Narrowboat Densie

Blog moved

2011-05-21T17:38:00.000+01:00

Because of the problems with using this Google provided service I have moved the blog to www.nbdensie.blog.com.

See you there!!

Apologies

2011-05-20T16:54:00.001+01:00

Apologies for the absence of a blog. Blogspot is still messed up.

5 hours to Stone

2011-05-19T17:28:00.000+01:00

Long horned cattle

First job in the morning was to pop round to the Great Haywood Farm Shop. We always stop here when we are passing through as they sell good pies, bread, local cheese, and many other delights. Also visited the chandlery at Anglo Welsh. Its mainly a hire boat centre but it as they are an Isuzu dealer its useful for bits and pieces. This time we needed spare fanbelts as we have had both replaced in the past year.

On the move again by 10:15. Today the weather was a great improvement on yesterday, blue skies although somewhat cool and breezy. Our journey took us up the Trent valley through isolated but attractive countryside to Weston on Trent (the one in Staffs) where we stopped for lunch. Just a quick stop as we knew that it would take us about 3 hours to get to our planned mooring at Stone.

After Weston the views and rural landscape continued much the same. The main railway runs alongside the canal for much of the stretch as does the A51, both taking advantage of the gentle rising slope of the Trent valley. Neither spoilt the overall quiet of this pleasant canal. We eventually reached Stone on time at 16:00.

Sorry about the state of this blog page. Google have messed up the facility to publish a blog.

Setting off on our summer trip

2011-05-18T17:11:00.000+01:00

After 6 weeks at home we are out again. Our plan is to head north up the Trent & Mersey Canal and take the Anderton Boat Lift down to the River Weaver where we will spend a few days. After then - who knows?

We left our marina at 9:15, passed through Armitage (where Armitage-Shanks comes from!) and Rugeley. The weather turned for the worse with heavy rain and strong wind. So we stopped a couple of hours for lunch, setting off again when the weather cleared at 2:00. We have moored up at Great Heywood junction.

Fradley Junction - nearly home

2011-03-29T16:17:00.003+01:00

Wood Anemones in Hopwas Woods

On the canal through the woods

Our last full day on this trip, and so the last blog entry until we set off again around mid May.

Reasonable weather for what was one of our longer travelling days this trip. Set off at 10 stopped for lunch at Huddlesford Junction and then on to moor at Fradley Junction where the Coventry Canal joins the Trent & Mersey. A total of just over 8 miles. Parts of this stretch are attractive, particularly as the canal goes by Hopwas Woods.

We will be eating in the Swan tonight with friends.

Tomorrow its a short journey to our marina and so we should be back home by the afternoon. And then there's the lawn to mow....

A short cruise to Hopwas

2011-03-28T15:15:00.002+01:00

The morning looked pretty grim to start off. Heavy mist and generally chilly and damp. At about 10:30 it improved greatly and it has now turned into a very pleasant day.

We left our mooring near Fazeley Junction at 10:45, filled up with water at the nearby BW facilities which also, unusually, have recycle bins for paper, bottles etc. Then westwards in inceasingly warm sunshine along what is temporarily the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal for a couple of miles to our next moorings at the small village of Hopwas, where we had stayed on the outward journey.

After lunch, we had a short walk to post my latest Open University assignment and then strolled through Hopwas woods which looked wonderful carpeted in wood anemones. There were a very large number of bluebell leaves showing so the woods should look spectacular in a few weeks time. Hopwas woods are also used as an army firing range, but today there were no red flags to be seen.

Then back to the boat via the Tame Otter pub where we enjoyed a quick half pint.

Tamworth and Fazeley Junction

2011-03-27T16:15:00.002+01:00

Alvecote Priory near Tamworth

Renovated old working boats at Alvecote

We now feel very much on our way home. There is less of interest from here on, and is part of the canal system we know very well so the Blog entry is rather limited.

We did remember to reset our clocks but that did not prevent a late breakfast this morning. The weather was rather cold so we didnt start moving until nearly 11am. We had lunch in Polesworth and after a 90min break set off again. After going down the 2 Glascote locks we have moored just before Fazeley Junction on the outskirts of Tamworth.

Down the Atherstone locks

2011-03-26T17:01:00.003Z

It looks like the good weather is over. This morning was rather cold. We were in no great hurry to move so we started the morning by shopping in Atherstone for meat for the next few days - there is a good butcher just off the High Street - and also getting our weekly newspaper for the crossword. The rest of the morning was spent on the computer taking advantage of the good reception in Atherstone.

One small step.... crossing a lock on the Atherstone flight to open the other gate

After lunch we set off down the 11 lock Atherstone flight. Progress was fast as there was little other traffic and many of the locks were set in our favour. So by 15:30 we had finished the last lock and moored up for the night. That's 11 locks and 2 miles in 2 1/4 hours which is pretty good going.

Return to Atherstone

2011-03-25T15:21:00.002Z

Today started as a toned down version of yesterday. Sunny, but not so warm and a little hazy. The mooring and countryside were attractive and some birds singing, but not many. Still it was pleasant, with the London-Birmingham main line not far to the north east and in the far distance, just visible through binoculars, the M6. By contrast on the canal all was quiet and rural.

After breakfast I had a walk along the towpath. Another bird to add to the list - bullfinch. Also remembered that yesterday's list should have included reed bunting. It was possible to climb the bank by the towpath and get onto a farm track bridge over to the wooded side of the canal.

Here it was obvious that the landscape had been heavily affected by centuries of quarrying the local volcanic rock, here apparently quartzite used for road stone. Nearer Nuneaton granite is quarried. Much of the gentle slopes were covered in bumps, hollows, and hillocks suggesting that perhaps the whole area overlooking the canal was originally a waste tip. Now it's a haven for nature with large numbers of young trees and bushy undergrowth.

We left the mooring at 9:45 and travelled the 3 miles to Atherstone stopping by at Hartshill to fill up again with water. Back to birds again - on the trip we were delighted to see a group of 6 buzzards gently circling on the rising air currents over the hills.

We have moored up at much the same place in Atherstone where we moored 2 weeks ago on our way out. After lunch, a trip to the local Coop replenished our nearly empty fridge. Afterwards Denise took the opportunity to wander round the shops for a while.

Oh what a beautiful morning

2011-03-24T15:15:00.003Z

Our mooring this morning

This morning reminded us of why we love boating on the canals so much. After breakfast I sat out at the back of the boat in the sunshine looking at the wooded hillside opposite our moorings. It was full of singing birds. In half an hour or so I had seen a pair of jays, long tailed tits, robins, great tits, blue tits, chaffinches, warblers (I think willow warblers, but I am not very skilled at distinguishing the various types), and a yellowhammer. There was noone else about and little sign of the busy outside world although Nuneaton was only a mile or so away. Perfect!

Today Densie's service was due. Sevicing is recommened avery 250 hours, we had travelled about 245 hours since the last service in October. After leaving our moorings (a quarter mile south of Bridge 16 on the Coventry should any boater wish to find the place) at 10:00 we travelled through Nuneaton. The weather even improved our impression of the town, although this was soon dispelled when we had to stop the boat to remove a length of cloth wound around the propeller.

Substantial flotsam in Nuneaton

Rubbish in the canal can be a problem in some towns and cities. The example in the photo was a bit larger than the norm. It was labelled "forestry safety equipment", but I have no idea what it was.

Soon after leaving Nuneaton we stopped at Valley Cruises just before lunch for the engine service. This was efficiently and thoroughly carried out. The engineer pointed out that one of the fan belts was worn and I agreed that it should be replaced. As far as I know this is the first time that a fan belt had been removed and examined during a service in the 5 years we have owned the boat. So a bill rather higher than I expected did not upset me.

A half mile up the canal took us to what is hopefully another idyllic mooring out in the countryside with a wooded hill on one side and a good view of the pendolinos travelling the west coast main railway line on the other.

We leave the Ashby

2011-03-23T15:53:00.003Z

Swan nesting by the Ashby Canal

After eating out last night we were late getting ready to move on. Nothing wrong with the meal, it was very good. The Simla in Coventry Road Hinckley if anyone is in those parts.

We left Trinity Marina moorings at 10:50 in glorious sunshine and for the first time this trip without our fleeces on. By 12 we were at a spot where we had moored overnight on the way up a week ago and so decided to moor for lunch. That over we set off again - passing the swan in the photo. The first swan's nest for this year.

By 2:30 we were back on the Coventry Canal and have moored just south of Nuneaton, again near where we spent a night last week. The sun is shining and the thermometer in the boat is showing 25deg C, all very pleasant.

We really have enjoyed our week on the Ashby, it is a delightful canal to cruise slowly. The lack of locks and many places to visit is more than compensated by the wildlife and the attractive canalside scenary.

Hinckley again

2011-03-22T17:05:00.002Z

Densie's engine needs a service which has been booked at Valley Cruises just north of Nuneaton for Thursday or Friday. Also our loo tank is getting full and needs to be emptied. So we had to get moving .

Fortunately the weather was warm and intermittantly sunny all journey from when we started at 9:30. A quick stop at Sutton Cheney provided a refill of water and the dumping of rubbish and then back to Stoke Golding for lunch. Unusually we set off again pretty quickly reaching Trinity Marine in Hinckley at 2:30 after a total journey of nearly 9 miles - the longest one this trip.

The journey was a little slow and hard work because the canal seemed more shallow than when we were going north. The water level against the canal edges did look a bit lower but I guess the ballast of our full loo tank didnt help either. Despite this nature continued to provide much of interest. The highlight was seeing a water vole grazing (they are herbivores) on the canal side when a stoat turned up. The water vole promptly disappeared down a hole reappearing in the water a few seconds later. The stoat then ran off along the bank.

At Trinity Marine Densie got her pumpout and we also bought 2 new bags of smokeless fuel. Afterwards we moored up for the night. Denise is walking/bussing into Hinckley centre whilst I stay on the boat to have a shower and write up the blog. This evening we are off to an allegedly very good indian restaurant.

On the way back - Market Bosworth

2011-03-21T16:00:00.005Z

Morning encounter on the Ashby

We awoke to another sunny morning. The temperature is now warmer than it has been all journey and so we didnt need our central heating.

Approaching Shackerstone Tunnel

We left our mooring early for us at 9:20 and travelled back to Shackerstone for lunch after passing through the 250 yard tunnel beneath the village.

Water Vole

On the way we were lucky to get our best view so far of a water vole and a slightly blurred photo. After lunch we decided to make best use of the good weather and go past our intended destination of Congerstone ("scattered village of small interest" according to the guidebook) on to Market Bosworth. Unfortunately the interesting old market town itself is about a mile's walk away but the mooring conditions here are good.

Violets by the canal

Apart from the water voles, all along the canal there is plenty of wildlife and plants to enjoy. We have seen a wide range of birds, many singing from the trees and hedges alongside the canal. Spring flowers are just beginning to emerge, of particular note have been the violets and the early spikes of butterbur.

The end of the Ashby

2011-03-20T16:16:00.003Z

The end of the canal

Today's journey took us to the current end of the canal at the village of Snarestone. The really nice weather is over, it's now cloudy with a chill wind. We set off at 10 and reached our destination in time for lunch - just a gentle 4 miles. At the end we filled up again with water, turned the boat round and moored up for the day. No point in hurrying, we have plenty of time. It's a good place to stop - despite being some distance from anywhere particular I am getting a 5 bar 3G internet connection, the fastest on our whole journey so far.

Formerly the canal continued for a further 8 miles into the coalfields on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire boundary. However subsidence from the coal workings led to this section of the canal being abandoned in the 1970's. Thanks to an active Canal Society and the desire of the local councils to increase tourism into the area there are detailed plans to reinstate the canal as and when funding becomes available.

Two sections have been restored, an isolated 1.5 mile section near National Forest visitor attractions at Moira and a very short stretch at Snarestone. The photo shows the end of the Snarestone section which was only completed last year.

The Battlefield Line at Shackerstone

An extra from yesterday. We walked to the Battlefield Line station at Shackerstone which runs steam trains to the Bosworth battlefield site some 5 miles south. They were having a GWR steam festival , so we took the opportunity for some more photos.

Shackerstone in the sun

2011-03-19T14:47:00.005Z

Moored at Shackerstone

Today really was a beautiful day, perfect conditions for a leisurely boat trip. But first things first...

A very cold night which our fire only just managed to survive. But as we the weather forecast had prewarned us about the cold we had programmed our central heating to come on at 7. So we were able to get up in the warm. And then breakfast: bacon and croissants, delicious. The bacon had nearly expired so we had to eat it.

Now progress on the batteries and their voltage. In the morning before the heating had kicked in we were down to about 12V. Once the boat had warmed up, the meter showed 12.2. It was the cold affecting the meter, nothing wrong with the batteries - hooray!

After breakfast we were on our way in beautiful sunshine. We were soon rewarded by another, better, sighting of a water vole. They really look odd in the water darting around like little electric toys . After half an hour we moored at Market Bosworth for a small amount of shopping.

After lunch we set off again up the canal with continuing perfect weather. At several points on the journey we had a good view of a steam train on the Battlefield line, which added to the interest and attractiveness of this canal. Just another short journey took us to the small village of Shackerstone. We have planned to eat in the local pub, so had no wish to go further.

Our early stop has enabled Denise to finish the repainting.

Before.......

After

Good weather at last

2011-03-18T18:09:00.002Z

Today has been good. Up in the morning and a quick walk into Stoke Golding to post a card. Back on the boat we were soon ready to set off. Fairly soon after starting we saw our first water vole of the year as a V shaped wake crossing the canal to disappear in the reeds.

Water voles used to be very common on the canals but the spread of mink has killed off about 90% of them. The Ashby however has provided a refuge as it is reasonably far from any rivers the mink use as highways into the countryside.

A couple of miles up the canal under cloudy skies took us to Sutton Cheney where there are good moorings, a water tap and a long needed rubbish skip.

We filled up with water again, had lunch and then slowly continued on our way. The sun had burnt through the cloud and the weather was glorious. We are under no time deadlines and there is little other canal traffic so we were able to travel slowly and really enjoy the experience.

We have moored a mile south of Market Bosworth. We will visit the town tomorrow to buy a newspaper and some bread. It's the last opportunity for any shopping for the next day or two.

After mooring Denise was able to catch up with some urgent paintwork repairs as conditions havent been right til now. The rusty patches on the edge if the gunwhales are now grey with primer.

Hinckley

2011-03-17T16:46:00.004Z

This morning started off as a repeat of yesterday. See yesterday's blog for details!

We are running short of provisions - our meal list finishes today when we will eat the 19Gales beef pie we bought in Atherstone. One thing that wasnt yesterday all over again was Denise's first view of a Kingfisher for this year - it flew down the canal past the saloon window whilst she was making breakfast.

As there are no shops along most of the length of the Ashby we had to plan a menu for the next 4-5 days and put together a shopping list. The final opportunity for serious shopping is Hinckley, so that's where we stopped after 2 miles travelling northwards with some delay whilst we filled up again with water.

Although Hinckley is a necessary stop for most boats visiting the Ashby, mooring is rather limited. All the visitors moorings were taken when we arrived, but Trinity Marina helpfully allowed us to use one of theirs. Unfortunately the canal is some way from the town centre so we had a 1.5 miles walk to Tesco where we were able to buy everything we needed. A 1.5 mile walk back with a heavy load of groceries did not appeal so we phoned for a taxi.

