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.
NB.. Apologies to those who subscribe to our blog who have received email notification from ‘Feedburner’ of some very old postings. I don’t know why that happened and our apologies!

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Friday June 22nd.. Turned out to be a 7 hour epic, completing Chirk & Whitehouse tunnels, Chirk Aqueduct and the fantastic Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

The Pontcysyllte is easily the most famous & most spectacular feature on the whole canal system. Apart from its great height of 126ft above the River Dee and its length of 1007ft, the excitement to be derived from crossing this structure by boat is partly due to the fact that, while the towpath side is fenced off with, albeit widely spaced iron railings, the offside is completely unprotected from around 12inches above the water level, hence a sheer drop. I have to say that unlike Dee, who was unfased by the whole event I found it slightly daunting steering Quidditch across and looking straight down 100ft. We completed our epic by mooring in the Llangollen Basin at around 7pm.
Saturday June 23rd.. After our epic yesterday we took time out to enjoy the Llangollen visitor moorings and the added benefit of shoreline electricity. After breakfast we visited Llangollen town centre for shopping and took a trip on the Llangollen Steam Railway.
Sunday June 24th.. We walked the 2 mile remainder of the un-navigable section of the canal, which culminates at the well known Horseshoe Falls where the Llangollen Canal originates and then set off from the basin at around 3pm. The plan was to complete the Llangollen – Trevor section and after taking the return trip across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct mooring just prior to the Whitehouse Tunnel.
I would say that the Llangollen – Trevor section is one of the most difficult sections on any canal, narrow & shallow with several sections only wide enough for 1 boat to navigate. Just the place you don’t want to meet total incompetents!!
One example was a hire boat that proceeded against us despite plainly seeing us, a clear BW sign informing you to stop & send a crew member ahead to check the section is clear & Dee actually telling them to wait. Another was a group of 3 guys ahead of us the whole stretch who instead of allowing us to pass were more intent on fishing & boozing & were totally incapable of navigating. Hitting every bridge and stopping dead, resulting in grounding, every time a boat passed the opposite way, it was like watching the ball of a pinball machine and not very funny. Despite having great patience with hire boat crews who are in general quite competent, helpful & willing to learn, I don’t believe I’ve seen as many useless individuals as we encountered today. I would simply ask anyone planning to hire a narrowboat to please do their research and use their common sense, it ain’t rocket science!
Monday June 25th.. Today we moved from our overnight mooring at Whitehouse Tunnel, 9 miles & 2 locks, to Frankton Junction in the most appalling weather we’ve ever experienced on a canal. With driving rain and strong winds it felt like the middle of February not the end of June. I must say that we felt totally sorry for a couple who we passed on a ‘Day Boat’ hired from Maestermyn Marine who were being blown & buffeted across the canal as the wind crashed in over an open field. We finally moored at around 4pm and within 10 minutes the fire was lit & the wine was out. Best place to be in winter…… I mean summer!!!

