Glad we didn’t need to cruise this morning!

Tuesday 28^th April; Calcutt and home

Oh it was cold and wet this morning!  Dave set off early to collect the car from Droitwich and so I had to give Jess her main morning walk.   I couldn’t put it off for long.  The ex-Kate boat was still tucked up beside us.  It had ‘trade plates’ in the windows – we've not seen that before.

No need for a low loader if this was brought from Stockton Top – two miles and no locks. 

It was back to winter wear for the dog walk for me, lined trousers, thermal top and waterproofs.  Jess didn’t care of course.  We went to the fields adjoining the marina which have been classed as an SSSI, but with access enabled from the marina and mown paths to follow.

The bee swarm was long gone

There’s not a lot to see this time of year although the cowslips are still in full bloom and there was bugle too, and with lots of different-shaped leaves amongst the grass there should be plenty to see later in the year.  Maybe the orchids will be out when we return so we must make time to visit before we set off cruising again.

Bugle (purple) and cowslips

Owl box

It was freezing cold as we walked into the wind on our way back to our mooring and I started to think I would light the fire when we got back!  But after I’d dried the dog off and made some coffee it was ok inside.  Just as well really as the sun came out at lunchtime.  Dave was back by 2 having had a straightforward trip to collect the car.  There was time to pack up and go home this afternoon – I had defrosted the fridge this morning and Dave had done the necessary things in the engine hole yesterday – so we set to.  We don’t much like spending the evening in a marina knowing we still have to pack up and clean through the next morning.  The engineer who would be carrying out our service was busy in the engine hole of the ex-Kate boat so Dave was able to have a good chat with him about the work for ours.

Although it is bit awkward here as you have to moor stern-on, it is ideal for packing the car as you can reverse to within a metre of the stern.

Trip stats

33 miles narrow canals with 64 locks; 20 miles 5¼ furlongs broad canals with 43 locks.  Total 53 miles 5¼ furlongs and 107 locks.

3 lift bridges – Shirley (with key of power) and two (manually raised) above Lapworth locks.

Aqueducts – river Avon and the railway in Leamington

Tunnels – Tardebigge, Shortwood, Wast Hill, Brandwood and Shrewley; a total of 2 miles 5½ furlongs underground (thanks Canalplan). 

Waterways - Worcester and Birmingham, North Stratford, Grand Union.

 

To Calcutt marina, again

Monday 27^th April; Long Itchington to Calcutt marina

With the weather already warming up we were away before 9, hoping to find a boat waiting for a partner for the ascent of the ten Stockton locks.  This was not to be and I had to turn the bottom lock.

Above the bottom lock

The two boats coming towards us should have guaranteed that at least the next lock was empty.  They bore the unwelcome news that they had just left the mooring at the Blue Lias (below the third lock) and had just passed a boat going up at the second lock.

The two historic boats were on their way to Dudley for a gathering at the weekend

After another lock I could see up ahead the glint of sun on windlass – could it be a volunteer?  Well it was, but just one, and he was helping a single-hander down the flight so apart from us being able to leave a top gate open for the single-hander and him leaving us an open bottom gate there was no more help from that quarter.  There was another volunteer, but he was helping another single-hander down and was much further up the flight.  At least we woud meet them later.

Not half-way yet

But the work wasn’t particularly hard.  By the time we got to lock 5 (second from the top) the boat in front of us had long gone and their volunteer had come back to help us.

The bottom gates here leak so badly that you often can’t open the top gates unless both top paddles are kept open

By 11 o’clock we were up.  Does anyone else remember the sign that the cottage on the left used to have outside?  ‘Club Toplockicana’.  Google's AI summary tells me that "Club Tropicana by Wham!  (1983) is a satirical, sunny celebration of hedonistic 1980s "Club 18-30" package holidays”.  We were fully occupied with small children in the early 80s, and that rather passed us by.   Too old by then but not really our thing anyway.

Fun in the sun at the top lock cottages

If you look in the front garden you can see a yellow ladder.  As we cruised away we passed two chaps coming down the towpath with more tools and equipment in a big trolley.  The nearest road access is at Birdingbury Wharf bridge over a quarter of a mile away.  I wonder what that adds to the bill when the residents need work done?

We stopped soon after that for a break between bridges 20 (Gibraltar) and 19, and to have lunch in the sunshine and decide whether to stay put for the afternoon.  We opted to get to the marina as the forecast for tomorrow isn’t too wonderful.