Moored at Stoke Golding - note the white sacking

Soon after getting back to the boat we were on the move again. The weather had much improved with some sunshine, although the temerature was cold and the wind speed was rising. An hour and a half's gentle chugging took us to Stoke Golding when it became apparent that something was amiss with the boat.

The symptoms were those familiar to all boaters, vibration in the tiller, sluggish performance, odd looking wake - something was wrapped round the propeller. I slowly steered the boat into the nearest mooring spot which was where we were planning to stop anyway. Once tied into the bank and the engine turned off, open up the weed hatch which gives access to the propeller and plunge a hand into the cold water. Yes - a length of plastic sacking wrapped round one of the propeller blades. It was easy to unwind and remove - the evidence is in the picture. Debris round the prop was a common occurence when we started boating perhaps 30 years ago, but as the canals have become much cleaner the need to examine the prop is now fairly rare.

Onto the Ashby Canal

2011-03-16T16:29:00.004Z

Densie moored on the Ashby - pity about the power lines

Another murky morning - cold and foggy. Other things were looking up - the fire survived the night successfully, just requiring a bit of a poke and opening up the air vent to get the stove hot. Also our battery power was OK although the inverter had been left running overnight. So, 2 out of 3 isnt too bad.

As the weather didnt look inviting we stayed in the boat reading and doing fiendish level Sukoku problems. The former Denise, and the latter me. By quarter to eleven we were getting bored so we decided to set off down the canal. The weather was still foggy, a bit damp, and cold - not too pleasant for boating.

Within half an hour we were at Marston Junction where the Ashby Canal joins the Coventry. We turned left up the Ashby. Moorings can be difficult to find because of shallow banks but we were lucky after 3 miles and an hour and a half or so to find a stretch of bank exactly the same length as our boat where the edge was firm and the water deep.

Where are we? Difficult to explain exactly because the Ashby canal can be remote from anywhere and seems to follow a route deliberately avoiding all habitation. The nearest landmark is the A5 near Hinckley, about a mile away but quite audible.

After a lunch of mushroom and red onion omelette (we were hungry after a couple of hours standing in the cold at the back of the boat) we went out for a 3 mile walk. First stop was the site of the medieval village of Stretton Baskerville where there was little to see besides various lumps and bumps in a grassy field. We then took a circular path to the nearest village, Burton Hastings, described in the guide book as a quiet village. A good description, nothing else to say really, no shops, no pubs and the partly 13C church was locked.

Dinner this evening is a bit more basic than usual - sausages, potatoes & veg. We arent too hungry, perhaps we shouldnt have had the omelette.

Through Nuneaton

2011-03-15T16:18:00.003Z

Hartshill Yard - covered dock

When we struggled out of bed and looked through the window what we saw was a heavy damp mist. And the boat was cold because the fire had gone out overnight. We have just started a new bag of fuel , "Taybrite", whereas previously we were using "Supabrite" and the burning characteristics are rather different.

Last night, as an experiment in saving battery power we turned off the inverter which supplies 240V AC, mainly for the fridge. This morning the batteries were still showing a high level of charge and the fridge temperature had only risen a couple of degrees. So something we will do again, at least during the cold weather.

By the time we had breakfast, the weather was much the same so we decided not to move. I relit the fire, and whilst waiting for it to have some effect turned on our rarely used diesel central heating. This worked well quickly bringing the saloon up to a more comfortable 19degC. So we kept snug til lunch time.

Even with the inverter running the battery power stayed high the whole morning - what this means I dont know. Perhaps turning the inverter off and on had reset something. We will see.

After lunch conditions had improved sufficiently for us to start moving, though first we had to moor at Hartshill yard to fill up with water. The scenary remained attractive for the following couple of miles with our first sight of fresh hawthorn leaves. However the canal water was steadily getting dirtier with floating bottles, wooden posts, plastic bags and other assorted rubbish. We were approaching Nuneaton.

As I have noted on previous travels many large towns and cities are surprisingly attractive when seen from the canal. Nuneaton isnt. The only sight of possible interest was the allotments with ramshackle huts and a few men digging the rather fertile looking soil.

Out of Nuneaton we passed into open and rather bleak flat countryside where we have moored for the night. Our progress is getting rather slow - only 2 miles yesterday and 5.5 miles today. We will need to get a bit of a move-on!

Shopping in Atherstone and a short cruis

2011-03-14T16:50:00.004Z

Coventry Canal near Hartshill

Main job for today was a visit to our favourite Atherstone shop - 19Gales farm shop - for one of their delicious steak pies. This will provide a good dinner in a couple of days time. That was the plan...

We awoke to a very cold morning. The temperature in the saloon was about 12 degC. The stove was just alight but not contributing any heat. I was able to resurrect it by the standard routine of opening up the air vent and, the key technique, opening the front and pushing a kindling stick into the reddest part of the fire. Then close the front, wait an hour and we have a passable fire.

Again our battery voltage was low at 12.1 volt. So after breakfast I decided to investigate further. By removing the earth cable from each of our 4 domestic batteries I was able to check each one individually, having thought one possible reason was a failure of one of the batteries. But no, they were all fine and the voltage on my voltmeter (rather more accurate than the one on the boat control panel) indicated that the batteries were about half charged - which is reasonable. So the current theory is that the boat voltmeter is affected by the cold temperatures. Perhaps all is really OK.

Then the rest of the morning was spent shopping for the pie and a few extra provisions, coming back to the boat for a read until lunch time. Well I came back to the boat, Denise continued shopping!

The weather was good all day so we set off after lunch for a short 2 mile cruise to Hartshill where there is an impressive BW yard with georgian buildings topped by a small clock tower. The section of canal from Atherstone to Nuneaton is very attractive being cut into the hillside overlooking the wide Anker Valley as it rises to the east, with open rough pasture and trees on either side of the waterway.

We have now moored at Hartshill for the night and are looking for to our dinner of chicken and haricot bean stew, reheated from Saturday.

Atherstone

2011-03-13T16:13:00.003Z

Pooley Hall, Polesworth

The morning started badly. It had rained heavily overnight and our fire failed to survive the night so the temperature in the boat was down to 12 degC. Also of concern was the voltage supplied by our domestic batteries - down to 12.1. Anything below 12.3 tells us that the batteries a long way way from being fully charged - normally the voltage is 12.3 in the morning. I am hoping that this is an effect of the cold weather, but we will have to keep a careful eye on the situation.

Fortunately the rain stopped soon after breakfast and we started on our journey. Just after the motorway we passed by Pooley Hall and then along the Anker Valley into Polesworth. The weather steadily improved and after passing through attractive countryside we were on the outskirts of Atherstone by lunchtime, having just ascended the first 2 of the 11 lock Atherstone flight. On this section we were pleased to see our first very young lambs of the year.

Densie ascending the Atherstone flight

After lunch we completed the flight. These locks are attractive, well maintained and easy to operate. A couple of the lock pounds (stretch of canal between 2 locks) were shallow seemingly due to the lower lock leaking more than the upper lock, but we didnt run aground. By 15:15 we had reached the moorings at Atherstone where we are stopping for the night.

Through Tamworth

2011-03-12T16:44:00.005Z

Densie entering Glascote top lock in Tamworth

We started early (for us) this morning at 9:10 as we were getting low on provisions. on the outskirts of Tamworth A couple of miles cruising took us to Ventura Park, a large shopping centre. A half mile walk took us to Sainsburys where we stocked up for the next few days.

On the move again at 11:45 we travelled the mile to FazeleyJunction where we filled the water tank and then moored for lunch. Fazeley is where the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal turns south towards the centre of Birmingham. Our journey continued east back on the Coventry canal where we crossed the Tame and then ascended the two Glascote Locks. After leaving Tamworth the scenary much improved as the canal travelled through pleasant woodland.

We have moored within sight of but fortunately sufficiently far from the M42 for some peace and quiet.

Moored at Hopwas

2011-03-11T16:01:00.003Z

No Blog yesterday because we stayed at Fradley. There was a strong wind blowing which makes boating uncomfortable and hard work as the side of the boat acts as a very effective sail.

We had lit the solid fuel stove when we arrived on Wednesday, fortunately it stayed alight overnight and with the windows closed and the fire fed we managed to raise the inside temperature from about 8degC to a more comfortable 19. So apart from an hours walk we stayed in the boat reading.

This morning again the fire had remained alight. Keeping sold fuel fires going takes a bit of practice to adjust the air flow. Too much and the fire burns all the fuel during the night, too little and it goes out. To make matters worse, the appropriate setting seems to vary a lot with the brand of coke. But it looks like we have cracked it, at least until we start on the new, different, bag of fuel.

After breakfast we checked the weather - much quieter. So after my customary check of the engine to ensure there were no worrying pools of liquid anywhere we set off down the 2 locks to Fradley Junction where the Coventry canal joins the Trent & Mersey. Fradley is often very busy with boats moving, mooring and generally faffing around and moored boats along side the canal, sometimes double banked constrict the waterway. Today was no exception. We waited before the junction until the route was clear and moved quickly onto the Coventry Canal.

We know this stretch of canal well having travelled it many times. Its not unattractive but its not a canal that people remember. After Fradley the traffic was fairly light and so we made good progress stopping at Huddlesford Junction for lunch on the boat. Huddlesford isnt a real canal junction now as the first of mile of the closed link to the Wyrley and Essington Canal around the north of Birmingham is used as a boat club. However there is an active Society, President actor David Suchet (Hercule Poirot), devoted to reopening the W & E under the name of the Lichfield Canal.

After lunch we carried on through Whittington where the canal changes to the Birmingham & Fazeley. The only difference a boater would notice is that the bridges have names rather than the more usual numbers. The weather was becoming darker and more windy so we moored after 1.5 hours at the unusually named village of Hopwas where we will spend the night.

Hooray! Out again.

2011-03-09T17:08:00.002Z

After a hard winter cooped up in the house we are out on the boat again. It feels wonderful.

First thing in the morning, off to the supermarket to get our provisions for the next few days. Back home and packing completed we set off for the Marina at 12. Before unpacking on the boat we turned on the electrics. Major problem with the invertor which generates 240V for our fridge and radio. It appeared to start OK then there was a buzzing noise and the invertor cut out with the error light bright red. I tried turning it on again - same result.

We could not consider a long journey with no fridge so we feared we would have to get someone out, and in the meantime go back home. Fortunately half an hour later it started with no problems - I think the buzzing noise was a relay which got corroded or damp during the winter. Everyting else seems to have survived the cold weather with no problems.

Excitement over and unpacking completed we had lunch and despite the strong wind decided to start on our way. Forunately the canal was sheltered from the wind so we had a very pleasant journey - just a couple of miles of gentle cruising and one lock to the visitor moorings just before Fradley Junction. We will probably eat out tonight at the famous Swan Inn overlooking the canal junction.

Alrewas

2010-10-05T14:40:00.002+01:00

On the move at 9:00 and onwards up the Trent & Mersey. We climbed upto (yes upto) the Trent at Wychnor Lock after checking the flood status indicator. It was at Green, so no problems. The flow was still quite strong but Denise had no difficulty guiding the boat through to the other end of the river section at Alrewas lock.

We moored just above the lock at 11:45 as we wanted to go again to the excellent butcher. After buying some very good looking free range pork we walked around the village visiting the much restored church and investigating the pub food situation. Couple of reasonable looking options and the possibility of an Indian, though that could have been closed, so we will stay here for the rest of the day.

Back home tomorrow so probably the last blog for this year.

Branston again

2010-10-04T16:46:00.003+01:00

A misty morning in Swarkestone

Yet again the weather alternated. After appalling weather for much of yesterday, today has been glorious after the morning mist cleared.

We left Swarkestone at 9:20, passed through the deep Stenson Lock where we paired up with another boat and stopped at Willington to fill up with water and post a card. After lunch moored in the outskirts of Burton on Trent we moved on to Morrisons for a bit of shopping for what will probably be our last day on the boat this year. We are now moored back at Branston (where the pickle was invented allegedly) just before the waterpark.

A comma butterfly feeding on ivy

This very enjoyable day was enhanced by the wildlife. We saw 2 kingfishers and whilst moored at Willington took a photo of a comma butterfly feeding on the ivy flowers which are prolific at the moment - note that its ragged appearance is normal for the species and an unambiguous identification characteristic. Then whilst motoring through Burton we were surprised to see a bat which flew around the boat and off down the canal.

We are a bit concerned at the moment about the section of the Trent & Mersey we will be travelling tomorrow which shares a short stretch with the Trent. We have heard that the river is currently on Amber but if it rises much more the canal may be closed. Hopefully the absence of rain today will reduce the chances of this happening.

Homeward Bound

2010-10-02T16:41:00.002+01:00

We are now back in Swarkestone. It seems weeks ago when we were last here but it's only 10 days.

The weather continued alternating - yesterday was awful, today was very nice. We started at 9:30, the first job being to fill up with water, which we hadnt done since we first moored in the Great Northern Basin. We normally like to fill up every other day, but facilities on the Erewash are only available at each end of the canal.

After fillng the tank we dropped through Trent Lock onto the river. After the recent rains the water level was on "amber" which means that passage is allowed but caution required. The flow was certainly fairly strong, but it didnt cause us any problems as we travelled the 2 miles to Shardlow where we left the river Trent to join the Trent & Mersey Canal.

Here we stopped as we needed to get our Saturday Guardian, the only newspaper we ever buy, as we like to do the Prize Crossword. Unfortunately we found that there are no shops in Shardlow, and nothing else til we reach Willington which should be tomorrow. So no crossword this week.

After Shardlow we passed through the large locks at Aston, Weston and Swarkestone to reach our intended mooring at 15:30.

We went through the Shardlow, Aston and Weston Locks with "Tig" a mini-narrowboat, perhaps 25 foot long max. Despite it's diminutive size, it apparently has a gas oven/hob, shower, hot water supply and a double bed which needs to be dismantled when not in use as it fills the cabin. So it has all the facilities one needs, indeed apparently it was previously owned by a couple who used it as a permanent home for themselves and their Alsation!

Weather for tomorrow looking not so good again, so the alternation continues.

No movement again

2010-10-01T13:20:00.002+01:00

Two storey luxury houseboat on the Erewash

Weather today just like wednesday's, cold and wet, with the addition of strong winds. Not the conditions for enjoyable boating so we have lit the fire and will be staying here today on the Erewash just before the junction with the River Trent.

Back to the Trent

2010-09-30T16:51:00.006+01:00

No blog yesterday as we stayed in the Great Northern Basin because of the very wet weather. We did venture out twice. In the morning we visited Lidls across the road from our mooring to stock up for the next few days. The afternoon was more interesting as we took the bus to Ilkeston, a large Victorian industrial town 5 miles away.

As I have mentioned before, a joy of boating is the opportunity to visit places of some interest that one wouldnt bother going to see by car. Ilkeston does fall into that category with its long High Street stretching up a steep hill with many small shops as well as a few of the nationals.

Cruising down the Erewash on a misty morning

Entering Eastwood Lock

Today was very different as we awoke to a sunny but misty morning in the GNB. As Friday is forecast again to be very wet we decided to spend the whole day travelling to reach the start of the Erewash at Trent Lock. We set off relatively early at 8:30. We were rewarded by delightful sight of the mist rising from the water providing a blue-green haze to the scene.

