the big ship.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marella_Explorer_2

Marella Explorer 2

37 miles, 22 locks 9 Lift bridges 1 canal, the South Oxford 2 rivers, the Thames and the Cherwell

FUN TIMES AT THE LOCKS

 

Sunset on the Thames

We did spend a couple of days in Brentford, and as a treat the Captain took me back to the Black Dog for tea, and I was right the food was lovely.

We moved down the lock and onto the pontoons in readiness for our trip on the Thames and were joined by NB Whats the Hurry for the night.

What’s the Hurry and a new arrival set off before us ,and when we arrived at the big river lock they had already been locked down by the Lock keeper, so we were ‘billy no mates’, not that we were bothered.

The River Thames is probably the best known of the UK rivers, mainly because it runs through London. It is 235miles long, rises in the Cotswold and flows into the North sea. In the past it was the main way into London for the rich and powerful, and that is why dotted along its banks are historic houses such as Hampton Court and Windsor castle.

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames

The locks are huge river locks, and they are either operated by lock keepers or if you have to do them yourself, they are all electric and everything is done with the push of a button. If a lock keeper is on duty I have to hold the boat steady with the bowline, whilst Captain hold the back of the boat with our stern line. If I am operating the lock then the Captain uses the centre line to achieve the same.

Our intent was to get to Walton on Thames. The first part of the journey took us on the tidal part of the river through the outskirts of London with all its huge buildings and bridges. It was an early start as we had to catch the tide, and at the first lock, Teddington, we had to buy our licence, as the Thames is run by the Environment Agency and our CRT licence does not cover it. It should have cost £86 but I think the Lock Keeper calculated our size wrong and it cost us £64 for the week.

The Thames after Teddington is beautiful and non tidal, and it remains so all the way up to Oxford and beyond. Huge houses dot the banks and its very much the case of ‘who lives in a house like this’. Including Hampton Court which you get a great view of from the river.

We did 4 locks that day, a mixture of self service which was indicated by a blue sign as you approached the lock, or lock keeper on duty which was a white sign.

I soon got back into the swing of things.

The moorings at Walton were very good, a grassed area and just the right height for stepping off the boat. We took a walk into the town and were impressed by the number of shops and restaurants. There are quite a few pubs as well, but we only tried the George Inn, a locals pub, but as expected nothing for the Captain. Then we decided to go and sit by the river at the Anglers, as if we hadn’t seen enough water. Much preferred this pub and the food looked good.

https://www.heritagepubs.co.uk/anglers-walton-on-thames

The weather wasn’t great next day and after 3 locks which we shared with NB Jenoria, with Peter and David on board, we decided to stop at Staines, once again the moorings were great, a walk into the town and impressed again. There is a Lidl here, so handy for shopping and we tried the Thames Side Brewery Tap, The Captain did find something in here not surprisingly.

https://thamessidebrewery.co.uk/

The locks came thick and fast next day with 7 to do, its hard to remember which had lock keepers and which didn’t, and I was happy to help out when other boats were using them. Our aim was to get to Cookham, somewhere we haven;t stopped before, and again we were happy with the moorings, although we did get charged £8 for the night. Charging for mooring is not that unusual on the Thames, but previous nights we had found 24hr free moorings. A walk into the town and again impressed with the variety of shops and restaurants, and of course pubs. We tried the Kings Arms first, it was pleasant, then onto the Bel & the Dragon, this was our favourite, then the Ferry, not so nice but a great spot by the river.

https://www.belandthedragon.co.uk/cookham

The lady collecting the mooring fees knocked quite early next day, but we paid happily and set off as we wanted to get to Henley before the bank holiday rush started.

It was at these 4 locks we had the most fun, more boats moving means meeting new people and lots of chatting and banter.

At the first lock just below Marlow we were surprised to see 4 rowing skulls waiting to go in the lock, these boats don’t usually go into locks so I went to see what was happening, actually in the lock was NB Jenoria, 2 pilot boats, and eventually all 4 skulls. A man was running round organising everyone, he turned out to be the lock keeper. The Captain came up as well, and looked on in amazement that this was actually happening. But they got everyone safely up and out of the lock. Apparently its a regular occurrence, but we had never seen anything like it.

Rowers in the Lock

At the next lock there seemed to be a problem and I jumped off to see what was occurring. A lock keeper had just turned up, not a very happy chappy as it was his day off, but they were short staffed so needs must. Due to a problem there were quite a few boats waiting, but it was a big lock so he soon had boats moving. Whilst we waited I chatted to the crew from Jenoria (again) and Sultan’s, a mid sized cruiser. The Captain chatted with the other boaters on the pontoon. The lock keeper soon had everything sorted and everyone on their way.

