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.

SLOW GOING.

Week 5 Pershore to Stratford upon Avon 29 miles 14 locks

Wednesday, and the weather was much nicer after all the rain the previous afternoon. The only problem with having had so much rain is it meant the river went into flood, and the weirs before the locks became more powerful, and the flow of the river, which we were going against, became much stronger slowing us down, at times to a near standstill.

This became apparent when we left Pershore heading for Evesham, at the first lock, which is an unusual diamond shape, the force of the weir pushed the boat straight into the lock landing and there was nothing the Captain could do about it. I jumped off to find NB Monkey’n’Round already in the lock and going our way. Me and the crew discussed the state of the river, and they said they might wait for us at the next lock, its a lot easier doing the large locks when there are 2 boats.

But it was not to be, the flow of the river being against us slowed us right down, and by the time we got to the lock they were long gone, but they had very kindly told the crews of 3 boats moored above the lock we were on our way, and they were there waiting with windlasses in hand to lock us up. I was so pleased, as the lock landing was underwater, and I really didn’t know how I was going to get off to work the lock.

After a chat with our helpers, it turned out they had decided to stay above the lock to wait for the river to fall and make their onward journey safer. There was a hire boat with an American couple and 2 liveaboards, one being a single hander. The Captain made the decision it would be better for us to stay the night too and we moored up.

There were a few fun and games at the lock mid afternoon when a load of teenagers turned up in canoes, there was a lot of shouting and paddling, but they seemed to be having a great time, even when the heavens opened. They went into the lock, much to my surprise, closed the gates and let the water out, and then reversed the procedure. Canoes don’t usually use locks, but on this occasion it was just to give the kids the experience of being in a lock.

We had a quiet night after this and heard the hire boat leave quite early next day. We helped the 2 liveaboards through the lock just before setting off ourselves. I was gifted some mint by one of the boats, very kind I must say. The state of the river had improved slightly, but it was still very slow going for us.

The trip to Evesham was uneventful with only one lock to do, but we did see a few more boats on the move than in the previous day. I did see my first kingfisher though, it darted past the boat in its bright blue plumage with its dinner in its beak and then sat on a low branch to enjoy it. The captain had beaten me to the first Kingfisher spot of our travels the day before.

We found good moorings at Evesham but the river was still very high and was almost over topping the moorings, but the Captain was confident that it would rise no further as we had had no more rain, so we were happy to stay put.

Evesham has a couple of decent real ale pubs, the BCM (a micropub) and the Red Lion, the oldest pub in the town.

https://redlionevesham.co.uk/

We made for the Red Lion first, and the Captain was very happy with the dark ale in there, the lager was not so much to my taste, but we had a couple before heading to the local Wetherspoons, The Old Swanne Inn.

I had convinced myself that being Thursday it was steak night, but no that’s Tuesday. Its curry night on a Thursday, unfortunately we had had curry for tea the night before and we really didn’t fancy it 2 nights on the trot. We both decided on the Steak and Kidney pudding, and very nice it was too.

On the way back to the boat we called in at the BCM, or Bromsgrove Craft Monkey to give it its full title, and again the Captain was very happy with the stout they had on, and a decent lager for me.

https://www.facebook.com/BCMEvesham/

The river had dropped slightly by the time we returned so we settled down for the night.

The Captain had decided to take 2 days to get to Stratford, and after 4 locks and slow going again we stopped at Bidford upon Avon for the night. There was no room on the visitors moorings so we had to make do with being outside the pub, The Frog, and of course we had to go and pay our dues and demands. There was nothing dark on apart from Guinness for the Captain, but he said it was a good pint and we enjoyed a couple whilst people watching.

4 locks and 4 miles next day took us to some beautiful moorings for a peaceful night.

I had 3 locks to do next day, and we were joined in the first by a green (no name) narrowboat that a young couple had just bought, we chatted and the Captain and I were told different stories about the plans for the boat, hope they get things sorted out.

At the next lock the gongoozlers began to gather and ask questions, which we never mind answering.

At the lock into the basin at Stratford we had help, a young man who helped with the trip boat was there locking boats up and down to make sure the trip boat was never held up. He soon had us up and the Captain expertly manoeuvred us on to a pontoon. It was extremely busy round the basin, with a food and craft market in full swing, and lots of people just enjoying the beautiful weather.

After a short rest we took a walk round the market, and then on to the Stratford Ale house, unfortunately on this occasion (we have been before) it was not an enjoyable visit, the beer was good but the guy in charge of the record player (yes vinyl) had a strange taste in music, and it was just too loud for the size of room and us, so only the one in there.

https://www.thestratfordalehouse.com/

We then tried the Queens Head where the Captain made do with Doombar, and we sat outside and soaked up the sun.

https://queensheadstratford.com/

We decided next day to have a rest and a lie in and stayed put on the pontoons.