A maple turning red beside Potters Lock in Ilkeston

When the sun cleared the mist there were good views of the canalside trees turning to their autumnal colours.
This trip down the canal was much faster than Tuesdays journey up as most locks were set in our favour and the flow of water coming down the canal caused by yesterdays heavy rain significantly aided our progress.

We reached the moorings on the Erewash above Trent Lock after 11 miles and 14 locks at 15:30 and were soon to be found in the Navigation Inn enoying a well-earned pint of Deuchars IPA.

Great Northern Basin

2010-09-28T17:39:00.004+01:00

Moored north of Sandiacre at 8:30am

A harder day than usual today, we travelled 7 miles and 11 locks in 6 hours cruising carrying on north up the Erewash Canal. We left our moorings at 8:50 and stopped for lunch at Ilkeston some 3.5 hours later. After a 0.5 hour stop we set off again arriving at the top of the canal at the perhaps over-extragently named Great Northern Basin in the industrial town of Eastwood at 15:45.

The journey was pleasant enough, helped by the warmer weather. The large locks continued to be surprisingly easy to operate despite being almost entirely set against us (ie we had to empty each lock before we could get the boat in and then fill it again to get to the next section of canal). The canal travels up the valley of the River Erewash past countryside, light industry, and the mill town of Ilkeston, formerly a major textile centre.

Densie (the blue boat) moored in the Great Northen Basin

The Great Northen Basin was formerly the junction of the Erewash, Cromford and Nottingham Canals, only the Erewash being navigable here. There are moves to reopen the Cromford canal through to near Matlock, but this will certainly take many years although parts are still in water.

Th ex-mining town of Eastwood is not the most attractive of places but has a claim to literary fame as it was the birthplace and childhood home of D H Lawrence. A further claim to fame is a very large IKEA store.

We plan to eat this evening in a local pub, our first meal out this journey. Tomorrow we may well stay in the GNB as the weather forecast is grim.

New territory- up the Erewash

2010-09-27T15:48:00.004+01:00

Our first ever journey on this canal although it's not that far from our home base. The Erewash Canal is little known except among its local boaters and the more adventurous canal enthusiast. It has none of the fame nor lure of canals like the Llangollen but we are finding it interesting and attractive despite its passage through the industrial outskirts of Nottingham and former Derbyshire mill towns. The canal itself appears well maintained with wide locks which despite being heavy are not too difficult to operate.

Radcliffe on Soar power station seen from the Trent through the mist and drizzle

We left Sawley late this morning for two reasons. The weather looked pretty grey and miserable, not quite raining but then not quite not raining. Secondly, we are running short of the kindling we need to light our smokeless fuel stove, an important piece of equipment at this time of year. Unfortunately a visit to the Sawley marina chandlery was unsuccessful as they had run out so I will have to be frugal when I light the stove.

After a mile's cruise down the Trent from Sawley we turned onto the Erewash at the complex junction of Trent Lock where 5 waterways meet, 4 of which are navigable. The canal then passes through Long Eaton, not that interesting from the boat but noteworthy as being the centre of the furniture industry where there are many small workshops making bespoke furniture as well as some larger names.

Sandiacre Lock

This urban area merges into the next one of Sandiacre, again an unexceptional town although the lock preceding it is attractive and of some interest. Here there is a unique (for the Erewash) toll house dated 1778 and the start of the now derelict Derby Canal. We stopped for lunch and a bit of shopping at Sandiacre at a convenient Lidls, no kindling here though. By this time the weather had improved somewhat.

After lunch we moved into the countryside beyond the town where we have moored for the night.

Back to Sawley

2010-09-26T16:42:00.004+01:00

On the Nottingham Canal in Nottingham

Nottingham done, it was time to carry on our journey. After leaving Sainsbury's we travelled further up the Nottingham Canal through Castle lock to a winding hole where we could turn round. The canal is too narrow to turn in except at designated points.

Castle lock provided some excitement as just before the lock the boat became jammed against a small weir controlling the water level in the canal. The amount of water flowing over the weir provided more pressure than the engine could overcome. We only got the boat off by brute manual effort, Denise at the front pulling on a rope and myself at the rear pushing it away from the exitting water.

After turning we went back through Castle Lock again, avoiding the weir, past Sainsburys and retraced Friday's journey up the Trent. We stopped to fill up with water at Cranfleet Cut and a bit later stopped again for a quick lunch. Then back to Sawley where we pumped out the loo. We can now last the rest of our trip and only need pump out again when we reach our home base.

Weather changes plans - into Nottingham

2010-09-24T18:29:00.002+01:00

Today the weather let us down. We were planning to travel up the Erewash Canal, one we have never visited before. However we awoke to strong winds and decided that the next section of canal along the River Trent with a sharp left turn onto the Erewash was too difficult under the conditions. Boating in strong winds is difficult and uncomfortable as the long flat sides of the boat act as a sail.

We stayed at Sawley in the morning and walked to the local coop to buy some urgently need provisions. However most of what we wanted wasnt available so we returned to the boat intending to wait for the weather to improve. Fortunately after lunch the wind abated and we decided to travel into Nottingham and visit the Erewash early next week as the weather forecast looked better then.

So we cruised down the Trent and then up the Beeston Canal which took us near the city centre. With the moorings being next to a large Sainsburys our shopping problem was solved. We will stay here for a day or two and look around Nottingham.

Interrupted journey to Sawley

2010-09-23T16:47:00.004+01:00

Despite the overnight rain the weather looked reasonable when we got up this morning. We started off at 9:20 and stopped at Swarkestone Wharf for 15 mins to fill up with water. Then we set off again passing through Swarkestone Lock, another deep and wide lock, and towards the next lock at Weston on Trent.

Fallen tree blocking canal at Weston

Shortly before the lock we were flagged down by a moored boater who gave us the news that we would have to stop as the canal was blocked by a fallen tree. British Waterways had been informed and had sent a surveyor to assess the situation. He confirmed that the tree, a large willow, had fallen and had blocked the canal, and arranged for tree specialists to be called out.

Nearly gone

Within 30mins of our arrival the tree men turned up rowing down the canal in a punt. It took then about 2 hours to clear the obstruction and we were able to move on. Their view was that the fall had been due to work being carried out by a digger in the field behind the willow and that the farmer concerned could expect a large bill.

River Trent near Sawley, Naga Queen and M1 Bridge in the distance

Another narrowboat, Naga Queen, had stopped behind us in the queue and we were able to descend Weston lock and the subsequent Aston, Shardlow and Derwent locks together. This final lock took us onto the River Trent for about a mile and then off the river to Sawley where we have moored for the night.

Swarkestone

2010-09-22T17:43:00.003+01:00

The moorings at Branston

A really good days boating . The weather was perfect - sunny but not too hot and no wind. We left our moorings at Branston after a fairly late breakfast and continued north through Burton on Trent, which is quite attractive and interesting from the canal.

Soon after Burton we stopped for lunch on the boat at the busy village of Willington where there are good moorings. After a quick trip to the local Coop to buy some bread we set off again at 1:30.

We have now left the narrow canal with its 7foot wide locks. The section of the Tent & Mersey from north of Burton to the junction with the River Trent has 14foot locks able to take two boats side by side. The first one is the 12 foot deep Stenson lock. Fortunately another boat arrived soon after we did and so we were able to descend together and share the work of operating the lock.

Densie moored near SwarkestoneSwarkestone Bridge

At 15:45 we moored and then walked to the small village of Swarkestone where we visited the Carew&Harpur Arms, named after the local gentry, for a rather good pint of Ringwood bitter from the New Forest. Swarkestone's main feature is the 18th Century bridge over the Trent which connects to a 13th century causeway to the opposite edge of the flood plain.

The village is also significant as it was the most southerly point reached by the armies of Bonny Prince Charlie in 1745. He ordered the retreat from here back to Scotland as the supply lines were getting stretched and he mistakenly believed there was a large Hanoverian army blocking the route to London. The canal was built only 30 years later.

Out for a couple of weeks

2010-09-21T17:46:00.002+01:00

We are on the move again! After 2 months at home we were feeling the call of the canals.

On Monday we packed the clothes for two weeks and food for a couple of days and drove to the marina. By 13:30 we were unpacked and ready to cruise. 2 hours travelling took us to Fradley Junction where we moored on the Trent & Mersey just north of the junction with the Coventry Canal. On the way we were delighted to have several good views of a kingfisher flying up and down the canal.

After mooring we went straight round to the renowned Swan Inn which overlooks the junction for a pint watching the boats go by. Then back to the boat for dinner.

This morning after a late breakfast we set off at 10 and moored at the attractive but strangely named village of Alrewas, (pronounced ol-rue-us). As it was a bit early for lunch we visited the village shops. I can recommend the butcher, Coates, who sells a wide range of very good quality meats (this time he had veal, duck and venison available), home made pies and cheese. We bought some lamb kebabs and feta cheese which will form the basis of a sort of Greek style meal on Thursday, and some farmhouse Derby, a cheese that can be very difficult to find, particularly in Derbyshire.

After a leisurely lunch we moved off again at 13:30 to travel the 4 miles to Branston Water Park where good moorings are to be found alongside the lakes created by gravel extraction, but now a nature reserve. This section of the canal was surprisingly busy and we had to queue to pass through each of the 3 locks. The countryside is quite pleasant but for 2 of the 4 miles the canal is alongside the very busy and noisy A38 which somewhat spoils the effect.

We reached the waterpark at 16:30 and after a short walk to the very uninteresting village (well really a suburb of Burton on Trent) of Branston we returned to the boat for dinner and perhaps a small glass of wine.

Densie goes home

2010-07-22T20:22:00.004+01:00

We returned to our home moorings at 3pm after a 6 hour trip from Fazeley along the Coventry and Trent & Mersey canals. We have made this journey several times before so it was very much a matter of getting there as fast as possible with little concern for the sights along the way.

Everyday this week the forecast has been for heavy rain. Virtually none has materialised, until today. The last 1.5 hours of the trip were completed in pouring rain with thunder and lightning. We have full wet weather gear on board so we did keep mostly dry, but it's not much fun.

So the Summer 2010 Expedition is over. Some statistics - 307 miles, 278 locks, 4 boater operated lift/swing bridges, 169 hours travelling over a period of 60 days.

No more blogs until our next trip - possibly a short one in September. You could try the Subscribe To facility at the bottom of the page to be informed when the blog starts again - never used it myself so cant promise anything.

Into the countryside

2010-07-21T17:15:00.003+01:00

Tame Valley Canal passes beneath Spaghetti Junction

A long but not particularly interesting journey today. We wanted to make sure we got out of the Birmingham built-up area without needing to stop. Also we are near the end of our Summer travels and so are keen to get back home.

We left Cuckoo Wharf early at 8:30 and set off through the ongoing dreary surroundings of outer Birmingham. Although the first 15 minutes or so was rather more interesting as the canal passes very close to Spaghetti Junction. The Tame Valley Canal which joins the Birmingham & Fazeley near Cuckoo Wharf actually passes directly beneath it - I took some photos last night during a brief walk down the Tame Valley.

A couple of miles took us to Minsworth where there are 3 locks. This area has a bad reputation for vandalism - the local little darlings often raise the paddles on the locks draining some sections of the canal and flooding others. A week or so ago the floods they caused breached the canal and blocked the A38 with silt. BW now have permanent staff on site.

Bizarre castellated footbridge at Drayton Bassett

Beyond Minsworth things improved as we passed through the outer fringes of Birmingham and into open countryside - not particularly scenic but certainly better than the areas of semi-derelict workshops and crumbling factories we had been through earlier. The Curdworth locks are worth mentioning as they are clearly loved by someone. The metalwork is freshly painted, the paddle gears are clean and well oiled, and small areas of bedding plants are thriving.

We finally moored near Fazeley where the B&F joins the Coventry Canal at 4pm tired after 11.5 miles and 14 locks, with only a 20 minute break for lunch

Leaving Birmingham

2010-07-20T15:03:00.003+01:00

Yesterday we stayed in Birmingham, so no blog. In the morning we visited the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The main purpose was to see the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition which was showing some of the massive collection of gold Anglo Saxon objects found recently near Lichfield. The intricacy of the designs was very impressive - magnifying glasses were needed to see the details, technology of course not available to AngloSaxons.

The museum also has a fairly large collection of paintings, some by well known artists - Constable, Turner, Canaletto, Degas, Renoir, Millais etc etc and an interesting exhibition of Buddhist and Hindu objects dating back 1500 years.

The area around the museum is the cultural centre of Birmingham, mainly consisting of impressive modern buildings such as Symphony Hall, the home of the CBSO (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra). Here we saw advertised a series of CBSO concerts of the symphonies of my favourite composer, Mahler; for two of which we have booked seats.

The canals form a key part of this area and the old buildings have been sympathetically restored and complemented by some attractive new constructions. There are extensive safe moorings here so central Birmingham is an ideal place for boaters to spend a few days.

This morning we needed to move on but were apprehensive about forecasts of heavy downpours. The weather actually didnt look too bad so I started the engine and heard strange noises followed by a warning whistle. A quick inspection quickly identified the cause - a broken fanbelt. Fortunately I carry replacements but unfortunately I didnt have the right spanners to loosen the alternators so called in the local boatyard, Sherborne Wharf. The engineer came round to the boat within 30 minutes and quickly replaced the fanbelt.

So at 10:00 we really started down the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal - 23 locks and 3 miles to get to the next secure moorings at Cuckoo Wharf. If you have been following the blog you will have got the impression that the canals are all glorious scenery and abundant vegetation and wildlife. Well, the B&F through north Birmingham is not like that at all.

Descending Farmers Bridge Locks

One of the locks are beneath an office block

Leaving the centre of the city is interesting as the canal descends the 13 Farmers Bridge locks surrounded by and in some cases beneath tall ofice buildings and blocks of flats. The Farmer who perhaps farmed here when the canal was built over 200 years ago has long gone, and it is worth noting that all the buildings one sees are newer than the canal.

Further out of the centre is a continuous swathe of rather tatty run down light industry. I must admit I failed to find any redeeming features to encourage visitors to this part of the waterways.

In the centre of Birmingham

2010-07-18T14:55:00.003+01:00

Yesterday there was no blog because we didnt do anything. We had left our moorings once the rain stopped at 11:00, but it restarted after we had cruised about 100 yards. So we gave up for the day, staying in Merryhill, but now in the Waterside area surrounded by bars and shops (mostly closed) and offices (mostly empty).

This apparent lack of success is similar to other canalside developments we have seen over the past few years eg Coventry and Leeds Clarence Wharf where the Great British Public obviously doesn't come to shop and enjoy themselves in what seem to be well designed and attractive surroundings - a great pity.

Today we needed to get some miles done so we set off at 8:40, now on the Dudley No. 1 Canal which started at Delph locks. The canal water is brown, unlike on the Stourbridge canal, but the scenery is still surprisingly attractive and interesting. The Dudley No.1 Canal ends just after the only lock on our journey today, near Dudley Tunnel.

This tunnel, dating from the earliest days of the canals in the Birmingham area, is closed to combustion-engined boats because of the lack of ventilation. So at this point we move onto the Dudley No.2 canal which takes us after a couple of miles to Netherton Tunnel, at 3027 yards the second longest on the canal system available to normal boats.

Leaving Netherton Tunnel

Because of congestion at Dudley Tunnel, Netherton tunnel was constructed in the 1850s to provide an alternative route through the hills between Birmingham and the Black Country. Technology and mechanisation had much improved since the earlier canal tunnels were built and the perfectly straight Netherton Tunnel was constructed with tow paths on each side and with gas lighting (no longer in use!).

