A cold and frustrating day

Friday 24^th January

What a change to see blue sky and sunshine!  But it was cold and very windy.  Straight after breakfast Dave was down the engine hole to start work on changing the batteries.  However … the photograph shows the problem.

Disconnected and ready for removal … but how?

No shuffling room, left, right, forward or back.

The straight lines across the top of the first photo are the slightly out of focus edge of the deck and the frame where the engine board sits.  You can easily see that the batteries are tucked right under the stern deck.  That might be manageable if they could be shuffled forward or sideways before being lifted, but of course they have to be secured for BSS certification – and ours sit solidly inside a purpose-built metal tray, meaning they have to be lifted up, at arm’s length, before they can come forward.  And at 31 kg per battery – that’s nearly 5 stone, approximately the weight of our 7-year old grandson – well, discretion is the better part of valour as they say, so Dave reconnected them and came in for a cup of tea.  Yesterday he had been chatting to a boater who had had to go up to Alvechurch marina to get his changed, and they needed to use a winch.

So we tidied up, set the fire ready for our next visit and packed the car.  Bonjour is booked in for blacking in March, so I made sure (I hope) that nothing will slide about or tip over when she is towed up the slipway, and tied the doorknobs to keep the cupboard doors shut.  Then we collected the remaining few bits from the galley and went home.

Cowering before the icy blast

 

More wind and rain

Thursday 23^rd January

The boat this morning was not as cold as I feared it would be, as we had lit the fire early yesterday.  But the windows were cold, so with the curtains open and the kettle on the hob they were soon streaming with condensation.  But we bought a Beldray water vacuum a few weeks ago, and although it couldn’t really manage the frames it worked a treat on the glass, leaving the windows dry.  Much better to tip the water away down the sink rather than have to wring out wet cloths and then try to dry them.  No action photo though.  We had switched the fridge off overnight, and with no drain on the batteries we could run the Eber again this morning.  Unfortunately it has stopped heating the water, so Dave settled down with the manuals and his iPad to do some research while Jess and I went off to Waitrose to do some shopping.

An unwieldy load

As we passed the staircase lock I could see a hi-vis coat by the woods at the bottom of the slope.  It soon became apparent that he was a banksman for a large tracked dredger, but today it had a load of builder’s security fencing panels rather than silt.  I’d seen the churned-up tracks yesterday, and here was the culprit.  I put Jess on the lead and went to talk to him.  They have finished dredging the canal where the Body Brook tends to dump a load of silt after heavy rain, and stacked the spoil, so now they are removing the equipment.

A careful approach

As we know, vehicle access to trouble spots on the canals is often difficult.  Fortunately when the canal was restored, the bridge below the staircase was made big enough for the purpose, and there is good access through the nature reserve area below the M5 which runs close by.

Apparently lifting and manoeuvring the mesh panels is an unpleasant and tricky job, especially when there is difficult access, as it is hard to get them balanced properly.

And over they go

On our way back the heavens opened just as Jess chose to run and investigate the slippy muddy area where the dredgings had been stacked.

You can see just right of centre, in front of the silver birches, that there is still a pile of equipment to be cleared away.

While we were out, Dave had retrieved the batteries from the car and got them on board, and protected from the rain.  The forecast had changed yet again and showers were likely all afternoon so he investigated the Eber pipework instead – the motor part is in the engine hole but most of the pipework is beside the stern steps.  With the panel removed Dave could investigate.

Well, there were no leaks at least.  We have had an issue with hot water at home where the radiator/hot water tank diverter had got stuck, so he located the diverter and fiddled with that a bit and we’ll see what happens.  He had run the engine earlier so we had hot water already - we’ll see what happens next time we run it.

 The rain had cleared away by about 4, leaving insufficient time to do the batteries before dark.  There was an icy wind too, so we stayed snug inside.  The forecast tomorrow is for bright sunshine, low temperatures and a strong wind.

A short visit

Wednesday 22^nd January; Droitwich Spa marina

We are only here for a couple of days, to check that all’s well and to replace the leisure batteries, one of which failed on our last trip of 2024.   The plan was to come up before Christmas, but it wasn’t to be - a combination of wet weather, a family visit, appointments and then the snow and ice … not the weather for travelling or working down an engine-hole, certainly when you still haven’t got around to getting a pram cover made! 

