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
