Summer Tour Memoirs 2007

Our 'Summer Tour 07' comes to a disappointing end but despite the dreadful weather we had a great time!
Starting out back on May 29th we headed straight for the Llangollen Canal, arriving 10-days later. With some great foresight our plan this year was to avoid any rivers until August, when our rough schedule was to complete the River Thames. Looking back at our diary for 2006 at exactly the time of this years floods, we were placed on the rivers Avon and Severn. Having seen and heard first hand some of the horrendous stories from fellow boater's we're sure glad we completed that section last year!
Our first visit to the Llangollen turned out to be everything we'd imagined it would be. Stunning views, beautiful countryside and amazingly more than ample mooring. Our diversion onto the Montgomery Canal, if being truthful, was, although having all the scenery of the Llangollen, a little below expectations. To find the only decent moorings available to us some 4 hours sailing, overgrown and full of dog crap, it took the edge off it for me. However, Dee reckons it was only because I had the raging hump as it totally peed down for the final hour when all I wanted to do was to get moored and dry out!
The new Llangollen Basin moorings are an excellent place to stay for 48hrs, your provided with electric hook up and pleasant surroundings. A walk to the nearby Horseshoe Falls, where the canal begins it's journey and a trip on the Steam Railway are a must. Crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is every boaters dream, or nightmare, which ever way you look at it, either way it's a phenomenal piece of engineering!
From the Llangollen we spent our usual week long stay at Cholmondeston, Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union and hired a car to visit mum in Liverpool and later in the week picked up with some other boaty friends before completing the Harecastle Tunnel once again around mid July.
Continuing slowly South for the Thames we made our way down the Trent & Mersey turning at Fradley Junction onto the Coventry Canal on July 18th.
Saturday July 21st we made a short stop at Nuneaton where I cycled into the town centre to buy a couple of copies of Harry Potter and by the evening we where both engrossed and moored on the Ashby Canal at Bridge 3.
This was our first trip along the 22 miles of the lock free Ashby Canal and due to the River Thames remaining in flood we spent longer than planned. We thoroughly enjoyed the Ashby and had excellent days out visiting the Battlefield Line Steam Railway and the battlefield itself where King Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor at the battle of Bosworth in 1485.
We arrived back at Wigram's on July 31st for a short break and departed for our final trip of the summer on Tuesday August 6th bound for the Thames, unfortunately we never made it!!
Arriving a day out from entering the Thames at Kings Lock, Oxford, we'd already decided to ere on the side of caution and abandon our Thames trip as once again the heavens opened for another 2 days of torrential rain. Needing to be back in Wigram's for Sept 1st we simply couldn't afford to get stranded. It was here that our decision was justified as we met a fellow boater who had only 24hrs earlier escaped the Thames just as the red-boards ('river-in-flood') were being hung! In his own words... I'd been stuck for 19-days earlier in the month and I'm damned if I'm going thru' that again'.
We'd forgotten how beautiful the South Oxford Canal was! Due to our abandoned trip we spent the final weeks of our summer re-discovering this picturesque section of the canal system, an unexpected yet enjoyable end to our tour.
So that's it for another summer tour. Our thoughts for this year..... well, the weather is the headline maker for all the wrong reasons. However, the most disappointing aspect for us this year has been the lack of courtesy shown by what seems to be a greater minority of boat owners and I emphasise 'boat owners' who constantly speed past without a care for moored craft or the environment. The BW cutbacks have also been apparent this year with more overgrown moorings than every before. To end on a positive note, once again we've met some lovely people, both on hire boats and privately owned, the wildlife has been plentiful and the countryside is as beautiful as it ever was.
'Better a bad day on the water than a good day in the office'...........

Dee & Keith 2007

Home-Base

Saturday August 18th.. After moving down from Cropredy and completing the Claydon locks in excellent time we moored for the weekend at Fenny Compton in more torrential rain.

We were actually very lucky to get in as the whole mooring was full as we arrived but fortunately just as we drifted past a boat pulled away and we slotted in very nicely thank you! The weekend turned out to be another thoroughly wet one!

Monday August 2oth.. We set off from Fenny with the sole intention of arriving back at Wigram's around 5-ish this evening and had a very good transition through the Napton Flight. We completed the 9 locks in just over 1 1/2 hours, meeting up with John & Joan (NB-Tagine Queen) briefly at Adkin's lock, who were on their way up to Fenny.

