OFF TO BRUM

Perry Barr Locks

Week One, Coventry to Birmingham, a journey of 54 miles, 48 locks and 6 different canals.

We set off on a bright Tuesday afternoon, and after only a short cruise we stopped and moored up near the Greyhound at Hawksbury Junction, and of course we had to try the pub. It’s one of our favourites on the system and always has Theakstons Mild on for the Captain, and a good choice of lagers for me. Today he had a choice as they also had Old Peculiar on. Lucky him.

https://www.thegreyhoundlongford.co.uk/

On our way to the junction we passed 4 boats going down to the basin, which was great to see as Coventry is often missed by passing boats, and its well worth a visit.

Mooring was a bit tight as the git gappers were out in force, these are boaters who don’t think about how much room they leave between them and the boat in front or behind, so leaving gaps to small to fit an average size boat in, but if they would just move up you could get a couple of boats in the space made. Rant over.

Wednesday, and after a lie in the canal suddenly got busy, so we decided we better be making a move. On our cruise to a spot known to us as the ‘Telegraph Pole’ we saw our first ducklings. Everybody say AHHHHHHH.

 After a night in the middle of nowhere we set off for Atherstone, when disaster struck, and the Captain came down with some type of lurgy. He felt so bad that I had to take over the steering for the last mile or so of the journey. Now as you know I am not fond of steering and can panic. But I held my nerve and was very pleased with my effort. After mooring us up the Captain took to his bed for the rest of the day. I pottered about and whilst on the towpath was approached by a lady who had found a debit card on the towpath, she gave it to me with the thought if someone came back to look for it I might see them. As it was I was able to track the owner down using facebook (had an unusual name) and was able to return it to them next day.

We stayed in Atherstone the next day as we had arranged to go for a pint in the Angel Ale House, and then a curry at the Raj Mahal with our boater mates Col and Mags. The Captain was still feeling a little under the weather but enjoyed meeting up with our friends, and the pint and curry went down a treat.

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

Next day and the hard work began in earnest for me as we tackled the 11 locks at Atherstone, they were extremely busy, with us being the 4th in the queue to go down, and with other boats coming up. I jumped off and went to help the volunteer lockees get the boats in front down the first lock, and found the crew of the first 2 boats to be quite rude and unhelpful. The lady crew off the 3^rd boat Charlie-May was lovely though, and we had quite a chat, they were heading up north to do the Huddersfield broad and narrow canals and the Standedge tunnel, an area we haven’t done yet.

At one of the locks a huge crow decided to join the Captain on the boat, before hopping down into the grass, it picked a lump of dried grass which I thought was for its nest but discard it to one side, it then started to peck at something that had been hidden beneath, unfortunately it turned out to be a duckling, but it did seem to me that it was a snack that the crow had hidden. Interesting if a bit gruesome.

https://canalplan.uk/feature/69

We made it all the way to Polesworth before mooring up for the night.

Fazeley was the aim for the next day, with an ulterior motive. Fazeley has one of the best chippies on the canal and we were forgoing our Sunday lunch for fish and chips for the Captain and a kebab for me.

https://www.facebook.com/Fazeleyfishbarfazeley/

There are only 2 lock on this stretch at Glascote, and we met up with Charlie-May again, but in the pouring rain this time. I don’t know why, but the rain always seems to wait until I am doing locks.

After mooring up and drying out we headed to the 3 Tuns, it’s undergone major refurbishment since the last time we were here, they have moved the bar back, and opened up the seating area which makes it much better. Unfortunately there were no dark ales on for the Captain and he had to make do with Doombar, but he said it was a reasonable pint. The chippie didn’t disappoint either.

https://www.threetunsfazeley.co.uk/

11 locks at Curdsworth and Minworth next day, with the only thing to write home about was a rather rude boater on NB Owzat, who banged on his window to indicate we were going to fast past his boat, as we glided serenely by on tickover. I think we could have stopped and he still wouldn’t have been happy.

https://canalplan.uk/feature/120

https://canalplan.uk/feature/120

The next day and the locks kept coming hard and fast, 16 locks in 8 miles today at Perry Bar. The final 7 locks are a flight, which means there is only short distances between each lock, and as we were going up, it also meant that once I had open the paddles to let the water in, I could leave the Captain to sort the rest out and head to the next lock to set it ready for him to glide into. About 4 locks from the end we started to chat with 2 very nice ladies Debbie and Janet. Janet explained that she had at one point thought about living on a boat, and done quite a bit of research on the matter, she wasn’t sure if being on her own would be the right thing for her, and after watching me doing the lock if she would actually manage to sail as a single hander.

