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.

Valentine’s Cruise Week 3

 Monday 23rd February - Bancroft Basin to Wilmcote

We woke to light winds and blue skies, all good news  for our journey out of Bancroft Basin and back up the Stratford Canal.  As you can see here, the entrance beneath the road is very low and narrow as there is a footpath alongside the water.

We only just fit under without having to remove anything from the top of the roof.  This basin is one of two originally, the other one being filled in to create Bancroft Gardens in the 1930’s.

The daffodils are out at the garden by Lock 55.  Real evidence that spring is on its way!

We got to the beginning of the Wilmcote Locks and met up with Paul Burgess who is a Volunteer Lock Keeper on the Wilmcote Locks.  We know Paul from when he was a volunteer at Diglis but a house move meant that he changed his area.

It was great to catch up with Paul again and we took the photo to send on to his ex-colleagues at Diglis.  Many thanks to Paul for turning out to help us, it was very much appreciated!

We moored up for the evening at Wilmcote Visitor Moorings and took a walk into the village.  This is Mary Arden’s Farm, William Shakespeare’s mother grew up here.  It is now a primary Education Centre for the area.

St. Andrew’ Church is one of the most historic and significant churches in England. It was originally created as a focus for a vital new development in the Anglican church, the Oxford Movement, also known as Tractarianism, which began in the 1830s. The movement sought to restore Catholic elements to the Church of England’s organisation and worship, elements lost during the Reformation some 300 years before. It is more commonly known as the Anglo Catholic Movement. According to village tradition, some of the original leaders of the movement visited and worshipped at St. Andrew’s, which was therefore for many years the focus of national attention. 

3.25 miles, 16 locks, 4hrs 12mins

Tuesday 24th February - Wilmcote to Preston Bagot

A pleasant cruise from Wilmcote to below the locks at Preston Bagot.  Another trip across the Edstone Aqueduct but this time Dave walked across on the footpath beside the trough of water.  

From this angle it really does look like a very long iron bath full of water.  At 146m long, it is the longest aqueduct in England with the footpath at the same level as the base of the trough.

We moored below the lock at Preston Bagot and went for a walk along the canal to Yarningale Aqueduct, then through across to Yarningale Common and back down to the canal, a lovely walk through some delightful countryside.

We passed the other side of the Lock Cottage which we thought needed some TLC and you can clearly see where the original barrel roof cottage is and where it has been extended.

The end of a lovely day and an atmospheric scene as we close the boat down for the night.

6 miles, 1 lock, 2hrs 12mins.

Wednesday 25th February - Preston Bagot to above Rowington

We set off on our cruise, a lovely bright, sunny morning with the promise of warm temperatures.  Here, Dave is driving over Yarningale Aqueduct as I walk along the path at the base of the canal.  A very strange sensation!

This is the Lock Cottage at Lowsonford, now a Landmark Cottage, you can stay here for a holiday.  The extension and general upkeep of the cottage is much better than the one in Preston Bagot.

We got all the way up the 17 locks and then turned right at Kingswood Junction to return onto the Grand Union Canal.  The nose of the boat is lining up with the narrow passage to the left of the photo, then under a railway and out onto the next canal.  We moored up out in the country above the village of Rowington, shared the mooring with one other boat, a delightful spot.

6 miles, 17 locks 5hrs 30mins

Thursday 26th February - Rowington to Cape Top Lock.

Today we are going back down the Hatton Locks.  Dave has arranged for a team of Lock Keepers to help us down the locks and we are meeting them at 10.00.  We got to the top of the flight in good time and filled up with water before starting our descent.

Here we are coming out of the first lock.  I had done some washing and put the bedsheet in the bow draped over a dryer and pegged to make it secure.  However as I went into the first lock a mighty gust of wind lifted the dryer and sheet out of the boat and into the lock, sinking without trace!

Dave found the sheet in the pound below the lock and  we told the Lock Keepers so that they could retrieve it so that it doesn’t cause a propeller hazard for other boaters.

We passed two boats coming up the flight sharing the locks.  A working boat and a solo boater, he was very pleased to have all the help!

