Valentine’s Cruise - Week 4

 Monday 4th March - Long Itchington to Ventnor Marina

Today we are travelling back to Ventnor Marina for a few days before setting off again for the Ashby Canal.  I decided to take Toby and walk to the first lock, however I dropped my windlass on the towpath, stepped on it and turned my ankle badly.  So, it is a good idea we are returning to the Marina as I need to rest the ankle and wait for the swelling to go down!

We came up through the first few locks to the junction with the Southam Arm where the Warwickshire Fly Boats are moored.  A boat was reversing out of the arm and shouted across to us that he would wait for us at the next lock.  A stroke of luck as it meant we could share all the Stockton locks.

This is Marcus and he is taking his boat to the top of the locks to Nelson Wharf where he is collecting a butty and bringing it back down to the arm.  It turns out he is a boat painter and this is his next job for painting.  He is employed by the Warwickshire Fly Boat Co. as their resident boat painter.  

Working through the locks together, Marcus had engaged the help of some friends and there were 4 altogether.  We went up the locks in under an hour, which we were very pleased with.  I also learnt that the Southam Arm is privately owned by Cemex, the concrete company and therefore the boats moored along the arm don’t have to pay for a Canal and River Trust licence!  

Two of the helpers working the last lock, one of whom is the owner of the butty ‘Star’.  They were the nicest bunch of people we have met for a long time, all looking pretty rough and ready and at times I felt as though I was on the set of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, but it was a wonderful experience!

Here they have arrived at the butty ‘Star’ and the crew are getting off nbLady Jane to get the butty ready to be towed down the locks.  A butty is one of a pair of boats towed by the boat with the engine.

nbLady Jane turned in the entrance to Nelson’s Wharf and headed back to the butty, ready to be hooked for the towing.  We carried on to our Marina and moored up there for the next few nights.

Full moon over Sunrise Basin.

3.5 miles, 10 locks, 3hrs.

Tuesday 3rd March - Wednesday 4th March.

We learnt on Tuesday that our pontoon has been condemned and deemed unsafe.  So we have had to choose another one until this one is fixed.  Our new mooring will be in Sunset Marina and we shall return there at the end of this cruise.

On Wednesday we met up with Jenny and David at The Old Plough in Braunston and shared a delicious meal.

Thursday 5th March - Ventnor Marina to Roys Bridge 87

A beautiful sunny morning and we prepared the boat ready to leave our mooring.  Both these pontoons are deemed unsafe which means Aquavista are losing money on potentially mooring three boats.  Let’s hope they sort it out quickly.

A lovely cruise in to Braunston passing several boats brought out by the warm spring sunshine.  At the junction we are going to turn left and head up the North Oxford Canal.

We had just moored up when Jenny and David pulled up alongside, so they moored in front and popped in for a cup of tea.  They had been moored in Braunston when we met up with them and had taken their boat up to Dunchurch Pools to put on diesel.  They are on their way back to their mooring at Napton.

7.5 miles, 3 locks, 3hrs 36mins

Friday 6th March - Roys Bridge 87 to Hillmorton Locks

Today we are going to Hillmorton Locks and stopping overnight there.

Our journey takes us along the North Oxford Canal where Dave broke his leg 2 years ago.  We had been moored along this stretch of canal and Dave slipped down the bank with the yellow sign beside it.  We also called into Dunchurch Pools Marina to fill up with diesel, a fairly easy service pontoon but this time it was occupied and we had to hover in the open water until one became free.  

This is the entrance to Barby Marina where we moored our boat for 1 year.  It wasn’t our favourite mooring!

Once we got to Hillmorton we found a spot to moor and settled in for the evening.  A walk down the locks, but the cafe and little studios were all closed until the season starts up properly in the middle of March.  Unfortunately Toby was off scavenging and must have eaten something that didn't agree with him as he was poorly for the rest of the evening.

5.5 miles, 0 locks, 2hrs 12mins

Saturday 7th March - Hillmorton to Rugby Visitor Moorings

Today is our eldest daughter’s birthday - Happy Birthday Lizzie! 

A short hop to Rugby.  We needed to go to the shops to replace our scales and top up food supplies.

Dave took us down the three locks and then down into Rugby.  Hillmorton locks claim to be the busiest locks in the country with over 8,000 lockages recorded in 2021.

We moored in Rugby, did our shopping and settled down for the evening.  

Whilst out on a walk with Toby I spotted this plant growing along the edge of the canal.  I have no idea what it is, but would appreciate it if anyone can let me know?

3 miles, 3 locks, 1hr 42mins.

Sunday 8th March - Rugby Visitor Moorings to Hawkesbury Junction

Made an early start this morning, moved the boat up one boat to the water point, put on water, then began our cruise through to Hawkesbury Junction.

We decided to do an hour’s cruising at a time as there are no locks until the stop lock at the end of the canal.  This is Newbold Tunnel quite short and surprisingly dry as we went through.

This is the slippage at Brinklow, vegetation starting to grow back and looking reasonable again now.  It happened in February 2024 and closed the canal for several months.

Coming down towards the junction we pass the electricity sub station with these enormous pylons.  They look like huge metal monsters striding out across the countryside.

Dave had worked the stop lock and then walked round to catch the boat doing a 180 degree turn onto the Coventry Canal.  The moored boat is on a water point which we didn't know was there!

From the bridge over the turn is a good view of The Greyhound pub where we are going later  for a late Sunday lunch with Di and Mark who are here on their boat nbEnbilulu.  We found a mooring for the night behind their boat and settled down for the rest of the day.

13 miles, 1 lock, 1 swing bridge, 1 tunnel 4hrs 36mins.