MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR.

Week 8 Hawkesbury to Swan Lane Wharf, via Stoke Golding, 31 miles, 1 lock and 2 canals.

Monday, and the one and only lock between us and home, the little stop lock at Hawkesbury Junction. It was busy with boats moving in both directions.

We turned right at the junction and headed for Marston junction and the Ashby Canal. We passed NB The Last Derbyshire Miner, captained by Mark. I love the name of this boat as both my grandfathers were Derbyshire miners.

At the junction the Captain managed to miss the turn into the very narrow opening on to the Ashby. But being the expert that he is he soon had it sorted and we were off.

The Ashby, or to give it its full name the Ashby de la Zouch canal was 31 miles long, opened in 1804 and was used to connect the coalfields at Moira with the Coventry canal. At present there is only 22miles of navigable canal, it is hoped that this will change.

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

We spent the night in the MONW.

After a lie in we set off with the plan to get to Hinkley, and hopefully catch up with Col and Mags again, as they moor at Trinity marina. But it was not to be, as we could not find a mooring near to the marina. We did however manage to moor near to a bus stop that could take us into Hinkley for the afternoon. So after lunch we set off, getting there was no problem, but getting back was a tale to tell. But first we had a look round Hinkley, a nice town centre, with a good choice of shops and 2 micropubs, the Pestle and Mortar and the Elbow Room. After picking up a few bits we headed to the Pestle and Mortar, definitely popular with the locals it had a friendly vibe, if a little on the noisy side. The Captain was very happy with the Titanic Stout, and I found a very palatable German lager. Only the one, as the buses stopped running around 5.30pm and we wanted to try the Elbow Room.

We have been in the Elbow Room before and found it very quiet, with not a lot of atmosphere, and things hadn’t changed.

https://thepestlehinckley.co.uk/#homep

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

Well, now to the story of the magical mystery tour, or maybe I should call it a senior moment. The bus was due and the Captain said we could catch it just up from the pub, but the bus stop had disappeared, then the bus went sailing past us, panic ensued (well I panicked) and we rushed to the bus station, and heavens be there was the bus, the number 7. On we jumped. It wasn’t until 10mins later the Captain asked ‘where is this bus going?’ ‘Burbage’ I replied. ‘Its going the wrong way’ was his next statement. What could we do? So we stayed on and did the full round trip back at the bus station. Checking Google we now needed the number 6, it would get us to about 10 mins walk from the boat. So we started looking for the number 6, when suddenly our number 7 became number 6. The bus driver, who had been our driver into town, and on out rural tour, was very helpful and asked if we were trying to get back from were he picked us up early in the afternoon, and of course we said yes. So he took pity on us and dropped us off as near as he could to our original bus stop. A very very nice man. What an afternoon.

Next day and short hop to Stoke Golding and The George and Dragon. This pub belongs to Churchend Brewery, and always has a great selection of their beers on. The Captain is partial to Gravedigger Mild and Coffin Stout.

https://www.churchendbrewery.co.uk/

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

The pub doesn’t open until 6pm, so we decided to go, and have tea when we got back. This was a mistake, as it was the monthly quiz. Me and the Captain love a good quiz, and would have stayed to take part, but we needed to eat. We did have a go at the picture round and stayed and listened to the first set of questions were we got 10 out of 12. Maybe we will drop lucky another time.

Thursday and it was time to turn round and head home, but not before meeting up at The Greyhound on Friday with Col and Mags.

Col and Mags

They booked a table for 6.30pm and we had a wander down around 6, it was quite busy so another couple invited us to sit at their table whilst we waited. Of course we got chatting, and it turned out we had met before on the Braunston flight of locks last year. Paul and Mia were in the process of buying their boat Hazel at this time, and Mia watched as I did the lock as she wasn’t sure how it worked exactly. I was happy to hear they both loved the life afloat, and are based on the Ashby most of the time. Col and Mags joined us, and after more chat we left them in peace and went to eat.