The Montgomery

Tuesday 19th.. At around 11am we picked up with NB-Tagine Queen & made the 2hr run to Frankton Junction & our booked passage onto the navigable 7ml stretch of the Montgomery.
The locks both ways must be booked in advance & are only open & manned 12noon until 2pm after which they’re padlocked! Only 12 boats are allowed down daily and once a quota of 1250 boats is reached (annually) the canal is closed to traffic. Another point to bare in mind is the speed limit of 3mph which is enforced for conservation reasons.
Quidditch & Tagine were the last 2 boats in the 12 so a 90 minute wait gave us both time to catch up on the gossip. After emerging thru’ Frankton locks we completed the remaining 4 locks together & made the 7 mile navigable passage to Maesbury in around 4hrs. In the evening we visited The Navigation Inn which was directly opposite our mooring and had an excellent meal as the thunder once again rattled in!
Wednesday 20th.. After turning at Gronwyn Wharf, which is the limit of the navigation, we had a leisurely 4hr cruise back to Weston Wharf around a ½ mile from Frankton Junction, where the plan was to moor in position for the lock up at midday.
My impressions of the Montgomery are mixed. The canal is quite pretty & well serviced for elsan, bins & water but really nothing out of the ordinary & is straight & long for good periods of the 7 mile stretch. The moorings are poorly tended & un-inviting, they are overgrown & there are none after the Graham Palmer lock until you reach the ‘Queens Head’ (full on our visit) & Maesbury. Disappointingly the Maesbury towpath was full of dog crap and I have to say that Frankton Locks also had its fair share! The lock keeper who lives at Frankton is a really helpful chap and very chatty. In conclusion it was nice to have completed the section and well done to those who have restored it but it’s not the ‘Oh! you have to do the Montgomery’ a lot of people have raved about.
Thursday 21st.. You wouldn’t think it was midsummer’s day! Always fun to see ‘I wanna be 1st at the locks syndrome’. I could see by my strategic viewpoint, (and binoculars), from around a ½ mile away that the 1st lock back up had a queue of 4 boats by 9am, pointless really as the locks aren’t open until midday and the lock mooring is shallow & insufficient. So we had a leisurely breakfast and walk along the Weston Branch disused arm and were then treated to several card tricks aboard Tagine by the ultra-talented John.
At around 12.30pm we sauntered up to the locks and made a slow transition through, emerging as the last boat of the day at around 2.15pm only a ½ hour behind the 1st boat which had been queuing since 9am. At the top we moored for a cuppa with John & Joan before heading our separate ways, NB-Tagine back down to Ellsmere and Quidditch up to Llangollen which we should hit by Saturday.

Over the Border

Friday 15th.. Torrential rain thru’ the night meant that a poor nights sleep was subsidised by sleeping in until around 10.30am.

As luck would have it though our 3 hour sailing today was in dry and sometimes sunny conditions. One thing that’s striking already about the Llangollen Canal, apart from the beautiful scenery, is the constant flow. There is a significant west-to-east current, thanks to the canals other role as a water conduit from the welsh mountains to the people of Crewe.
Our sailing today took us 7 miles and 5 locks but with Dee’s beady eye we spotted Kingfisher and a Tawny Owl which was roosting for the day low in an oak tree.
We eventually moored just short of Marbury Lock in sunshine but within the hour we were battered once again by torrential rain & thunderstorms.
Saturday 16th.. Leaving Marbury the canal again enters peaceful and remote countryside. Continuing thru’ 5 more isolated locks we eventually arrived at Grindley Brook Locks, 3 locks followed by 3 staircase locks. Saturday is definitely the day to pass thru’. Most of the large hire fleets are on turn-around day so we saw very few but bare in mind your location as there’s a mass exodus at around 4pm from the boat-yards!
Grindley locks are manned and 3 boats at a time enter at once. We were fortunately the third and navigated thru’ quickly but in pouring rain. At the top end there are 3 water points, elsan, bins and ample mooring during this quiet time. We took the opportunity to stop for a while & have lunch at the café & shop which overlooks the lock.
Moving on after lunch we eventually moored 2 hours later at Tilstock Park Lift-Bridge 2 miles from the Welsh border.
Sunday 17th.. With such a pleasant and secluded mooring we took a breather today & completed the house chores. This area is very remote and in fact we only saw 6 people all day apart from other boats.
Monday 18th.. Today we completed 8 miles in remote countryside with no locks and 1 swing bridge passing into Wales at around midday. The weather has taken a decidedly chilly note with persistent heavy showers and also of note is the increase in hire boats we are now encountering.
Arriving at Ellsmere we took the ½ mile walk into the small town to stock up on provisions and got totally soaked thru'. We’ve also nearly caught up with John & Joan aboard NBTagine Queen, (also from our Marina), who are on their return journey from Llangollen, they were originally 2 weeks ahead of us. Tomorrow the plan is for us both to book passage onto the Montgomery Canal but more on that in my next post!
(Sorry about the image but I’m unable to upload a decent photo for this post due to poor signal quality!)