We took a walk out in the afternoon and tried the Dirty Duck, which is situated near the RSC, and had lots of pictures up of famous and not so famous actors. The Captain found a palatable bitter in there called Dirty Mallard, but we only had the one before walking back to the boat and trying the Red Lion, no darks ales but the garden menu (served until 5pm) looked good and reasonably priced. Then back to the boat for tea.

https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/warwickshire/dirty-duck/

https://www.tabletable.co.uk/en-gb/locations/warwickshire/the-red-lion

Leaving Stratford the next day we rejoined the canal and narrow locks once again.

THE RIVER AVON, FLOODS AND FAUNA.

 

Tewksbury Abbey

Week 4 Worcester to Pershore 30 miles 3 locks

The trip from Worcester to Tewksbury was busy for me, as I decided to use the time to do some cooking for the next week. I made a lasagne, a curry and a chocolate cake, plus a full Sunday roast. I was interrupted once to help at one of the big big river locks, which are all manned by lock keepers, but I am required to hold the boat steady at the front using the bowline, which is slipped through a metal runner in the side of the lock, whilst the Captain does the same using the stern rope. The big locks do tend to be quite gentle when filling or emptying, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

We got to Tewksbury, and it was then I remembered how difficult it could be for me to get off the boat, this is due to the high sided moorings and terrible ladders, but there was nowhere else to moor, we could have gone through the lock and on to the Avon, but the moorings there were full, so we had to stay put.

However, my love of beer overcame my nervousness of getting off, or more importantly getting back on. The Captain very kindly jury rigged me a step to make it easier, and off I got. The pub had won, are you surprised??

Tewksbury is a lovely town with a good selection of shops and pubs. The abbey is also well worth a visit, but as it was late afternoon we headed straight to the Cross House Tavern, an interesting micropub, where lager is a dirty word, and the beers are served straight from the barrel. There was a good dark on for the Captain, and I found a quite palatable hoppy APA. (American Pale Ale)

https://www.facebook.com/Tewkesbury.pub/?locale=en_GB

But I needed a lager ,so after checking the local Wetherspoons ,The Royal Hop Pole, had something for the Captain (which it did) we headed there and sat in the garden enjoying the sun and a couple of good pints, before heading back for roast beef with all the trimmings. I got back on the boat without a thought, strange what a couple of pints can do for your nerves.

Monday was given out to be very wet, but this changed slightly, and the Captain decided that we would not wait but head off that morning. We were able to join a hire boat in the lock, which was fun, and had plenty of gongoozlers watching our ascent on to the River Avon.

The Avon is not part of Canal and River Trust, so we had to buy a weeks license from the Avon Navigation Trust, it cost £55 for a week, this was plenty for us.

Monday turned out to be a day for nature, we had Common Terns wheeling above the boat, their sleek white bodies and forked tale make them a very attractive bird, a bird we have not seen before, a Curlew took flight as we passed, its long curved beak making it hard not to recognise, sand martins swooped and darted round the boat, catching flies and bugs on the wing for their young. In the woods we spotted our first Roe Deer with its rabbit like white tail and large ears. A lone Buzzard soared on the thermals, and also new to us, a Cuckoo flew by with its grey stripped breast and pigeon like head. The Captain also spotted our first kingfisher, I was well miffed because I missed it.

Roe Deer

We moored above the second lock of the day, just before the rain started.

An early start next day, as once again it was forecast to rain heavily in the afternoon. Only 2 locks for me to do, but they are the big river locks and manually operated. At the first lock, which has a swing bridge in its centre, we were helped through by 2 very nice volunteers from the Avon Trust, not lock keepers as such, just in the right place at the right time. Then Pershore lock and the good moorings at the side of the park.

Pershore Tree

The rain held off until we were safely moored and sat in the boat, but oh boy, it came with thunder and lightening and hail. It lasted what seemed like forever, and a culvert in front of the boat only just managed to keep up with the torrent of water coming down it.

When the rain eventually stopped we decided to walk into Pershore across the park. There is a small Asda here and an interesting indoor market, and of course a few pubs. Unfortunately from our previous visits we couldn’t remember any decent real ales pub. So we settled on the Angel Hotel which sits on the river. A nice olde worlde interior, with low beams and stone floors but expensive, over £11 for 2 pints. So on to the Millers Arms, much more in our price bracket, and the food we saw come out looked and smelt very tasty.

https://angelpershore.co.uk/

https://www.millersarmspershore.co.uk/

We called in at the Asda for a few bits, and then had a quiet night on the boat, before setting off bright and early for the next leg of our journey.

AND THE LOCKS KEEP COMING

Worcester Cathedral 

 3^rd Week Tardebigge lock 29 to Worcester

The Birmingham and Worcester canal is 29 miles long and there are 58 locks, so we still had 28 locks to do over 13 miles. Luckily they didn’t all come in one day.