We invited them on board and they accepted very willingly. The Captain took them through the first lock and then some how, and I am not sure how, I ended up on the tiller chatting to them, and the Captain was working the locks. I usually don’t like taking the boat into the narrow locks, but I managed it without even bashing the boat as it went in. I was very proud of myself as we came out of the last lock and I jumped off and pulled the boat into the side for the ladies to disembark. It was a great way to finish a long day.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/media-centre/filming-and-photography/our-filming-and-photography-locations/perry-barr

But it wasn’t over yet, and next day we had the 8 locks at Ryder Green to contend with. The first couple of these were hard, and there was a lot of rubbish in the canal, which meant the Captain had to go down the weed hatch to clear the prop. They did get easier thank god, but I had had enough by the time we reached the top. We were now on the final run into Birmingham and I took over steering for a while as the Captain got some lunch.

https://canalplan.uk/feature/108

We were moored up in central Birmingham by teatime, and of course had to go and have a pint. I was lucky enough to find the Craven Arms, which is owned by Black Country Brewery, and is a very good real ale pub winning silver in the Birmingham Camra pub of the year awards 2023. Even better they had Creme Bearlee by Beartown Brewery, which is one of the Captains favourites. So happy days.

https://www.blackcountryales.co.uk/pubs/the-craven-arms

The Craven Arms

Nature Watch, on our journey we have seen, ducklings and moorhen chicks. Loads of Canada geese on their nests. One stretch was heron central, with 3 sat together in a row on the side of the canal.

We are now in Birmingham for a few days with family visiting for the Captains birthday.

That’s all for now folks.

THE FACTS AND MORE

Just a recap on our journey last year, we travelled 641 miles, we did 513 locks and moved in various ways 59 bridges, we were underground in tunnels for 12,982yrds or 7.4 miles. The weather was stunning and the views spectacular.

HIGHLIGHTS 

It is really difficult to pick the outstanding highlights of last year as there have been so many. We loved the K&A with its beautiful picture box villages and quaint pubs. (Not so much the price). Bath was stunning, the weather was more than kind. OK we have had more hold ups on this journey than any others, but did it matter, not at all we just took it in our stride. It has meant some places we would have liked to visit had to be missed, like London. We did however take a bus and tube into London from Brentford, where we were stuck, to view the flowers laid out in the parks after the Queen passed away. It was quite moving.

 The Captains highlights included the wonderful bird life we have seen, especially the plethora of Kingfishers and Red Kites. 

The most fun thing, not mentioned in the blog until now, was a group of kids in boats made from cardboard boxes, seeing how long they could stay afloat and have just the best time. 

The months on the wharf have been quiet, we reinstated date night, and Keith organised a great Christmas outing for the moorers which was well attended. I celebrated my 60th birthday in March with a party for family and friends, and I am going to be a grandmother for the first time, Adam and Julie are expecting a baby boy in September. Exciting times. 

Work has been different and I have moved from project to project depending on were I was needed. This included processing nearly 80,000 Top Gun Maverick DVDs and blueray for its launch on SKY in October, and putting screen protectors, backs and sim cards in 30,000 phones for the Met Police. So very varied. 

 Our plan for this years cruise is, for the first 2 months south, Birmingham, Warwick, Worcester Gloucester and maybe as far as Sharpness. Then we are off to Croatia for 2 weeks in June. When we come back we are heading north east, Nottingham, Newark, Lincoln, Boston, Sheffield, York and hopefully as far as Ripon on this trip. 

 So hopefully there will be plenty to share with you all.

HOMEWARD BOUND AND APOLOGIES

 

My 60th the Birthday Party

I have to apologise for neglecting my blog and readers, its just during the winter months there isn’t a lot to write about and going back to work means I don’t have as much spare time.

So here is the last instalment from our 2022 cruise.