So I suppose our summer has come to an abrupt and disappointing end! We're away at the beginning of September for a few days to celebrate mum's birthday and then shortly after returning we drive to France for a week on the French canals with Johnny and Pat (NB-Le-Hoddydod). We're really looking forward to this one guys! So in effect that doesn't leave much time to stray beyond our locality.

The coming bank holiday weekend is likely to be something resembling the M25 motorway along our local stretch, in what is affectionately known as 'Tick-over Alley' so our intention is to depart the marina and moor for the duration somewhere between here and Braunston. At least the weather for once is looking positive and we may even get to BBQ.

Mmmm.... am I sounding a bit down? I suppose it's always the way when we return after our travels.

As we gather our thoughts on this years summer tour, which we intend to post shortly I can't help but feel that the summer of 07 will become known as 'the summer that never was'

Good Call

Tuesday August 14th... Well, as forecast the rain arrived in the early hours of this morning but although breezy the gale force winds that had also been forecast didn't materialise.

We laid up for the day as planned at Dashwood Lock and were able to get a walk in later in the evening. We spotted a couple of tree's that had fallen during the day but none fortunately in the direction of the canal. Our mooring ran alongside the river Cherwell so we were also able to keep a close eye on the levels which on the Tuesday evening had risen slightly.
Wednesday August 15th... Today was a much windier one with the persistent rain giving way to heavy showers, sometimes accompanied by the odd rumble of thunder. We moved only a short distance 'winding' just before Kirtlington and found a decent mooring once again parallel to the River Cherwell. By the evening we could see that the river was definitely running faster and had risen a good few inches.

Thursday August 16th... We set off northwards heading back towards Banbury and met up with a boat also going north as we passed through Northbrook Lock. They informed us that the Cherwell level boards were just entering the red zone. Between Shipton Weir Lock and Baker's Lock (pictured) around a few miles south of our location the canal and river share a common course, this can be hazardous if the river is in flood and these guys had luckily just passed through. We continued on stopping briefly at Lower Heyford for milk and bread, mooring for a short while at Summerton, which was solid with boats. We were able to squeeze in at the very end but after deciding we were too close to a bend moved on finding an excellent mooring just after Summerton Deep Lock.

Friday August 17th... As we continued on it was obvious that the Cherwell would pose no hazzard to us having probably reached it's peak but if we had any regrets as to whether we should have continued on to the Thames they were put to rest later in the day. As we arrived at Kings Sutton Lock we met up with a guy who told us that he'd been stuck on the Thames for 19 days last month and had passed through the Thames Locks at Swinford Bridge and Kings two days prior just as the red boards were going back up. He informed us that the lock keeper had told him not to continue but had told him that there was no way he was getting marooned again and so swiftly moved on escaping back onto the canal system!

We stopped in Banbury for supplies for around an hour and then moved on mooring at Cropredy for the night.

Talking of Banbury, a couple we'd spoken to earlier in the week told us that they wanted to moor in the town for the night and had moored next to a boat where, they'd been told, the owner had unfortunately mysteriously died aboard. His tools and wellington boots etc were still on the towpath exactly where they'd been left. Feeling a little rattled by the events they had moved on. The story made Dee and I laugh until she pointed out that the boat we'd moored next to had pots of paint, tools and wellington boots sitting on the towpath!!! We swiftly moved on after shopping.

Too Risky

Friday August 10th… After leaving our overnight mooring we continued our journey south, eventually stopping just short of Lower Heyford.

Having checked our usual weather internet sites it was apparent that the forecast for the forthcoming week was looking grim. Gale force winds and torrential rain were being forecast for the Tuesday/Wednesday and so after discussing our situation over dinner we’ve decided to abandon our plans to go onto the Thames, we’re also running out of time as we need to be back at Wigram's no later than September 1st!
Thinking logically the flood plains surrounding the Thames area are still saturated and boggy, even the towpaths where we are now are still extremely soft and any further rain will simply have nowhere to go, other than back into the rivers! We really don’t think it will take much for the Thames to go back into flood and thus marooning us. This summer is so unpredictable were simply not going to take the chance.
We’ve actually met several boats at locks who incredibly had been stranded on the Thames for over 5 weeks during the recent floods and had some pretty horrendous stories to tell. One lady we passed, almost in tears, told us that she’d simply had enough, wanted to go home and would never complete a river again! Another couple told us that they were asked to abandon thier boat several times but refused and sat it out.
Saturday/Sunday August 11/12th.. After our decision to abandon our Thames trip we decided to remain at Lower Heyford for the weekend. The weather has been superb and the Lower Heyford marina now has an excellent café were you can get a great traditional afternoon tea. We took a train into Oxford on the Saturday morning, which was typically a ½ hour late, and enjoyed some shopping and civilization before we had withdrawal systems for the seclusion of the water and made our way back. On the Sunday night both Dee and I wrapped up well and camped out for a few hours to watch the Persied Meteor Shower. This is actually an annual event for us but this year the conditions were excellent, no moon and clear skies. We did see a few dozen meteors over an hour and a half but Unfortunately I have to say that this years display was disappointing, we eventually gave it in at around 1.30am.
Monday August 13th… After a lie-in we set off around 12.30pm and took on water before continuing south. The plan was to find a good sheltered mooring in the knowledge that the approaching gale would hit sometime in the early hours of Tuesday. We’d actually only gone 2 miles before we came across the perfect spot just after Dashwood Lock at bridge 209, a single mooring on armco and with good views of the River Cherwell and slightly sheltered. Here we’ll remain and will update in a day or two and let you guys know how we get on.

