Ella Travels: Valentine’s Cruise

Monday 9th March - Hawkesbury Junction to Goodacres Bridge 13

This week we are heading towards the Ashby Canal along with Di and Mark on nbEnbilulu. Today we are in the lead.

This is all that remains of the Newdigate Arm, which connected the colliery to the canal so the coal could be transported to the paper mills.

I took this photo because I spotted a fox on the towpath who stood and watched us approach and then turned and disappeared through this gap in the hedge. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo of the fox!

The coal carrying company of John Griffiths, Bedford, traded on the Coventry and Ashby canals. In the early 1930s, Griffiths was reorganised as the Warwickshire Canal Carrying Company. The Charity Dock Yard, on the bend ¼ mile south of Marston Junction near Bedworth on the Coventry Canal, was the home of the Warwickshire Canal Carrying Company. It seems that the name Warwickshire Canal Carrying Company was an exercise in misbranding, because although information can be found for the Griffiths company, very little can be found for the Warwickshire Canal Carrying Company. People perhaps found the name too long and preferred to stick with Griffiths!

It is now known as the place narrowboats and anything else mechanical go to die!

Our turning into The Ashby Canal taken from nbEnbilulu from behind us.

Passing though the narrows onto the canal, this used to be a stop lock between the Ashby and the Coventry Canals but the lock gates have long gone.

Di standing in the bow of the boat signalling to Mark that if he doesn’t stop he’s going to hit the edge! He didn’t so all was good!

Having moored up and had lunch we met up for a walk.

The boats moored together taken from the bridge we were standing on.

Tuesday 10th March - Goodacres Bridge 13 to Wooden Top Bridge 31

Set off today hoping to get to Sutton Wharf and do the Battlefields Walk. We stopped at Bridge 15 to fill up with water and get rid of any rubbish.

This is the Triumph Factory which has a Museum attached to it, but it is closed today, so we might call in on the way back. There is a factory tour and an exhibition which is constantly updated to reflect the evolution of the Triumph brand.

We also stopped at Bridge 23 to go to Spinney Bank Farm Shop, a lovely little shop attached to the farm selling fresh meat, eggs, bread, vegetables and milk.

We eventually stopped at Bridge 31 as the wind was becoming difficult to cruise in and we had caught up with the dredging team. Canal and River Trust are dredging The Ashby Canal, the yellow crane is removing the silt from the boat and depositing it in the pit dug to the left of the photo.

6 miles, 0 locks, 2hrs 30mins

Wednesday 11th March - Wooden Top Bridge 31 to Snarestone Visitor Moorings.

Today we are making an early start so that we can get to the top of the canal before it starts to rain or get too windy.

The entrance to Bosworth Marina.

Here, the sign is telling us that we are entering an SSSI. A Site of Special Scientific Interest, designated in 1989 for its diverse aquatic flora and invertebrates, and the submerged plants in particular. Nine species of dragonfly have been recorded as have Water Shrews, Water Voles and the nationally rare water beetle Haliplus mucronatus.

We are entering Snarestone Tunnel, it is 250 yds long and is one boat at a time as there has been some movement with in the tunnel, a definite kink in the middle.

Approaching the top of the Ashby Canal, we turned in the winding hole and moored up in front of the last bridge ready to begin our return journey. We are going to stay a day here as Thursday is going to be very windy and not very pleasant for cruising.

NbEnbilulu arrived and moored up in front of us and popped in for a cup of tea before settling down for the evening.

11miles, 0 locks, 1 tunnel, 4hrs 42mins

Thursday 12th March - Snarestone

After a lazy start to the morning we got ourselves ready for a walk along the proposed route of the canal from Snarestone to Measham. It was very windy and we made sure we would stay dry and warm.

Di, Mark and I are standing on the last bridge over the canal, below us there is a winding hole for turning boats but it is only 52ft, so we wouldn’t be able to turn there. The canal originally ran from Moira to the junction with the Coventry Canal but only a small section remains in water between Moira and Dogsthorpe. It was very windy on the bridge!

