Nearly blown back to Napton

Wednesday 20^th May; Napton Adkins to past Ladder bridge (the radio mast mooring)

It’s a quiet spot here and we awoke to some dry weather at last, though the towpath was still very wet.  We left for Napton Adkins lock at about 9.20.  Once we had got past the end of the bushes on the offside we could see who had been our neighbours overnight.

Good morning

Once we had gone round the bend we could see where the towpath works were.  New Armco has been fitted to the lock landing and beyond, but it’s currently unusable as there is a lot of infill to be added before it is fit for use.

It’s quite a distance to the last two locks at Marston Doles so I got back on the boat.  Both the locks needed turning (emptying) but the gear and gates were easy enough and we were soon up.  The water point at the top was free so we stopped for a top-up and to get the kettle on.

Connaught Historic Racing is still here.  The Reliant Scimitar is centre stage (almost) as we used to have one.

I steered for a while so Dave could give Jess a walk.  He was wearing shorts but I was well wrapped up and still cold in the strong headwind.  Well it was a headwind at times but the canal is quite bendy along here so it was a case of constant adjustment of the tiller.  Every time I tried to take a photo or even have a sip of coffee I lost my line, the wind was so strong.  I was a little concerned about bridge 122 – it’s on a bend and we have noted on our Nicholson’s ‘line up early’ – but I couldn’t get round far enough and ended up having to deploy reverse gear to avoid hitting the bridge.  The second approach was fine thank goodness and I didn’t make contact with anything.  Once Dave was back steering I could take some photos. 

The lambs are growing up.  Their mum has lost chunks of her fleece, I think they sometimes lose it from the stress of feeding two growing youngsters

Around bridge 125 we started to wonder when we would see evidence of the HS2 works.  Way across the fields to our right we could see our destination – the radio mast, still 2 twisty canal miles away.  We got to the U-shape and once we had switched to be travelling west we started to see the HS2 works. 

Nicholson’s extract

The viaduct isn’t here though – the line passes close to the water where the canal bends to the north, and then goes off across the fields.

This must be an ‘accommodation tunnel’ so the farmer can get access to the fields again once the work is done.  One day.

Waterway Routes shows that the crossing is next to bridge 128.  We knew that one of the two temporary work bridges had recently been removed as delays were notified in the stoppage notices.

The viaduct is now in place but it’s not joined to anything yet

We left the wasteland behind and made for the mast.  This is one of the loveliest moorings on the system, peaceful, open, views – enjoy it while you can folks, HS2 will be running just a few hundred yards away in eleven years’ time… maybe… it said on the radio yesterday it would be operational in 2037, or maybe a year or two later.  What a monumental waste of our money.  We’ll be in our mid to late 80s by then and quite probably no longer boating independently. 

Anyway, there was plenty of room to moor, and although a couple more boats arrived to join the few already there it wasn’t at all crowded.  Our neighbours spent some time staring across the fields to the HS2 line through a gap in the hedge.  I took Jess for a walk later on.  The towpath is narrow and uneven and at one point I nearly fell in.

Moored in the distance

We had heard sedge warblers, a yellowhammer and seen a reed bunting while we cruised today.  While Dave was cooking I caught sight of an unusual shape flying away over the hill.  Could it possibly have been a barn owl?  Yes it could – it flew straight past on the offside a little while later, a lovely sight.

3 locks, 4½ miles, HS2 (boo), a barn owl (hurray!)

 

Rain around Napton

Tuesday 19^th May; Napton bridge to below Napton Adkins lock

It was raining heavily at first light, though only drizzling by the time I took Jessie out at 7.30.  About 100 yards beyond our mooring was a large patch of bramble on the offside, from which I could hear two sedge warblers singing along with blackbirds, wrens and a lot of other little birds.  We weren’t in a hurry to set off.  We needed to call in to the village shop, so we wanted to be sure there would be space to moor as close to the bridge as we could.  By about 10.30 several boats had passed so we reckoned there would be plenty of space.

Napton windmill, one of those obligatory photographs.