I turned into the lock keeper at the next lock, locking boats up and down in a timely fashion. It was great fun and everyone was very thankful of my help.

We got to Henley and found good moorings, there was a sign, which said Regatta moorings £15per night but nothing else (this is important for later). We had a walk into town and found a great micro pub Echos down a side street,(well spotted Captain), they had a very moorish coconut chocolate stout on, and a very hoppy lager for me.

https://www.phantombrew.com/pages/henley

Then we tried Stable 34, another dark in here, think in was a stout as it was only described as black, it may have been by Marlow brewery but can’t be sure. I spotted the Captain and crew from the cruiser Sultan’s, and they came in and had a chat, turned out they had only had the boat for 6 weeks and were very thankful for our help at the locks.

Called in at the Bull on Bell Street to finish off the afternoon, very nice.

https://www.bullonbell.co.uk/

An early start next day as we wanted to get to Goring, stopping at Tesco at Reading on the way for shopping. We were waved down by the water bailiff in his little boat as we cruised through the town. He said we hadn’t paid and should have paid on line, but when we tried to explain the sign hadn’t said anything about online payment he insisted it did, but we knew it didn’t, well not the ones we had seen, we know some other moorings do but not these, but he wouldn’t have it. The Captain started to get a little annoyed and almost said he wouldn’t pay, but eventually got his wallet out and off we went. Grumbling all the way to Reading.

After 6 locks and not so much fun we made it to Goring. The moorings here weren’t so good for a narrowboat and I had to climb a ladder to get off, not my favourite exercise. But the pull of the pub was greater than my dislike of ladders. We tried both pubs, the Catherine Wheel, a lovely old pub with an interesting looking menu, and then the Miller of Mansfield, not so impressed but ok.

https://www.tcwgoring.co.uk

We were going to split the cruise to Abingdon over 2 days as we had time to kill, but the weather forecast changed our mind and we did it in 1 day. Good mooring here and free for 3days. We walked into the town to the Brewery Tap, we had been here before and knew there would be a stout on for the Captain, and he wasn’t disappointed.

https://www.thebrewerytap.net/#camra-poty

A quiet day on the boat tomorrow, then Wednesday we will be off the river and back on the narrow canals.

And we have seen our first kingfishers of the seasons.

Kingfisher

99miles and 35 river locks.

WHAT A SHOW !!!!!

 

Sunset in Little Venice

As you can imagine this blog won’t be that boaty as we stayed in London for 6 days and didn’t have to move. This was down to great planning by the Captain, we had enough water in our tank and the toilet didn’t need to be emptied until we were due to leave, so happy days.

Unfortunately everything didn’t quite go to plan as the Captain hurt his leg, not sure how or what he did, but for a few days it made walking very painful.

We did venture out on the day we arrived and headed down to Leicester Square to check on the ticket office there (we wanted to catch a show whilst in London). Only to find it was shut for refurbishment and would have to go on the website instead.

So of course we headed off to The Chandos, a Sam Smith’s pub nearby, we always make for theses pubs as in the past the have been the cheapest, even cheaper than Wetherspoons, and they always have a stout on for the Captain. But not any more, the Captain got the shock of his life when 2 pints came to £15.50, so only the one in there. I checked the Wetherspoons app, and found that not only they were a lot cheaper, but at the Ice Factory in Camden they had Broadside on, one of the Captains favourites, so that’s were we headed. Camden was buzzing and the pub was busy but we found a table and ordered on the app.

We had a quiet day Sunday and only headed out for a couple of pints at pubs near the boat, the Captain didn’t really feel like walking far.

Monday and we went nowhere, but at teatime we went to meet my cousin Gary who works in London a couple days in the week. This turned into a bit of a session at the Warwick Castle.

https://www.warwickcastlemaidavale.com/

Tuesday, and although we set off to visit the Victoria and Albert museum we didn’t get far at all, the Captain couldn’t walk due to the pain in his leg, so back we went and booked to see Starlight Express a couple of days later.

After resting his leg for the rest of the day he felt up to heading out to Covent Garden and a pint or 2 in the Harp, I would say the best real ale pub in London, and still cheaper the Sam Smiths.

The Harp

https://www.harpcoventgarden.com/

We did make it to the V&A next day and really enjoyed what we managed to see, there is so much stuff in there it would take at least a week to see everything.

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

As we were seeing Starlight Express later we decided to stay out for tea and tried Wahaca’s, a Mexican chain of restaurants with various locations in London, we tried the one in Paddington. I had always wanted to visit one of these, as the founder Thomasina Miers had been the first winner of Masterchef and I had followed her career ever since. The food was to die for, and very reasonably priced.

