The Repaint Cruise - Summer 2026

 Monday 13th July - Hopwas to Fradley

An overcast, cool and fairly breezy start to the morning, so Toby and I walked for the first mile out of Hopwas.  

A very attractive walk along the canal with the River Tame flowing below and to the right of the canal.  Hopwas Wood also known as Hopwas Hayes Wood is ancient woodland situated in the District of Lichfield in Staffordshire. It is owned by Tarmac and the Ministry of Defence and public access to the Wood is via bridlepaths. Since the Ministry of Defence have commenced firing on the Whittington Ranges the Wood is closed to the public from the ranges down to Wood Bridge on various days.

This is the end of the Wyrley and Essington Extension Lichfield Canal at Huddlesford Junction.  The part that is still in water is private mooring for the cruising club, but the other end comes out at Ogley Junction, on the Anglesey Branch that ends at Chasewater Reservoir.  We cruised this part of the Wyrley and Essington Canal during our last cruise, the Birmingham Explorer. Brilliant when you see how the network used to link up.

As we approached Fradley Junction we found a mooring before the swing bridge and tied up for the rest of the day.  We walked along to the cafe, The Laughing Duck, and had some lunch before returning to the boat.

We learnt today that the Bosley Locks that we need to go up to get to Furness Vale Marina are being put onto a timed opening due to low water levels.  We have decided to travel as quickly as possible to the Bosley locks in the hope we can still get through them.

8 miles, 0 locks, 3hrs 24mins

Tuesday 14th July - Fradley to Great Haywood

Toby and I walked from our mooring up to the first lock, this is Dave bringing the boat from Fradley in to the lock.

There are a lot of volunteer lock keepers, 2 on each of the locks going through Fradley, all equipped with radios informing each other of the boat movements.

The lock cottage here has been requisitioned by HS2 and will be knocked down to allow for the building of the track.  One of the volunteers said that HS2 was scheduled to pass over the canal in Fradley 3 times!

We know this marina as Bromley Wharf where our share boat used to be moored when we owned shares in her.  It has changed names but still looks the same.

This very early canal tunnel was built at Armitage in 1770, though this no longer exists as a tunnel. The roof was removed after subsidence damage caused by local coal mining.  After the tunnel we stopped at the next water tap and filled up with water before carrying on towards Great Haywood.

Colwich Lock has always been very picturesque and it is a shame about the scaffolding, but it still looks very pretty.  

We decided to moor the boat below the lock in Great Haywood and quite a way back, then walked into the junction to visit the farm shop.  We had a cold drink and a cake and whilst we were there I checked the CRT website for the stoppages and discovered that the Bosley Locks have been closed completely with a review on 21st July.  This means we are not going to get to Furness Vale Marina by 27th July

Once back at the boat we made a phone call to Andy Russell, our boat painter, and explained the situation and cheekily wondered whether he would be able to do the work at Overwater Marina as we could get there.  He spoke to Matt, the paint shed manager, and discovered that they did have a space matching our dates!  So, we are now aiming for the Shropshire Union Canal and Overwater Marina just outside Audlem.

12 miles, 4 locks, 5hrs 36mins

Wednesday 15th July - Below Haywood Lock to above Haywood Lock

Today we moved the boat from below Haywood Lock to above Haywood  Lock where the wifi and phone signals are much better.  We spoke to David at Overwater and have booked our boat in from 27th July so we can get back to Worcester in time for Lizzie’s wedding.  We also phoned Furnesss Vale and cancelled our mooring there.  The repaint is now being done at Overwater from 3rd August for 4 weeks.  It has been a long stressful 3 days but it has all worked out for the best and we have been very fortunate and lucky. 

Toby had a dip in the River Sow to cool off.

We took a walk over to Shugborough Hall and walked through the grounds before a spot of lunch in the cafe.  We also spent time in the second hand bookshop, finding several books we would like to read.  Then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the boat.

0.25 miles, 1 lock, 36mins

Thursday 17th July - Fradley to Stafford Boat Club.

Today we have decided to continue on our journey and once we get to the junction we turn right under the bridge and begin to cruise along the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal instead of carrying on the Trent and Mersey.  