Has someone bought this as a retirement project?  It still has the surveyor’s marks on the hull

I hope they make a go of it, unlike the one below.  In the Sunday paper was a long article about the problem of abandoned GRP boats which have been coming to the end of their lives and are beginning to disintegrate. 

Disposal will cost CRT a lot of money unless they can recover something from the owner.  The solar panel implies that the owner would rather it had stayed afloat.

Unlike on the canals, small boats at sea do not need licenses so unless they are abandoned somewhere controlled by a harbourmaster (and most aren’t) they just disintegrate where they are left, releasing small shards of fibreglass which are finding their way into plants such as seagrass which fish eat, and filter feeders like oysters.  One brilliant and committed person is gradually recovering boats in Cornwall and taking them to landfill – and funding the considerable costs himself.  It’s becoming a huge problem and is a double whammy for the environment with the release of billions of microplastics and shards of glass.  Here is the link to the article.

Happier sights now.  Our first cygnets of the year which must only have just hatched in the last day or so.

More gentle paddling, at the other end of the age range

We were reversing into the visitor moorings at Calcutt by three, tying up to an ex-Kate hireboat which must have been bought by Calcutt Boats to add to their fleet, as some signage had been added.  We walked up to the office to register and to book in for a service and get the stern gland repacked while we are away.

There was a thunderstorm this evening although we didn't have a lot of rain.

10 locks, 4 miles

Staying put

Sunday April 11^th; between bridges 27 and 26a

The sun was hazy and the wind was cold as I walked to the village with Jess for the Sunday paper.  I saw the oddest thing growing by the towpath.

A Broad Bean plant!  It’s just coming into flower so someone may be able to pick beans in a few weeks.

The towpath end of the footpath to the village is very close to the road bridge but hidden behind a structure, I can’t remember what it is now.  I should have taken a photo as we crossed the fields which looked lovely in the hazy sun, and with no sheep around the dog was able to run about after her ball.  The path then crosses a stream and goes through a plantation, coming out in a small residential road.  When I got to the village end of the path it was easy to see why we had missed it yesterday – it looks like a little cul-de-sac of bungalows.  On the corner is one of the lovely timber-framed houses of which there are several in the village. 

£700,000 fixed price and Grade II listed

There are lots of pictures here.  I had a brief look, spotting the word ‘potential’ which suggests there is work to be done on it!  Beautiful though and in a lovely situation.

When I got back we had a lazy morning reading the papers.  After lunch I took advantage of the reasonable connection and got a blog posted – last night the signal kept dropping out.  When Dave got back from taking Jess out he gave me a hand to remove the matting from the well deck.  The pieces tend to come apart if one person does it and then it’s a pig to get put back together.  I swept out the detritus of winter, which included bits of twig from kindling, coal dust, grit and grass from towpaths and a large number of willow catkins.  Our mooring at Droitwich was two boats away from a weeping willow and the bits had winkled their way in through tiny gaps in the cratch cover and had even got inside the boat through the porthole we had left open. I cleared the drain channels with a mooring stake – the one without the D-ring is perfect.

Jess enjoying a bit of stale baguette

We had bought a chicken at Selly Oak so we had a roast this evening.  A lovely day all round.

 

 

 

Warblers at the staircase

Saturday 25^th April; Offchurch to Long Itchington railway bridge

It’s still chilly in the early morning but as we weren’t starting till 10 I gambled it would soon get warm and dispensed with the thermals.

May blossom at our last night’s mooring

We were soon at the first of the three Fosse locks, and although the gates are very heavy the paddle gear is ok and we met a couple of boats on their way down.

One of the Fosse locks, the top one I think

Wood lock and then Welsh Road lock would be next, and between the two a new HS2 viaduct was lifted into place a few weeks ago.

Longhole bridge, what a lovely rural scene.  But what’s that pale strip along the top of the brick parapet?

Longhole viaduct, that’s what.

From the other side it almost looks as though it had been there for years, as the trees hide the scarring of the landscape.

At Welsh Road lock the traffic light associated with the HS2 works is still in place alongside the cottage.  The people there have had years of disruption and noise from the works.  I wonder if they will get even a penny of compensation?

The red light is below the leafless oak tree

We had a bit of luck at Bascote, as the first lock was already empty and a boat was just coming into the next.  With no other boats about that meant the staircase would be ready for us to go straight in, though I would still have to fill the top lock – once for water to move between the two parts of the staircase, and again to raise us to the level of the canal above.