We had a lovely night.

On our way into the basin next day we called in at Swan Lane for a quick pump out, and I nipped to Lidl to pick up a few bits. Then we headed off down to Coventry Basin, we were joined by Steve and Yvonne on Precious Jet for a couple of nights.

I had arranged to meet Maria, a friend from work for a catch up, and she bought her grand daughter Amelia with her. After a drink and a chat I took them to see the boat leaving the Captain in the Hops d’Amour. Amelia was fascinated by the boat and how we lived our lives, and asked all sorts of questions, as only children can.

When we said our goodbyes I went back to the Hop to find Steve and Yvonne had joined the Captain.

It turned out to be Coventry Motofest over the weekend, so there were lots of noisy cars about.

On Sunday we headed into town to look at the cars on display, watched some of the races and generally just enjoyed the sun and the party atmosphere.

https://www.coventrymotofest.com/

A couple more nights in the basin and we headed back to Swan Lane to get ready for our holibobs to Zadar in Croatia.

Zadar Sunset

That’s the end of our first adventure. On our return from Croatia we will be heading off again, north east this time hoping to get to Ripon, Boston, Sheffield and then heading up the Erewash for family time and to welcome our new grandson who is due in September.

A PRETTY CANAL. WEEK 6, MISSED THIS ONE, SORRY

Avon Barrel Cottage

Week 6 Stratford upon Avon to Warwick 21 Miles 55 Locks 1 Tunnel and 2 canals.

The Stratford upon Avon canal, is a lovely rural canal with small villages dotted along its route, the barrel roofed cottages are unique to this canal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratford-upon-Avon_Canal

We started this part of our cruise by doing the 4 narrow locks out of Stratford and mooring outside the Premier Inn. On the way up we met a CRT worker who was dredging behind the lock gates to make sure the gates would open fully, we encountered this problem last time we travelled this way and it caused much fun and games. I chatted with him for a while and found out we had a mutual acquaintance, I won’t bore you with the details but its a small world.

We moored here because there is a Lidl 5mins walk away, and I needed a ‘big’ shop, so both granny trolleys came out. £100 later and everything put away we got chatting to the guy off the hire boat that was moored behind us.

He was an old hand at boating. Unfortunately he didn’t tell a happy story, as one of his crew had had an accident at the last lock they had done, and he was in A&E with a broken wrist. He did say they had been drinking. Now I am very much live and let live, but we have a rule on the good ship Avalon Two, no beer (or wine) until the locks are done, and usually until we are moored up, and this is the reason, a trip or fall could ruin our plans. But like I say each to their own.

It was an earlyish start next day and we did 12 locks and 5 miles. 11 of the locks were the Wilmcote flight. We met a lone Volunteer lockee coming down with a boat, and then never saw him again. Then 3 locks to go, and praise be 2 more Volunteers appeared, great a bit of help for me. But they walked by only wishing me good afternoon, and advice on how a crack a paddle to help with shutting the bottom gate. No help at all. All I can assume is that they were heading to get their ‘snap’, a Derbyshire miners term for dinner, or if you’re posh lunch.

So without any help at all, we made it to the top and headed off for a mooring in the MONW for the night.

After an early start again we crossed the Edstone Aqueduct, quite an amazing feat of engineering, it is a trough aqueduct which basically means the boat is in an iron trough raised above the towpath. The views are stunning but its not great if you don’t like heights.