After a late start we headed for Tibberton. I am sure the Captain told me a fib as I thought we only had 7 locks to do, but it turned out there were 12 and a short tunnel (230yrds).

This canal is very rural, considering how close we are to Birmingham and Worcester, with stunning views over open countryside and wooded knolls.

We moored at Tibberton, there are 2 pubs, so of course we had to try both. Speed the Plough was definitely a locals pub, with a booming landlord and a great selections of ciders (6) and lagers (5), but not so great on the real ale front, so the Captain had to make do with Guinness. The Bridge is by the canal, and although a lot quieter, and with a small but interesting food menu, not such a great choice of beer. So only the one in there as well.

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

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

Next day and the final bit into Worcester, and another 12 locks for me to do. We stopped after the last lock at bridge 9, next to Lowesmoor Basin, as there is an Aldi within walking distance and we needed some shopping.

Our actual mooring for the Coronation weekend was above lock 4, a quiet stretch close to the city centre, but after another busy day for both of us we decided to give the pub a miss, plus it was raining, and we didn’t fancy getting wet. Very fair weather boaters are we.

Friday next day, and after a lovely lie in, and a big brunch, we set out to explore Worcester. We started at the Cathedral, a magnificent building started in 1084, it was part of a larger priory which was a victim of the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540. Its the burial place of Prince Arthur, the elder brother of Henry VIII and King John. Well worth a visit.

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

We also watched the Peregrine falcons, and their 4 chicks, on a live feed from their nest on one of the Cathedral towers. For those of you that don’t know, many cathedrals and church’s have birds of prey nesting up in their high towers, and many have live feeds, like Derby and Lincoln, and of course Worcester

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATBLUqeKEtA

So after a bit of culture is was time for a pint, first The Oil Basin Brewhouse, a good pint of lager for me and an excellent porter for the Captain, only one complaint, it only has a small bar with has stools in front of it, great until you want to get served and you end up having to reach over the people sat on the seats to get your drinks and pay, so just the one in there.

https://www.facebook.com/theoilbasinbrewhouse/

Then on to a wonderful real ale pub, The Imperial Tavern, another of the Black Country Ales family. Always a great selection of real ales, with 2 darks on for the Captain and Staropramen lager for me, so a couple in there.

https://www.blackcountryales.co.uk/pubs/the-imperial-tavern

Saturday and the Coronation, I will readily admit I didn’t watch any of it, its not that I am anti royal or anything like that, I just didn’t fancy it. The Captain watched parts on his phone whilst I watched Midsummer Murders. We could hear the Cathedral bells ringing out in the pouring rain most of the day.

Late in the afternoon I spotted a youngish man walking by the boat, well I say walking he was staggering, 3 steps forward 4 back, weaving from side to side. I thought at one point he was going to collide with our boat, but he passed by heading a way from the lock. Then I realised he had turned round and was now heading for the lock, and instead of sticking to the towpath, and going down and under the bridge, he staggered to the side of the lock, which was empty. I watched with my heart in by mouth as he got closer and closer to the edge, then he staggered back, thank god, but it was not over, as he stepped right to the edge, I was convinced he was going in, but I was unable to move. Just as I came to my sense he seemed to pull himself together, left the lock and went under the bridge. I still have no idea how we would have got him out if he had fallen in. SO SCARY.

Sunday, and it was time to leave Worcester and head down on to the river Severn. There were 2 narrow locks and 2 of the big river locks to do before we got on to the river.

After the 2 narrow locks we stopped at Diglis Basin to put water in and get rid of rubbish. An old working boat was filling their tank when we pulled in, and they had rubbish to get rid of so I offered to take it whilst we waited, as I reached the bins I heard the recognisable sound of a traction engine whistle, so I had to go and investigate. I found a lovely Foden Steam Wagon called Dorset Wanderer. I love traction engines, they have been a passion of mine for over 25yrs.

https://www.steam-up.co.uk/dsf2k1/waggon/hx2197_dsf2k1.htm

When I returned to the boat, I found out we had had a change of plan, it turned out the Gloucester Lock was closed on a Tuesday, and as it was going to rain Monday the Captain had planned to stop at Tewksbury for the day and travel down to Gloucester on Tuesday. This meant not getting to Gloucester until Wednesday, which then would give us less time to get back to Coventry for our Croatian holiday. We were only going to Gloucester so we could go to the Greek on the Dock, a fantastic restaurant, but we had to give it a miss on this trip.

https://www.greekonthedocks.co.uk/

So we said goodbye to Worcester, joined the mighty river Severn, and headed for Tewksbury and the River Avon.

TARDEBIGGE LOCKS, HOW MANY??!!!!!

 

Second Week: Brum to The Queens Head Tardebigge, a journey of 16½ miles, 30 locks and 2¼ miles in tunnels.

The Captain had a wonderful birthday, my sister Di and husband Mick came to visit on his actual birthday (Friday), and his daughter Hannah came on the Saturday.

But firstly on Thursday we met up with Steve and Yvonne on NB Precious Jet, they are our neighbours back at Swan Lane, don’t live aboard but were out for a couple of weeks cruising. We met in the Craven Arms and they invited us to go to a Sri Lankan restaurant, but unfortunately I had already planned a special birthday meal for the Captain of Steak with all the trimmings, and lemon merengue with evaporated milk for pud.

They are on a more restricted timescale so left next next morning. Steve does a vlog, and on a live feed as he glided past us, he loudly serenaded the Captain with Happy Birthday.

https://www.facebook.com/Defender90Tyrrell/videos/776927860679761 (jump to 5.30 for the serenade)

The itinerary for the family visits were just about the same, starting off with the Hall of Memory, a tribute to the men and women of Birmingham who gave their lives in conflicts over the years,

https://hallofmemory.co.uk/

Followed by a visit to the Bedsprings, or to give it its proper name Birmingham Central Library, a fascinating building, were you can travel up the escalators to view the thousands of books housed there. There are 2 sensory gardens, and a viewing platform right at the top were you can see for miles. Also on the top is the Shakespeare memorial room.

https://visitbirmingham.com/things-to-see-and-do/the-library-of-birmingham-p1321551

We had a great time with Di and Mick, although we didn’t go out for a meal with them, we did enjoy a few pints in the Craven Arms.

Hannah, we took to Ming Moon, a great All you can Eat Chinese buffet in the centre of China Town. It was great, plenty of choice and very tasty. But not for a pint as she came with the wonderful news that she is expecting her second child in November, so no beer for her.

https://www.mingmoon.co.uk/birmingham

Sunday we chilled out.

Monday and it was time to set off again, and on to a new canal for us, the Birmingham and Worcester. Building started in 1792 but it was slow progress, and the full canal did not open until 1815. It connects Birmingham with the River Severn at Worcester and was mainly used to carry chocolate from the Bournville factories.

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

Tunnels were the thing of the day with 3 in total to navigate. Firstly Wast Hill tunnel at 2726yrds, it is one of the longest on the system. It was very wet and took us about 45mins. It was made more interesting by the 2 boats that joined us for the trip, the one in front set off very tentatively, and the Captain thought it would take a couple of hours to get through at their speed, but they soon got going and pulled away from us. The boat behind was a day hire boat which managed to hit the wall as they entered the tunnel, and there was a lot of shouting, screaming and general noise coming from it as they tried to get away from the side. This continued when the never ending drips from the roof hit them unexpectedly. It was fun.

Just a fun fact, in the tunnel were old telegraph insulators which were used to transport the telegraph wires through the tunnel in olden days.

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

The second tunnel was Shortwood tunnel at 614yrds, so it was quite a bit shorter and not so entertaining.

The last for the day was Tardebigge tunnel at 580yrds. This one proved to be the most interesting, as it appeared it be hewn out of solid rock, with only a few places which were the usual brickwork of other tunnels, our light lit up the strange and wonderful shapes of the rock formations. Absolutely fascinating.

We made it to the top of the Tardebigge flight, but little did we know what was in store for us next day.

There are 30 narrow locks over 2¼ miles, it is the longest flight in England, and one of the longest in Europe. It raises (or drops as we were going down) the canal 220ft, and once you start you cant stop.

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

Unfortunately for us we had a hire boat going down in front, and no boats were coming up. This meant we had to reset every lock. To explain, the lock would be empty so we had to fill it using the top paddles, some of which were very stiff. The boat would then come in and shut the single top gate. I would walk to the other end of the lock and let the water out using the bottom gate paddles, then open both gates, which meant walking round the lock using the top gate to cross onto the off side to open the off side gate, let the boat out. Shut the paddles and the gates and on to the next, and repeat for 30 locks. We reckon I walked around 4miles.

The Captain tried to help the best he could, but we found that a lot of the pounds (the bits of water between the locks) had no rings or bollards were he could secure the boat to get off and help me.

It took us 5hrs 40mins, I was knackered as you can imagine, so the thought of cooking tea after this marathon of a day went out the window.

Luckily for us there is a pub after the last lock, The Queens Head, and they do food. So we moored up, had showers and set off for the pub. It is a lovely pub, and the pizza’s we had we some of the best I have ever tasted. Even better, they have an offer on Monday to Thursday 5pm until 6.30pm, 2-4-1 on pizzas and a £1 off on draught ale, cider or lager. A brilliant finish to an exhausting day

https://www.queensheadbromsgrove.co.uk/

I doubt we will do this route again, which is a shame because I would love another of the Queens Head pizza’s, but never say never as the saying goes.