Steady South

Tuesday August 7th... We departed Wigram's around 12.30pm, glad to be out once again and made steady progress through the surprisingly quiet Napton flight.

We eventually moored for the night just beyond Ladder Bridge 129 in the one remaining space available. Having climbed the Napton flight you get a great view of the surrounding countryside below.
Wednesday August 8th.. Today was wall to wall sunshine and the plan was to complete 10 locks and 10 miles and moor just to the north of Banbury. We knew that the going would be slow thru' Cropredy due to the Fairports Festival (pictured above) this weekend but grossly underestimated the popularity of this event. We slowly made our way past over 3 miles of moored boats, some of which I have to say were moored in some ridiculous spots, one even moored on the lock bollards! Fortunately we came through Cropredy lock with impunity but another boater told us later that he was part of an 18 boat queue on the Monday, good job our departure was delayed by a day! Mooring for the day at Bourton Lock around 5.30pm we were astonished to see a couple of the local constabulary cycling down the towpath shortly after. A first in over 4 years of boating but obviously in connection with the festival some 2 miles back, still a refreshing sight nevertheless! We'd also received information from a passing boat that the Thames, our final destination this year, was due to re-open today.

Thursday August 9th.. We completed a slow transition through Banbury stopping briefly for water and the essential milk & bread and met up with John & Joan off NB-Tagine Queen who although not currently out on the canals were shopping in the town. Amazing isn't it to think that what took us 2 days to complete on the canals took them 40 minutes in the car! I love the magic of boating!

Pushing on we completed a further 6 miles and 5 locks loosing an hour at Nell Bridge Lock where we formed part of a five boat queue. Interesting also to listen to the boatee grape vine. A lady passing through the lock informed us that the Thames was still closed and "There were many frustrated people further down at Thrupp who are waiting anxiously to get onto the Thames". A quick phone call to Nigel the Henley lock keeper informs us that the Thames is navigating as normal and that his lock is just about to drop off the amber warning onto green! We've always taken the grape vine with a pinch of salt and this was another story that's obviously travelled many a lock.

We are currently moored near where the River Cherwell crosses the canal and you can definitely see signs of the recent flooding with plastic bags and various washed through items hanging precariously about a couple feet above the waterline in the surrounding trees and bushes. The wildlife in this area seems abundant too, a Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker and in the evening we watched a Mink walking on the opposite bank and then swim silently by later. We listened to several owls roosting in nearby trees after sunset and there was plenty of activity in the bushes behind, probably mice, voles and hedgehogs. With the current weather it's just a pleasure to actually be able to sit out this summer:)

Break Over!

It's Monday evening and Quidditch is serviced and ready to depart from our home-base at Wigram's Turn on our journey down onto the Thames.

Good job I decided to give her a good check over while we were in port so to speak, one of my fan belts was about to give up the ghost! I've also re secured our anchor which we are never without when navigating rivers.
The original plan was to set off today but a few last minute chores have delayed our departure until tomorrow morning (Tuesday 6th). We don't really know what to expect this time around with the foot and mouth outbreak still being investigated and what damage has been done to the system down near Oxford and further onto the Thames. Those areas were really hit bad by the recent floods. I telephoned our friend Nigel who's the lock keeper at Henley-On-Thames last Thursday and he informed me that at the top end around Kings Lock the river is still into the red. He also told me that a great amount of water was filtering down quite quickly and by the time we arrive down that end hopefully all will be well. You can put the vino on ice Nigel me thinks!!
Well that's about it really, just a short post to let our friends, family and keen followers know were back on the cut. A big thank you to those guys who we've met while out on our travels this summer and who have taken the time to sign our Guest-Book, we're always appreciative of that. Also, well done to Graham & Jennifer (NB-Best-O-Mates) who've made it onto the Lancaster Canal via the River Ribble, we look forward to hearing about your adventures.