There was a kestrel hovering nearby but my photographic skills were not up to capturing a good image!  And we saw (and heard) a lark ascending too.  As anticipated, it was easy to moor.  I left Dave doing something technical, I forget what, and went up to the shop.  It took more than the ‘less than ten minutes walk’ the sign at the bridge said, but it’s a good little shop and worth the effort.  I came back with what I really needed and also some tasty home-made snacks for later.  When I got back Dave was polishing the new brasses he had fitted over the winter.  He finished the last one while I unpacked the shopping and made a pot of coffee before we left.

Shiny brasses!  That will make it rain.

There were two volunteers at the bottom lock, so although we were behind two boats we were quickly up the first lock.  The first rush had long gone, and the second was under way - we were the 16^th going up this morning, and it was only 11.30!  The lockies told me to watch out for the aggressive swan that lives round here.  It had killed two ducklings a few days ago, and a couple of years ago had attacked its own mate.  There was no sign of any other swan around today so I hope she left him before he could kill her.  As I walked past with the dog he was sailing around with his wings held up in fierce display.

Approaching the second lock.  The white blob is the killer swan.

It started to rain at the second lock, and the rain came and went as we slowly made our way up the flight.  The boat ahead was having to turn every lock, except when they had to wait for a boat coming down to take the lock from the boat ahead of them, so there was a lot of waiting about.  No volunteers - the two at the bottom lock had both been ill so were staying at the bottom of the flight.  Plenty of time to drink coffee (insulated mug) and eat our snacks (pork pie for Dave, veg samosa for me).  But it was gone lunchtime and almost 1.30 as we came out of the sixth lock.  We knew there were towpath repairs happening in this pound so decided to make a lunch stop where we could see there was space.  We were tired and the forecast was for more rain so we stayed put.

The rain soon started again – heavy this time

It was a very wet afternoon, though when Dave took the dog out later it eased off and by the time they returned it was sunny and the early evening was lovely.    I made a cake during the afternoon and as I’d bought a nice leek in Napton I decided to make a leek and cheese souffle.  I’ve got a good recipe at home, easy and pretty foolproof.  The trouble was I hadn’t got the recipe on the boat and I couldn’t quite remember the quantities of flour and butter.  None of the recipes online seemed quite right (the original book is rather old and in imperial measurements) so I had to make a best guess.  And I only had a pie dish to cook it in.

Looks ok though it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped

Although it was still nice to eat, the texture wasn’t quite right; I think I’d added too much flour to the cheese sauce.  I’ll have to copy the recipe before we come on our next trip.  While there was still enough daylight I popped out to take a photo of our mooring. 

Not much of a view, but it’s quiet apart from birdsong

It rained heavily again later on but wasn’t cold enough to need a fire.

1½ miles, 6 locks

 

 

A damp start to our Oxford cruise

Monday 18^th May; Calcutt marina to Napton bridge, no 111

After a later start than usual, the weather was pretty dismal at times as we drove up, and we unloaded the car in light rain.  At least it was only two steps from the boot to the stern deck!  I took Jess for a quick leg-stretch in the fields while Dave settled up for our stay in the office.  We were on our way at about 4.30, but couldn’t even get out of the marina until the boat descending the bottom of the three Calcutt locks had passed, and the two waiting below had gone in.  Oh well.  We were pleased to be joined by a hire-boat which had just left from Stockton Top.  It rained, so no photos, and it was slow going up the locks as there were those boats ahead of us, and one ahead of them too.  At the junction we turned right onto the Oxford canal, towards Napton, with the intention of mooring well before the village.  It was cold cruising and we stopped soon after bridge 111, Napton bridge.  We had driven over it on our way to the marina.  In spite of the delays at the locks we had only been going for an hour.

 A bit drizzly - I took this early next morning

When Dave went to turn the stern gland, he realised that although the engineer at Calcutt had repacked the stern gland (unlike your average boater they have the skills to do that without taking the boat out of the water) he hadn’t filled the stern tube – well Dave hadn’t asked him to.  There was enough grease to last a week or so, but that is something that will need doing soon.

Judging by the boats passing us on their way to Napton, it had been changeover day at Stockton Top and Braunston, so we’ll give them time to start the lock flight before we start tomorrow’s cruising!  It was so cold this evening that we lit the fire.

2 miles, 3 locks

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