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.

Started late, ended early

King’s Norton junction to Selly Oak and return

Another sunny day with a cold wind.  We didn't have much planned for today, so Dave took Jess for a good long walk and I cleaned through with the hand-held Dyson we brought from home.  The one that came with the boat was fiddly to use and gave up the ghost over winter so I was quite glad to see the back of it.  The Dyson was twice as efficient and much easier to use.  We cruised up to Selly Oak for a big shop at Sainsburys. 

Fire hose doors in bridge

There are at least two cruisers we have seen round here whose name refers to the rather disparaging term narrowboaters sometimes use for them, ‘yogurt pots’.  This one is called Yogurt and has an amusing little graphic.

Müllered

It was a four-handed shop to get the shopping back to restock the galley cupboards, and when we got back to the boat Dave immediately went off to Halfords while I put everything away.  We had lunch before retracing our steps back to King's Norton.  I had a Zoom meeting this afternoon, and rather than stay where we were where it is shady and the towpath is busy,  Dave steered while I zoomed.  Apart from the signal cutting out as we passed a high wall by the railway, and briefly as trains went by, it all worked well and I was finished in about half an hour,before we got back to the junction.  There is a lot of graffiti on urban waterways, a lot of it just tags, but it is always worth looking out for interesting examples.

Gypsy Tokes?

We knew what a toke was, although the spell checker on Word didn’t, but gypsy?  There were only two relevant references online.  A thread on Reddit reckoned it’s the names of two graffiti artists, one called Gypsy and one called Tokes which seems like a wild guess.  Or, as the Urban Dictionary says; A rule-breaking intervention during the passing of a spliff, where a 'middle-man' (aiding the passing of the spliff from one person to another across a long distance) cheekily takes a toke of the spliff before passing it on.  That sounds more likely to me.

Shortly before the junction was a sunken workboat.  We've seen plenty of sunken boats but never a workboat.  How on earth did that happen?

At the junction, we winded and reversed back to moor near where we were this morning.  Jess got another good walk and I got to write up the minutes of the meeting!

4½ miles

 

Let’s get that tunnel out of the way!

Sunday April 19^th; Crown Meadow Arm to King’s Norton

Wow it was cold this morning when we got up, less than 10 degrees in the galley.  But it soon warmed up once we got moving and the kettle was on.  Straight after breakfast I walked Jess down to the village centre for the paper.  Outside the Co-op are three stout Incredible Edible raised beds growing flowers, herbs and veg for locals to pick.  There were the remains of a couple of purple sprouting broccoli plants which looked as though they had been successful, chard, herbs and rhubarb.

Community raised beds outside the Co-op

We had another cup of tea when I got back but the sun moved round behind some trees and we started to feel cold.  So instead of a relaxing morning with the paper over coffee we put the kettle on again, got the insulated mugs out, wrapped up warmly and set off.

Cherry blossom near the M42

Just past the motorway is a house with a beautiful garden and a mooring for a narrowboat.  We have often thought what a super place to live that would be – just for one small detail, the motorway at the bottom of the garden.

You can’t see much of the house, which is quite nice looking too

We were soon at Upper Bittell reservoir, which is a source of water for the canal as well as a fishing spot.  Two chaps were fly fishing from a rowing boat, but of more interest to me was my first house martins of the year, hunting insects over the reservoir close to the canal.

The fishing lakes on the towpath side were very busy

We stopped at Hopwood to top up the water tank then pulled in on the visitor moorings for lunch.  The pub was doing Sunday lunches but we felt we wouldn’t have done a full lunch justice, so ate on board.  Although it was lovely sitting in the dinette with the sun streaming in we decided to move on and get Wast Hill tunnel out of the way.  I'm not a fan of long tunnels.

Wast Hill tunnel south portal

The tunnel is 2,726 yards long but straight, and with no boats to pass we were through in 30 minutes, and with no accidental touching of the sides either.  There was a group of boats moored at our usual spot several hundred yards before the junction with the North Stratford, so we went closer to the junction and stopped for the night about 100 yards before the old toll house.  Jess, knowing exactly where we were, bounced around until she got taken to play in the rec behind the trees.

A small furry visitor, luckily Jess was inside and didn’t spot it

When we were mooring a chap was throwing bits of white sliced into the belt of trees between the towpath and the playing fields.  He said he’d seen a rat (well of course, if he was in the habit of chucking bread about!).  I said, in a conversational way, and I hope non-judgmentally, we can’t feed bread to the birds where we live as it attracts rats (true) and he wandered off.  But clearly that squirrel is a fan.