What a meal at Wahaca'a

https://www.wahaca.co.uk/location/paddington/

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

Then off to the show and words cannot describe how good was, it was AMAZING.

https://www.starlightexpresslondon.com/

After a long day it was good to get back to the boat. We decided to leave next morning, getting a pump out and water at the services in Little Venice, but not before the Captain executed a very good exit from our moorings. We still had Water Witch at the side of us, so it was not just the case of setting off, we had to untie us both, let their nose drift out and whilst I held on to their centre line the Captain steered the good ship Avalon Two out and into the main channel of the canal, we then pulled Water Witch back in and tied her securely back up.

Unfortunately when we got to the services there was a queue, so the Captain decided we would cruise down to the next services on our way out of London, and that’s what we did. On the way we had to stop and retie 2 boats which had come a drift and were blocking the canal. The first a large wide beam we pushed back to the bank using our boat, and a very nice gentleman got the rope and secured it. The next one, a narrowboat this time, was right across the canal, there was a boat coming towards us who nudged it just so he could get by, we pulled over and while I held our boat the Captain went off to secure this one, unfortunately the nudge given by the on coming boat wasn’t quite enough to move it to the banking and boat didn’t stop to help, and it was down to my Captain and the very nice gentleman from earlier on to sort it out.

We got our pump out and water after a short time brested up to the 2 boats already on the service point, we had a lovely chat with their Captain and crew whilst we waited.

After shopping (Tesco and Lidl), at Bulls Bridge junction we rejoined the Grand Union canal and headed for the Hanley flight, 10 locks which took us into Brentford ready for our trip onto the Thames on Wednesday. We had help which was nice, a couple of Vol Lockees, one of whom was training helped us down most of the flight, there were also quite a few Gongoozlers who wanted to chat, and kids who wanted to help made doing the locks fun, and the time passed quickly.

These locks are not in the best of repair, but I had no problems until we reached the very last and I was helping a boat lock up. Even thought there were 4 of us trying to open the top gate it would not move, eventually we had to use the boat to gently push the gate open, not something I would recommend but on this occasion needs must.

We found moorings, but the Captain decided to walk forward and see if there were any better ones closer to the town, there was, which meant to save him walking back I had to take the boat and steer it into the space, I managed it and was very proud of myself, the Captain keeps telling me I can, I just have to have a little more confidence in myself.

After mooring up we headed to the pub, The Black Dog, and great real ale pub were the Captain was spoiled for choice, and was really happy with a chocolate oatmeal stout, and cheaper than what we had been paying in London. The food menu looked really interesting, and the food that we saw come out looked lovely.

https://www.blackdogbeerhouse.co.uk/

So now we are sat in Brentford for a couple of days, the Captains leg is a lot better, and I am looking forward to be on the Thames once again.

Wildlife, just one thing, I have seen the cutest goslings ever, the young of Egyptian geese are soooo pretty and its the first time we have seen them, hope we see some more soon.

The Egyptian Goose and gosslings

18 miles, 10 locks, 2 canals (Regents and Grand Union) and 1 river, (the river Brent).

WILDLIFE AND ANGRY BEES

A Leaky Lock

I usually talked about all the different wildlife (well mainly birds) we have seen as we cruise serenely along, but I haven’t really had the chance up to now. So here I go, along with the usual mallards we have seen quite a few mandarin ducks and even a pochard. Geese, we have seen Canada, Greylag and a few Egyptian geese. Herons have dotted the bank and wood pigeons fill the air with their cooing. A Little Egret was fishing by one of the overflow weirs. We have spotted noisy parakeets and beautiful Jays. Robins, Wren and Blackbirds fill the hedgerows. Gulls, Terns and Cormorant fill the sky above us with the ever present Rooks, Crows and Magpies. The magnificent Red Kites have been with us on every step of the cruise, soaring above the boat with their distinctive forked tail. Swans with their signets, Ducks and ducklings, Geese and goslings, the pretty Moorhen with its not so pretty chicks, and Coots with their I have to say ugly chicks, have all swam by the boat.

A Pochard Duck

The Captain inadvertently snapped a picture of the elusive Kingfisher, but never actually saw the bird itself, only by zooming right in did he notice the familiar shape sat deep in the shadows.

The Captain also spotted a Deer running through a field, and I caught sight of a Water Vole and Terrapin on one of my walks.