Quidditch on Llangollen

Tuesday 12th.. We began early today at 9am and after filling with diesel and water we departed Norbury Junction.

During our transit of the Shropshire Union Canal one big factor is the price of Diesel, cheap at current standards. (Norbury 44.9P, Wheaton Aston 41.5P, Market Drayton 44.5P) so if your following in our footsteps well worth a mental note as we’ve heard that the Llangollen is well over 60P!
Arriving at Tyrley Lock 1 in a group of 5 locks we were met by a 6 boat queue! Probably due to our early departure today as we don’t normally come across many queue’s,11am being our average departure time when the hoard of early risers have moved on.
Completing Tyrley locks we arrived at Market Drayton at around 3pm. If you moor in the section just before Lord’s Bridge (64) you can hammer Morrison’s for supplies and get a taxi back with all your many bags via the path at Windsor Drive for only £3, a real boaters secret.
Wednesday 13th.. After wishing Winnie well, ( A lovely old lady we’d met who lives in one of the houses that back onto the canal), we set off for Audlem. Just after leaving I spotted my 1st Kingfisher of the trip sitting on one of the moored boats, normally we’ve seen several by this time. We had a fantastic pass thru’ the 5 Adderley locks, completing them in only 20mins, and progressed on to the Audlem flight of 15 locks. These locks lower the canal by over 90ft to the diarylands of Cheshire. We completed 13 of the 15 in just short of 2 hours and moored prior to the final 2 locks in Audlem. Having completed 18 locks we didn’t much feel like preparing lunch so we treated ourselves to lunch at the Shroppie Fly. The Fly is a converted warehouse that serves ale from a bar shaped like a narrowboat. Although the food was expensive it was well presented and there was a lot of it. There’s also a useful book exchange there too. When we left the Shroppie the 1st significant rain of our trip had begun to fall.
Thursday 14th.. After a rainy night & morning we left Audlem and completed the 2 final locks of the flight. Continuing on in the rain we passed thru’ Nantwich eventually reaching the Llangollen turn around 2.30pm. Despite this being the busiest canal on the system we passed thru’ the 4 locks of Hurleston Junction with impunity and had arrived on the Llangollen Canal for our 1st visit.
(Pictured above... Dee prepares the 1st lock of the Llangollen Canal in damp & murky conditions)

BBQ Time!

Friday 8th… We left Tixall Wide at our normal start time of 11am and after completing Tixall Lock a short time later we passed the entrance to Shugborough railway tunnel at the foot of some thick woods of Cannock Chase.
At Milford our navigation crossed the river Sow which is an early structure by James Brindley and continues on 5 locks later to Penkridge where we took on water and some food supplies. Passing quite close to the busy M6 motorway we finally moored for the day 4 locks later just short of Brick Kiln Lock,12 miles and 10 locks today!
Saturday 9th… Completing Brick Kiln Lock we progressed thru Gailey and on past the 2 lock Hatherton Branch. Shortly after Bridge 74 the canal widens where Brindley amazingly incorporated part of a medieval moat into the canal system. The rest of our route today took us under the M54 motorway and the final stretch of this section of the Staffs & Worcester takes us past the outskirts of Wolverhampton. Around 2pm we arrived at Autherley Junction & the stop lock for the Shropshire Union Canal and made the turn north.
Passing back under the M54 we continued north heading away from Wolverhampton, passing Brewood and eventually arriving at our mooring for today at Wheaton Aston. Tonight we had our 1st BBQ (pictured Above) of the season in glorious evening sunshine, today has been the hottest so far!
Sunday 10th… We set off from Wheaton Aston after cycling in to the village for a few supplies and passed thru’ the Cowley Tunnel and on thru’ Gnosall around lunchtime. Navigating past some beautiful countryside and a couple of large fishing matches, (1MPH), before reaching our destination of Norbury Junction around 2pm. In the evening we had a nice walk & spotted Warren & Lynne’s boat, One Chance, which is moored here. Warren & Lynne used to work at our home base Wigram’s Turn but are now happily running a caravan park in Cornwall.
Monday 11th.. Staying for the day we breakfasted at the Cosy Tea Café and spent a few £’S at the Norbury chandlery. The rest of the day was spent just chilling out in what I have to say is a very quiet Norbury Junction! Tomorrow we head for Market Drayton and then on hopefully entering the Llangollen Canal around the end of the week.