High Pressure

Well it's been five days since our last post,(sounds like confession), the longest we've gone so far this summer.

I use the term Summer lightly. However, what's this building over the UK? High pressure, yes I remember you!!
That's probably because Quidditch is heading back to our home-base for a week and not being the pessimistic type a definite coincidence that summer may have arrived at last. It appears that the jet-stream, which is the cause of our rotten summer and lying around 500 miles too far south, is making it's move northward at last.
On our previous post we'd visited the Battlefield Steam Railway and were heading back to Wigram's for a short break. Currently we're moored at Barby around 9 miles from home-base, it's 6am (yes I'm up Johhny!) and a cloudless yet chilly morning with an eerie mist rising off the cool water.
Over the past 5 days we've obviously moved off the Ashby Canal back onto the Coventry and making our turn at the stop-lock at Hawkwsbury Junction back onto the Oxford Canal. Andrew (Granny Buttons) we did see you moored at Hawkesbury but all was quiet so Granny must have been deserted.
It was the first time we'd completed the Ashby Canal having passed it on several occasions and I have to say that it was a pleasant surprise. As soon as it leaves Marston Juntion where you enter the canal it changes completely & dramatically. The industry and housing estates that accompany the Coventry Canal on this stretch suddenly vanish to be replaced by green fields, farms and trees. At the top end, only 21 miles from it's start, your in the National Forest and the scenery and wildlife is excellent, we saw several Stoat and a Peregrine Falcon during our week on the canal.
Nothing extraordinary has happened to us over the last 5 days although having once again avoided being hit this summer, thus far,the inevitable happened while moored and minding our own business at Grimes Bridge. Nothing too serious but once again the attitude of our assailant took the biscuit! "This IS our home you know" you ignorant git, enough said!! Coming thru' the 3 Hillmorton Locks is not a good idea on a Sunday and in the school holidays but a necessity due to our schedule! Pandemonium is an understatement with boats strewn in every orrafice of the canal. Fortunately we avoided any trouble through good humour and shear dumb luck. We've both finished Harry Potter and look forward to the film which we'll catch later in the week but it came as a shock when Dee reminded me last night that when we put back into Wigram's on Tuesday that's the first part of journey this summer complete. Bummer!!!!

Battlefields

Sunday July 22nd… Today the weather had returned to something resembling the summer. In fact we nearly made it through the whole day without rain.

Passing through Hinckley we had a brief stop at Trinity Marina for bread before mooring just short of Stoke Golding.
Looking at this canal on a map it appears to be very much out on a limb. In fact the Ashby was originally intended to be a through route from the River Trent at Burton to the Coventry Canal near Bedworth, but this plan was repeatedly shelved. In 1792 however the Ashby Canal Co. was formed and a bill promoted, mostly by the owners of the Leicestershire limeworks and a new coalfield between Ashby de la Zouch, who decided that an outlet southwards was required from their various works.
Monday July 23rd… Today we moved around 5 miles on to battlefield moorings. From here we visited the Battle of Bosworth visitors Centre, the site of Richard III last stand, where there’s an excellent walk around the battlefield culminating at the Shenton railway station, part of the Battlefield Line Steam Railway, which we hope to visit on Wednesday.

Tuesday July 24th... Completing the remaining 9 miles of the Ashby in beautiful rural countryside we emerged from the 250yd Snarestone Tunnel at what is the present canal terminus, another 8 miles remain of un-navigable canal to Moira. Turning about we moored for the day at the southern end of the tunnel and thankfully enjoyed a lovely cloudless evening.

Wednesday July 25th... Setting off in more rain we moved the 3 miles to Shackerstone moorings and then walked the half mile to the Battlefield Line Railway. Unfortunately today the only train running was the DMU, diesel-multi unit. The station at Shackerstone is small but original and contains a superb museum recognised as one of the most interesting and unique collections in the country. Many of the items date back to last century with special emphasis placed on the local history.