One of the paddles was out at the staircase, but I was only operating one side of the lock so that didn’t affect us.  From a distance it looked as though someone was working the lock.

As I worked us up the staircase I could hear the loud sudden song of a Cetti’s warbler on the offside, though I couldn’t see the bird itself.  I checked with the Merlin app which also identified a whitethroat. We moored in a sunny spot half a mile before the road bridge at Long Itchington for a late lunch.  During the afternoon we got on with some jobs.  We have had a sack of coal sitting in the well deck for several days, and the locker where we keep the fuel for the fire was in a terrible mess, so sorting that out was my job.

I hope it will all fit back again

I put half the coal into the sack we had just finished – half sacks stash neatly in the locker and are rather lighter for refilling the coal scuttle – and rationalised the five bags of kindling and logs into three.  It all fitted back rather nicely and now the piling hooks, chain and mooring pins can lie on top rather than slipping down to lurk under bags of firewood.  

The first part of the railway walk

A bit later we went for a walk along the disused railway and took the first lane which led down to the village.  As you can see it was t-shirt and shorts weather!

Long Itchington in the sunshine

The plan had been to take the footpath near the church which comes out on the towpath at the road bridge but we couldn’t find it!  So we ended up coming back along the main road, which was a bit longer to walk.  But at least we found the birthplace of our boat.

Colecraft HQ

Our knees were complaining and we were looking forward to sitting down with a pint at the Two Boats.  We did sit down but they had run out of bitter … so Guiness and IPA it was.  It was fortunate we hadn’t been wanting to eat there as they had had to stop taking orders and couldn’t even give one hungry chap at the bar an estimate of when he would be able to order.  It soon cooled down again but it was a beautiful evening.

9 locks (including Bascote staircase), 3½ miles

Back out into the country

Friday 24^th April; Cape to Offchurch

The mornings are still very cold in spite of the lovely sunshine.  But there was only a gentle breeze this morning and I got quite warm working Cape locks.  They were very heavy, not ideal when you have only just had breakfast and your knee is sore from all the exertion yesterday.  But there was no more work for a while.  The extensive new mooring below Cape locks looked very peaceful in the morning sun, quieter than back above the locks, and a good place to moor with a dog as there are grassy areas behind the towpath hedge all the way back to the Cape.  After a while we moored on the offside to go to Tesco on the edge of Warwick, then again at Lidl as we prefer their bread and that is where we get the laundry liquid we use for the pump-out tank.  The Burrito Boat was there too but we are not fans of burritos so we moved on to Leamington for lunch.  Two more reasons – one, we were blocking the mooring for Lidl, and two, there was a very poor signal at Cape last night and we both had stuff that needed doing online.  We weren’t sure we’d be in a suitable spot this evening.

Not the prettiest mooring but the signal was good!

We were right beside a building site but the footfall here is a lot less than by the student accommodation after the next bridge.  After lunch we moved on to get out of the built-up area.

I liked this property's interesting upper windows

We decided to start the long climb up to Napton junction rather than stop at Radford Semele.  Radford Bottom lock marks the start of the ascent and we just went up the one lock.

The local school has a raised bed at the lock

Not much further on is the Offchurch Greenway cycle route and footpath, and the mooring is peaceful, very pretty, with plenty of sun to keep the batteries topped up, and an internet signal to boot.

Dave and Jess went off for a lovely walk along the Greenway.  Jess found a stinking muddy puddle and needed a wash down when they came back, then she kept disappearing into the woods on the hunt for squirrels.  But look!

How amazing to be able to have the side hatch open at last!

And to be able to sit out on the towpath with a drink as dinner cooked!

5¼ miles, 3 locks, aqueduct over the river Avon and the railway.

 

The Hatton 21

Thursday 23^rd April; Rowington to The Cape

Last night the wind battered the boat till we fell asleep, but had abated somewhat by the morning.  However, it was still in our faces and we were fully togged up in lined trousers, thermals, etc as we cruised the 4 or so miles to Hatton Top lock.  It was freezing and we wished now we had gone at least as far as Shrewley to be closer to the flight.  There are some very sheltered spots along the way where we would have been a lot warmer though without a view.

Narrow towpath but swarming with cowslips

Shrewley tunnel was wet all the way through.  We met no boats on the way to Hatton, though two going towards the flight had passed us before we left and were already on their way down.  The top lock of course was empty, but wonderfully a boat was floating about in the next pound while the crew went to fill the second lock, with the other boats not far ahead.  I hot-footed it down – would they like a partner?  Thankfully they would.  It was the boat that had biffed us yesterday but we didn’t say a word, and we don’t think they noticed who they had hit anyway.  They had had the boat a couple of years and were new to the concept of locking ahead, but they were pleasant locking partners and we got on well.  A few locks more and we met a lockie on his way to see if boats were coming down, so we had his help, and that of another lockie, for quite a while.