Tixall Wide

Tuesday 5th… Departing our lovely view of the Lavender fields we set off at around 11.45am.
Just before departing I was greeted at the hatch by a familiar face from NB-Winifred who was walking his 2 Jack Russell’s along the towpath. We’d first met Ken & Mary on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal at Sharpness in 2005 and have bumped into them each year since. Experienced boaters they’ve been living aboard narrowboat’s for over 30 years!
After chatting for a while we finally set off around midday and arrived at Fradley Junction an hour later, turning North-West onto the Trent & Mersey Canal. Progressing thru’ Handacre & Rugeley we finally moored at Taft Bridge (No.69) about 3 miles short of Great Haywood Junction.
Wednesday 6th… Having cleared some debris from our weed-hatch and checked the rudder we set off around 11am for Gt. Hayward Junction, completing a couple of locks en route and turning West onto the Staffs & Worcester Canal a short time later. A mile on we moored for the day at Tixall Wide.
Tixall is an amazing & delightful stretch of water more resembling a lake than a canal, and navigable to the edges. The wide is renown for it’s Kingfisher population. The evening was spent with a TV dinner & champagne while watching England beat Estonia. The Champs was to celebrate Quidditch’s 3rd birthday.
Thursday 7th… Today we had a day off and a lovely mooring so we completed some chores. The rule of thumb aboard Quidditch while sailing is that Dee does the innie & I do the outie! So while Dee completed the housework I gave the engine & shower pump a full service.
Around lunchtime we discovered that another boat we knew, NBChardonnay, was moored slightly ahead of use. We’d bumped into Mel & Trish several times last year while navigating the same stretch of the Shropshire Union. We took time out to catch up on the news with Mel who unfortunately looked a little rough having crashed his bike into the water the day before when the towpath crumbled from underneath him! A likely story Mel!!!
Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Trish who was down in London.
In the afternoon we cycled into Gt. Haywood for provisions and had a nice lunch in a café that overlooks Haywood lock. The evening was spent looking for the elusive Kingfishers! We saw none but did watch a Buzzard hunting prey.
(Pictured above is out 1st lock queue of the season @ Colwick Lock T&M Canal)

Lavender Hill

Continuing on from Bridge 26 on the Oxford Canal, our Friday night mooring, we progressed steadily North during Saturday.

We arrived at Hawkesbury Junction mid afternoon and made an uneventful pass through the stop-lock and turn onto the Coventry Canal in lovely sunshine. Last week being the school half-term week the canals were naturally busy but one thing that has struck us over the past few days is the increase in the amount of cruisers using the system! I have to say also that a good few were un-licensed. Another thing that is striking is the lack of grass cutting at mooring points that is evident along the whole stretch of our journey so far. The exception being Atherstone which has a working boat gathering next weekend. Is this the shape of things to come with the so called funding cutbacks? I seriously hope not!
On the Saturday evening we moored overnight at Bridge 34 of the Coventry having traversed slowly through Bedworth and Nuneaton, passing Marston Junction where the Ashby Canal meets the Coventry. We hope to complete the Ashby Canal later in the summer.
We had originally planned to stay at Bridge 34 just short of Atherstone locks until Monday but it was such a lovely day on Sunday we decided to progress. It turned out to be a good decision as we had a very easy passage. Surprising really as these locks are renowned for being slow fillers and when we passed through in 2005 we had a nightmare 5 hour transition.
We completed 9 of the 11 locks in no time and decided to moor just short of the final 2 locks in a lovely mooring with freshly cut grass around 2pm. Out came the chairs and sun brolly for the 1st time this summer and the rest of the day was just a delight.
Setting off at around midday today we completed the final 2 locks and took on water at Bradley Green. Passing through Polesworth we moved sedately through Tamworth where the canal runs through suburban housing, turning in a wide sweep south-west past Tamworth centre towards Fazeley Junction, through the only 2 locks on this stretch at Glascote. At Fazeley Junction the Coventry Canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and then continues north-west to Fradley junction where we turn onto the Trent & Mersey Canal, hopefully on Tuesday.
Tonight, Monday 4th June, we’re moored at Tamhorn House Bridge opposite a beautiful lavender field, which is pictured above.
(Saturday 2nd June - Monday 4th June - 31 miles - 14 locks)