Thank you once again to everyone who's emailed and phoned regarding our status in view of the weather. As many of you will know canals are not renown for flooding, in fact most of the canal sluices empty into nearby rivers when the depth becomes too much, our current canal, the Ashby, is about 6 inches higher than normal! We can tell you that we remain in constant touch with British Waterways who are excellent at advance warnings of stoppages via email and have therefore managed to avoid any serious trouble. However, we've heard from friends who are unfortunately worse off than us and who are currently marooned on various rivers, fortunately still afloat! By a shear coincidence we'd decided at the beginning of our tour that we'd navigate any rivers late in the season. A damn good call if you ask me!! Our trip down to the Thames in August is obviously in doubt though at this time.

Harry & the Ashby

Thursday July 19th… Has summer arrived at last? We completed another long day but this time in glorious summer weather. Leaving our overnight mooring we continued our journey south stopping at Fazeley Junction where the Coventry Canal meets the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal and stopped for water, elsan and provisions once more.
After upping pins we continued through Tamworth completing the only 2 locks of the day at Glascote. Fortunately we’d had an email from BW informing us that these locks were closed yesterday for emergency repairs, causing very long tailbacks for the unwitting and subsequent delays. When we arrived the back-log had obviously gone but lock no.1, the repaired lock, was still extremely slow resulting a queue of 4 boats behind us by the time we cleared through.
We eventually moored at Meadow Lane Bridge just after Polesworth, by coincidence behind NB-Ethel Fidget and remarkably I noticed NB-Maria Jesse another Wigrams moorer pulling in a little while later. After a nice cool beer and chat with Ethel Fidget Dee and I barbecued for only the second time this summer, it was a lovely summer evening with a beautiful red sunset. Shortly after calling it a day the rain once moor returned!
Friday July 20th… Summer had vanished, was it only a dream? The rain had continued unabated for most of the night but to make it to the Ashby Canal by Saturday meant another day in the rain. Gearing up in our wets we duly set off around 11.30am for the Atherstone Flight, not my favourite locks as their renowned for being painstakingly slow. We eventually cleared through the 11 locks at around 2.30pm with very few locks in our favour and once again we were soaked to the bone as the rain had now become torrential. We knew we were mooring for the night in around another 2 miles so we battled on finally arriving at what was now a completely flooded towpath and in what had become a major thunderstorm. There’s one good thing about mooring in torrential rain and that’s jumping straight into the shower and settling down to some hot soup and in this case sausage baps, lovingly stored from yesterdays ‘summer’ BBQ! When we logged on later we’d received another stoppage email from BW informing us that the Oxford Canal was completed closed to navigation due to flooding, the brunt of which was around our home marina at Napton and the rain continues!
Saturday July 21st… Harry Potter day! We departed at around 11am and the sole aim was to grab 2 copies of the new Harry Potter books on our way to the Ashby Canal. The only possible solution was to moor at Nuneaton, not the most auspicious of locations. We moored just after bridge 20 and I duly unhooked my bike and while Dee remained on board boat sitting I cycled the couple of miles into the town centre. About an hour later I returned and haven't seen Dee since! I can't drag her away from the damn book, good job we got two copies!
Around 2.30pm I made the turn onto the Ashby Canal, new ground for Quidditch and we shortly moored for the night just after bridge 3. It's finally stopped raining too.

Seclusion Shattered.

Sunday July 15th.. The weather forecast for today was correct! As predicted the rain came & stayed for the whole day, as did Quidditch.

We just couldn't’t face another wet miserable drubbing. We’d found our quiet secluded mooring in the middle of nowhere and it was a good call to stay put for the day and in fact we didn't even venture out. It wasn’t until around 6pm when I stuck my head out of the hatch that we realised a boat had snuck in quietly behind about a boat lengths back.

However, the big shock came at around 9pm just as I was settling down to watch ‘Rome’ on BBC2. I could suddenly hear a loud blurring music and it was getting louder, and then suddenly appearing out of the window was not one but two ‘hire boats’. I seriously could not believe my eyes and ears as both boats slotted into the tiny gap left by the earlier arrival and buttied up, our seclusion destroyed. I won’t even describe the antics that occurred the following morning, just prior to our quick and hasty departure, as the immediate towpath was turned into something resembling a Butlins holiday camp!’.
Monday July 16th.. After our early departure today we planned to drop down onto the Staffs & Worcester Canal at Great Hayward Junction and moor overnight at Tixall Wide (pictured) where we’d moored for a couple of days on our way up north earlier this year. We stopped for water and elsan and were surprised to find the door locked and a charge of £1 for use of the elsan, which is also not available once the shop closes at 6pm. How can there be a charge and why is this locked beyond the BW key as this is clearly a BW elsan and has been for years? I'll let you know the response to my email.