Hatton flight below ‘the thick’ - the locks are a little more spaced out after lock 37.  It is a classic view and you often see it in articles about the flight.

The other steerer wasn’t confident enough to cruise as a pair between the locks (his boat is very shiny and he was nervous about his paintwork), but when it works it is a joy to watch – Dave has done it many times.

Halfway at last – 11 down, 10 to go

At Ugly bridge there is a handy garage so I nipped across to buy milk, the paper and some lunch – I had foolishly failed to make any sandwiches before we started and granola bars were not cutting it for me.  I was hoping for nice pasties or pies which are easier to eat on the move than sandwiches, but no luck.  The sandwiches were fine though.  If we had been on our own we would probably have stopped for a break four locks from the bottom where there is a long mooring, but our partners were going on and we still had a lockie so we didn’t.

Not far now

We took the first mooring at the Cape of Good Hope – furthest from the locks and the pub, but quiet and with good sunshine too.  I was pretty tired – none of the gates beat me but they were heavy and so was some of the paddle gear.  We went to the pub to eat.  Dave had Hooky* battered fish and chips which was excellent – my veggie pie had a nice filling but my pastry is a lot better than theirs and my veg better cooked too, though I didn’t leave any.  I had enough room left to pinch a bit of Dave’s batter – delicious!  Definitely one to have next time we are here.  I drank Grand Union ale which I really enjoyed – Dave had Hooky.

I’m glad we came through Shirley drawbridge when we did.  Late yesterday afternoon it was disabled by a vehicle trying to rush through and hitting a gate.  I hope the culprit is made to pay up – he (probably a he, am I allowed to say that?😁) can hardly say he didn’t realise as there is plenty of warning before the gates actually come down.   The notification to say it had been mended came through at 9.14 this morning, 6 minutes after it had been opened again.  Well done CRT.

21 locks, 6¼ miles, Shrewley tunnel

*If you are not a Real Ale drinker you may not be aware of the Hook Norton Brewery – Hooky is what is written on the pumps.

Back into the fray

Wednesday 23^rd April; Hockley Heath to Rowington

Another bright and sunny morning with a freezing easterly wind.  Guess which direction we were travelling – yes, right into it.  Oh well I thought, plenty of work to be done today so I will soon warm up – and I did.  After the first lift bridge (windlass operated, 26 turns up, 20 down, easy) I changed from my thickest fleece to an ordinary one, then at the second (50 up, 40-ish down, very hard) I was forced to discard my woolly hat while winding, and once back on the boat had to dig out my lightweight trousers. 

The first windlass-operated bridge.  Dave is already in shortsleeves, but then he is tougher than I am.

The Lapworth flight came next.  The first lock is numbered 2, even though it is the first working lock on the canal – number 1 is the guillotine lock at King’s Norton, now permanently open.  We have been through it so many times it didn’t occur to me to take another photo!  It’s all plastered in graffiti anyway.  Anyway, it’s a long, long pound and its floating logs often seem to end up here, sodden and getting in the way of the top gate.  A local boater had seen us passing, probably noted the decrepit aging couple at the stern and walked down to help with the top gate which he said was so difficult it took three people to open it the other day.  He very kindly opened it for me but I have to say it didn’t feel that bad as I gave him a hand.  But I had to hook a large log out of the way before the gate would open fully, and it did take two of us to get that out, so we were glad he’d come along.

Not one for you Jess

The first four locks of the flight are in pairs, far enough apart for the crew to get back on the boat.  At the second pair the brickwork below needs a bit of attention, but at the moment is providing a foothold (roothold?) for some cuckoo flower, the foodplant of the Orange Tip butterfly.

Cuckoo flower, aka milkmaids.  Pinker than the photo shows.

We have seen loads of orange tips on this trip, and luckily there have been lots of cuckoo flowers for them to lay their eggs on, as well as Jack-by-the-hedge, which they also use.  Then the real work started – 15 locks, fairly close together, but it’s such an attractive flight and the locks are so easy (well, fairly easy) that it’s really enjoyable.

