Monday 22nd April - Welton Haven Marina
Today it has rained non-stop so we haven’t moved, just walked along the towpath with Toby every so often.
Tuesday 23rd April - Welton Haven Marina to Braunston above Lock 1
We woke to a much nicer morning and soon began to prepare the boat for moving on.
We got to Welton Marina where we were going to stop for diesel. Very easy, come under the bridge and make a right turn onto the service pontoon, no wind so it was all very straight forward.
Then we carried on to Norton Junction where we turned right under the bridge onto the Grand Union heading towards Braunston. The house on the corner is very picturesque with a delightful outlook over the canal in all three directions.
Toby in his favourite position on the stern watching everything going past him. He is extremely shaggy at the moment, overdue for a groom, but looking quite sweet!
Then its into Braunston Tunnel, two way traffic and we passed one boat soon after we started and another within 300m of finishing. Both passed without contact, so satisfying!
Once out of the tunnel we are very soon into the 6 locks down into Braunston. We passed this hire boat with 12 people, dressed in striped jackets, boaters and waving the flag of St George, I guess they must be celebrating St George’s Day!
4.7 miles, 2hrs 54mins, 5 locks, 1 tunnel
Wednesday 24th April - Braunston above Lock 1 - Willoughby Wharf
Woke to a pleasant morning and after a quick shop in the village we got ready to go down the last lock for this trip.
We shared this lock again with nbKatie-Jane, they were undecided as to which direction they were going in, but it was lovely to see them again.
This was our volunteer lock keeper for today, he was very jolly and carried dog treats in his pocket, so Toby was mightily impressed! Many thanks again to all the lock keepers who spend so much time keeping these locks running so smoothly.
Some more ducklings near some moored boats, again very tiny and so many of them! We got to Willoughby Wharf and moored in front of the bridge, we shall stay here tonight and make the last journey tomorrow in to Barby Moorings.
2.75 miles, 1 lock, 1hr 36mins
Thursday 25th April - Willoughby Wharf to Barby Moorings
Woke to a calm and sunny morning so began our final leg back into Barby Moorings.
Dunchurch Pools Marina, a boat on the service pontoon, so pleased we don’t need to call in for diesel.
This is Barby Wood Farm on our right, a much clearer view of the building as the landowners have removed all vegetation on the side of the canal and piled it up on the edge of the field.
The farmer had arrived with food for his sheep, he arrived in the Landrover and then swapped to a quad bike and accompanying sheep dogs to cross the fields. Very pleased to see him kitted out in helmet and goggles before riding the quad bike.
1hr 6mins, 3 miles, 0 locks
Friday 26th April - Barby Moorings
We are spending a few days on the boat cleaning her up, washing clothes, bedding and towels before closing her up for the most of the summer. We are unlikely to be back onboard before late August and we need to clear out the shed and find a new home for storage boxes and the hot bin.
Today we drove to Banbury to collect the barrel we left with Jez to restore.
…and after. Dave said he felt like being in the Repair Shop! A beautiful job, we are very pleased, 😁
Saturday 27th April - Barby Moorings
Today we are driving out to Snarestone on the Ashby Canal to meet up with Di and Mark on nbEnbilulu.
After a coffee onboard we went for a walk around Snarestone finishing up with lunch at the Globe Inn.
This is Snarestone Tunnel, it is the only tunnel on the Ashby Canal and was built in 1804. It is of a modest, 250 yard, length. The tunnel passes beneath the village of Snarestone with the Globe Pub conveniently above the south portal. It is likely that there was once room for boats to pass within but later subsidence now means the tunnel operates in one direction at a time.
We crossed the terminus of the canal, the winding hole is not very big and isn’t in use at the moment. Beyond, the canal is no longer in water until you get to Moira where there is a section which has been restored as far as Donisthorpe. The towpath on the other side of the bridge has been closed due to intense badger activity!
A field of goats on our way back into Snarestone, they were very inquisitive about Toby but he really wasn’t at all interested in them. Lunch at the Globe was very pleasant and we said our goodbyes and headed back to Barby. Lovely to meet up again, best wishes to Di and Mark for an enjoyable cruise over the summer and autumn.
On the way we passed Brinklow, where there has been a severe slippage closing the canal and towpath. We decided to walk along to see what was happening, but could only get a short distance before we had to turn around. Canal and River Trust seem to be fairly confident they can have the navigation cleared and open again by mid May.
Thank you for reading our adventures, we shall next be out on the boat in the middle of August when we will be moving her from Barby Moorings to Ventnor Marina.
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