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

9 locks and 6 miles later and we reached the Fleur-de-Lys pub at Lowsonford. Our first attempt at mooring was not very successful, as we were about 4ft to long for the gap, there was a little git gap going on but hey ho, nothing we could do about it. The Captain poddled off to check out the mooring further up, and found a great spot. As the afternoon wore on, the moorings filled up, as more boats turned up, maybe to try the pub who knows. We didn’t bother, gasp of horror, we had been before and wasn’t overly impressed, but don’t be put off by us, give it a try. We were both tired from the early starts and the locks, so had an early night.

https://www.thefleur.co.uk/

We set off next day after a lie in with a definite goal, the Tom O’ the Wood at Rowington. The Captain had booked us a table for date night, it was Friday after all. With 9 locks and 4miles ahead of us we set off. There was a boat in front, which meant we had to reset each and ever lock, we were going up and no boat came down the lock. We also had a boat behind us. Being the friendly boaters we are, we did our best to help the crew by opening the bottom paddles to empty the lock, meaning it was in their favour. We were always careful to make sure no boat was coming towards us, and that we could see the boat behind, just in case they decided to stop between locks, which had happened to us in the past. At the very last lock the Captain needed a minute to himself (the loo) so I stayed at the lock and helped them through. The lady crew was very thankful.

We had reached Kingswood Junction, and here we were turning off the Stratford canal and on to a branch of the Grand Union.

That was the end of the locks for the day, and we were soon moored outside the pub.

The meal at the Tom O’ the Woods was amazing, and I would highly recommend giving it a try.

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

The Captain took pity on me next day and delayed doing the Hatton flight of 21 locks in 2 miles until Sunday. We cruised to the top of the locks in the beautiful weather, and then took a walk to the Hatton Arms, which was doing a roaring trade in the sunshine. No darks on but he found a palatable bitter to quench his thirst.

https://hattonarms.com/

The Grand Union is a wide canal, so the locks are double lock, which means you can get 2 boats in side by side. I was really hoping another boat would come and join us, and there would be volunteer lock keepers to help us too. But neither of my wishes came true.

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

The flight was surprisingly quiet, and we only saw 4 boats, and all going the other way, this helped me and I didn’t need to reset every lock. But the bottom gates were leaking, so I had to top most of them up to get the gate to open. Now these locks have the paddles I hate, as they take many turns with my windlass to raise them, 22 to be exact, and they were very stiff. The gates are quite heavy too. The Captain helped out as much as he could, but by lock 17 I was seriously struggling and we changed roles. I stayed on the boat and took it out of the lock, whilst the Captain worked us through. I did really well, and was very proud of myself, and the Captain was too. It took us 4 ¼ hours to get to the bottom, and not long after that we were moored at the Cape of Good Hope.

We met many gongoozlers on the way down, and even asked a group of Ozzies if they would like a ride down the lock, we made their day.

And of course we had to go to the pub, the Captain was really really happy they had a milk stout on from the Bristol Beer Factory.

https://www.thecapeofgoodhopepub.com/

Because the beer was so good we decided to stay for an extra drink, and for a change I had a pink gin with frozen mixed berries. It looked and tasted really nice. An American lady from a group of 4 came over and asked what I was drinking, so I offered her a sip, she was impressed. As we left I asked if she had tried it for herself, and apparently they had had 3 doubles between them, they were a merry bunch.

We had made it to Warwick, but decided not to visit the town, as we had an engagement at Hawksbury Junction the following weekend to get to.

NEARLY HOME

 

Week 7 Warwick to Hawksbury Junction 41 miles 28 locks.

We only stayed 1 night at the Cape of Good Hope, but in doing so I was able to say hi to Gook Vincent Herbert, who with his partner and friends was on a hire boat heading for the lock. There was a lot of hand gestures as Gook is deaf, and I don’t know sign language. But we managed to exchange pleasantries as they cruised by.

Only 2 locks next day, thank God, I ached all over. Whilst the Captain readied the boat I walk down to set the lock, only to see 2 boats in the lock below coming up, so being a helpful boater I opened the gates for them and helped them lock up.

We had been joined by another boat, NB First Dawn, which was great news for me. I got chatting to Shirley the crew as we did the locks, and found out it was a share boat. Her husband Dave would love to live on a boat, but she is less enthusiastic, but she enjoys the holidays and likes doing the locks like me. We only did 2 locks together as our plan was to get some shopping at Lidl (for a tapas feast next weekend), and then moor up in the MONW for the night, and they were heading for Long Itchington, they said they might stay for a couple of days, so we might see them again.