This is Tixall Wide, a large expanse of water, it was created in 1771 to disguise the canal so the owners of Tixall Hall could enjoy a peaceful view over their estate.

The Elizabethan gatehouse is all that remains of Tixall Hall and is a very stylish specimen of Tudor design. The estate has been held by a number of wealthy families, including the Littleton family, the Aston family and the Clifford family. The Old Hall was demolished in 1927 and all that remains are the gatehouse and the stable block.  In 1586 Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in the gate-house whilst her apartments at Chartley Castle were searched for evidence of treason.

Work continues on the Stafford Riverway Link, and you can clearly see the basin taking shape the other side of this fencing.  Progress has been made on the lock out of the basin and also preparing the River Sow to provide a navigable link to Stafford Town Centre.

We decided to stop opposite Stafford Boat Club and spend the night there.  Very quiet and peaceful, the canal on one side and Radford Meadows on the other.  The Meadows form part of the River Penk floodplain, just one of a number of watercourses that converge in and around Stafford, before joining the River Trent near Shugborough. The nature reserve is the long strip of pasture immediately to the west of the canal – running south from Radford Bridge (on the A34) to the Deptmore Lock.  The reserve is famously home to a population of native Black Poplars at its southern end.

5.5 miles, 1 lock, 2hrs 54mins

Friday 17th July - Stafford Boat Club to Penkridge

Our ovenight mooring opposite Stafford Boat Club, very quiet and peaceful. Did my outdoor gym on the towpath before setting off on our cruise for the day.

Toby came with me to do this lock, he is lying on the little bridge keeping an eye on me!  I am waiting for a boat to come into the lock, it ricocheted into the lock and used the gate to stop the boat, no wonder these lock gates get damaged!

Teddesley Wharf is where our boatbuilders moved to when they left Rode Heath.  However there was no sign of them anywhere, but this used to be their reception area and is now a thriving cafe with two trip boats.

We did see a sign for Ross Payton who is a boat painter and signwriter, he was learning his trade when we bought our boat 11 years ago.

4.5 miles, 4 locks, 2hrs 42mins

Saturday 18th July - below Penkridge Lock to Slade Heath Bridge 72

Toby and I walked from the mooring to do the first few locks, we stopped at the services to get rid of rubbish and fill up with water.  Toby makes sure that he sits in any shade he can find, even the little provided by the lock beam.

When we got to Gailey Lock there was a sign advertising that Volunteer Lock Keepers were around.  We could use one of these at Diglis Locks!

The Gailey ‘Roundhouse’ used to be a toll clerk’s office, then it was a tiny canal shop, but today it looks as though it is more of a private dwelling, it certainly wasn’t open when we went past.

After 2 attempts to moor and being plagued by wasps, we eventually found a mooring by Slade Heath Bridge.  Cool under a tree, only being disturbed by the occasional high speed train!

7.25 miles, 7 locks, 4hrs 36mins

Sunday 19th July - Slade Heath Bridge 72 to Brewood Wharf

Heading towards the popular moorings at Cross Green beside the Anchor Inn, the scenery is beautiful.

Passing under the M54, another motorway we often use…

…with some stunning graffiti on the bridge walls.  Some of these artists are really very talented.

This is a very narrow cutting “Pendleford Rockin” hewn by Brindley’s navvies through a solid belt of sandstone which breaks through the clay strata at this point.  There are three wider areas which allow boats to pass without having to reverse.  It stretches for 600 yards and is only about 10ft deep.

This boat belongs to Phil Clayton whom we met on the BCNS Explorer Cruise, he gave a presentation about the Birmingham Navigations at the boat club where we had a ‘bring and share supper’.  The musical called ‘Birmingham Lads’ was very funny and informative.

The turning onto The Shropshire Union Canal at an acute angle and fortunately we didn't meet anything coming the other way. You go straight into a stop lock of 6 inches and a Napton Narrowboat Centre.

Avenue Bridge is a curvaceously ornate, balustraded bridge which carries the carriageway to Chillington Hall.  Landowners would only allow a waterway to cross their parklands if suitable measures were taken to disguise the functional nature of the architecture of the trade route.  A bit like Tixall Wide near Great Haywood.