We’ve come full circle and the summer, if you can call it that, is already half gone. After securing our mooring at Tixall we took a stroll back to the junction and visited the local farm shop for a few provisions and on our return spotted NB-Castle Howard who we’d met several times on the River Avon and Gloucester & Sharpness Canal in 2005. Dee and I spent the evening playing scrabble and amazingly at around 9.30pm the two hire boats that had given us so much grief the night before drifted past. Fortunately the whole mooring was full so we were all spared the grief!

Tuesday July 17th.. After chatting for a while with Castle Howard we turned and headed back onto the Trent & Mersey Canal turning south once again. Knowing this stretch reasonably well we planned to moor around 2 miles from Fradley Junction at bridge 55 where we’d make the turn back onto the Coventry Canal on Wednesday. Just prior to Rugeley we bumped into NB-Ethel Fidget one of our neighbours from Wigrams who were on their way back down from the Macclesfield Canal and slowed very briefly to say hello. The day was showery and we only got soaked twice but it was a nice little jaunt in some occasional sunshine and only 2 locks.

Wednesday July 18th.. The day began with a brief chat with NB-Moody Blues, who came along side, they were on their way up to Stone and are also from our home marina.

Today we completed our transition of the Trent & Mersey Canal turning back once again onto the Coventry Canal at what was a very busy and hectic Fradley Junction. The weather today after a brief morning shower was beautiful and we ate lunch and dinner in the front cratch for the first time this summer. Just prior to mooring at Bridge 81 we stopped briefly so that Dee could jump off and secure a hire boat that had obviously been poorly tied and who's bow was drifting across a narrow section of canal making navigation difficult. These things happen but the most disappointing aspect was the fact that just prior to coming around the bend we'd passed two privately owned boats who had neither warned us of the danger or indeed took the time to stop and secure the boat themselves! After what I've witnessed so far this summer I'm getting a distinct and sad feeling that courtesy on the canals like in the rest of society is becoming a rare commodity!!

Steady Progress to the Ashby

Thursday July 12th.. After our long day yesterday we completed the remaining 14 locks of ‘Heartbreak Hill’ mooring just short of the final one in a torrential downpour to visit the nearby Tesco supermarket.
At around 3.50pm we moved off, once again fully provisioned, completing the final lock on our approach to the Harecastle Tunnel. Our timing was excellent as we were waved thru’ the tunnel without any delay with 2 minutes to spare until the tunnel was turned. *(The tunnel operates a 1-way system allowing 8 boats access at a time. It takes around 50 minutes to complete the gruelling 2,926 yards).
This was the 4th consecutive year we’ve completed the Harecastle but this remarkable feat of engineering never fails to impress. There are altogether 3 parallel tunnels through Harecastle Hill. The first built by James Brindley, was completed in 1777, after 11 years work. As has become a tradition with us once we emerge at the southern exit we immediately moor for the day, this year mainly to dry out!
Friday July 13th.. Today we moved from the southern exit of the Harecastle Tunnel to Barlaston, 9 miles and 6 locks, taking a slight detour onto the Caldon Canal at Etruria for water & Elsan . It turned out to be a hard day in driving rain & for some reason the remaining 2 locks, in particular Stoke Bottom Lock, were painfully slow. We finally moored for the day absolutely soaked to the skin, even in full wet gear! However, it’s always a bonus to pass through Stoke city centre and out into the countryside once more with little effort and due to the appalling conditions not many other boats to hinder us.
Saturday July 14th.. As the weather for today was set fair, it was like the REAL summer out there, and we knew more heavy rain was coming tomorrow, we set off at a leisurely pace at around 11am progressing further down towards the Ashby Canal, which we hope to enter later in the week. The plan was to pass through Stone, which we have visited twice before and moor until Monday somewhere beyond & secluded, not being one’s to moor too close to town centre’s when where fully stocked. We sauntered through with the usual mass of onlookers at Star Lock, ‘for god’s sake get me out of here’ says I when Dee prepared the lock, it took an agonising 5 minutes to clear!
Immediately after clearing the lock to the designated moorings for Stone 3 boats pulled away simultaneously resulting in a slow transition to Aston Lock, our final lock of the day and inevitable queue. We finally cleared some 45 minutes later and found our secluded single mooring at Bridge 89.
In my earlier post 'Strim Your Own' I described how I’d prepared our own mooring using a strimmer which was picked up and posted by Andrew Denny on his site Granny Buttons. Well Andrew you mention in your piece that a strimmer would have come in handy on your visit to the Ashby where you say BW has ‘Vegged-out’ on it’s pledge to keep canalside vegetation under control. Well by an amazing coincidence Quidditch is on-route as we speak. So look out on the Ashby Canal cos Quidditch is on a mission!!!