Our team of helpers today are:

Andy

Alan and John

Frank and Alan

As always a massive thank you to them all for turning out to help us.  We completed the descent in 2hrs 35mins, which was a good time.  They begin the new season at the beginning of March so if you are anywhere near give them a cheery wave.

After finishing the locks we turned left before the Saltersford Arm and had a choice of mooring above the Cape Locks.  We shall stay here a couple of nights and have an explore of Warwick tomorrow.

6.25 miles, 21 locks, 4hrs 24mins.

Friday 27th February - Warwick

Today we have decided to have a quiet day and have a wander around Warwick.  The weather was drizzly but not too unpleasant.  This is St Mary’s Church in Warwick.  

Beauchamp chapel was built between 1441 and about 1455 to house the tomb of Richard, the 13th earl of Warwick.  The medieval chapel is beautiful with an exquisite stained glass window, famous for the way it shows ‘jewels’ inserted into the glass.

The crypt is all that survives of Norman St Mary’s, dating from about 1150.  Part of the crypt has been repurposed as private burial chambers for the bodies of the Greville family, who held Warwick castle from 1604 until 1972, and were earls of Warwick from 1759.

We had a look at Warwick Castle and found this peacock which looks as though it has escaped from the castle grounds.  It moved eventually to sit on the wall looking up towards the town, did it make its escape???

This is The Lord Leicester.  Over 700 years ago, the United Guilds of Warwick built their headquarters consisting of a meeting room, banqueting hall, mansion for the Master of the Guilds, storage rooms and lodgings for travellers. The Guildsmen built this splendid example of medieval half-timbered buildings with trees felled in the 1200’s from forests across England. Today, the site survives intact and tops the list of most complete and important medieval buildings in the British Isles.

The banqueting hall, now a cafe, hosted a three day long banquet for King James I to celebrate the 50th year of his accession to the Scottish throne.  It would normally have been held in the Castle but it was undergoing major repairs at the time.  It took the town 10 years to clear the debt!

This chair was commissioned and built for King James in 1617. Tradition tells the story that the chair had to be custom built for the King as standard chairs were too narrow due to the vast amounts of padding, he wore under his clothes! 

We returned to the Cape of Good Hope and had a light lunch before returning to the boat.

Saturday 28th February - Cape Locks to Radford Semele

We only had 2 locks today and fortunately a boat arrived just as we were getting ready to set off, so we shared the locks with nbPaneke.

Lovely to see the blossom beginning to come out on the canal-side trees and bushes.  This has all happened since we passed this way 2 weeks ago.

The weeping willows are developing their new leaves, the brown twigs are gradually changing colour and you can see the very first leaf buds beginning to appear. 

It looks as though this bridge was hit by a vehicle.  A sizeable chunk of the wall is now beside the canal and also in the water.  We took it very gently through this bridge.  We moored up below the church at Radford Semele.

We went for a walk along the Offchurch Greenway, part of a disused railway line which goes from the Canal to the Fosse Way, about 1.5 miles in all.  Unfortunately you can’t get across the bridge over the canal. 

Walking back to our mooring after our walk.  Really nice to have blue skies and some warm sunshine for a change.

4.5 miles, 2 locks, 1hr 42mins.

Sunday 1st March - Radford Semele to Long Itchington

We set off from our mooring and after the first lock Toby and I walked for the next 4 locks.  Part of the canal towpath was falling away into the canal and is going to be closed for fixing in a few days time.  Toby is walking behind the fencing.

 

HS2 is going to be crossing the canal here, the parts of the bridge are ready on both sides of the canal, and the canal and towpath is going to be closed from the 3rd March to allow the bridge to be put in place.

The last 2 locks are the Bascote Staircase Locks.  Canal stair case Locks were cheaper to build and can achieve a greater drop in a short space than standard canal locks. These Bascote Staircase Locks share the centre gate - with the upper gate of one lock also being the lower gate of the other. The locks were originally built as singles but were modernised in the 1930s into wide locks however you can still see the location of the original locks.

Our mooring for the night is just past the disused railway but a good distance away from the road bridge so it is nice and quiet.  Also, the towpath is dry and clean, a real bonus!

4.5 miles, 10 locks, 3hrs 48mins