4 generations of transport - the M5 crosses the Birmingham-Manchester railway which crosses Brindley's Birmingham Canal which crosses Telford's Main Line.

Once through Netherton we turn onto Telford's Birmingham New Main Line, built in the 1830's to replace Brindley's winding canal of the 1770's. The Main Line is typical Telford, straight with cuttings removing the need for any locks. Along its length there are a number of attractive iron bridges dating from the canal's construction. As with the other Birmingham canals we have travelled on this journey there are trees and wildflowers, dog walkers, joggers and anglers, and only occasional sights of the densely populated and industrialised areas that surround it.

The Main Line passes through Smethwick - Spon Lane bridge

It is on the Main Line where we see our first sight today of other moving boats. We had travelled the 9 miles and 3.5 hours from Merryhill to the Main Line without seeing any.

The Main Line ends at a junction of four canals near another and rather more successful canalside development, Brindley Place, only a few minutes walk from the city centre. Here we moored opposite the National Indoor Arena by the side of the Sealife Centre after a non stop journey of over 5 hours.

A 6 hour journey to Merryhill

2010-07-16T16:24:00.004+01:00

Merryhill is a big shopping complex in the south of Birmingham which is where we are now moored. Not because I like big shopping complexes (though Denise does!), but rather because there are very good secure moorings here.

We had a relatively early breakfast as we knew the 24 locks and 5 miles of travel planned for the day would take some time. However our first job was to buy a new propane cylinder from the Navigation Trust chandlery. We use propane for cooking, a £25 cylinder lasting about 2-3 months.

We then set off back up the Stourbridge Arm to Wordsley Junction with the Stourbridge Canal where the flight of 16 closely spaced locks of the Stourbridge flight started almost immediately. These took us about 3.5 hours to complete with me steering and Denise doing all the hard work of filling the locks and opening and closing the gates. Normally we try to share the load, but the wind was very strong and Denise preferred to leave the task of controlling the boat to me.

Alongside the locks at various points are historic buildings, most notably a very large conical bottle oven known as the Glass Cone. Stourbridge was a major centre for glass making, this providing one of the reasons for the construction of the canal.

Halfway up the flight we met a hireboat coming down. The driver decided to pull into the side to let us pass and one of his crew, a woman of perhaps 60, jumped off the bow with a rope to help hold the boat steady. She then pushed the bow away from the side and fell into the canal. Excitement all round, especially as at one point the driver seemed to be moving the boat forward towards the splashing woman as he couldn't see what was happening. Anyway with the assistance of other crew members and Denise she managed to get back on shore, soaked but otherwise unharmed.

A rural scene ......

In the middle of Birmingham

After the top of the locks we passed along a very attractive stretch of canal, remarkably so for its location in the middle of industrial Birmingham. The circle on the map shows where the picture was taken.

It is worth mentioning in passing that the whole of the Stourbridge Canal is remarkably clear, just like a river. The bottom of the canal is clearly visible and you can often see fish in the water. I dont know the reason for the clarity as most other canals are very muddy with silt thrown up by the props of the boats.

We could not afford the time to stop for lunch so we heated and ate cornish pasties on the move. By early afternoon we had reached the next flight of 8 locks at Delph, near Dudley.

Densie at the start of the Delph flight

View from the top of the Delph flight

These locks really were a magnificent engineering achievement for their time - around 1790. They are also visually striking as they climb 85 feet straight up the side of a hill providing superb views over the south of Birmingham and beyond. Alongside the locks the bywashes which pass overflow water from one pound to the one below have been constructed as a series of cascading waterfalls.

Soon after finishing the Delph flight just as the rain was about to fall we arrived at the extensive Merryhill moorings where the canal is cut into the side of a hill overlooking the shops. These moorings are covered by CCTV cameras and are regarded as safe for overnight use.

In summary - a really interesting 6 hour journey, in my view one of the best of our holiday so far. The Stourbridge Canal isn't one of the best known waterways but I would recommend it to any boater.

We visit Stourbridge

2010-07-15T17:00:00.003+01:00

Densie at Stourbridge Wharf

One of the joys of canaling is mooring in unlikely places, places to where you would not think of driving, and discovering somewhere worth visiting. One such example must be Stourbridge, apparently just one of many industrial towns absorbed into the Birmingham conurbation.

That's where we went today. After a late rise we set off from Kinver, stopped to fill up with water and carried on to Stourton Junction where the Stourbridge canal joins the Staffs & Worcestershire. It provides a link into central Birmingham, and this is the route we chose.

Four locks took us up to the attractive main pound which ends at the Stourbridge flight of 16 locks. These locks are for tomorrow. Today we turned right at Wordesley Junction at the bottom of the locks onto the 1 mile long Stourbridge Arm which ends close to the centre of the town.

Here we were lucky to find moorings in a locked (as in key and lock) wharf owned by the Stourbridge Navigation Trust. This is a very boaty area with a canal chandlers next door, restored old canalside buildings, lots of moored boats and a dry dock where President, the historic steam boat we saw two years ago on the Great Ouse, was having its hull reblacked.

First job for us after lunch was another visit to the doctors. My leg, which had borne the full brunt of the attack by the bollard, was painful and appeared to have become infected. A phone call to a local GP provided us with the location of the nearest drop-in centre where I was seen by a very helpful and friendly nurse/practitioner. Yes, the leg was infected, a week's dose of antibiotic was prescribed and a tetanus booster administered. No, I shouldn't drink any alcohol whilst taking the antibiotic - that really was painful!

Back by bus to Stourbridge town centre as we only had provisions for one meal in the fridge. It is a really good shoppping centre - lots of small useful shops, only a few national chains. Best of all there is a 19Gales pie and veg shop. We know the one in Atherstone on the Coventry canal and are great fans of their produce. Nearly as good, there is also a Waitrose. A bit expensive perhaps for ordinary shopping but worthwhile for high quality more unusual items that are often not available in Tesco/Morrisons/Sainsburys.

Back in Kinver

2010-07-14T17:24:00.003+01:00

A room carved into the rock at Debdale Lock - purpose unknown

Cookley Tunnel goes under the village

More rain forecast today so we started moving fairly early to get as far as we could before the weather deteriorated. This turned out to be Kinver after 2.5 hours where we had stopped at the start of June. After lunch and a bit of shopping we logged on to look at the forecast. It didnt seem too good so we decided to stay for the night. As it happened the weather stayed OK, but never mind we have enough time before we are due back home.

Still in Wolverley - Mike meets the NHS

2010-07-13T16:28:00.003+01:00

Mike working on the blog

We are still in Wolverley. In the morning we had a look round the village - very attractive with some interesting buildings. A row of old houses near the church had been partly carved directly from the local sandstone hill. Opposite there was a doorway cut into the hill side cliff. Further down the street there was an imposing grey stone building that was once been a courthouse and more recently the local school.

We also found the doctors' surgery. A week ago I had fallen heavily after a canal side bollard (one of the nasty new wooden ones) leapt up out of nowhere and tripped me up. My left thumb had been sore and stiff since then. Thinking it was a long time for no improvement to a bruise I fixed up a visitor's appointment (my local address: The Lock, Wolverley!) to see the doctor. An hour later I got in to see her and she said I should go round to the hospital within a day, or two at the outside, to get an X-ray as there could be a broken bone which could set incorrectly. It couldn't wait til I got home.

Here we have one of the difficulties of life afloat - how does one get to specialist medical attention if moored in a small village in an area one doesnt know with one's sole means of transport limited to 3mph? Remember also we would not want to leave our expensive boat unattended for more than a day or so. Anyway, with advice from the surgery reception we concluded the only place with Xray facilities I could get to reasonably easily was the Minor Injuries Unit in Kidderminster, fortunately only 10 minutes taxi away.

After a boring 1.5 hour wait to see someone I was efficiently assessed by a nurse/practitioner who doubted that there was any break but sent me round for an Xray just in case. This was completed in 10 minutes and fortunately showed that she was correct. Best guess - a bruised or damaged tendon which would take a few weeks to heal. In conclusion I must say the NHS worked very well for me.

By the time I left the MIU it was raining again. The Met Office website is indicating a choice between light and heavy rain showers for the rest of the week. So it isnt clear whether we will move tomorrow and if we do how far we will get.

Delays due to rain - up the Staffs & Worcester to Wolverley

2010-07-12T16:59:00.003+01:00

Yesterday there was no blog as we decided to have a quiet day staying in Stourport. We were both tired from the journey on Saturday and also we may have been affected by the heat. I finished my end of July Open University assignment and Denise made things out of beads.

Waiting at Falling Sands Lock

Caldwell Lock

We awoke this morning to rain. Cant really complain as its the first we have seen for some time. It finally stopped at 11am so we set off north up the Staffs & Worcester canal. When we arrived at the first lock there were 5 boats ahead of us waiting to go through. It seems everybody whad been waiting for the rain to stop. It took us about an hour to get through.

We stopped at Tesco in Kidderminster as it is next to the canal (as is Sainsburys) at 13:40 much later than we had planned, hungry because we hadn't had chance for a lunch and unable to do anything about it because we were out of supplies. An hour's monster shop sorted that out so we are OK for the next 4-5 days.

After a quick Tesco sandwich we moved on to moor at Wolverley which the guidebook recommends as an interesting village. We will have a look round in the morning.

Up the Severn back to Stourport

2010-07-10T17:40:00.002+01:00

After filling up with water again we left Worcester going down the Diglis locks onto the Severn with a hireboat. We travelled together up the Severn to Stourport, tieing the boats together in the 3 large manned locks on the river. As there are no visitor moorings on the stretch of the river we eat lunch whilst on the move. On reaching Stourport after some 5 hours travelling we ascended the 2 staircase locks into Stourport Basin where we have moored for the night.

The weather was hot and sticky and I must admit the day was a little boring. We had done the journey in the reverse direction 5 weeks ago and there is little to see really as the high river banks prevent any views over the wider countryside. One kingfisher was spotted as was a common tern, but little else.

I did take some pictures of Telford's fine Holt Fleet Bridge still in use for A-road traffic after 180 years, but the camera memory card was corrupted and the pictures lost.

Back to Worcester

2010-07-09T14:33:00.003+01:00

Travelling through Worcester - the Victorian railway bridge crosses the canal near the entrance to Lowesmoor basin where we moored a month ago.

A 2 hour journey this morning dealt with the 7 locks and 3 miles to Worcester where we moored at 11am. Unlike the last time we were here the moorings are completely empty. I guess this may be due to many of the hireboats returning to their base for the weekend.

We will spend the rest of the day here doing a bit of shopping before travelling back up the Severn tomorrow.

Another quiet day

2010-07-08T16:32:00.007+01:00

The meal at The Firs was good as was the Hook Norton beer. It seemed a popular place despite being out in the countryside some way from main roads, so apart from the canal they are unlikely to get passing trade. The moorings near the pub are excellent so this makes Dunhampstead a recommended place for boaters to stop.

Passing another boat on the Worcester & Birmingham

Beauty and the Beast - the canal passes beneath the M5

This morning started with rain so we didnt move until 9:40, a late start for us. The canal continues to be well isolated from the outside world (except for passing beneath the M5) and is slow to traverse being shallow and frequently too narrow to let two boats pass easily because of extensive reed beds along the margins. Nevertheless it is attractive because of the wide variety of wildflowers, the local rural scenery and distant views as far as the Malverns.

After 3.5 miles and 7 locks we were feeling hungry and tired so we stopped for the day at 12:30 near a lock just beyond the outskirts of Worcester.

Still on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal - Into new territory

2010-07-07T15:37:00.004+01:00

After the exertions of yesterday, today was quieter - 6 miles and only 12 locks. First stop this morning after leaving the excellent Queens Head Inn (the moorings, not the pub) and dropping down 6 more locks was a visit to the local Black Prince Hireboat boatyard for a pump-out, which Densie requires every 12 days or so. After that was done a mile or so took us to a canal side water point to fill up the domestic water tank. So we are now set up for a few more weeks - diesel tank full, water tank full, "black" water tank empty, engine serviced.

Start of the restored Droitwich Canal

After another 6 locks ,a couple of miles and a stop for lunch we reached Hanbury Wharf where we passed the junction with the Droitwich Canal. This 13 mile canal passing through Droitwich to join the Severn above Worcester was abandoned in 1939, but has recently been restored . We were hoping to travel down it on this visit, but delays arising from the credit crunch have delayed its re-opening for a few months (hopefully).

Beyond Hanbury Whark we are on a stretch of canal we have never seen before. In our early days of hire-boating some 30 years ago, we reached a few miles north of Worcester from the Severn, and 4 years ago we had picked Densie up from the New Boat Co at Hanbury Wharf and travelled home north. So the 6 miles or so between is new.

We have moored at Dunhampstead, 2 miles further on, where the pump-out guy at Black Prince told us was a pub, The Firs, which served every good food - "a seafood salad to die for". Our grocery supplies are low so we have succumbed to temptation.

Tardebigge Flight and some musings

2010-07-06T15:23:00.006+01:00

Passing another boat on the Tardebigge flight

Today was the big one. We did the 30 locks in the Tardebigge flight, the longest in the country, in 4 hours this morning - more than 7 locks/hour which is really hard work. Despite its length the Tardebigge is easier than many flights in that all the locks operate smoothly and are closely and regularly spaced so that Denise could walk to the next lock and prepare it whilst the boat was descending in the current lock. This saved much time as most of the locks required filling before Densie could enter.

The pub at the bottom of the locks

Luckily (or sensibly) there is a pub, the Queens Head Inn, just after the last lock and so we were really ready for a lunch time drink or two, not something we normally do. I can report the local small brewery beer was superb. After the pub and lunch on board we decided to stay put for the rest of the day. There are another 27 locks or so until Worcester but these can wait another til tomorrow.

On the new alternator front (see yesterday), our domestic batteries which power the fridge, lighting, radio, water pump and toilet were fully charged in 2/3 the time it took previously. This could mean a saving of an hour a day running the engine. The reduction in noise, vibration and hassle certainly justifies the cost of the replacement.

Most people have never heard of Tardebigge, a small Worcestershire village not far from Birmingham. This applies to many other locations, for example Braunston, Stoke Bruerne and Napton which are renowned in the world of the canals but virtually unknown beyond. Conversely much of the "real world" is unavailable to boaters. Being on the canals for an extended period is almost like going through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia. The places, the rules of behaviour, and the important things in life are all different.

Densie has a service

2010-07-05T16:51:00.004+01:00

Narrowboat (not Densie) being lifted out of water.....

and deposited on quayside for hull inspection

We were in Alvechurch for our 250 hour engine service though to tell the truth it's now nearer 275 hours. We had planned to get the service done at Wootton Wawen but the boatyard cancelled the day before we were due to arrive.

As we are out on the boat for long periods servicing needs some planning. We normally try to tie in passing an Isuzu dealer at the time the service is needed. It didnt work out this time but fortunately Alvechurch has a large hireboat centre that also services boat engines, so problem resolved.

Servicing is little more than an oil change, but it is something I prefer to let the professionals do - the extra cost isn't much in the overall scheme of things.