5 miles, Wast Hill tunnel

The larks ascended, and so did we

Saturday 18^th April; Tardebigge flight to Crown Meadow Arm, Alvechurch

By ’eck it was cold this morning.  We left our quiet mooring at 8.20, wanting to be ahead of any other boat to take advantage of the empty locks – most of the locks on the flight drain overnight, which is why we checked last night before bed that the lock below us was doing exactly that and we wouldn’t end up aground.

Our overnight mooring

We weren’t in a rush, no point with 24 locks before the next mooring opportunity.  Neither of us is really locking-fit and we both have a dodgy knee so were prepared to stop in a lock for a breather if we felt we needed to!  But this is a lovely flight with not-too-heavy gates and only the occasional stiff paddle, so if you take it steadily everything is fine.  The larks were singing their feathery little hearts out and the weather was glorious (if you ignore the need for gloves and woolly hats for the first hour).  The towpath was busy with runners, and the closer to Halfway House Bridge we got the more dog walkers there were – they park along the road there.

Halfway House Bridge

This is a misnomer, as the true halfway point of the flight is a few locks further on.  But this is where we were hoping to pick up a volunteer or two .... unfortunately the little hut place where they brew their tea was locked up and their car park empty.  Perhaps they would be parking at the top and cycling down?  No matter, we had hot cross buns and biscuits to keep us going – sadly not the home-made flapjack I had hoped to bring, there was no time to make it at home, and most of the ingredients I need to make it now are still in the Sainsbury’s at Selly Oak.  On we went.

Beyond that bridge is the edge of Tardebigge reservoir

We know that from here there is still an hour or so’s work before we can moor, but the lock numbers are in the psychologically significant 50s, which means the number of locks remaining is now in single figures.  A few locks further on and we were leaving the reservoir behind.

The water levels have recovered at last

At 12, oh joy! we were opening the top gate of the last-but-one lock of the flight, with a long stretch of mooring just round the bend.  We felt we had deserved a lunch break – 24 locks in 3 hours 40 minutes, no CRT volunteers on duty, and our knees were still working.

The question then was whether to stay put as we usually do, or move on - we were about to run out of milk and had run out of wine!  The nearest shops are in Alvechurch, a few miles further on.  Dave checked the weather forecast.  There was time to move on a bit before the rain was due to start, with only one more lock to do.

The towpath wall of Tardebigge Top Lock had to be completely rebuilt last year

You may remember that this lock was closed last year, officially from April to the end of August.  It was already restricted to boats of 6’10” beam or less, as the older boats like Mikron theatre’s Tyseley had been getting stuck, but with winter stoppages elsewhere on the way to Hanbury Junction the flight had been effectively closed from November the previous year.

You are still requested to leave the lock empty, which is annoying

Just before Tardebigge tunnel we saw our first ducklings of the year (not strictly true, as their dead sibling was belly-up below the lock).

Tardebigge tunnel was mostly dry, as was Shortwood tunnel a bit further on.

Lovely bluebells between the tunnels

We made our way through Alvechurch, waving to Helen and Andy Tidy who bought NB Briar Rose (Adam and Adrian’s previous boat before they moved onto their newbuild Kingley Vale).  

We moored at our favourite spot along here at Crown Meadow arm, where the M42 is not too noisy. .  By 4.30 Dave had walked the dog and I had been to the Co-op for essential supplies (getting caught in a sharp shower along the way).  I had to buy myself a chocolate bar to help me up the long hill back to the canal, it’s nearly a mile after all.  We were mightily pleased with ourselves though – 25 locks on our own, which is 100 paddles and 75 gates (though passers-by opened or closed four of those).

We were knackered and really enjoyed that glass of wine.

2 dodgy knees, 25 locks, Tardebigge and Shortwood tunnels, 5¾ miles

 

 

 

 

 

A chat about paint

Friday 17^th April; Astwood Top Lock to Tardebigge flight above lock 33

We started a little earlier than usual as we wanted to to call in at Crafted Boats at Stoke Prior at about 9 to discuss a repaint.

This is the third swan sitting on eggs we have seen in less than 24 hours

There isn’t much space at Crafted Boats at the moment, and we had to breast up against a recently built boat which has a permanent mooring there – or will do once the wharf has been extended.   The owner helped us tie up and Aaron came out to have a look at Bonjour.  We have to choose between a full repaint – windows removed, back to bare metal etc – which would be £15,000 plus, or something less thorough.  We had a lot of questions, which he answered very thoroughly.  As we don’t live aboard and are unlikely to keep her for long enough to recoup the cost of a full repaint, we will probably go for the cheaper option.  That’s something we will have to decide in the next few weeks.

The first lock of the day, Stoke Bottom lock, wasn’t much further on.  After a brief pause to dispose of some rubbish we continued up the rest of the Stoke locks, mooring opposite the Queen’s Head, just below the Tardebigge flight.  It was early enough for a cup of coffee before a relaxed lunch.  And decision time – the forecast was for rain within the hour, but not much of it – and it would take us a bit less than that to get up the first five locks of the Tardebigge flight and moor on the handy length of piling above lock 33.  Before we did I went to check that the space was free – and there was a boat coming through the bridge behind us.  Were they going to moor up?  As I came back down they were entering the second lock and yes, they were going all the way up this afternoon.  By the time I reached the bottom lock, Dave had already cast off and was on his way.

Tardebigge bottom lock

I had my windlass with me so got to work, and it took just 50 minutes to ascend the five locks.  They are pretty easy.  It did rain, but not heavily, and we were soon moored up.

The only mooring on the Tardebigge flight

One of my Christmas presents was a windlass holster from CraftyBird.  It is made from an old welly.  I tried it for the first time yesterday on the Hanbury locks, thinking I could ask a volunteer what would be the best place on your belt to put it.  But the one I asked had only just got his, and was having to work it out for himself as none of the others had the same design – so I would have to do the same.  This is what I decided in the end.   

 

It is straightforward to use (as long as you aren’t wearing a waterproof) and doesn’t get in the way when you lean on a balance beam to open a gate.  It also means you have two hands free for negotiating lock gates.

Soon after we had stopped the rain got a lot heavier.  Dave and the dog got pretty wet on their walk but I stayed on board.  I did think of the two chaps still on their way up the flight though, I hope it wasn’t too unpleasant for them!  The sun came out later and it was a beautiful evening.  Cold though, so we lit the fire.

11 locks, 2¼ miles

 

 

 

 

Lucky locks on our first cruise of the year

Thursday 16^th April; Droitwich Spa Marina to Astwood top lock/bridge 41

For various reasons our first cruise this year is rather later than usual, but here we are.  We didn’t leave the marina till gone 3, wondering whether there would be any volunteers on Hanbury duty – they usually knock off at 4, earlier if it’s quiet.  A boat had left the marina just ahead of us so we knew the locks would be against us.  But that was to our advantage as the lockies, just about to pack up and go home, had spotted them just in time, and luckily saw us too in time to set the second lock for us.  I had hardly any work to do after closing up the first lock.

A new lead with an extra securing clip for easy attaching to a lock beam.  Bonjour is in the lock but I can't open the top paddles until the side pond water has been used to partly fill the lock.

Jess was excited to be cruising at last, bouncing around and desperate to be on the towpath.  With the fast road alongside the Hanbury locks she has to be on the lead at all times - here she has her eye on a squirrel.  But she had plenty of fuss from the lockies – five of them!

Second lock; 4 lockies visible and one more at the bottom lock behind me

The lockie not in the picture was filling the side pond from the full lock, as that lock leaks badly and this would avoid wastage.  We were their seventh (and final) boat of the day.  But we had gone up the flight so quickly that it was still only four o’clock, so rather than moor below the Astwood fight as we often do, we went up.  The locks were all empty so it didn’t take long, especially as a hire boat coming up behind us closed a couple of the top gates for us.  They were surprised we appeared to be going faster than them (with their two crew) even though we are a great deal older!  But we have our system, which still works efficiently, in spite of our creaky joints.

Astwood lock cottage gnomes present and correct

The weather stayed dry and not too cold, and we were moored up by 5.30.  The hire boat was due to hand over tomorrow so went on to get a bit closer to base at Stoke Prior.  They had done the Stourport ring in a week and had a great time.

Astwood Top Lock

We moored a few hundred yards beyond the top lock, with a good open view across fields before the canal passes through a long built-up stretch.

9 locks, 2¾ miles