Anyway, when we arrived the batteries were fully charged, the solar having kept them topped up as there was nothing switched on to use the power, so could switch on the Eberspacher to take the chill off the icy-cold boat.  With time getting on and rain likely this afternoon Dave decided to leave the batteries till tomorrow and do a few other little jobs.  Jess and I had a walk down to Vines Park to play with her frisbee. The park has information boards about the history of the town and its association with the salt industry from the Iron Age (300 BC).   See this link for more information.

Does that look salty?

The brine (at 25% it is saltier than the Dead Sea) comes to the surface along the Salwarpe valley.  The Salwarpe is the little river flowing by in the photo.  At lock 7 the Salwarpe joins the navigation for a few hundred yards as far as Barge Lock, where it goes off again and forms the northern boundary of Vines Park, where I stood to take this photo.  The Droitwich Barge canal leads from Barge lock through the Park, behind where I was standing, to the Netherwich Basin moorings at the far end of the park, before making its way down to the Severn at Hawford junction, 5 miles away.  The  canal was opened in 1771 to transport salt, and when the railways came the Droitwich Junction canal was built to connect Droitwich to the Worcester and Birmingham at Hanbury Junction, opening in 1854.

Barge Lock in 1906

In 1916 the last salt barge, a Severn Trow, carried its last load at the Severn end of the canal, though it was carrying two hayricks to Cardiff rather than salt.  The last narrowboat journey was in 1928.  It was taken by the Canal Manager with a load of stolen bricks from Hanbury, but it only got as far as Droitwich where he was arrested.  The canals were officially abandoned in 1939 and then became a handy place for disposal of local sewage.  Lovely.

Barge Lock today, named for the initiator of the restoration effort

All could have been lost but for Max Sinclair of the IWA, who in 1959 started the campaign which resulted in the full restoration of the Droitwich Junction and Barge canals.  There is an excellent potted history here https://waterways.org.uk/waterways/discover-the-waterways/droitwich-canals where I got most of this information.

A poetic interpretation

When I got back, Dave had installed better lighting (more LEDs) above the dinette, which has made reading the paper in the evenings a great deal easier.  With the fire lit, and multiple hot-water bottles to air the bed, we could relax.

 

Round-up of 2024 - Part 2, and stats

August to December

We spent most of the year well north of our usual haunts, basing ourselves first at Swanley Bridge and then moving on to Aston marina after our July cruise.  Our August trip took us through Stoke-on-Trent once more and along the Caldon, which we visited on our first trip aboard Chuffed.  Although our last visit was way back in 2012, we remembered the staircase at Etruria. 

It’s a long way down!  Bottom lock of the Bedford St staircase.

We moored on Hanley Park in the early afternoon for a stroll round the grounds.  It looked very appealing, with wide-open spaces for dogs and children to play in.

All well cared for

Looks nice enough, doesn't it?

Should we stay?  We were uneasy as we knew the area used to have a bit of a reputation, so Dave looked up the crime stats for the park … we moved smartly on to get right out of the built-up area before nightfall.  The next day we met a boater full of horror stories about it.  The August weather was more like autumn – bright warm sunshine for some of the time, but often a cold strong wind made cruising uncomfortable, and then there was the rain – sometimes heavy, sometimes drizzly, but rather a lot of it.

The Victorian waterworks at the bottom of Stockton Brook locks

We often had to keep a good lookout for moorings without overhanging trees - storm Lilian blew through just after we had come up Stockton Brook locks.  At Hazelhurst junction we turned right onto the Leek branch and went up to the terminus on a sunny but still very windy day.  We winded just beyond the tunnel, and reversed further along to moor.  This is one of the Silver Propeller challenges - we have been to a few locations, but aren’t bothered about completing them all.

Leek tunnel – narrow but high

At last the weather was dry enough to take the cratch cover off and clean it, which we haven’t ever done and it was in quite a state.  There was a wide mown towpath, well sheltered by trees and hedges from the strong winds, so it shouldn’t try to take flight.

With all the damp weather over the last few years the algae had well and truly taken hold.