Also we needed to get a proper alternator. Those who read the blog last year may remember we had major electrical failures which resulted in a broken alternator being replaced with one that wasnt really suitable for our engine but it was the only one the boatyard had available. This has been bugging me for the past year as I am convinced that it is taking much longer to recharge our batteries. The Alvechurch boatyard were able to replace the alternator with a proper Isuzu-approved one.

Once all the work had been done we filled up with 150 litres of diesel, enough to keep us going for a month or two.

We have moored 3 miles, 2 small tunnels, and a deep lock further down the canal to rest in preparation for tomorrow's major task. Which is the subject of tomorrow's blog.

PS the new alternator appears to be working wonderfully!

Heading back to Worcester

2010-07-04T15:43:00.003+01:00

The short Brandwood tunnel on the Stratford Canal near Kings Norton

Passing through Kings Norton guillotine stop lock (now permanently open)

Our journey now takes us via King's Norton Junction in Birmingham down the Worcester & Birmingham canal to Worcester, which we left about 4 weeks ago.

Back to yesterday - in the evening we visited the Blue Bell Cider House, conveniently about 100 yards from our mooring. A couple of glasses of cider was enjoyed (each). This is the real stuff - slightly cloudy and flat but very tasty.

This morning we set off at 9am, carrying on up the Stratford Canal. The weather was cooler with a strong blustery wind, not quite as pleasant as previous days.

The first point of interest was the Shirley Draw bridge, an electrically-powered boater-operated bridge that carries a fairly busy road over the canal. We successfully held up 3-4 cars as we raised the bridge and passed by.

The Shirley bridge marks the start of Birmingham, but from the boat you would never know it. The Stratford canal carries on through wooded cuttings for much of the journey to finish at Kings Norton, well inside the urban area. Here we turned south down the Worcester & Birmingham canal, and after passing through the 2700 yard Wast Hill Tunnel, one of the longest on the system, we moored at 15:30 just outside Alvechurch, a total journey of nearly 13 miles.

No more locks - for the time being

2010-07-03T16:37:00.003+01:00

Looking back down the Lapworth flight

We finished the Lapworth locks this morning and after a stop for shopping and lunch we have moored near the Blue Bell Cider House for the night - a journey of 4 miles and 13 locks. These are the last locks for a couple of days, then we tackle the 35 or so on the Tardbigge flight.

Apart from the locks the travelling is quiet and slow as the Stratford Canal is fairly shallow and meandering. It is pleasant in a gentle sort of way. The weather helps as it is warm but not too hot, again pleasant in a gentle sort of way.

As readers may have gathered, life on board focusses on the basics. Things like getting provisions and water and dumping rubbish and, er, used water. It is the first of these which has been exercising our minds today. Basically there are minimal facilities for shopping along the whole of the Stratford canal after leaving Stratford itself. So planning meals well in advance is a necessity as is taking opportunities to buy when possible. Today we had three such opportunities.

There was a small and minimally stocked general stores at Lapworth. More useful were the shops at Hockley Heath where we stopped for lunch. Here there is a larger but still small general stores and a butcher with a very good range of produce including duck, partridge, pheasant, wild boar and much else beyond - mainly frozen, but still a welcome find in a small village on the canal.

The final surprise was the bakers and farmshop a couple of miles further on. This really is out in the country, several miles from anywhere of note except for the M42. But their carpark was full as people clearly visit from around the area to buy the home produced breads and pastries, and the veg, cheeses and other delights.

On to Lapworth

2010-07-02T17:15:00.003+01:00

Typical barrel-rooved lock keepers cottage on the Stratford Canal

Fortunately the overnight rain had stopped by the morning although the clouds were grey. We set off up the Stratford Canal at 9:15, the weather improved, and after 3 miles and 17 locks and a quick stop for lunch we moored at Lapworth at 15:00 not far from the junction with the Grand Union Canal which connects London and Birmingham. Soon after we stopped a hire boat arrived with a group of Norwegians who we had met last night. They were stopping to watch a World Cup match.

After mooring our first task was a visit t0 the nearby pub, The Boot at Lapworth, where the Andy Murray match was being shown on a large TV. Not too interesting to me, though Denise was keen, but the beer was very good. After enough beer was consumed we couldn't really justify staying on at the pub so Andy Murray had to continue without us. Back to the boat again for a shower and dinner.

Wootton Wawen and Beyond

2010-07-01T16:24:00.005+01:00

Crossing Edstone Aqueduct

After leaving Wilmcote at 8:45 we travelled the 3.5 miles and 1 lock to Wootton Wawen. On the way was the impressive Edstone Aqueduct at 600 feet, over half the length of the much more famous Pontcysyllte Aqeduct over the Dee on the Llangollen Canal. It is unusual in that the towpath is at the same level as the bottom of the water trough and so walkers have a good view of the boat hull.

Wootton Wawen Church - the bottom 2/3 of the tower is Saxon

We were stopping at Wootton Wawen to visit two sights. First on the list was the local church, the only one in Warwickshire dating from Saxon times. This was a really fascinating place with almost everything you would look for in an old church.

Apart from the Saxon walls and tower, there were remains of medieval wall paintings, 14th century stained glass, a tomb of a knight in armour dating from the 14th century, a 15th century memorial brass, an old clock, pre-reformation wood carving and chests, some dating to the 13th century, 17th century graffiti and much else. The interest was enhanced by a very informative guide book. A remarkable church for what is now a fairly small village.

After the church we went to the well advertised local farm shop hoping to buy some local delicacies. Unfortunately it was not to be - the farm shop complex mainly consisted of various "craft" shops. The food shop was mainly jams and herby oils, though there were home made cakes and pastries so we did leave with a few scones.

After lunch at Wootton Wawen we cruised on for a few miles and 6 locks and are now moored in the middle of nowhere, which luckily does have a good broadband wireless link.

Return to the canals

2010-06-30T17:55:00.003+01:00

Stratford Canal Basin

During yesterday we moved the boat off the river into Stratford canal basin. as we wanted to get an early start today on the 16 locks to our planned stop.

Last night was a chance for another meal out. The choice this time was the Coconut Lagoon , a South Indian restaurant with a good rating on the internet (www.qype.co.uk is reliable in our experience). Again qype proved accurate, very good food and a different menu to the standard Indian. Also as qype said it was a little expensive, but I guess Stratford being a tourist centre, that is to be expected.

Densie entering a lock

A narrow bridge - will we get through?

We left the basin at 8am this morning and quickly started on the locks on the Stratford Canal. As a couple of boats had got out before us we were expecting to be stuck in a queue at each lock, especially as this is a narrow canal, only with locks only wide enough for one boat. Fortunately this did not prove to be a problem, and the steady stream of boats coming down the locks hoping to moor in the basin for this weekend's Water Festival ensured that most locks were empty when we needed to enter.

After a hot morning, feeling a bit tired after the unaccustomed exercise, we moored at 12:30 at Wilmcote, a village some 3-4 miles from Stratford. And this is where we stayed for the rest of the day.

Mary Arden's House

In the afternoon we walked into the village and looked around the Tudor "Mary Arden's House" (Mary Arden being William Shakespeare's mum) and the adjoining tudor farm where a good range of old farming tools, other rural bygones and old farm animal breeds were on display. Well worth a visit. I did notice there was no specific mention of the inconvenient problem that according to our guidebook Mary Arden actually lived next door.

Stratford on Avon

2010-06-28T16:21:00.004+01:00

Leaving the last lock on the Avon

Holy Trinity Church where Shakespear is buried

We started the morning with a 15min walk into Bidford. An attractive place with a butcher, bread shop etc. Having bought a piece of sirloin for this evening's dinner we returned to the boat and set off ever onwards at 9:40.

Today's journey was the longest for some weeks - we were travelling for about 5.5 hours with lunch being eaten on the move. Again the weather, scenery and locks were much the same as on previous days and by the time we reached Stratford we were really ready to stop. We moored on the river rather than taking the lock up into the canal basin as we thought it would be quieter. The plan is to stay here until Wednesday morning when we will start up the Stratford Canal which will take us towards Birmingham.

After mooring we went for a walk into the town centre. Very busy, lots of tourists and hot, the heat being ameliorated by an icecream. We will need to buy provisions for the next 3 or 4 days as there aren't many shops near the canal, but that can wait until tomorrow.

Bidford on Avon

2010-06-27T16:23:00.003+01:00

A dragonfly landed on the boat last night

A similar cruise to yesterday. Weather very hot and the river very tranquil with dragon flies flitting, a few birds and little sign of habitation or other people except for the anglers who were out in force today. We often wave or give a "hello" to anglers we pass. On the canals they are friendly but we got little response from the Avon ones.

Evesham Lock

We left Evesham at 9am and passed through Evesham lock with its unusual lock keeper's cottage. This took us to the Upper Avon which was formerly managed by a separate Trust, but the two have now merged. The river is noticably narrower and more shallow. The larger cruisers common on the lower Avon cannot travel this far and so there was little traffic even with today being a Sunday.

Bidford on Avon - only the rightmost arch is passable

We arrived at Bidford on Avon at 3pm having had an hours stop for lunch but unfortunately all the moorings were taken so we had to carry on. Half a mile further we were able to find a pleasant spot to moor out in the countryside near a lock.

Bidford bridge is of note as it was built in 1482. Unlike the Severn, the Avon could be bridged in medieval times and so many of the bridges are very old. Eckington Bridge, where we moored a few days ago, dates from the 16th Century. The bridges were of course not designed for modern boat traffic and so do limit the size of craft that can use the river.

Evesham

2010-06-26T17:00:00.005+01:00

Steaam Launch

Hampton Ferry

Another day of very good boating weather. We left Craycombe at 9:30 and continued on our journey up the Avon. A pleasant but uneventful cruise enlivened by a group of about 16 small steam-powered launches which were taking part in the annual club trip.

Also of interest was Hampton Ferry which is operated by a ferryman pulling his boat across the river using a rope strung across between the banks. He lowers the rope on request by any boats wishing to travel up or down the river.

We stopped for a free loo pump out and to take on fresh drinking water and continued into Evesham where we have moored opposite the town park.

After lunch on board, we walked into the town centre for a bit of shopping and I must admit we were disappointed. It was dominated by national chains and there were few small specialist shops. The only food shops were the Coop and Iceland, a greengrocer or two and one butcher. Furthermore, there are few old buildings, much of the town centre being modern. Evesham unfortunately is very different to Tewkesbury and Pershore.

Further up the Avon - Craycombe Turn

2010-06-25T17:11:00.004+01:00

First job in the morning was a bit of shopping. The high point was provided by the trip to the butcher in Pershore market for some home-pressed tongue and a piece of home-made game pie for lunch.

The diamond-shaped Wyre Lock

Typical Avon view

We left Pershore at 10am with the weather becoming sunny and very warm and the top of the boat getting too hot to touch. The scenery improved up a notch from the "attractive" level to the "delightful" as we slowly cruised up the highly meandering river. At one point we found we were pointing back to Bredon Hill, well south of Pershore!

The improvement to the scenery was matched by an increase in the variety of birds. In one short section I noted cormorant, buzzard, kestrel, little egret, mistle thrush, song thrush and great crested grebe as well as the standard swan, moorhen, mallard, pigeon etc which one sees everywhere.

The top green plaque shows the 2007 flood level

Wherever we go in this area we see reminders of the great flood in 2007. The picture shows the height the water reached above Fladbury Lock - note this is perhaps 5-6 feet above the normal upstream water level, and thus over 12 feet above the downstream level.

At lunchtime we finished our travelling (6 miles and 2 locks) for today at Craycombe Turn, a well maintained mooring out in the countryside. I spent the afternoon with a siesta followed by some work on my OU Maths course to prepare my next assignment while Denise did some beading and cleaned the boat.

Pershore

2010-06-24T16:18:00.004+01:00

Left Eckington Bridge at 9:30 and continued northwards in a gentle way arriving in Pershore at 12:30 after 6.5 miles and 2 locks. The scenery continues to be attractive but without any specific sight being worth a photograph.

Tug pushing empty barge

Unusually there was a bit of commercial traffic, a large pile of earth was being moved by barge along the river. Two tugs were being used to pull the loaded barges to Pershore and return the empties to near Nafford Lock, a distance of about 4-5 miles.

The other sight of great interest to us as birdwatchers was a very clear view of a cuckoo on a power line - my first. Naturally everybody in the UK must have heard them, but they are much more rarely seen.

Pershore Abbey - the nave formerly continued to the left

We have spent the afternoon looking around Pershore, an attractive small town with an indoor market. Its main claim to fame is the impressive Abbey church consisting of the Quire and Norman tower of the former monastery church, the large nave having been demolished centuries ago. We were lucky to get a guided tour taking us to the top of the tower with much of interest including the bells, a mechanical carillion (like a musical box) that plays tunes on the bells, 17th century graffiti, and a superb view from the top.

Eckington Bridge

2010-06-23T15:32:00.005+01:00

One of many alleys in Tewkesbury

Spending a day in Tewkesbury was well worthwhile. After dropping 2 weeks washing off at the laundrette we went on to the Abbey, a spectacular historical church that seems much too large for a fairly small town. It had been the centre of an important monastery which was sold to the town's people on Dissolution. The nave is Norman and contains several 15th century tombs of notables. The tomb that particularly struck me was an unnamed one topped by a realistic carving of a long dead cadaver with various worms, beetles and other creatures crawling over it. According to the description this was a fashion of the time.

The next stop was the John Moores (a countryside writer who died in 1970s) museum which incorporated a timber frame shop which had been returned to the condition of the tudor period - again, well worth a visit. The town itself is attractive with many original timber frame buildings, little alley ways, and a good selection of small shops, though it suffers from heavy traffic passing through the centre.

Eckington Bridge with Bredon Hill beyond

This morning we refilled with water, bought some fresh provisions, and started our way north up the Avon. After a couple of hours along this lovely river we have moored at Eckington Bridge where we have decided to stay for the night. The journey was pleasant, the Avon being a river for dawdling rather than a motorway like the Severn. Along much the route the river was overlooked by Bredon Hill described by Houseman in a Shropshire Lad.

On the Avon - Tewkesbury

2010-06-21T15:50:00.003+01:00

Densie (front boat) moored at Haw Bridge on the Severn

We agreed to share the lock with a fellow boater - Upper Lode Lock on the Severn

We left Haw Bridge at 9:40 with perfect boating weather - blue skies, warm, no wind - and continued up the Severn. There was no need for speed so we pootled at about 3mph at little more than tick-over until we reached the long wide Upper Lode Lock near Tewkesbury. We were soon followed into the lock by one of the large holiday cruise boats, the Edward Elgar, who pulled up alongside,dwarfing our little home.

In the big locks as the incoming water swirls around we keep the boat secure by passing bow and stern ropes around cables attached to the lock sides and holding on firmly. I was praying that the crew on the Edward Elgar were doing the same as there was only a few feet between us. The EEs captain came and looked over the side and had a little chat before the lock filled.

Soon after leaving the lock we turned off the Severn onto the Avon which will takes us up to Stratford. The Avon is run by the Avon Navigation Trust, a charity which was responsible in the 1950s and 60s for restoring what had become a semi-derelict navigation. They make a £55 charge for two weeks use of their waterway.

The manned Avon lock took us up into Tewkesbury where we will moor for a couple of days. So no blog tomorrow.

Return to the Severn

2010-06-20T15:42:00.004+01:00

Llanthony Bridge is raised to let Densie into Gloucester Docks

Gloucester Docks with view of Cathedral

Travelling up the Severn - Sandhurst Hill

Our main activity yesterday was to visit Gloucester cathedral. We found it far more interesting than we expected. I would say there is more to see than at Worcester and that Gloucester is comparable to some of the better known cathedrals.