Next day and back to normal with 10 locks for me to do, including our first staircase locks of the season at Bascote. This type of lock has no pounds between them, and you use the water from the next lock to raise the boat, if you are going up like we were.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/go-boating/a-guide-to-boating/different-types-of-locks

The canal was busy, and luckily for me most of the locks were set in our favour, and I spotted my second kingfisher of the season, the Captain missed it so now we are equal.

We moored at Long Itchington, which is a lovely village with 5 pubs, yes 5, but we decided to try only one on this occasion, the Two Boats which sits right on the canal. (We have been in all of them in the past).

https://www.wellsandco.com/pubs/68/the-two-boats-long-itchington

On our way to the pub there was a beautiful black cat on the towpath, it lived on NB Majestik and we got chatting to her owner, who reminded us both of the actress Miriam Margolyes. We had a long talk about boaty things and putting the canal world to right.

So at the pub, the Captain had to make do with DNA by Charles Wells, a bitter, but he said it was okay. We sat outside in the sun and who should come a long, Shirley and Dave. They joined us and we chatted about this and that.

Next day and 13 more locks, we decided to wait for Shirley and Dave to share the locks, not knowing that the boat moored in front of us, NB Muddle Puddle were waiting for them too. This meant we were billy no mates once again, and had to follow them up the Stockton flight. We didn’t really mind, we have our own routine for doing locks and it works well for us.

It was a lovely hot sunny day, and whilst I waited for the locks to fill or empty, I watched the pretty blue tits using all their acrobatic skills on wafer thin branches collecting food for their young.

At Calcutt locks we met up with NB LXI (Lexy) and its butty Countess, it slowed us down a little, but I went up to help out and we were soon through the last lock of the day.

After a late start we headed for Braunston, the canal was like the M1, with lots of movements. At one corner we met a hire boat coming the other way, and right towards us, the Captain took evasive action and managed to avoid a collision. We then followed NB Two Jays for a while, to start with they were all over the canal, its Captain was trying to steer sitting low down, and couldn’t control the boat or see were he was going. He soon realised he needed to stand up, and things got better from there. We passed them as they moored up, and found out they had only had the boat a short time. They will soon get the hang of it.

As we passed through Braunston, which some call the spiritual home of narrowboats, including the guy I recognised painting his boat. It was non other than Mr Robbie Cummings himself on NB Naughty Lass. For those who don’t know Robbie has a programme on BBC 4 called Canal Boat Diaries.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2023/18/canal-boat-diaries-ep4

We have met Robbie before on the Wolverhampton flight, but our boat was blue then so he didn’t recognise us (not surprised). We had a quick chat before continuing on our way.

Although we were not intending to do the 3 single side by side locks at Hillmorton, we changed our minds and decided to get them out of the way. There were a couple of lockees on who helped us a bit, and we were soon down and moored up just round the corner. The lockees told us they had had a very quiet day up to that point, well it didn’t last as boat after boat passed us going in both directions.

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

The Hillmorton locks were the last locks on this journey (well a part for the little stop lock at Hawksbury Junction), and I wasn’t sorry at all. After an early start, but not as early as some, we headed for Rugby and Tesco just to pick up some essentials, then on to Hawksbury. On the way we passed Precious Jet, our mate Steve’s boat, moored at Armada Wharf, the Captain contacted him and found out he was moving his boat to Hawksbury next day, so we organised to meet up and go for a meal at the Greyhound.

The day was lovely and sunny, and we thought the pub would be packed, it was busy outside but almost empty inside, bonus. We got a table and had a very enjoyable time with Steve and Yvonne.

Next day and time for Tapas, Col and Mags joined us for the afternoon, and it finished the weekend off very nicely.

As we have a week to kill we have decided to head up the Ashby Canal before going back to Coventry, but that’s for next time.