It turned out not to be the best place for the job – the cover really should be laid over a picnic table for ease of scrubbing and for the green water to be able to flow away, and the sun kept drying the dirty water on the fabric before I could rinse it off.  When I refitted the cover, there was dry grass all over the flat surfaces and clumps of wet grass in the zips!  And the cover still needed scrubbing in places, so no point in trying to re-proof just yet.  Fingers crossed the seams wouldn't leak too much before it could be done.

We retraced our steps to the junction and made the sharp turn to go down the Hazelhurst locks towards Froghall.  This part of the Caldon is full of interest.

Cheddleton Flint Mill was open, but the water wheel was under repair

Consall station platform, which overhangs the navigation on the river Churnet

Cherry eye bridge, named for the red eyes of the old ironstone miners who rubbed them with ore-stained hands.

The limekilns at Froghall

As it was a Bank holiday weekend the railway was running steam train excursions.  The evening one on the day we were at Froghall was a murder mystery evening, it looked fun!

‘Major Bixby’ about to join the fun

The big sooty mark on the bridge shows clearly as the crew build up a head of steam

Off in a cloud of steam and smoke

We made our way back down the Caldon and stopped once more at Hazelhurst junction, reversing back up the Leek branch for a quiet mooring.  We spent the afternoon scrubbing more green bits off the cratch, treating rust spots and doing various other jobs before going for a meal at the Hollybush.

All quiet at Hazelhurst Junction

Not much further along the canal we met up with Pip and Mick aboard Oleanna where they were moored at Endon.  Along with a lovely cup of tea I was presented with a cosy pair of socks knitted by Pip for her Sockathon.

Lovely to meet you both!  A shame we didn't get to meet Tilly - she disappeared until we’d safely cleared off again with Jess.

Back we went to the junction at Etruria, and after spending a night at Westport Lake and turning at Harecastle tunnel 

we headed southwards and made our way out of Stoke-on-Trent for the last time this year.

Bonjour emerging from Stoke top lock.  I tied a red ribbon round my windlass to make it more difficult to lose in the grass at locks! 

Finally when we moored up at Barlaston the wind had dropped enough for the reproofing of the cratch cover to happen at last.  I had almost finished when Jess decided to play with another dog on the towpath and they ran right across the cover where it was laid out on the grass.

Paw-prints are just visible on the right, by the studs which hold the cover for the transparent ‘window’.  More on the other side!

It was pretty much the last opportunity to get that done, and also to remove the hopper windows to clean them and the channels before winter – there was a marked lack of quiet dry spells coinciding with suitable towpath moorings for the rest of the year.   

Swallows gathering near Stone

Our last trip took us back ‘home’ to Droitwich Spa marina for our winter mooring.  We had to delay the start of that trip as the weather had been so wet there were floods on the M5.  We hadn’t been cruising long when we passed Harnser for the second time this year at Weston lock.  

  

Salt Bridge, taken from the decorative side

We had really hoped to spend the first night on Tixall Wide, but it was a sunny September Saturday, and too many other boaters had had the same idea, so we winded and moored on the canal closer to Haywood Junction.  We needed to turn round anyway, as we wanted to go south via the Coventry and Birmingham & Fazeley canals rather than the ‘obvious’ route to Birmingham via the Staffs and Worcester and the Wolverhampton 21.  Dave took advantage of the dry weather to tidy up the area between the gunwales and the rubbing strake, while I cleaned the stove flue, getting into rather a mess, but the fire drew beautifully that evening.

The weather forecast was very autumnal, warm sunshine marred by cold winds, and wet weather passing through.  Some days it was cold enough to need lined trousers, hats and gloves.  We were a little time-pressured, so had to travel on days we might have preferred to stay tucked up inside, such as the drizzly dismal day we reached Fradley Junction and turned onto the Coventry.

Wood End lock on the way to Fradley junction.  The boat just mooring up on the lock landing had broken down.

We had a lunch stop at Shadehouse lock, where we had a brief chat with Lisa and David on What a Lark!  But we couldn’t stay longer and on we went in the rain.

Fradley junction swing bridge with its precise instructions.  The little crocheted ornament now adorns the saloon window nearest the stove.

More wet and windy weather followed as we made our way along the leafy Coventry to Fazeley junction, where the sun came out again as we started the climb up the Curdworth flight towards Birmingham.  We made the sharp turn at Salford Junction with Spagetti junction roaring all around.