Cherry blossom at lock 7

This is the first of the pretty split bridges which are characteristic of the Stratford canal.  The split half-way across the deck was to allow the passage of the towrope where the towpath does not go under the bridge,  unlike on many canals.  You can still see the cotton reel/spindle affair which was to help keep the tow-rope moving freely as the towpath – and horse – changed sides.  We were following a boat down, but there were two coming up to make our descent easier.  I had to dive into the boat about half-way down to change my thermal vest and warm shirt for a t-shirt which three ladies sitting on a bench thought was a hoot.  We moored on the long pound above lock 15 for lunch, then walked back to the little garden centre place next to lock13 where I bought a plant I have been after for some time (a Sanguisorba, since you ask, quite cheap too) but Dave preferred a Magnum from the freezer.  A little further down the flight we stopped for water, and I walked down to the CRT yard to dispose of rubbish and recycling, and I was pleased to see a food waste bin too so I made another trip – more of these bins are at last appearing around the network and this one seemed to be well used by the local permanent moorers.  We turned off the Stratford canal, dropping down the lock at Kingswood Junction to take the short route to the Grand Union, where we turned right – south-east – towards Warwick.  Right into the wind and it soon got very cold indeed as the wind got stronger and stronger.  Warm clothes soon went back on.  

The lambs didn't seem too bothered

By the time we got to the embankment at Rowington the wind was strong enough to pin us to the bank which is quite helpful when you have to bash in pins to moor. 

We should have used spring lines as that Braidbar loosened our stakes

A couple of boats went by, their crew well wrapped up against the wind.  One, looking new with lovely paintwork, was travelling far too fast and the steerer was far too close to us.  The wind would have made steering a little tricky, but if he had taken care to stay further out – it’s a very wide stretch – he wouldn’t have clouted our bow as he went by, shouting 'Sorry!' at the cratch cover.  We had a lovely open view, but even though the windows were all shut tight, the gusts were still finding their way through.  The fire drew very well that evening!

5 miles, 19 locks, 2 lift bridges.

A good tally at Shirley drawbridge

Tuesday 21^st April; King’s Norton Junction to Hockley Heath

Another cold but sunny morning.  I took Jess past the old toll house on our early walk and along the start of the North Stratford.  The toll house was left empty for some years and in 2019 became the victim of an arson attack.  It was renovated and security measures taken, and is now rented out as a private house owned by CRT.  If you’d like to see pictures of the inside look here.  It is an annoying local site which is full of irritating ads so you may choose not to bother.  I now have to run a cookie-deleter to get rid of their cookies as I didn’t want to subscribe.

Bonjour moored near the Toll House

We stopped at Lyons’ boatyard for some coal and kindling and decided to have a pump-out too as it was so convenient.  A wise move as the tank was fuller than we thought!   We were soon on our way again.

This heron was so focused it didn’t fly off as we passed

We would have stopped to top up the water at the fast tap between Lyons’ and Shirley, but there were boats moored in front of it, looking very unlikely to move, so that will have to be done tomorrow.  Since the control box at Shirley drawbridge was replaced it has been very easy to use, except that today it didn’t like one of our BW keys.  The other one worked so we weren’t held up.

Starting to lift, with two cars already waiting

Passing through

By the time I had closed the bridge again we had caught 13 cars, plus one more which turned round and drove off, a motorbike and a pedestrian.  We cruised on past the pub and the railway bridge and out into the countryside at last, where we soon stopped for lunch.  We had beans on toast as it had been such cold cruising.  When we got going again Dave and Jess walked for a while.

One option for overnight mooring was Spookytown (the new settlement built on the village of Dickens Heath, offically called Forshaw I think).  When we first visited it was extremely tidy, everthing paved with little greenery and it was almost devoid of life, not even a cat, weird and artificial.  To my surprise the peculiar water feature was in operation – it is normally dry and forlorn.  But we wanted to get closer to the Lapworth locks for tomorrow.

Odd, isn't it?

Dave and Jess got back on the boat before Lady Lane and Warings Green which have long lines of moored boats on the offside.  Before we got to Hockley Heath, we passed a house with huge grounds on the offside whose resident dog runs back and forth barking furiously and wagging its tail every time we pass.  Jess just looks at it.

We like to moor before we get to Hockley Heath itself as it is quieter, but you have to pick your spot as it can be very shallow along here.

Bonjour in the distance so I could get the bluebells in!

I find the frequent little patches of English bluebells very cheering and there was a good bit near our mooring.

9¾ miles, Brandwood tunnel, Shirley drawbridge, 15 vehicles caught.