Particular points of note are the solid Norman columns in the nave, the magnificent 14th century east window with much original glass which when created was the largest window in the world, the tombs of Robert son of the Conqueror and Edward II and some interesting tombs from the early 17th Century.

Today we left our mooring at Llanthony Bridge at 12:00, watered up, passed through the bridge and the Gloucester dock lock back onto the Severn where we noticed that the river is noticeably lower than last week. The weather up the Severn was sunny and warm with little wind and the journey very pleasant. Our happiness was further improved by seeing 3 kingfishers en route.

We were planning to carry on to Tewkesbury, but decided to stop early (3pm) at Haws Bridge again, where we had moored on the way down.

Back in Gloucester

2010-06-18T15:52:00.004+01:00

Densie will fit under Sims Bridge so no need to interrupt the traffic

Last night's meal at the Bell, Frampton was very good. It started badly as we were informed when we arrived that no food orders would be taken for the following 3/4 hour as a large party had just arrived. Fortunately a small half of good beer and the embargo ceasing after 15 minutes calmed my annoyance and the quality of the food satisfied us both.

First job today for Denise was a bit of touching up the paintwork. This is of course a continuous task as the boat is frequently scratched by rubbing against the side in locks and whilst mooring. The areas fixed this morning were a stretch of roof guttering which had started to rust and a section of the gunwhale (the walkway round the outside of the boat) which had got trapped under the edge of the floating pontoon whilst we moored in Gloucester a week ago.

Once the paint had dried sufficiently we set off from Frampton at 10am and reached Gloucester Sainsburys at 12:30. After a chat with a fellow boater we had met in Gloucester previously we shopped for the next few days, including most urgently our lunch for today.

We have moored for the night just before Llanthony Bridge and will stay here tomorrow as we plan to visit the cathedral, so next blog on Sunday.

The Hulks and Frampton on Severn

2010-06-17T16:08:00.003+01:00

A Purton Hulk

Another day of perfect weather. We awoke late and decided to walk to the local Purton hulks before setting sail (or starting the engine). These are the rusty remains of redundant old river boats that were deliberately beached for many years from 1909 until1965 to protect the canal embankment from river erosion. In recent years it has been realised that they represent a unique historical collection and so the site has been given official protection.

View of the Cotswolds

Then we started our return trip to Gloucester. We often find a return trip looks quite different to the outward journey. Today was no exception as the scenery was dominated by the Cotswolds, a view we had missed on the way down.

Old house on Frampton village green

We moored at Frampton on Severn just in time for lunch. In the afternoon we walked around the attractive village at the centre of which is the enormous village green some 0.5 miles long and perhaps 75 yards wide containg a cricket pitch and three "natural" ponds full of fish and surrounded by rushes and flag iris. Facing the green there is a pub at each end and an attractive mixture of period houses along the sides.

It's time we had a meal out, and have decided on the Bell Inn in Frampton which had an interesting menu and as we discovered on our walk serves very good small-brewery beer.

The end of the canal - Sharpness

2010-06-16T15:44:00.003+01:00

Densie moored at Sharpness

View from the mooring across the Severn

We travelled the remaining 4 miles of the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal to Sharpness this morning, well as far as one can go without entering the commercial port. It was a wonderful trip, the weather was perfect with blue skies and the scenery superb with good views over the Severn. There was even some bird watching as a common tern ahead of us dived into the water and flew out with a small fish in its beak.

On this stretch of the canal there are some interesting sights - the Purton "timber ponds" where logs were stored afloat prior to onward shipment and the few remains of a railway bridge across the Severn. Unfortunately a vessel collided with the bridge in 1959, badly damaging it. The bridge was subsequently demolished and the metalwork sold.

After refilling our water tank we turned round and moored in an attractive spot overlooking the Severn. As it was not yet lunchtime we decided to try to walk to the commercial port of Sharpness. The route took us via the old tidal basin, now a marina and alongside the Severn. The tide was just about to turn and the swirling waters made very obvious the dangers of the river. The people on the boat moored next to us last night were talking about their plans to take their narrowboat from Sharpness across the river to Lydney later in the week. From what we saw this morning, I dont think we will join them!

The path continued through a meadow down to an isolated row of houses facing onto various dusty dock based works, which was as close to the harbour we could get. Glancing at the sky we saw a bird, obviously a raptor, being mobbed by gulls. We had brought our binoculars and were able to confirm the bird as a peregrine falcon, the first time I have seen one other than at well publicised nesting sites (usually cathedrals).

Our original plan was to start on our way back to Gloucester his afternoon, but the weather was so good and the cider that had accompanied our lunch was affecting our motivation so we decided to stay. It was a good opportunity for Denise to do some boat maintenance. Densie has wooden doors exposed to the sun and rain. Unless they are regularly varnished, water seeps in and turns the light brown wood an unpleasant dull grey. We also tried to clean some green algae off our blue boat cover, with some success.

Slimbridge

2010-06-15T15:38:00.002+01:00

Weather when we woke up was rather grey and cold, so we didnt want to move immediately. I did a bit of maintenance work on the boat - the bolts attaching the propellor shaft to the gearbox tend to work loose because of engine vibration so I checked and tightened them, nothing much required fortunately.

The weather improved quickly so we set off at 9:30 carrying on southwards. After 1.5 hours we stopped at Patch Bridge on the outskirts of the delightfully named village of Shepherd's Patch which also marks the the closest the canal comes to Slimbridge Wildfowl Reserve entrance.

The journey had been very enjoyable, the sunny weather complemented by the views over the Severn Estuary and hills beyond to the west and the Cotswolds to the east. The width and depth of the canal makes it feel like a river, but it does not suffer the river's disadvantage of high banks interfering with the views.

After mooring we made a packed lunch and walked the 3/4 mile to the Wildfowl Reserve where we visited the hides and did a bit of bird watching (we were not interested in the captive collection). Although there are comparatively few water birds around in the summer as most migrate to the Arctic we had a pleasant walk around, perhaps the highlight being the half mile path to the edge of the Severn with great views up and down the river and the opposite coast.

Gloucester & Sharpness Canal

2010-06-14T16:05:00.003+01:00

We had a pleasant weekend in Gloucester. On Sunday we shopped in the morning and visited the waterways museum in the afternoon. Then the rain fell. Fortunately it stopped in time for us to go out for a chinese meal. Another place we can recommend - the Gourmet Oriental. It was very good tasty food and the restaurant itself was attractive although its surroundings are perhaps less so. For some reason there are very few restaurants in central Gloucester so we were lucky to find this one.

Today, we left our moorings at 9:15, travelled under the lift bridge at the south end of the docks, and stopped to pump out the loo and fill the deomestic water tank. Next stop was a large Sainsburys on the edge of town conveniently located next to the canal. The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal has virtually no shops along its entire 16 miles length and so we needed provisions for 5 days.

On the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal

After lunch we moved off again down the G&S canal. It is very different to most other UK canals being built in 1827 towards the end of the canal era as a ship canal designed to allow ocean going merchant vessels to reach Gloucester avoiding the dangerous lower reaches of the Severn. When it was built in was the widest and deepest canal in the world.

The G&S from Gloucester Docks has only one lock, that to lower ships down to the Bristol Channel at Sharpness from where they could sail to Bristol and beyond. We wont be doing that one - though narrowboats can make the journey to Bristol provided they are accompanied by a qualified pilot (and have nerves of steel).

The green light allows us to proceed while Parkend Bridge opens

Typical G&S bridge keepers cottage - the portico and Doric columns are original

What the canal lacks in locks it makes up for with swing and lift bridges. There are about 16 in total, each operated by a bridge keeper as they are not suitable for boater operation. This must a considerable expense in manpower especially as all commercial traffic on the canal has ceased.

We have now moored at Saul Junction where the currently closed Thames & Severn canal branched off to Lechlade and the Thames.

Gloucester

2010-06-12T14:47:00.004+01:00

Densie at Haw Bridge. The pub is on the left.

Last night we had a good meal at the friendly and well run Haw Bridge Inn. The food was fairly typical good pub fare and was very well cooked and the beer was delicious. I would recommend this place to other boaters - non boaters may have difficulty finding it.

One sight in the pub which did catch my eye was the marker showing the maximum height of the 2007 floods. This was about 3 foot high in the main bar - the pub must be 15-20 foot above water level. Photographs in the bar showed the columns supporting the mooring pontoon were covered, and the water was nearly up to the top of the stone bridge supports. An aerial picture of the pub shows it and the adjacent pub being little more than islands surrounded by water that stetched as far as the photograph covered.

Densie moored in Gloucester

At breakfast this morning the weather was looking grey and a bit threatening but it quickly cleared. We left Haw Bridge at 9:30 and arrived in Gloucester Docks 2 hours later having travelled 8 miles and 1 lock. The journey was again much the same as on previous days with pleasantly wooded riversides which hid most of the countryside beyond.

We were delighted to see our first kingfishers this year - those on the rivers must have been much better off during the winter than those on the canals which froze to a depth of several inches.

Gloucester was formerly a major port and the docks were built in the early 1800s. The two basins are surrounded by historic warehouses of that period which have now been converted into offices, bars and flats. Nowadays there is virtually no commercial traffic. the only boats one sees are narrowboats and the larger boats used for pleasure trips.

We plan to stay in Gloucester for a couple of days, so the next blog entry will probably be on Monday.

Another day on the Severn

2010-06-11T15:11:00.006+01:00

Upton Pepperpot - remains of medieval church demolished in 1930's

3 Upton Pubs - one on left, two on right

We left Upton at 10:00 after a quick shop, mainly for dinner for this evening in case our planned pub meal didnt work out.

Under the M50

The weather is much improved with light cloud and some sight of the sun. We travelled under the M50, past the junction with the Avon near Tewkesbury, and moored at Haws Bridge at 12:30 where we had lunch. The journey was much the same as yesterday, the tree lined river was attractive but little else could be seen because of the high river banks.

The main reason for mooring at Haws Bridge is that British Waterways have provided some public moorings on floating pontoons. Finding anywhere to moor on the Severn is difficult, the shallow and often rocky riverside precludes any mooring except at official sites, these are often fully occupied

The second reason for staying at Haws Bridge is that there is nothing here except for 2 pubs. Hopefully one of these will provide our meal for the night, though I noticed the one calling itself a "countyside restaurant" did have a sign up saying "kitchen closed".

Moving again!

2010-06-10T14:58:00.004+01:00

Meeting the Conway Castle on the Severn

After watering up at Worcester we left Diglis Basin and dropped down through the two Diglis locks back to the Severn. After a week in Worcester we were really glad to be moving again. The weather was grey but dry, so not too bad.

The journey was uneventful. Just the one lock on the river on the outskirts of Worcester and then a long cruise through the countryside. For a while there were good views of the Malvern Hills and then a section where there were 100 foot high red cliffs on the west side. We met what seemed like a rather large trip boat, the Conway Castle. As is customary, the passengers all waved at us and we waved back.

Overall it was a very pleasant but there was not a lot to see really.

We have moored at Upton on Severn, a delightful little town with an astonishing number of pubs (7 at least) mostly clustered around the river side. The moorings were fully occupied when we arrived and we had visions of another 6 mile cruise on to Tewkesbury, but fortunately the owners of "Luck Dip", another narrowboat of a similar size to ours, kindly agreed to let us moor along side them.

Allowing other boats to mooring alongside , known as "breasting up", is regarded as good practice when space is limited.

Still in Worcester

2010-06-09T15:05:00.003+01:00

The Maid of Fibre boat - newly decorated.
(Sorry about the "Toilets Only" sign.)

In the marina last night we say a brightly coloured boat leaving the paint shed. On talking to the owner we found out that they supply shops in the Midlands area with yarns for knitting and crochet. Their plan is to travel the canals encouraging local knitters to visit the boat and examine the company's products. More details can be found on their www.maid0ffibre.com website.

This morning I checked the area on densie where we found the rusty water yesterday. Seemed dry, but noticed a lot of condensation on the sides - perhaps that has been the problem all along, condensation being generated without any way for it to drain away. Doesnt matter much now as we wont be using the 240V input for a while.

With the forecast not looking too good we decided to leave the marina and moor for free on the canal. This done we went for a walk around the city, visiting the cathedral and a few shops.

As it turned out the weather has been reasonable most of the day, so we could have moved on. However, we can do that tomorrow, back on the Severn towards Gloucester. We had checked the status of the river - despite all the rain it is only at the bottom of amber, just above green, so no real concerns there.

Rain stopped play

2010-06-08T17:30:00.002+01:00

We are still in Worcester. Denise returned on Monday from her weekend travel to a surprise 50th birthday do in Hampshire. We had planned to leave the marina today but the rain was pouring down so we decided to stay put. The new plan is to leave tomorrow, but the forecast isn't much better.

We had some "interesting" technical problems. Technical problems are often like that on narrowboats with everything being a bit of a compromise as nothing is really designed purely for canal conditions .

The first problem was the shower pump. We need a pump to remove water from our shower tray because it is a foot or two below canal level and so cant drain by gravity. On Saturday I was about to have a desperately needed shower, turned on the pump and nothing happened. First thought was a fuse which proved to be dead, so I replaced it, turned on the pump, and was rewarded by a bright blue flash and another dead fuse.

After discussion and advice from the marina engineers I was able to take the pump to pieces and found that the rotor which normally spins rapidly transferring water from the inlet to the outlet had broken. An arm had come off and was jamming the mechanism. Fortunately this is a well known problem and a replacement rotor was obtained from the marina. After everything was put together again it all worked - hooray, I am now clean.

The next problem is electrical. These are always a pain and are quite common - modern boat electrics are getting complex as they involve both 12V and 240V technology. Densie's electrical system was designed by a Polish electrical engineer and apparently was implemented to their military standards. Also of course electricity and water dont mix well.

The symptom was that during the heavy rain over the weekend the 240V supply repeatedly cut out for a second or two, during the few dry periods everything worked fine. Immediate thought was that this was a problem with the marina supply. However subsequent investigation led us to find an inch of rusty water in the bottom of the apparently sealed area where the external 240V supply is brought into the boat. Not good - rusty water and 240V certainly dont mix.

So, with the help of the marina engineers we are trying to discover where the water, presumably rain, is coming from. They have put some sealing around an inspection hatch - fortunately it is raining again and so we will find out if this fixes the problem.

Down the Severn to Worcester

2010-06-03T18:26:00.006+01:00

Telford's 150 foot cast iron Holt Fleet Road Bridge (1828)

Started at 8:20 with perfect weather - sun, blue skies, only a little wind. Down one lock to the main Stourport basin and then two sets of staircase locks to takes us onto the Severn.

River boating is very different to the canals. The locks are much larger - taking two narrowboats with ease, and are manned so no work needed. The depth and width of the river means that we could put really work the engine as we reached a speed of 5.8 mph (as measured by my satnav). OK you may not think that is fast, but it feels fast enough on a narrowboat with the water splashing and the engine roaring.

Entering Worcester

12 miles and 3 locks later we reached Worcester, the cathedral looking very impressive from the river. After stopping for lunch we went up the locks out of the Severn into Diglis Basin on the Birmingham & Worcester Canal. Not as large as Stourport, but still good to see.