After arriving in Measham we found a cafe for a hot drink and then walked on to the Measham Museum which unfortunately was closed. Measham Pottery comes from here. Working boatmen bringing narrowboats past Measham on the Ashby Canal in the East Midlands would order a specially-made teapot and collect it on their next run up the canal. They were often given as wedding presents and handed down through generations. Legend has it that it became known as barge ware because it was extensively marketed through a shop on Measham High Street owned by a Mrs Annie Bonas. The shop, being close to the canal bridge at Cut End Measham, was favoured by passing bargees who were able order a piece and collect the personalised gift on their return journey.

Measham was one of 245 English communities which were funded to establish millennium greens with input from local communities. Measham chose to have a sculpture commemorating the life of Joseph Wilkes. A competition was held with entrants being judged at a public exhibition. The design chosen was a sundial designed by Steve Field. It was installed in a site adjacent to the old station building (which now houses the Measham Museum) and officially opened on May 10th 2003. The different segments of the mosaic represent different aspects of Wilkes life and activities. They are loosely grouped into Water, Fire, Air and Earth based activities.

On our way back we found some badger footprints very clearly in the mud of the bed of the disused canal.

We returned to our boats and had a pleasant afternoon playing games before retiring for the night.

Friday 13th March - Snarestone to Shackerstone

This morning we are going to begin our return journey to Ventnor Marina. We thought we would get as far as Sutton Wharf, but the wind had other ideas!

Just past the second bridge and before the tunnel a tree had come down overnight and blocked the towpath. Fortunately it didn’t go in the canal and we were able to pass safely. On some of the exposed areas, the wind was gusting scarily so we got as far as Shackerstone and pulled over for the rest of the day. We shall continue tomorrow when it is calmer.

We decided to go for a walk through the village to a ruined temple out near Gopsall Hall. The hall was demolished after WW2 but the Temple remained. The temple's fame comes from its use by George Frederic Handel to compose one of the 18th Century's greatest pieces of music, 'The Messiah'. Handel was a frequent visitor to Gopsall Hall during the time of Humphrey Jennens, but it was Charles who developed a strong musical connection with their guest. In fact, Charles Jennens was a noted writer and acted as librettist, supplying the words not only to 'The Messiah' but also Handel's 'Saul', written in 1737.

Unfortunately the fields were so waterlogged that we had to abandon our plans and head back to the village. When we come back we will definitely have another go at this walk.

We called into the Wharf Farm Shop and met Elisa, tenant farmers who have recently opened this farm shop. Delicious cakes, fresh milk, bread and vegetables all within 5 minutes walk of the canal. Well worth a visit!

2.5 miles, 0 locks, 1 tunnel, 1 hour

Saturday 14th March - Shackerstone to Trinity Marina

Shackerstone Castle is a medieval earthwork motte and bailey fortress, which was used as a World War II air raid shelter. The flat-topped motte, is partly encased by a wide ditch, with a counterscarp bank and to the south-west are traces of a bailey platform.

We stopped at Sutton Wharf to put on water and buy breakfast baps from the cafe there. There is a lovely walk to the Bosworth Battlefields Visitor Centre but we decided not to do it this time. We stopped at Trinity Marina to put on diesel and buy logs and made use of our Moor 100 with Aquavista. So, an overnight mooring because we have a mooring with another Aquavista Marina for no payment. Excellent!

12.25 miles, 0 locks, 5hrs

Sunday 15th March - Trinity Marina to Goodacres Bridge 13

Happy Mother’s Day 🌼

Another forecast of high winds and rain so we took the decision to leave the Marina as early as possible and see how far we got. Not very far in the end, we managed to get out of the marina, but once out on the canal the wind soon became very strong and very cold. A space in the same place as last Monday, so we pulled over and decided to stay for the day.