The get together with the Captains relatives John, Fliss and their son David from South Africa went brilliantly. Hosted by his sister Ann and her husband Chris, we were all made very welcome and very well fed. There were so many things to discuss we didn’t really have enough time, and it would have been lovely to spend more time with them. All to soon they were heading off to catch their flight home. We stayed for a while looking through old photo’s whilst Ann and the Captain reminisced before Chris very kindly drove us back to the boat. It was a lovely day.

Next day and we headed off out of Milton Keynes, on the way we passed NB Roosters Rest owned by Lavinia and Mark, we don’t actually know them, but we have mutual friends in Pam and Barry Nix. Pam writes about them a lot in her Pam’s Spam on Facebook. I waved but I don’t think they saw us.

We moored at Wolverton and headed off to the pub, The Galleon, which the last time we were here was closed for refurbishment. We were looking for a quiet pint, but it was not to be, as the other patrons only seemed to be able to talk to each other by shouting, and their kids were just running wild, screaming at the top of their lungs. We understand that pubs can get noisy, but this was at a whole new level from anything we had encountered before, so it was just the one.

A windy and damp day, with only one lock for me to do the following day. When we moored up the Captain performed a temporary repair on our damaged cratch cover, and he made a very neat job of it I most say. He is a very talented fellow.

The 7 Stoke Bruerne locks and Blisworth tunnel next day, the locks were quite busy, with boats travelling in both directions, but the tunnel was empty much to the relief of the Captain, who doesn’t really like passing other boats in tunnels.

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/lifestyle/outdoors/top-of-the-locks-stoke-bruerne-celebrated-as-ten-new-marvels-of-the-modern-waterways-are-revealed-3761776

We moored at Blisworth for the night and took a walk to the Royal Oak, a much nicer experience than the Galleon, thank god.

http://www.royaloakblisworth.com/

There are quite a few decent pubs on this route, and our next port of call was Weedon Bec and the Heart of England, the Captain was very happy to see they had Hobgoblin on, a popular go to pint for him when there are no dark ales on. There is also a Tesco Express close by.

https://www.heartofenglandpub.co.uk/

The 7 locks of the Whilton or Buckby flight next day, we were joined by a new electric boat called Nautilus on one side and Enterprise on the other. We made good time with Captain Pete (yes another Pete) and his crew, whose name I never got. At one of the locks as we emptied it, the rush of water caused the good ship Avalon Two, who was waiting on the lock landing to go in, to tip quite dramatically, we lost a pan of baked beans which were meant to be for dinner, but an open draw saved my bottle of wine from hitting the floor, Phew.

We decided to moor before the 7^th lock as we had booked to go to the New Inn for tea. I helped Nautilus through the last lock and said a final farewell to its crew.

The food at the pub was excellent as always.

https://www.newinnbuckbywharf.co.uk/

Although there aren’t as many locks on the next stretch of our journey, I still had the 7 at Braunston to tackle the next day, and before them the Braunston tunnel. On this occasion the Captains luck didn’t hold out and we met 3 boats coming towards us. As most tunnels are approximately 16ft wide, and 2 narrowboats are 14ft, this doesn’t leave a lot of wriggle room when passing. Add to this travelling in near pitch black, with only a small tunnel light on most boats, it makes it really difficult to judge how near, or far, the boat coming towards you is. Some just stop and wait for you, but this means they can lose steerage, adding another problem to the mix. The Captain just cuts his speed right back and inches pass the oncoming boat, but usually there is a bump or 2 on the way. But no damage done.

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

The locks were quite busy once again and we managed to pair up with NB Gerald, which was great. At the last lock the heavens opened, so we moored up as soon as possible. That was us for the day, no pub.

We could have done with a fire to cheer us up, but as you know we still hadn’t sorted the stove situation out, that was on the agenda for the next day. The Captain had decided to bite the bullet and get one from Midland Chandlers at Braunston, they have a reputation for being a little pricey, but the Captain had done his research, and the price of their stoves was pretty much in line with other places.

https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/

We moved round the corner and moored outside. In the chandlery they had a choice of 3 stoves, and one was just right for our needs. Then an opportune meeting with a friend, who moors with us at Swan Lane, led to us putting off our purchase, well just for a couple of days. They told us that they had a contact that had an account with MC, and we may be able to get a little discount. We decided that we could wait, and that we would return to Swan Lane and fetch the new stove in the car. The lady at the chandlery agreed to hold the stove for us to pick up and pay for on the Monday.