Strim Your Own!

Well we didn't actually leave Cholmondeston until Tuesday having met up with NB-Nesta once again, this meant that by the time we left we'd spent 8 days in total at one location.

Another good thing about our extended stay was that we were moored right next to Ivor & Mel aboard their diesel boat and so filled up with diesel at a reasonable 48P.

Even when we did eventually leave we only moved around 4 miles because we discovered that NB-Tagine Queen who we'd completed The Montgomery Canal with last month were making their way toward us.

We'd decided to meet up at a lovely designated 48hr mooring Dee & I had moored at last year overlooking Winsford Flash just short of Bridge 22. You can imagine our frustration when we arrived only to discover that not for the first time this year a designated mooring was completely overgrown.

It was finally time to take matters into our own hands and extract the strimmer for the first time this year!! I'd completed our 60 foot mooring when I called John aboard Tagine and establishing his ETA told him I'd strim him a mooring when he arrived. Around 45 minutes later, having spotted John coming thru' bridge 22 I began to prepare his 60 foot. Ten minutes later a stunned John & Joan, ("I thought you were only joking when you phoned"), moored bow to bow where we had an evening on the towpath drinking a nice little vintage at our newly tended mooring. A nice gift to the next person who moors once we've left in the morning.

My message to British Waterways, who have disappointed me yet again, is to supply all boat owners with a free strimmer once we've handed over our hard earned licence fee money! At least that way we can help in some small way with the upkeep of our beloved towpath. Just prior to departing this morning (Wednesday July 11th) we got an email from NB-Best'O'Mates who'd read the blog and discovered that they were only 4 bridges away at Bridge 26. We then met & buttied for a short while to catch up with Jennifer & Graham who are on-route to the Lancaster Canal via The Ribble and then continued on our longest day for a while, completing 19 locks and mooring just short of Bridge 144 on the Trent & Mersey. It was great to catch up with Best'O'Mates who we last met when completing the River Avon last year.

The Harecastle Tunnel beckons tomorrow!

Short Break

After a 5 day lay-up we're now back on our travels again and heading across the Middlewich Branch for the Trent & Mersey Canal.
For the past 3 years we've moored at Cholmondeston for a short break from our travels to return to the normal world!
Cholmondeston is strategically placed with the Venetian Marina & Cafe serving a top breakfast and easy access to Crewe. From here we can hire a car from Enterprise who will pick you up & drop you off at the marina. Over the lay-up and having transport available we have the option do things like a major re-stock of food & wine and any other chores that require a visit to a large town, plus an opportunity to visit the cinema, this time to see Shrek 3.
I can also drive the 50 miles & pay a visit to my dear mum in Liverpool who doesn't get to see me as much in the summer.
Back on the tour again and the weather doesn't seem to have improved greatly. One example of not being prepared for the monsoon's this year is pictured above. We spotted this boat on the Shropshire Union Canal, one of several we've seen this year, which could be a casualty of the weather. The amount of rainfall we had in June has to filter somewhere and if your bilge is blocked and your boat lies unchecked for a while this could be the consequences. As your boat fills & fills with water it's eventually weighed down and then bingo!!
So that's it! Were back on the tour again and our thanks to Nick & Linda, you didn't name your boat, Andy from NZ and Carl & Cara who we met in Llangollen Basin on their hire boat, who have recently posted to our Guest-Book.

Monthly Log (June 07)