8.5 miles, 1 locks, 3hrs 24mins

The Repaint Cruise - Summer 2026

 Sunday 5th July - Ventnor Waterside and Marina

Today we start our cruise up to the Peak Forest Canal and Furness Vale Marina where Ella is going to be repainted by Andy Russell, the sign writer who did the sign writing on her in 2015.

We left Worcester this morning and travelled to Ventnor Waterside and Marina, unloaded the car and packed everything away on the boat, filled up with water and as it was still only midday decided to travel out to “the Green Sheds” on the way to Braunston.  Here we are leaving the marina after having filled up with diesel.

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Dave negotiating some of the tight bends on the canal and luckily not meeting another boat as he was doing it.

A short cruise and a lovely spot, enough shade for Toby and me at the back of the boat and plenty of sun on the front of the boat for the solar panels.  Always a popular spot so we were pleased to get this mooring as it was very busy further on.

4 miles, 3 locks, 1hr 18mins

Monday 6th July - Bridge 103 to below Hillmorton Locks

An early start this morning so that we do all the travelling during the cooler part of the day.  Beautiful blue sky with lovely views across the open landscape.

Just before Braunston Junction there was a narrowboat listing badly and as we passed you could see that it was a burnt out shell gradually sinking, it looked a real mess!

Approaching Hillmorton Locks, a volunteer lock keeper helped us through the first and the last of the three locks, they didn't think they had been very busy as there had only been 20 boats!  If we get 20 boats at Diglis we are run off our feet!  A perfect mooring below the locks in shade and a bit of sun, lovely.

10 miles, 3 locks, 4hrs 12mins

Tuesday 7th July - Hillmorton Bottom Locks to Grimes Bridge no 26

A cool breeze to start the day off, made for very pleasant cruising.  Although several boats passed us before we left we didn’t pass very many during the day.

Something about stretches of calm water and trees in full green leaf create a gentle peace which is so important to me at this time, we are so blessed to be able to travel along these waterways.

Newbold Tunnel, no one in sight so straight through and out the other side.  Our destination today was the All Oaks Visitor Moorings just outside Brinklow village.  Unfortunately there was no space so we kept going.

Past the slippage at the Brinklow Cutting, improving every time we pass and we eventually found a space on piling just past Bridge 26.  Lots of shade on the towpath where we set up camp with chairs and table.

9 miles, 0 locks, 3hrs 48mins

Wednesday 8th July - Grimes Bridge no 26 to Hawkesbury Junction

A super cool start to the day, so I set up my outdoor gym and did my workout at 8am!

Then we set off whilst it was still cool, heading for Hawkesbury Junction.  We passed under the M6, a road we use frequently when visiting our girls.

The stop lock at the junction is known as Sutton Stop and marks the junction of the Oxford Canal and the Coventry Canal.  Toby and I are standing in the shade of the Lock Keepers Cottage waiting patiently for the lock to empty its 6 inches of water so we can go through!

Dave bringing Ella round the junction under the bridge, all done in one go!  We stopped at the water point to top up the water at a very slow tap.

Toby lay in the shade and cool water leaking from the hose, nothing was going to make him move again!

I sat in the same  place with a cold glass of water before continuing up to find some shade to moor in.

When we moored this was completely shaded, but the sun moves, so we did too, down to the Greyhound pub for a cold drink and a shady umbrella.  By the time we got back the boat was creating shade and we sat out until late as it was so warm in the boat.

6.5 miles, 1 lock, 2hrs 42mins

Thursday 9th July - Hawkesbury Junction to Bridge 24 

Another cool start to the day, so set up the outdoor gym again and did another workout.

Then an early start heading for Hartshill Yard Visitor Moorings. This is the amazing Charity Dock with numerous shells of boats lined up with nothing happening to them.