So a couple of days to get back to our wharf, and only 4 locks to do. The 3 at Hilmorton, where we met a very inexperienced hire boat crew and a very helpful lockee, and the stop lock at Hawksbury Junction.

We stopped the night at Rugby before heading for Hawksbury and the Greyhound Inn, where we had arranged to meet our very good friends, and fellow boaters, Col and Mags for a pint or 2. It was great to catch up.

https://www.thegreyhoundlongford.co.uk/

Home next day and off we set in the car to fetch our stove, but not before I had made arrangements to meet up with Pam and Barry Nix at Long Buckby. They were heading home to Oregon, and it would be their last year cruising the canals as they had taken the decision to sell their boat Brandy Girl. I have chatted with Pam for the last few years but never met, so it was great to be able to meet up eventually.

When we got to Long Buckby we were surprised to see Steam Boat Adamant, with Chris and Phil onboard. They were waiting for some celebrities, John Sargent was one name mentioned, to come along for a ride for some new TV programme about steam and the canals being made, will have to keep an eye out for it.

http://www.steamershistorical.co.uk/steamers_adamant.htm

We had a lovely time visiting with Pam and Barry, and we have been invited to visit them in Oregon, so we will see.

As you know when we return to Swan Lane I start looking for a job. I had spoken to the agency, and Rich my team leader last year, and was told there was nothing on the AM (6am til 2.30pm) shift at the moment. But I was willing to wait but it didn’t last long. When I went in on Tuesday to sign up I was asked to start next day and of course I agreed.

What a shock to the system.

Our cruise is over for this year, we have had great adventures, seen some spectacular sights, met wonderful people, drunk great beer and eaten fantastic food.

And we will do it all again next year.

LOCKS LOCKS AND MORE LOCKS.

The journey from Kings Langley to Milton Keynes is 34 miles and 48 locks, and we had less than a week to complete the trip, and see the Captains cousins from South Africa.

The first day we did 9 locks 3½ miles which took us to Winkwell. At one of the locks we met a large widebeam boat. He was actually backing into the lock as I arrived to return to his mooring after filling up with water. It was a sight to see, and I was joined by the Captain who lent a helping hand. There were a couple of lady gongoozlers who were fascinated by what was happening and life on a boat in general.

After a long day we made it to Winkwell and the pub, the Three Horseshoes. A lovely canal side pub with a reasonable selection of beers, and food that looked very yummy indeed. But I had already cooked roast beef with all the trimmings on the boat so we gave it a miss.

https://www.the3horseshoeswinkwell.co.uk/

Monday, 7 locks 2 miles and the day of the Queens funeral, but unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of it as we needed to move. At the second lock of the day we found we could go no further due to the pound above being empty, luckily we were informed of this by a passing cyclist, and later a father and daughter. The Captain walked up the next few locks to see what was occurring, whilst I stayed with the boat and chatted to the couple. It turned out he had just bought a 65ft boat called Lady Sarah, and intended to live on it in a marina for the first year to see how he got on. He showed me some pictures and we chatted about this and that.

The Captain returned with the news that some CRT guys were running water down to fill the pound, and that it should now be passable with care. So off we went. I made the mistake of getting back on the boat after the first lock, only to find out we couldn’t get to the side to let me off at the next one. The Captain said something about throwing me off, but I know he was only joking, well I hope so. Then a knight in shining armour came along and opened the gate for us, and I was able to jump off just as we entered the lock. Having realised my mistake I walked up to the next lock. After this the water levels improved and we had no more problems. We found good moorings near the Crystal Palace pub in Berkhamsted, but decided strangely for us to give it a miss.

A quick shop at Waitrose next day, and after being quite surprised how quiet the Berkhampsted mooring were we set off, and did 8 locks and 3½ miles to Cowroast. But disaster struck in one lock. We had joined an old working boat in the lock, and as the Captain was manoeuvring the good ship Avalon Two out of the open gate, the front cratch cover caught on something, and there was a terrible ripping sound. We moored up in the MONW for the night and the Captain examined the rip. It had made quiet a mess and had actually stretched the fabric. A running repair using gaffer tape will have to suffice until we return to Swan Lane.

Although the 2 previous days had been busy it was nothing compared with the next day, 18 locks and 12 miles. There was a good reason for this, we really wanted to spend a night at Leighton Buzzard and do some shopping the next day.