Of course one easy headline for June would be the weather, it’s certainly been a record breaker for all the wrong reasons.
When we first set out from Napton in May our sole intention was to head straight for the Llangollen Canal to begin with and end on the Thames sometime in September. I’m certainly glad we didn’t do it the other way around, we’d probably still be flooded in at this stage!
Having spent most of June on the Llangollen we now prepare to come off and I have mixed feelings about the canal.
Arriving at Hurleston Junction and turning onto the canal from the Shropshire Union the first 25 miles thru’ to Ellesmere are amazingly quiet and you wonder what all the fuss regarding it’s busy reputation is about. Just after Ellesmere at Frankton Junction is the entrance to the 7 mile restored Montgomery Canal which requires advance booking. Continuing on from here thru’ to Llangollen there is a marked increase in traffic & you can see why the canal has it’s reputation as the busiest on the system. After the amazing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct from Trevor thru’ to Llangollen, the final 4 miles, requires great patience being both shallow & narrow. There are 2 sections which require you to send a crew member ahead to check for oncoming boats as only one can pass thru’, 2-way radios are very handy! Once into Llangollen pass right to the end where it opens out & you’ll find the basin with water & electric, £5 a night, 48hrs only, it’s well worth the effort. Have a day on the Llangollen Steam Railway too.
The Llangollen certainly is the beautiful canal we knew it would be and apart from the Caldon Canal it’s certainly the most rural we’ve done. However, being the busiest canal on the system and saturated with hire boats, for me it loses a lot of its charm. You could be on the Caldon for example and as the steam train passed by through Churnet Valley you got the impression of times gone by and maybe only a half dozen boats would drift by a day. The dozens of hire boats however and I would estimate that those have been around 80% of the traffic on the Llangollen, are on the go from 6am until 10pm. I use those examples from personal experience as we’ve been passed on more than one occasion at both these times. It seems to me that time is as critical for some on this canal as it is in their busy lives as they literally speed passed without a thought to moored boats or environment, trying to get to the nearest pub or to be first at the lock or water point. Over our 2+ weeks on the Llangollen we’ve met many nice people aboard hire boats and have even invited some into our home but we’ve also met our fair share of boats who simply don’t have a clue, or simply don’t care. In fact as I post this entry one is passing far too fast & totally oblivious to the moored boats! Surely a canal-boat holiday should be about escaping from the stresses of everyday life and soaking in the beauty and atmosphere that rural England & Wales have to offer. I wonder how many have spotted a Kingfisher diving for fish, a Buzzard, Water Vole or Meadow Brown butterfly or heard the many Chiffchaff singing while they rush up and down this canal! Obviously these are my personal views but I think it's a great shame that the minority don't actually grasp what a holiday aboard a narrowboat is all about.
Anyway to end on a positive, don’t be put off by it’s reputation or my moaning. Despite the traffic & the odd renegade hire-boat the Llangollen has it all, aqueducts, tunnels & exceptional and plentiful moorings, well tended and an example of how the rest of the system should be done if BW got their act together. With patience it’s well worth the effort, we’d certainly do it again.
(Pictured Above... Another Hire-boat loses it, panics & heads straight for us!)

Prees Branch

Tuesday June 26th.. The morning was spent recovering from yesterdays storm, clearing the roof of leaves & bits of tree.
Dee’s tomato plant which was doing so well had completely snapped off but I was able to save the roof troughs.
Around midday we moved the few miles into the Ellsmere Arm for more shopping and to meet up with Graham & Hazel from NB-Nesta who we first met when we moored at the Thames & Kennet Marina in Reading a few years ago. I should mention that we delayed pushing off from our overnight mooring by around 30 minutes due to the fact that the 3 stooges I mentioned yesterday on route from Llangollen passed us by just as we were about to push-off, enough said! In the evening we met up with NB-Nesta and enjoyed a decent meal in the local curry-house. It seems to be a tradition now that every time we meet up we have a curry.
Wednesday June 27th.. We said farewell to NB-Nesta who were moving up to Llangollen and only moved a few miles today to a nice mooring we’d spotted on our way up in-between bridges 51/50. One night in a town mooring was enough for us although we found the Ellesmere Arm, although full, pretty peaceful. If you do ever moor there try to moor away from the top end as there is a lot of building work going into the new Wharf. Around mid afternoon I rescued two lovely families on a 70ft beast of a hire boat who were trying to ‘wind’ (boaty term for turn around) and had got badly stuck. The remainder of the day was spent enjoying what turned out to be a sunny although chilly end. Later Dee made her home-made Steak, Stilton & Guinness pie which was delicious.
Thursday June 28th.. For those who have emailed to ask - Although the surrounding fields are flooded after the recent storm & the occasional brook or stream we pass is in full flood, we’ve not noticed much of a difference to the Llangollen except for a small increase in flow & around 3inch in depth. We are aware however of other canals being closed for periods & we are certainly glad we’re not on any rivers at present. Today we once again only moved around 3 miles to the Prees Branch of the canal and moored in a single mooring opposite Whixall Moss (pictured). This is a raised bog rich in flora & insect fauna, including mosquito’s! The peat surface remains inspite of the past cutting of the peat for garden use, and is now a SSSI, and an important site for rare insects & plant life which survive on the delicate habitat. In the afternoon we cycled down this pretty ½ mile branch section to Whixall Marina and then continued on further along the un-navigable section which is now a nature reserve.
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