We have now moored in Lowesmoor Basin near the centre of Worcester where we have booked a 5 day mooring as Denise is catching a train tomorrow to spend the weekend with friends. Mains electricity is available so there will be no need to run the engine except perhaps for hot water.

As we wont be moving for a few days, the next blog entry will be on Tuesday.

Stourport

2010-06-02T16:48:00.005+01:00

Stourport main basin

A Georgian corner

The weather was much improved this morning so we started early on the 4 miles and 3 locks trip to Stourport. Once we left the light industry of Kidderminster we were back into typical Staffs & Worcestershire scenery with the woods, River Stour and red sandstone cliffs.

We moored up in Stourport just after 11 and after a quick shop in Lidl (their fruit & nut muesli is very good and much cheaper than elsewhere) and lunch went for a wander round the town.

Stourport did not exist prior to the building of the canal. Brindley built 4 impressive canal basins here and locks down to the Severn so that goods from the new industries starting up in Birmingham and the Black Country could be transhipped for distribution around the country and abroad. The town was built around these facilities and because of the history has a large number of attractive and interesting Georgian buildings.

Although we enjoyed the canal basins and the Severn riverside, we were disappointed by the town centre. Where we had hoped for interesting restaurants, antique shops, deli's etc we actually found a good range of charity shops, several cheaper household goods shops, a coop supermarket, and at least five butchers. I do feel the town could make more of its assets.

Train to Bridgnorth

2010-06-01T20:25:00.006+01:00

Bridgnorth 17thC Town Hall

Arrival at Kidderminster

The morning gave us rain again - as forecast so it didn't upset our plans. First job was a quick visit to Sainsburys, 2 minutes walk down the towpath, to stock up for the next few days. After that we separately went into Kidderminster town centre for a bit of shopping.

After lunch we could have moved on to Stourport but we decided to leave the boat at Sainsburys and to take the hour train ride on the Severn Valley Railway from its main terminus at Kidderminster up the Severn to the attractive old town of Bridgnorth.

The Severn Valley Railway was set up as an enthusiasts line running steam trains, but is now clearly highly professional. We left on time at 2:20 behind a 2-6-2 tank engine and arrived an hour later at Bridgnorth. There is much to see on the journey, amongst the sights is the bridge over the Severn which at 200 foot was the longest single span in the world when it was built in the 1860s. We could have returned after half an hour but decided to spend a while exploring Bridgnorth.

Its a really interesting town with many old buildings, one half at the top of a hill close to the castle and the other by a bridge over the Severn. We walked down to the lower town from the railway station and then took the cliff railway up the cliff to the upper town where we spent a good hour looking at the shops, buying some rare cheeses from a deli and having a coffee.

Unfortunately the Bridgnorth station buffet (bar) was closed when we returned to catch the train back, but we recuperated once we reached Kidderminster where the station bar there is in the Good Beer Guide.

Once back on the boat we cooked our evening meal. Of course I do this most evenings, but I mention the meal to recommend the wine we had with it - Vavasour, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It was absolutely delicious, one of the best white wines I have tasted for a long time.

Morning in Kinver and then to Kidderminster

2010-05-31T16:14:00.007+01:00

Densie moored at Kinver

We had decided to spend the morning in Kinver to see the sights. First task was to climb Kinver Edge, a high ridge a mile outside the village. Although most of the walk up was through woodland the top of the ridge is mainly grass. There are glorious 360 degree views stretching to Wolverhampton, Wenlock Edge, The Cotswolds and much in between. It's astonishing to think we were only 15 miles from the centre of Birmingham.

Kinver Rock Houses

On the way down we stopped to see the National Trust restored rock houses. These had been cut into the sandstone cliff in the 1600's and were occupied until the 1960s. Unfortunately the houses themselves were only open Thursday-Sunday so we werent able to see inside.

Then back to the village centre for a coffee and chocolate cake before returning to the boat for lunch, although the chocolate cake had rather dulled our appetite.

Cookley Tunnel

After eating we set off for Kidderminster. This part of the canal can bear comparison with the best on the network. The scenery is superb as the canal winds down the steep sided Stour valley twisting and turning to minimise the amount of rock removal required. Tall trees along the left hand side of the canal overhang the water, and occasional views of the small River Stour are seen through the wildflower covered edges on the right hand tow path side.

Blind corner south of Wolverley

At one point we passed through a lock next to a very crowded pub garden, and fortunately were able to provide a good example to the many onlookers of how locks should be worked, although Denise's efforts at raising the paddles were somewhat hampered by the large icecream in her left hand.

We arrived in Kidderminster at 15:30 and have moored close to the centre alongside a very large Sainsburys which we will visit tomorrow. The weather forecast is not too good for the morning so we will probably wait til after lunch or even the day after before carrying on to Stourport.

Stourton Junction and Kinver

2010-05-30T16:00:00.006+01:00

Typical S&W view

The morning started grey but the weather cleared soon after we cast off at 8:30. As the weather improved, so did the scenery. The countyside is noticeably more hilly, the canal following a small stream at the bottom of a deep wooded valley. From time to time the canal passes red standstone rock faces where the builders have had to cut into the hillside.

Stourton Junction looking north - Stourbridge Canal joins on right

Green Alkanet

After a number of locks, we moored for lunch at Stourton Junction, an attractive place where the Stourbridge canal from Birmingham joins the Staffs & Worcestershire. Here, as at many other places along this canal we have seen many wildflowers. Attempts to photograph a selection unfortunately failed except for the rather nice Alkanet.

Dunsley Tunnel

Beyond the junction and another lock we passed through Dunsley Tunnel, all of 75 feet long ( slightly longer than the boat!). Here there is a further view of the sandstone. It must be remembered that the canal was completed in the 1770's when removal of rock meant gunpowder and picks and shovels.

We have moored at Kinver, a pretty village nestling in the wooded hills with a number of interesting sights. As we have time to spare we plan to spend the morning walking up to Kinver Edge, a 500 foot ridge overlooking the village, and exploring the sights - more information tomorrow.

Delayed by Rain

2010-05-29T17:40:00.005+01:00

Waiting for Awbridge lock to fill

Passing from the top to middle locks at Bratch

View of Bratch middle lock showing the hexagonal lock keepers office (and Denise's head)

After a very good meal and beers at the Mermaid, Wightwick, part of the Vintage Inns chain, we awoke late to hear the rain pattering on the roof. Looking blearily through the window - yes it was heavy rain. Boating in the rain is not fun, so as we have at least a day in hand to meet our appointment in Worcester on Thursday (more on this in a later posting) we stayed at our mooring until after lunch when the rain stopped.

We were then able to get a good 3 hour cruise in before the rain started again. During this time we travelled the 5.5 miles to Swindon (no not that one, another one) dropping down through 8 locks. We have been going downhill since we passed through the summit pound around Autherley/Aldersley junctions yesterday. Overall in this section of the S&W canal there are 31 locks that drop 294 feet to the Severn at Stourport.

The scenery continues to be a pleasure and the locks interesting. Particular so are those at Bratch where 3 locks are each separated by pounds of about the width of the foot bridges. Clearly there is not enough water in such a space to fill a lock - this little problem is solved by having large side-pounds which are connected to the main canal by underground culverts. There is a permanent lock keeper on duty during the summer as the arrangement can be very confusing to both novice and not so novice boaters.

Deepest rural Wolverhampton

2010-05-28T16:50:00.006+01:00

A narrow part of the canal - single track with passing places

Below Wightwick Mill Lock - 2.5 miles from the centre of Wolverhampton

One of the many joys of travelling the canals is the journey into major cities. Often the scenary is remarkably attractive with minimal instrusion from the noise and hustle of the outside world. Todays journey was a perfect example of this as we travelled through the suburbs of Wolverhampton.

Unfortunately Orange seems to have been affected - the best connection I have been able to get this evening is a painfully slow zero-bar GPRS link. Usually, even in the depths of the countryside, we are able to get a 3G connection. Despite today's problem I must admit it's not bad for £5/month.

Back to the journey. We started at 9am. An hour or so later we were delighted to see a familiar boat moored by the towpath - Greenfinch owned by permanent live-aboarders Barry & Tracy who we met a year ago at Wigan on the Leeds & Liverpool canal. After a happy hour over a cup of tea chatting about our adventures during the past year we waved goodbye and set off again.

The canal went through a very narrow single boat-width section with only a couple of passing places. Of course we met a couple of narrowboats going in the opposite direction, it really was a very tight squeeze to get by. It seems that Brindley decided to minimise his costs on this section as it required expensive cutting through hard rock.

Soon after we moored for lunch and a quarter mile walk to the local Morrisons. The logistics of ensuring we always have sufficient groceries can be difficult as we have no transport and must carry all our purchases back to the boat so we take the opportunity to shop at supermarkets close to the canal whenever possible.

After stocking up we moved off again past the major canal junctions at Autherley and Aldersley and have moored in the outskirts of Wightwick, a suburb of Wolverhampton. There is an attractive pub nearby where we plan to eat this evening - my first chance not to cook!

Out into the countryside

2010-05-27T15:19:00.005+01:00

Densie on the Staffs & Worcestershire

Gailey Wharf with circular toll-keeper's watch tower

Anyone who believes we live on a crowded island should take a trip along the staffs & worcestershire. After leaving Penkridge at 9am we have travelled through empty farmland along the delightful tree-lined canal. Apart from a section where the canal runs close to the M6 we have seen no road traffic and little sign of habitation other than a few farmhouses.

The S&W, being one of the earliest canals, is a perfect example of a contour canal winding in extravagent curves to minimise the need for cuttings, tunnels or aqueducts. At one point it nearly doubles back on itself. The bends prevent any speeding (ie more than 3mph) which together with the oaks, alders, willows, hawthron laden with blossom and many wild flowers along the bank makes for a very relaxing journey.

As a contrast perhaps I should also mention the large chemical works at Calf Heath, an interesting (to a chemical engineer) rather than scenic spot alongside the canal.

We are seeing quite a few swans, some on nests though with very few cygnets yet, mallards often shepherding groups of up to 10 fluffy balls of duckling and moorhens, again with chicks. What we usually see every few days and have yet to see at all this year are Kingfishers. I understand that they have been very badly hit by the very cold winter.

Penkridge

2010-05-26T17:46:00.004+01:00

Tixall Wide

Firstly correct some duff info from yesterday. Alert readers will of course will have noticed that we were previously at Tixall Wide in April this year, rather than last. Boating has that effect - things go by in a blur. Also, my guide book says that Tixall Wide was probably created by the canal company to provide the local landowner living at Tixall House with a good view. Tixall House no longer exists, but from the Wide one can see a magnificent gatehouse, the size of a 3 storey mansion, so the house must have been very grand indeed.

This morning we finished off a spot of painting where the boat gutter had begun to rust and when this had dried we set off south down the Staffs and Worcestershire Canal. Progress was rather slow as the canal is shallow in places, narrow and far from straight. The canal is a fairly early one opened in 1772. It was engineered by the great James Brindley as part of his grand plan to link the Mersey, Trent, the Severn, and the Thames.

After stopping for lunch at Acton Trussell we visited Midland Chandlers just outside Penkridge, where we were able to buy a replacement aerial for the one that was broken in Rugeley. At the cost of a mere £5 we are now back fully operational.

A further mile took us to Penkridge, a small town built around the canal near the M6 north of Wolverhampton. During the afternoon we walked into the town centre where there is a coop, butchers, bakers, several other shops and a number of pubs, one of which I must admit we did visit.

Tixall Wide

2010-05-25T15:37:00.003+01:00

Moored at Tixall Wide on the Staffs & Worcester Canal just after Great Heywood where we left the Trent & Mersey. We previously moored here in August last year on our way back from our Pennine trip. Despite its familiarity it remains a favourite spot. The canal has been transformed into an attractive reed edged lake. Whether this is due to mining subsidence, pre-existing marshy land, or a "special favour" for the local landowner, I dont know.

Rewind the clock a bit to yesterday. We were annoyed to find late in the afternoon that our radio aerial had ben snapped. It was certainly OK when we moored up in Rugeley a couple of hours earlier, and I had been on the boat all the time and hadnt noticed anything unusual. A mystery really as there was no sign of the aeral having been bent, just a clean snap. I guess it was a bit of random vandalism, though a beat policeman we met later on the towpath said that the area was safe.

We left Rugeley at 9:30 this morning after a leisurely breakfast and pottered slowly up to the locks at Colwich and Great Heywood. The area was rather busier than I had expected for this time in the season. Our journey was somewhat delayed by four or five canoes full of very young children who were being directed by instructors on the bank. We had to wait until they were safely alongside the bank and had disembarked - 15 ton narrowboats and small canoes dont mix well.

Summer holidays start today!

2010-05-24T18:00:00.002+01:00

We are on the move again. This time we will be out for a couple of months during which we plan to cruise down the Severn to Gloucester and beyond, returning via the River Avon to Stratford. After then who knows, depends how much time we have.

Denise has got the packing process well sorted. Clothes for a month and food for 3 days were all packed in a couple of hours first thing this morning. After unpacking and eating lunch at the marina we started up the Trent and Mersey Canal. We are now moored at Rugeley once again.

Nothing much to say about this part of the journey, we have done it many times before. Unusually, Rugeley power station was working with steam blowing out of the cooling towers, but that's not very interesting. The journey was very pleasant however because of the perfect weather - sunny and warm, but not too hot. Being sat in the open at the back of the boat in very hot weather can be uncomfortable, but today there was a cooling breeze.

Nearly Home

2010-04-23T15:40:00.002+01:00

Last night we had a excellent meal at the Turkish restaurant in Stone. Highly recommended to any passing boater. The waiter spent some time asking us about the canals - they dont have anything like the English canals in Turkey. Sadly for him he didnt have anything else to do as we had arrived at 7pm to an empty restaurant and no-one else had come in by the time we left at 9.

Today we have been on the move from 9:30 to 15:00 with half an hour for lunch. A very long day for us. We are now moored at Great Heywood Junction where the Staffs & Worcester Canal which connects to the Severn at Stourport meets the Trent & Mersey.

The cruise was enjoyable with sunshine most of the time. To return again to wildlife we saw a soaring buzzard, which in itself is not unusual as we see them most days, carrying something in its claws. On close binocular inspection this something turned out to be a rabbit with its long ears dangling down. This is a first time I have seen a buzzard with its kill (or possibly some carrion it found).

This is the last entry for this trip. We plan to start our next trip in late May - please check the site nearer the time.

Back to Stone and a new Chimney

2010-04-22T15:16:00.002+01:00

The weather this morning looked beautiful with blues skies and little wind. There had been a frost overnight but we had prudently set our central heating to come on at 6:30 so the boat was fairly warm when we got up.

A bit more about wildlife, this time on the boat. No, I dont mean rats or the ships cat - I am talking about spiders. After getting up we were very pleased to see a web had been made over the sink during the night and there were 4 little spiders each the size of a pin head running around it. We were able to rescue them before doing the washing up.

For some reason spiders are very common on narrowboats, they are the only creatures we normally see actually on the boat. We dont discourage them as hopefully they will remove any flies - this must be working as we rarely see any.

We left the mooring at 9:00 and travelled south through the 4 Meaford locks and the first two of the Stone locks. The Stone Boatbuilding chandlery was open and they were able to supply a new chimney, a 12 foot boat pole to replace the current one which looks like it would snap next time we had to push the boat off a shoal, and a fresh cylinder of propane for the cooker.