The Marsworth flight of 7 locks was our first challenge, but luckily for us we had help from a couple of volunteer lock keepers. At the bottom of the flight we chatted to Jami and Chris, and I let Jami try working the lock as she wanted to see how hard it could be.

We also met a couple of not so bright boaters, the first decided to wind his boat even though he could see us coming and we had to stop and wait. The second didn’t wait to share a lock with us even though we were in plain sight. So a few grumbles from both of us.

We got to Leighton Buzzard around teatime, and after a short rest went to the pub, firstly a micropub called The Bald Buzzard, unfortunately they had sold out of the stout and the Captain made do with a lager.

https://www.facebook.com/baldbuzzardmicropub/

Then on to the Black Lion, one of our favourite pubs. Last time we were here they had a Gin and Jazz festival with with over 250 gins to try. They also always have Sam Smith’s stout on, but some how the Captain forgot this, even after being told by me and the barmaid, and he decided to try a black ipa which was okay. I reminded him about the stout and so we stayed for another.

https://www.blacklionlb.com/

It was to late for me to start cooking, so we called for a kebab and chips from Kebab Ye, and it was lovely, and huge, very good value for money.

https://www.kebabyetakeaway.co.uk/

We were nearing the end of our journey and next day only 5 locks and 5 miles, including the 3 at Soulbury, were we found a hire boat moored on the lock landing, and fishermen blocking the towpath. Words were had with both parties. 2 very helpful lock keepers helped us down the flight and we moored up in the MONW for a quiet night.

The last lock was at Fenny Stratford, and this lock has a swing bridge in the middle of it which has to be opened to use the lock. As there was already a boat in the lock I didn’t need to open the bridge, we let the other boat out first, but when I went to close the bridge, I discovered that locking mechanism was broken and the bridge wouldn’t lock in place. We informed CRT and put some hand written warning notices on the bridge, hopefully it will be repaired asap.

Fenny Stratford Lock

Our moorings were at Peartree and we got here in plenty of time for the get together.

We have hardly gone a day without spotting beautiful kingfishers, and red kites have been plentiful in the sky. The views are stunning along this part of the canal, and the weather has been kind to us.

That’s all for now folks.

THE WAITING GAME

 

Well as you know we were stuck at Brentford, and to make the most of it we decided to head into the town for a look round, and of course the pub. There is a lot of regeneration work going on in the town and it will be very nice when its all finished. We had a walk round and looked in an estate agents window and nearly died at the cost of houses, both to rent and to buy, its so much cheaper oop norf.

Last time we were in Brentford we tried the Brewer Tap which is by the river, so this was our first port of call. They had 5 hand pulls on but 4 of them were Fuller Pride, so not much choice. But then I spotted a bottle of Black Cab Stout in the cooler so the Captain was a happy bunny. We only had the one in there as it just didn’t jell with us.

https://www.brewery-tap-brentford.co.uk/

So on to the Black Dog. Now this was much more to our taste, with a choice of 2 darks for the Captain, and ABK lager for me. It is a lovely pub with a nice outside area but we chose to sit inside. It is very family friendly and obviously well used by the locals. The food menu was exciting and different. The couple next to us order the ribs and some loaded fries, they looked and smelt amazing. Well worth a visit.

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

There was no update on the broken lock over the weekend so we had a quiet couple of days.

The Captain isn’t having much luck sorting out the stove situation, he found a company in Lancashire that makes stoves to order, so he contacted them explaining what we wanted, but as with the refurbishment they said it wouldn’t be until mid October as they are very busy. He looked into ordering an off the shelf model, but this came with delivery issues, so we may have to head back to Coventry a little earlier than intended to sort something out.

On Monday we had plans to meet up with my cousin Gary, and his wife Toni for a drink and a meal in London, we had intended to be moored up at Little Venice for this but ended up using the tube to get into central London. We went and paid our respects at Buckingham Palace, and the Mall looked amazing. The flowers at Green Park were beautiful and the whole experience was very moving.

We also made it to Borough Market, a real foody place and one of my favourite places.

https://boroughmarket.org.uk/

I would have loved to have gone and seen the statue of Bob the street cat which was unveiled at Islington last year, but we ran out of time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57855092

We had a lovely time with Gary, Toni and one of their sons Joe, including a lovely meal at Rasa Sayang. The day was exhausting but well worth the effort.

https://www.rasasayangfood.com/

Although the locks reopened next day we decided to stay put and recover.

But the following day it was back to the grind, and the 10 locks of the Hanwell flight. The paddles and the gates seemed very heavy after spending a week on the Thames doing nothing but hold a rope.

We managed to moor at Tesco at Bulls Bridge, and were very pleased to see a Lidl has opened on the same site, and a Home Bargains will be opening soon next door.

A boat pulled in behind us and we got chatting to Neil and Chris, they had just bought the boat and it had been on hard standing for about 15yrs, the engine was very smokey, but they were confident they would get it to Wigrams Turn marina without a hitch.

The journey to Milton Keynes started in earnest the next day, with the first lock of the 69 we have to do to get there. We moored in Uxbridge and had a quiet night.

8 locks to Rickmansworth, and we met boats at everyone, which was helpful and made it a very pleasant day. We had discovered a micropub had opened in the town since we were last here, so we had to go and give The Wishful Drinking a try. They had a good selection of beers, and as we were finishing our second pint a couple came in looking for a seat, as we were sat at a table for 4 we invited them to join us, and of course we got chatting. They were originally from Stoke and were fascinated by our life style. It made for a very nice finish to the day.

https://www.wishfuldrinking.co.uk/

I won’t say we were rudely awakened next day, but a race round the park we were moored next to, with the stewards shouting encouragement to all the runners, put paid to a long lie in.

After shopping at Tesco we set off to do the 13 locks to Kings Langley. At the 2^nd lock I could see a young guy crouching on the towpath, as I wandered past him I found out why. There was a large toad sitting enjoying the sunshine in the middle of the path. The young man seemed perturbed at this, and as I bent down to pick it up to move it off the path, he asked me what we should do with it. The toad, not wanting to be manhandled by me hopped off into the undergrowth and we all went on our merry way.

 

Also at this lock we met the Captain and crew from NB Puddleduck II, Gerry and Janette, and they joined us for the rest of the locks. They were great company, and Gerry recognised my Derbyshire accent as he had trained to be a teacher in Matlock in the 1970’s. They live in Lichfield now keeping their narrowboat at the end of their garden.

One of the locks on this stretch is a favourite of mine, as there are always loads of Gongoozlers there to chat to and help out if necessary. Today was no exception.

After a long day we moored at Kings Langley. The Captain had to take a look at the prop as it had started making a funny noise earlier in the day. Good thing he did, as one of the retaining bolts had sheered. Ever resourceful he had a spare, so next day before setting off he replaced the offending bolt and replaced all the nuts just to be sure.

Puddleduck II left a lot earlier then us about 8.30am. I was just up making our morning cuppa to take back to bed with a biscuit. I would have liked to travel further with them as we got on very well, maybe we will see them again someday.

As well as the toad we have had sightings of kingfishers, herons red kites, buzzards and a snowy white little egret. And first for us a little grebe.

Milton Keynes next folks.

THE TERRIFIC THAMES TAKE 2

Henley on Thames

So, we are back on the Thames and heading for London, we have a weeks license and will make the most of it, visiting places we didn’t visit on our last cruise in 2015.

Our first port of call was Henley on Thames, its a very boaty place famous for its regatta.

I love the locks on the Thames because they are huge, and usually have look keepers on to operate them for you. My job in these locks is to hold the bow of the boat steady, using our bow line round a bollard. If there is no lock keeper then everything is done with the push of a button.

It is also the home of the big yogurt pots, or as we call them the Gin Palaces. Small motor boats are very popular, as are the beautiful wooden Edwardian launchers. It’s a right mixture you could say.

As we came into moor at Henley a huge trip boat called the New Orleans passed by, and I could hear the commentary, looked up see of all people Brian Blessed doing the honours. The boat is owned and run by Hobbs of Henley, and for £50 per person you can cruise with this British icon of stage, screen and TV for 90mins.

https://www.hobbsofhenley.com/overboard-with-brian-blessed

The Thames is run by the Environment Agency, and unlike CRT run waters were you can moor for free, you tend to have to pay for mooring on the Thames, and at Henley it cost us £12 for the night.

But it was worth it. We took a walk into the town which is very pretty with plenty of shops, restaurants and pubs. Of course we had to try a couple of the pubs. The Argyll first, a quaint pub with a lovely outside area at the back. No dark ales, but the Captain found a ruby ale which wasn’t bad. Then the Three Tuns, a tiny quirky place, no darks but a drinkable bitter this time. Lastly The Catherine Wheel, the local Wetherspoons, a huge place with the usual Wetherspoon offerings.

A damp start next day as we headed to Marlow, a trip of 8 miles and 4 big locks, all manned. The houses that line the river are huge and impressive, and its very much a case of ‘who lives in a house like this’.

At Marlow we managed to just fit in the last spot, although we had been offered the chance to brest up with NB Comfortably Numb if there wasn’t room, many thanks to its Captain and crew.

We walked over the bridge and into Marlow and decided to give a couple of the pubs a try, well you know us. Firstly Two Brewers, not a lot of choice for the Captain so just a half in there, then The Crafty Tap, expensive but at least a stout for the Captain. Finally The Brewery Tap, a proper sports bar full of people watching Man United v Arsenal, so very lively, but the beer choice again not great for the Captain, he is a fussy bugger at times.

Next day after I struggled with one of the few locks I have had to do myself on the river, we found a great wild mooring spot for the night. But we had some bad news about our stove, the company who the Captain had contacted to have it refurbished, came back with a quote for around £600, which is cheaper than a new one, however when the Captain contacted them to organise pick up and drop off, he was told that it would take at least 3 weeks, that’s no good to us while we are on the move, so back to the drawing board. We need to get something sorted before the cold weather sets in.

The rain has plagued us most of the week, the next day was an early start as very heavy storms were forecast just after lunch. We cruised through Windsor and Eton, past the magnificent Windsor Castle and Eton College. We also passed Bray Studios were such films as The Rocky Horror and Alien were made.

https://www.braystudios.com/

We made it to Staines just as the rain started and found excellent free moorings next to a real ale pub, bonus.

Of course we had to try the pub, The Last Hop owned by the Thames Side Brewery, it is a lovely airy place with a great selection of beer and a music venue at weekends

http://lasthop.co.uk/

There is also a Lidl with in walking distance of the moorings. Unfortunately didn’t look round the town due to…. Yes the rain.

The rain has been the bane of our life this week. We got to Hampton Court just before it started and had intended to visit this historical place, but the rain (there's that word again) and the cost put us off. But we found great moorings which were free for 24hrs.

The final leg of our journey was a short hop to Teddington, but this time to rain caught us out and we moored in a downpour.

We were booked to go out onto the tidal Thames the following afternoon, so after drying out we headed for the pub, The Tide End Cottage. We had been here 4yrs ago and had enjoyed a good meal so we decided to try it again. However it wasn’t the best experience for me, although the Captains fish and chips were amazing. I ordered a pulled lamb hot pot, but when it came out it was just a dish of gravy with potatoes on the top, I found 2 pieces of meat but they were mostly gristle. So I complained and asked for the rump steak instead. This took a good 15mins to come, by which time the Captain had finished his meal. It was just a disaster for me. They charged me for the hotpot which was a couple of quid cheaper, but that was it. Such a shame, I had really been looking forward to the meal.

It was while in the pub we heard the sad news of the passing of our Queen, Elizabeth II. In a way I think we had been expecting it, but it didn’t make the news any less poignant.

Our trip on the tidal Thames was uneventful. We were joined by 2 other narrowboats for the journey. However disaster struck when we got to Brentford and joined the Grand Union canal for our journey into London. The lock keeper informed us that the Hanwell flight of locks were closed due to an issue with a paddle on one of the locks. So now we are stuck at Brentford, not knowing when this will be repaired and the locks reopened. It has been a year for hold ups.

On a lighter note, we have seen some lovely birds on our journey on the Thames, including the beautiful but noisy Ring Necked Parakeets, the colourful Jay and one of my favourite water birds the Great Crested Grebe. As well as kingfishers, herons, coots, Egyptian geese and the ever present swans and mallards.

Great Crested Grebe

 

AND BACK WE GO.

 

We were stuck at Wotton Rivers for a couple of days. On the first day I suggested the Captain may like to fit the new back boiler for our stoves whilst I went out of the way, sat on the bed catching up with the blog.