Salford Junction or Spaghetti Junction?

We had a long day cruising from Star City up the Garrison lock flight and then Ashted locks before tackling the Farmer’s Bridge flight.

A lighter moment on the Garrison flight

HS2 Bridge construction on the Ashted flight

It was a hard day’s locking and we rewarded ourselves with a late lunch from the pizza boat and an Indian takeaway from Banerjee in the evening.

Yeah Jess, us too

With more wet weather forecast we timed our cruising carefully.  This is such a familiar route to us that we know all the good mooring spots, but we were on a fairly tight schedule now and couldn’t avoid cruising in the wet.  At least it was mostly dry for the descent of Tardebigge, and with the help of the volunteers we were down by lunchtime.

So much water on the flight that some locks filled themselves

Most of the showers passed at a distance this morning

But we couldn’t stop for the night below the flight – not only was all the decent mooring occupied, but it was also important that we didn’t get held up by the next day’s emergency stoppage (for paddle repair, I think) at Stoke Prior, so we spent a couple of hours getting down the next five locks and safely past the stoppage to moor at Stoke Works further along the canal.  The rain that had passed us by earlier returned with a vengeance and it was dismal work, but needs must! 

The weather this year seems to have been much more variable than in the past, with more stormy weather, gales and flooding.  Sometimes the weather was perfect for boating, but so often we found ourselves cruising into a strong cold northerly wind, even in high summer.  Any boat maintenance needing dry weather required a careful perusal of the weather forecast before it was started.

Essential repairs before winter – replacing cratch cover studs

As luck would have it, the weather was wonderful as we arrived at Droitwich Spa marina, not a breath of wind and brilliant sunshine.  Perfect cruising weather - if only we hadn’t had appointments coming up and home stuff that needed doing!

Until I started looking through the photos for the end of year report, I hadn’t realised how much evidence we had seen of the lack of timely maintenance that CRT has been able to carry out.  Here are some more examples.

Planet lock top gate, Caldon canal

Bottom gate of Bedford Road staircase locks, Caldon canal

Lime Kiln lock at Stone – there is a notice asking people not to sit on the beam as it is sagging so badly.

Colwich lock, one of the many with an iron frame supporting a lock beam.  A paddle out of action too.

Stats for 2024

We were keen this year to revisit places we hadn’t been to for a long time - the Shroppie as far as Chester, the Llangollen, the Middlewich Branch, the T&M and the Caldon.  No new waters for us this year.  Time pressures prevented longer trips to take in the Weaver, Macclesfield and Peak Forest, so those will have to wait.  The trip we enjoyed the most was probably along the Llangollen, closely followed by all the others!

Totals: 81 nights aboard; 401 miles 4½ furlongs travelled; 389 locks.

Waterways; Droitwich Junction; Worcester &Birmingham; BCN - main line, Wolverhampton level and Engine Arm; short section Staffs and Worcester; Shropshire Union, Llangollen, Middlewich Branch; Trent and Mersey; Caldon; Coventry; BCN - Birmingham and Fazeley with Digbeth branch; short section Grand Union. 

Marinas: Droitwich Spa, Swanley Bridge, Aston.

Narrow canals: 367 miles, 5½ furlongs; narrow locks 367.

Broad canals: 33 miles 7 furlongs; 22 broad locks

Rivers: none this year.

Tunnels: 25 (twice through those with a *) - Dunhampstead*, Tardebigge*, Shortwood*, Wast Hills*, Edgbaston*, Summit, Coseley, Wolverhampton, Cowley, Chirk*, Whitehouse*, Ellesmere*, Harecastle, Leek*, Curzon St, Ashted.  A shade under 8 miles underground, thankfully not all in one go!

Aqueducts (longer ones only); 12 – Engine Arm, Stewart, Tividale, Stretton, Nantwich, Pontcysyllte*, Chirk*, Hazelhurst*, Brindley Bank

Moveable bridges: 21, not counting those left open - Wrenbury*, 7 manual* on the Llangollen, Ivy House* and Norton Green* on the Caldon, both electric, Fradley Junction.

 HAPPY CRUISING IN 2025, AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE