Trespassing

Thursday 27^th March; Droitwich Spa marina to Oddingley

After an easy run up from Devon we arrived at the marina around lunchtime in lovely sunshine.  Before we could leave there was the small matter of the blacking bill to be paid.  We opted to have three coats of bitumen rather than the standard two, and the bow thruster tubes were done as well.   We filled the water tank before leaving, at about 2.30.

The marina swan in her usual place this time of year

The bow thruster is not working at the moment so we were pleased that the wind was slightly in our favour as we manoeuvred out of the marina.  The bow thruster batteries were very low – neither they nor the starter battery get any benefit from the solar panels and need the engine to be run to keep them charged up.  We just hope we won't be needing new ones.

The first lock of the year

There were no volunteers on duty at Hanbury locks today, but the bottom one was in our favour and a hire boat was coming down the second. 

Side ponds before ground paddles on this flight

At the top of the flight an electro-fishing boat was waiting to come down.  They had been after zander before the breeding season kicks in.  They had caught very few, which I hope is a sign that they are beginning to reduce the numbers somewhat.  (Zander are non-native predators which eat all the fry of the native fish, so there is a bigremoval programme.  They are also very good eating).

Zapping gear raised

At Hanbury Junction Dave made the tight turn towards Worcester without benefit of bow thrusters and with no trouble either, and we cruised along in bright sunshine.

The bank collapse at Dunhampstead tunnel meant a new towpath had to be built to cross it

The temperature was dropping just a little as we moored at Oddingley, soon after 4.  It’s a favourite mooring – close to the railway, but the trains tail off during the evening and don’t bother us.  And the level crossing only has lights, I don’t remember it having had a siren, which would be very annoying for the people in the cottage beside it.  After a cup of tea and some cake, Dave took Jess out for a play.  The poor dog only gets comfort stops when we’re travelling to the boat, so she was keen for a walk.  But the frisbee – number one toy – got caught by the wind and went sailing over the hedge – a very wide thorn hedge, behind which was a stock fence with a barbed wire strand above – so we couldn’t climb over and the dog couldn’t wriggle through.  There was no access into that field from the towpath in either direction, but Nicholson’s showed a farm track going under the railway – we could see it from the boat.  It meets the road less than half a mile away.  There is no public footpath, and we have been told many local farmers don’t like walkers, but so what – a cow could potentially eat the frisbee and be harmed, so trespassing would be entirely justified.   Off I strode – having to wait at the level crossing for two trains to pass – till I found the access gate, and climbed over the fence beside it.  I didn't take the dog in case she couldn't get under the fence.  I walked through the plantation till I reached the tunnel under the railway – easy enough …

Not difficult to walk through at this time of year, if a trifle damp in places

Then I walked across the field to find the frisbee. 

Bonjour is behind that thorny hedge

I had noticed another path by the tunnel which I thought might be a short cut – it was, coming out at another gate nearer to the level crossing.

Mistletoe – it means the trees are probably poplar, not apple, hawthorn or lime, the other hosts.

An interesting way to get my steps in!

When I got back, the most pressing issue was to find the wine.  When we left the boat, everything had to be secured before it was towed up the slipway to be blacked.  So anything that could possibly fall over, or out of its rack, was stashed away in cupboards, which were then tied shut.  But where on earth had I put the bottles of wine?  I remembered in the end.

Not all wine

Nothing had fallen over so all I'd had to do was untie the handles, remove the bundled towels stopping things sliding about, put things back in their proper places and finally put the photographs back on the shelf.

3 locks, 3 miles, and a longer than expected walk.