As expected the back boiler didn’t got to plan at all, and the Captain discovered that the stove itself had a big crack in the back plate, and a couple of other issues that needed attention. The crack was a major set back, and we are not yet sure if it will mean a new stove, or fingers crossed, a gentleman on Facebook who specialises in repairing stoves and the like, will be able to work a miracle. The Captain has contacted him and we are waiting for a reply. But the blog went well and I stayed put out of the way.

The second day, and we decided to take a walk up the towpath (for a bit of exercise), and we managed to pick a good quantity of blackberries and sloes. We also had a chat with a very nice lady from NB Pirin Perch. The Captain went all the way up to the summit pound and found some volunteers painting the lock beams. He came back with the good news that we would be moving next day, although this still needed to be confirmed by CRT next morning.

Conformation came at 9.34am and we were off. After 11 locks and numerous kingfishers spotted we managed to moor at Great Bedwyn.

After such a long day we had a walk to the 3 Tuns for tea, the food was wonderful and the staff friendly.

https://tunsfreehouse.com/

9 locks next day, (there are lots of locks on the K&A) and we reached Hungerford, of course we had to call in at the John O’Gaunt, one of the best real ale pubs we have found on this canal.

https://www.john-o-gaunt-hungerford.co.uk/ 

11 locks and a day later we were back in Newbury outside the wharf once again. We walked up to Lidl to do our shopping only to find it shut, and a new one open about 10mins further away, so we went to Aldi. There is good news though, the new Lidl is on the same site as Tesco, and you can moor right outside here to do your shopping.

We spent the next day in Newbury and found the artisan market in full swing, and also a great real ale pub The Spare Wheel, so the Captain was a happy bunny.

https://www.thesparewheel.com/

As we had been unable to moor in Reading at the start of our journey on the K&A (there are no moorings in the town), we decided to stop at Thatcham and catch the train. At £13.40 return for both of us it was a bargain.

After we had moored up a hire boat turned up and needed to moor (they were off to the pub) but there was no room, so the Captain invited them to brest up against us for the night. Our good deed for the day.

We really enjoyed Reading, the Abbey is very interesting with plenty of information boards, unfortunately we didn’t get to look round the Minister as it is only open 11am -2pm, and it was well past this when we got there.

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

We tried a couple of pubs, The Ale house and the Castle Tap were great finds. However The Boundary, we walked out of as there were no prices displayed, not even for their food, and when we enquired about a stout that was on their website, the barmaid knew nothing about it. When we asked about the lack of information she said she could check the till for the prices. I really think this is illegal and told her so.

https://untappd.com/v/the-alehouse/63230

https://thecastletap.co.uk/

But to the best bit, Cosmo’s the all you can eat world buffet. After the one in Coventry closed down suddenly about 5yrs ago we have not been to one of these since. The price had increased significantly to £18.99, but it was well worth it, the food was amazing, plenty of choice and very tasty. The décor was up market and the staff friendly. And they do sushi mmmmmmmmmmm.

https://www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk/restaurants/reading

We chatted to the manager as we paid, and he told us they are reopening the one in Coventry at some point in the near future.

6 locks next day to work off the previous nights meal, and a quiet night moored at Aldermaston.

6 Locks and 5 swing bridges next day, and we were joined in them by a small boat called Topsy and her Slovenian Captain, crew and ginger cat. We stopped near the Cunning Man once again and headed for the pub, before going we had a long chat with Steve and Chris on a widebeam, but I cant remember the boats name. They were lovely to chat too. I would like to say my impression of the pub had improved but unfortunately not. It tells you to wait to be seated, so wait we did but no one approached so we seated ourselves. After 1 pint we headed home.

The final 4 locks and the one way system through Reading and we were back on the Thames, we stopped and did some shopping at Tesco and moored the night at Sonning, we were met up with Topsy once again.

I must say, after our initial miss givings about the Kennet and Avon Canal we have loved it. Yes some of the locks are hard work, but no harder than others on the system, mooring can be a challenge but we never really had a problem. It is a pretty canal with stunning views. Reading Newbury and Bath are all well worth a visit, as are many of the little villages along the way. Plenty of good pubs doing good food close to the canal. The downside for the Captain, very little in the way of dark ales, but hey ho its not the end of the world.

Turf Sided Lock

Would we do it again, definitely, would we encourage others to do it, definitely. Don’t believe the nay sayers try it for yourself.