But the funniest encounter was with a very small and very angry black and orange bee. This is the story, at the first lock of the day on Monday (we spent Sunday moored in Berkhamsted, but more on that later) I went off to set the lock in as usual. The towpath paddle had something written on it but I paid no attention to it until it was too late. I wacked the paddle up and walked away, suddenly there was the sound of loud angry buzzing in my ear, I brushed away the offending insect but it didn’t stop, I must have looked so silly trying to get away from the annoyed bee. When I eventually got away I read the note on the paddle ‘beware bee’s nest in paddle’ Oop’s. Problem now is I still have to lower the paddle when the boat is in the lock. I left it right until the last and then did at arms length and walked away thinking I had got away with, it but oh no!, the bee came after me once more, this time with more determination and managed to fly up my nose, and I felt what seemed like something sting the side of my nose I swatted it away again, then the bee decided it had defended its family well enough and returned to its nest in the paddle, and I felt very sorry for myself. I have to be careful with insect bites and stings as I have at times, have a bad reaction to them, so I got straight back on the boat and took an anti histamine tablet. The Captain did inform CRT as other boaters may not have been so lucky, and you know some people can die from a bee sting.

Right back to our cruise, as I have already said we stayed in Berkhamsted Sunday and had a quiet day, only going out to try a couple of pubs before tea. The Rising Sun first, a great real ale pub right on a lock, a happy Captain with a choice of 2 darks on. Then, just because we haven’t been in for a long time the Crystal Palace, well what a transformation, from a quite run down back street pub to a thriving gastro pub, but no real ales so a lager in there.

https://www.facebook.com/@risingsunpubberkhamsted/?locale=en_GB

https://www.crystalpalace-pub.com/

Monday and the locks started coming thick and fast. A boat set off just before us, but lucky for us they stopped at the water point before the next lock and we managed to buddy up with them, and do the remaining 9 locks together. NB BOB (Both On Board) with Geoff and Sue and Ned the dog, we had a lovely day travelling with them. We moored just above Fisheries lock, and more fool me I suggested we wash and polish one side of the boat, after 10 locks it wasn’t the best idea, and I was truly knackered by the end. So no pub for us.

Berkhamsted Lock

Tuesday and we managed to buddy up with Geoff and Sue again, well at least for part of the way as they moored up after 5 locks to visit Sue’s dad who was in a nursing home nearby. We continued on and did another 7 locks before a quiet night in the MONW.

The next day and the aim was to get to Rickmansworth and hopefully get moorings there for the night. This is a very popular place for boaters as there is a Tesco right beside the canal, and it has a good range of shops, pubs and restaurants. But we lived in hope.

7 locks later, and after being told we would struggle to find moorings, we did in fact find a very good mooring spot and took a walk into the town. We tried 3 pubs, The Western, a sports bar with an interesting food menu but no darks, the Coach and Horses, a more traditional pub but still no darks, and eventually the Pennsylvanian a Wetherspoons and still no darks, so the Captain wasn’t very lucky that night.

After shopping we set off and managed to buddy up once again, this time with NB Tilly, not the most talkative of Captain and Crew so never got their names.

We could tell we were getting closer into London as the lines of moored boats were getting longer and longer. After 7 locks I really had had enough and fancied a pint or 3, but we were struggling to find a mooring spot near a pub. Just past Dolphin Bridge which has 2 pubs nearby we managed to stop, and after a little rest we set off and tried The General Elliot first, a quaint country type pub and very nice. We had a bit of a chat with one of the locals before moving on to The Dolphin, more of a sports bar, but we were made to feel very welcome. The Captain, still not finding any darks has resorted to drinking Guinness Zero which has a very nice flavour and its quite close to the original Guinness.

https://www.generaleliottuxbridge.co.uk/index

https://www.thedolphinuxbridgepub.co.uk/

The end of the all the locks into London was in sight as I only had one left to do, and then a run of about 4 miles to Bulls Bridge were we joined the Regents Canal, but not before shopping at Tesco which is right on the canal side, and topping up with water.

We did 5 miles on the Regents canal before stopping for the night and heading to The Railway, a bit of a walk from the canal but well worth it, the Captain treated me to tea and it was a very good meal at a great price.

https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/middlesex/railway-hotel

The end of our journey was in sight, and on Saturday we left early and headed for Little Venice, not knowing what we would find in the way of moorings, but we fell very lucky and found a spot on the 14 days moorings. A couple of hours later we were joined by Water Witch who brested up against us, this is pretty normal for Little Venice and we didn’t mind at all. TBH there was more moorings available than we expected, but once we settled there was no point in moving.

One thing I will mention is that CRT have in the past couple of years turned parts of Little Venice and all of Paddington basin into bookable moorings which cost £25per night, and these were practically empty, so I just cant see the point, if they haven’t not been booked you should be able to use them rather than leaving them empty when boats are struggling to find places to moor, but that’s just my opinion. 

39 miles, 38 locks and 1 moveable bridge.

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.