This is the Griff Arm, The reed beds and shallow cutting beyond mark the start of the long abandoned Griff Arm of the canal. Designed by Sir Roger Newdigate and opened in 1787 the cut was about 1,200 metres or about 1,300 yards long and terminated in a basin to the south of the village of Bermuda. Local coal, bricks and granite were transported out to the main canal along the arm. Some remnants of the canal, including most of the basin, still exist as water filled ponds on either side of the A444 road.

Heading through Nuneaton we were pleasantly surprised at how attractive it was with houses and flats backing onto the canal and looking very peaceful.  

We moored up at Bridge 23 and walked about 5 minutes towards Nuneaton and found this amazing butchers, owned by Frank Parker and started by his grandfather also Frank Parker.  His son, Frank and grandson, Frankie, are also working in the business.  A lovely man.

7 miles, 0 locks, 2hrs 36mins

Friday 10th July - Bridge 24 to Springwood Haven Marina

Today we got ourselves ready to set off for Atherstone.  However, the engine didn't start, when you turned the key it didn't fire up and all we could hear was a clicking noise.  So a phone call to RCR (River Canal Rescue) for assistance and once we were plugged into the system we spent a quiet rest day catching up on cleaning and reading in the shade.

Mark, the engineer, arrived soon after 6pm having driven from Stratford Basin and quickly diagnosed a flat starter battery.  It is the original battery so not bad for 11 years and 4,400 hours cruising!  He jump started the engine and we cruised the short distance to the road bridge by Springwood Haven Marina where he had a replacement battery in his van.  Half an hour later we had a new battery and an engine that started, so we stayed on the mooring for the rest of the night.

Whilst we were waiting for Mark to arrive our boat was rammed by this hire boat from Springwood Haven.  It was going too fast around the bend and it met another boat coming the other way and ploughed into the back of our boat making no attempt to slow the boat down until it was too late.  I was sat on the towpath and watched the whole thing happen, it was quite shocking!  We reported the incident to the Marina and informed them we would be making a claim for any damage sustained.  Fortunately there doesn’t appear to be any damage and Ella is handling as beautifully as ever!

0.5 miles, 0 locks, 10mins

Saturday 11th July - Springwood Haven Marina to Atherstone Bottom Lock

An early start this morning as we want to get through the Atherstone Locks and stop in Atherstone for some shopping.  We passed Hartshill yard on the way.   Hartshill Maintenance Yard, includes a covered dock under the clock tower building.  Formerly the Coventry Canal Company's main repair centre the buildings and much of the equipment in the yard date back to the canals' commercial heyday 200 years ago. There is also an authentic old blacksmith's shop.

Once we had arrived at the top of Atherstone Locks we disposed of all our rubbish and began our descent through the 11 locks.  There was an army of volunteers around some of whom helped boats through the locks and some of whom stood around chatting and then went off for a coffee break!  We were grateful for the help we did receive through 2 of the locks, so thank you!

We moored up between locks 5 & 6 to walk into Atherstone and found a lovely deli and coffee shop in the market square for coffee and delicious carrot cake.  We then did our shopping in Tesco on the way back to the boat.  It really is a picturesque stretch of the Coventry Canal, quite delightful.

Once through the bottom lock we looked for the first bit of inviting shade and pulled over to moor up for the night.  I finished crocheting my sun hat, I think I'm going to need it if this weather keeps up!

I have been fascinated by the number of butterflies around at the moment, this one stayed still long enough to get a photo (I think it's a Red Admiral?) but there were also lots of white ones and a pair of very delicate light blue butterflies as well.

5.25 miles, 11 locks, 4hrs 24mins

Sunday 12th July - Atherstone Bottom Lock to Hopwas

Today we continued on our journey hoping to get to Hopwas for the evening.  A very pleasant cruise, a little windy which was quite welcome as it kept the temperatures down.  We stopped at Fazeley Junction to put on water and gave up once the gauge got to 3/4 as more water was going on the towpath than in the tank!  For the last part of our journey we followed a hire boat which barely travelled above tick over, usually we complain about hire boats speeding but this was the other extreme completely.  We were very happy to stop at the first bit of shade and moor up for the night in Hopwas and a celebratory end of the first week drink at The Tame Otter.

11.5 miles, 2 locks, 5hrs 18mins