We have moored just past the chandlery as we intend to go into Stone tonight for a Turkish meal - we have been told the restaurant is very good.

Beware low bridges

2010-04-21T15:49:00.004+01:00

Densie & Denise in the 12 ft deep Trentham lock

In the evenings after eating we often like to go for a short stroll. Yesterday evening we walked around Westport Lake looking at the birds. Nothing rare of course, but what we did see was a pair of Great Crested Grebe displaying their mating ritual. They floated in the water facing each other. One would bend its neck down, peck its side and then straighten up. Immediately the second bird copied the behaviour exactly. This was repeated several times, and then the male bird dived down and reappeared with a piece of weed which he offered to the female. Sadly she showed little interest and swam off - such is life!

We left the mooring at 8:55 in glorious sunshine, though a rather cold wind. An hour later we stopped outside the Wedgwood/Royal Doulton/Coalport/Waterford Crystal/Minton factory outlet to have a quick look round. Following the collapse of the original Wedgwood company last year all these "brands" are now owned by an investment company. Some of the china and glass is made in the UK but most is imported from all over the world - we saw references to China, Indonesia, Slovakia and Poland, although I believe the designs are still controlled from the UK.

We then travelled on through Stoke stopping for 30 mins for lunch and are now moored near Barlaston outside the Wedgwood factory where production moved from Stoke in the 1930s after the original works was affected by mining subsidence. We were told that the Barlaston site is still working though we cant see any evidence from the boat.

A rather sad chimney

On the way we had a slight mishap. One of the bridges is known for being very low. Unfortunately I didn't remember how low it really was with the result that our chimney was damaged beyond repair. Chimneys like most parts of a narrowboat are readily replaceable so we should be able to buy a new one in the next chandlers we see.

Back to Stoke

2010-04-20T16:03:00.003+01:00

The weather looked much better this morning so we set off at 9:00, turned round and headed back home. We were originally going to travel a bit further up the Macclesfield Canal but the wind was strong and cold. Boating in a strong wind is arguably less fun than boating in the rain as the shape of a narrowboat makes it very sensitive to cross-winds. In extreme circumstances they can blow a 15ton boat from one side of the canal to the other with little the driver can do about it.

Luckily things weren't that bad today. Without too much difficulty we reached our previous overnight mooring point at Red Bull Aqueduct in time for lunch and a quick repeat visit to Tesco.

Dredging on the Macclesfield

On our journey we passed a floating digger dredging the canal. This nowadays is an all too rare sight as funding cuts have reduced canal maintenance to the minimum. The driver instructed us to pass by very close to the digger as the sides of the canal were extremely shallow. He told us that at one point the water was only 1 foot deep. He couldn't dredge that area because he had met puddled clay - the original waterproof liner for the canal channel.

After a quick lunch we passed through the Harecastle tunnel, again being allowed to enter almost immediately after arriving. We have moored a mile south of the tunnel at Westport Park Lake, an area created by mining subsidence which has been landscaped and provided with a Staffordshire Naturalists Trust visitor centre.

The Laziest of Days

2010-04-19T19:48:00.005+01:00

Lying awake last night we could hear the rain falling on the boat roof. Its a bit like camping in the rain - you know from the noise that it's wet and unpleasant outside but you are dry and warm inside. As the weather wasn't that much better in the morning we decided to stay on the Congleton Embankment for the day.

In the morning I lit the stove and we stayed indoors reading, computing and crafting. The weather improved in the afternoon so we alked down the embankment and around the nature reserve at its base. We were lucky to see a dipper, a bird we have only ever seen once before many years ago in Devon.

Densie on the Congleton Embankment

The picture gives some idea of the size of the embankment which stretches right across this attractive valley. Typical Telford design - a canal that travels in a reasonably straight line across the countryside through the hills in cuttings and across the valleys by embankment unlike earlier canals which minimise the large scale engineering by following the contours of the land where possible.

Along the Macclesfield Canal

2010-04-18T15:33:00.005+01:00

Hall Green Lock - 1 foot rise. A stoplock to prevent the two different canal companies stealing each other's water.

A "Snake Bridge" designed to allow the towpath to move from one side of the canal to the other without the need to un-hitch the horses.

As we are taking things unusually easy at the moment we didnt leave our moorings until 10:00. By 11:10 we had reached the moorings near Ramsdell Hall where we had previosuly moored on our way to Manchester last year. At that time we had contemplated walking to the top of Mow Cop, a nearby 1100ft hill but the weather wasnt too good.

Today the weather was pleasant so we decided to make the trek. Only 1.5 miles but a climb of some 650 feet from the canal. From the top allegedly you can see the Welsh Mountains, but today there was a bit of a haze. The best we could manage was a good view of Jodrell Bank, its white dishes contrasting with the green fields around.

View from our mooring on the Congleton Embankment

After returning to the boat for lunch we continued up the canal stopping for the night in the middle of Congleton Embankment where we have a spectacular view of the (unnamed on the OS map) valley from both sides of the boat.

Through Harecastle Tunnel

2010-04-17T15:05:00.003+01:00

Site of Shelton Steel Works

Old Pottery at Middleport

Having completed the Caldon, we could get back home in 4 days, but we dont need to until Sunday next week. So having a few days spare we have decided to continue travelling north and spend 2-3 days on the Macclesfield canal, one we did last year and enjoyed.

We left Etruria at 9:40 after filling our tank with water. The canal passes through the old industrial area to the north of Stoke past the vast cleared area that was Shelton Steel Works and further on past the old potteries with their iconic bottle ovens of Newport, Middleport and Longport.

We then reached Harecastle tunnel, at 3000 yards one of the longest on the whole canal system. This magnificent tunnel was constructed by Thomas Telford in 1827 in only 3 years. It supplemented the original one built by Brindley in 1777 which became a major bottleneck as its absence of a towpath meant that boats had to be propelled through the tunnel by leggers - men who lay on the cabin roof and "walked" along the tunnel side.

Telford's tunnel is straight so that one can see the pinprick of light signifying the north end of the tunnel from the other end which is very useful as it assists the boat driver in steering a straight course. The tunnel has no lighting, the only illumination being the single spotlight on the front of the boat.

The original towpath has been removed to provide more space, but the tunnel is still too narrow to allow two vessels to pass. British Waterways therefore manage the alternate passage of convoys of boats. We were lucky as we only had to wait for the compulsory safety briefing before starting our passage. As can be imagined it could present a problem if a boat broke down a mile into the tunnel in complete darkness, without a well defined procedure.

After passing through the tunnel in 30mins we turned off the Trent & Mersey at Kidsgrove and moored on an embankment at the start of the Macclesfield. This is about half a mile to a Tescos where we have stocked up with groceries for the next 4 days.

Back at Etruria

2010-04-16T15:44:00.007+01:00

Awkward obstruction in canal

Objet d'art by the side of a lock

Denise operating lift bridge

First ducklings of the year

A longish trip today - returning from the Leek Branch through the outskirts of Stoke on Trent to the good moorings at Etruria outside the Industrial Museum. Total distance 10 miles with 9 locks, 3 lift bridges and a journey time of 5.5 hours.

We found that one of the locks has been fitted with ant-vandal locks since we passed through a week ago. We had heard from other boaters that the dear little local kids have taken to openning the lock paddles overnight and draining the canal. We have met the anti vandal locks in other less salubrious parts of the canal system but they are an unwelcome innovation to the Stoke area.

Pumpout & explore the Leek Arm

2010-04-15T16:50:00.005+01:00

On the Leek Branch

Leek Tunnel - Currently Closed

View of the Churnet from our mooring

A busy day to day - 10 miles and 3 locks.

We left Cheddleton at 9:30 in glorious weather and travelled via the 3 Hazelhurst locks, Hazelhurst Junction with the Leek Branch and on to Endon where we turned around and retraced part of our journey.

The reason for this apparently odd behaviour was that our "black water" holding tank is getting full and we needed a pumpout. The pumpout connection is on the side of the boat and so we needed to be facing the correct way to make attachment of the shore pump hose easy. So the boat needed to be turned, and it is too long to turn except at an approved "winding holes", the first one being at Endon.

We then retraced our journey up the canal intending to turn round again back to Stoke. However since we have some spare time and now with no urgent demands (eg shopping or pumpout) to return to civilisation we decided to go up the Leek Branch.

This is a beautiful stretch of canal that wanders along the side of a wooded valley towards the outskirts of Leek. It no longer reaches Leek as the canal line has been obliterated by an industrial estate, and so stops nowhere in particular. However we cant even get that far at the moment because of engineering work following a major leak (with an "a").

After reaching the practical end of the Branch we turned and have moored next to an aqueduct where the Leek Branch goes over the Caldon Canal, directly overlooking the Holly Bush Inn where we moored a few days ago. There are splendid views up and down the Churnet valley and I am hoping for an impressive sunset because of the dust from the Iceland volcano.

Cheddleton & Leek

2010-04-14T17:48:00.003+01:00

Densie near Consall Forge

Apologies for the lack of Blog yesterday - for the first time for ages we were so remote that there was no mobile signal at all. Now we do have some connection but its GPRS rather than 3G and is a little slow.

Anyway yesterday we made the short (2 mile 1 lock in 1.5 hour) jouney back to Consall Forge where the wonderful Black Lion pub is located. We are running short of groceries, there are no shops within any walking distance from the canal, so we decided to eat out. An large hot meat bap at lunch time (with a beer or two) was followed by a walk round the local RSPB nature reserve in the sfternoon and a larger stuff and chips meal (and another beer) in the evening.

Today, another short journey to Cheddleton Flint Mill. This is a 18thC water mill used to grind flint to produce very pure silica for the production of fine porcelain. Before touring the mill we had spent most of the day in the nearby town of Leek, there being a convenient bus stop close to our mooring. It was market day in the town so we were able to buy fresh fish, home made meat pie and veg, which will keep us alive for the next 3 days. Leek is worth a visist - the town is notable for having few national multiple stores and a wide range of small local shops.

The End of the Caldon

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Consall Forge Railway station overhanging the canal (a little narrow here!)

Beauty - typical Caldon scenery

And the Beast - Thomas Bolton's Copper Works at Froghall

This is our 100th post!

We set off from the Holly Bush at 9:30 and continued down the Caldon. The scenary steadily improved as we got further into the Peak District as the Churnet Valley got narrower. The canal started at about halfway up the steep side of the valley and travelling down the valley dropped through 4 locks to meet the river where both waterways shared the same course for about a mile. During much of this journey the canal was remote from any sign of the modern world. There are no roads in the area, the only intrusion being the railway now managed by a preservation society who run steam train trips at weekends.

We stopped for lunch at the end of the river section at Consall Forge. This is a delightful wooded spot with the remains of old lime kilns and a pub, the Black Lion, which is unusual in having no public road access, its customers being mainly boaters,walkers. and steam train travellers.

After leaving Consall Forge we travelled on through the particularly narrow and shallow canal to finish at Froghall where in former times canal boats were loaded with limestone from the quarries in the hills. We were hoping to travel the quarter mile to the end of the canal but unfortunately Densie is slightly too high to pass safely through the short and exceptionally low final tunnel.

As a contrast to the wonderful scenery we have seen in the past two days, Froghall is dominated by a historically important large copper works which now appears fairly derelict. Wkipedia tells me that this is where the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable was manufactured.

Densie goes over the top

2010-04-11T16:26:00.003+01:00

Stocton Brook Top Lock - Highest point on the Caldon

Continuing on the Caldon we have climbed over the watershed between the Trent valley where the streams flow west and the Churnet valley which flows eastward. The summit pound is at a height of 484 feet above sea level. Beyond the summit we dropped through the Hazelhurst locks and moored outside a large popular pub - the Hollybush.

After mooring we spent a pleasant hour or so walking around the Deep Hayes Country Park where Victorian water engineering designed to provide water for the Potteries has been abandoned and the lakes and cascades are returning to nature.

After the walk he had little choice but to check out the Hollybush. The pint of Caledonian Brerwery beer was excellent, but the menu was of the chicken & chips variety so we will be eating on the boat tonight.

Although we are moored well out into the hills I was pleasantly surprised to find that we continued to get a good internet connection. We use an Orange dongle attachment for our laptop that connects into the 3G mobile phone network. The cost of £5 per month for a 1G max download is very reasonable - perhaps the time will come when it is cheaper to use mobile technology for one's home broadband and dispense with fixed lines completely.

Out of Stoke

2010-04-10T16:23:00.004+01:00

Waiting to enter the second lock in the staircase

Two isolated bottle ovens - all the other pottery buildings have been demolished

A first stop after leaving Etruria was near Hanley. This trip on only just over a mile included a staircase lock, where the top gate of one lock forms the bottom gate of the next, a normal lock and a electrically operated lift bridge. These lift bridges are always enjoyable as they enable us to stop the traffic which has to wait whilst the boat passes through.

We walked into the centre of Hanley, which is regarded as the shopping centre for the whole of Stoke on Trent. We found it rather disappointing with one large mall surrounded by a few small streets. After returning to the boat for lunch we continued up the canal passing through the outskirts of, and finally leaving, Stoke on Trent.

The view of Stoke we get from the canal suggests it to be an unlovely place seriously blighted by old run-down industry. However there are signs of regeneration with modern and attractive housing estates replacing the industry. At several places we saw such an estate on one side of the canal directly facing a view of complete dereliction on the other.

Beyond Stoke, travel is slow because the canal is shallow, narrow, and winding. Fortunately there are few other boats on the move and so we had no problems with the sharp bends.

We moored at 15:00 out in the country with views across the Trent valley to the hills beyond.

Stoke on Trent - Etruria

2010-04-09T16:15:00.003+01:00

Densie entering Stoke Top Lock

There being little to see between Stone and Stoke on Trent we decided to cruise the 9 miles and 14 locks in one non-stop run. Leaving Stone at 9:00 we were lucky to find that all the locks out of the town and been set in our favour by a boat coming down. This luck continued up to the final lock at the old industrial site of Etruria in the centre of Stoke where Wedgewood set up his first factory.

We had lunch on the move and arrived at Etruria at 15:00 where we have moored outside the Industrial Museum at the start of the Caldon Canal which will take us into the Peak District.

Into Stone

2010-04-08T15:10:00.006+01:00

Salt Bridge

We moored at Stone at lunch time after a 3.5 hour, 8 mile & 3 lock cruise in cool but beautiful weather. The Trent valley countryside is attractive with fields mainly pasture but with few animals, and a number of old houses visible through the trees. The picture shows Salt Bridge. This unusually ornate bridge was probably built in this style to please a local landowner. Parliamentary approval to build a canal was required in the form of a specific authorising Act. If an affected landowner was dissatisfied with the proposal he could possibly impede its passage.

Our main purpose for stopping at Stone was to visit the local Morrisons. Keeping the larder and fridge full requires some planning on the canals where frequently you only pass near small villages for days at a time. As we have no transport other than the boat, for bulk shopping it is essential to find a supermarket within easy walking distance of moorings.

Stone is an attractive and lively town with a surprisingly varied range of restaurants including Turkish, Mexican, Italian, Thai and Indian as well as several pubs.

Denise has taken the opportunity to get her hair cut - another chore that is sometimes difficult to arrange as we are unable to book in advance, not knowing where we will be when.

This evening we are hoping to visit a (partially) 14th Century pub overlooking the canal, the first time eating/drinking out since we left home on Monday.