Long Day

Having been moored near Barby on the Oxford Canal since Tuesday awaiting Dee's dad's arrival we finally set off yesterday (Friday 1st June) at around 11.30am.

We were delighted to see her Dad, Jane, Miranda and Lucky the Labrador who are currently touring the UK in a motorhome from Spain. We had an excellent dinner in The Rose Inn at Willoughby on Thursday evening which it turns out is now owned by an old friend of mine, Andy.
Bidding them farewell on the Friday morning we took the decision to put in a long day to make up some lost ground, the sun was finally shinning too after yesterday's frequent thunderstorms.
After completing the 3 locks at Hillmorton (our 1st this year) and taking on water we stopped at Rugby for around an hour to buy a new TV and a few food supplies.
Continuing on at around 4.30pm we finally moored for the night at Bridge 26 on the Oxford Canal, an idyllic and quiet mooring we knew from previous visits. Although it was great to see Dee's dad and family I finally feel as though we're back doing what we like best. We had wall to wall sunshine today and tomorrow promises to be more of the same.
(Tuesday 29th May - Friday 1st June - 19 miles - 3 locks)

'Current Onboard Weather Station'

Temp @ 10.00Hrs : 23c - Current Weather : Clear
Wind : Calm - Pressure : 1011mb Steady
Sunrise 4:49am Sunset 9:18pm

First This Year

With the visit of Pete and Michelle from Reading, Quidditch got her first sailing of 2007.

In fact astonishingly this was the first time we had ventured beyond the marina since ending our Summer 06 tour in September. What greeted us was a shock to say the least! The traffic on this stretch of the canal system seems to have increased 5 fold. We knew that the newly increased size of Calcut Marina (200 extra berths) would have an impact but where have the rest come from? Who knows what it's going to be like when Vetnor Marina eventually launch their extra 200 berths?
While having breakfast at bridge 103 on the Sunday morning it was like being on the canal version of the M25 motorway. This section of the system already known as 'Tick-Over Alley' has certainly earned it's name. For us I'm afraid it's taken away the tranquillity of mooring at bridge 103 our favourite local spot, gone are the days when one or two boats would drift by enroute to Braunston.
Nevertheless, Pete and Michelle thoroughly enjoyed their short stay and insight into the boaty way of life. Pete goes away with the unfortunate accolade of The Quidditch All-Time-Top-Snorer!!
Dee and I now look forward to the end of May when our Summer 07 tour begins, late this year due to our 3 week Scottish camping and twitching trip.

Tour 06 Ends

Our final trip of Tour 06 was to take Quidditch to Welford for hull blacking. We’d booked our dry dock from Monday September 25th.


Located at the very bottom of the Welford Arm (Leicester section of the Grand Union) we estimated that the journey would take 2 days sailing. Setting off from Wigram’s on Friday 22nd we moored overnight just 40 minutes down at bridge 103, one of our favourite short trips. This would give us a head start come Saturday. This would also be a new stretch for us, as we’d not as yet ventured the other side of the Grand Union past Braunston locks.
Setting off around 9.30am Saturday we arrived at the 6 Braunston double locks and locked thru’ with NBAnnie from Braunston Marina, completing the top lock at around midday. NBAnnie was well off for crew so Dee had a reasonably easy transition.
Next came another first as we completed the 2042 yard Braunston Tunnel. This was the first time we’d completed a two-way tunnel and after passing several boats within, including a working boat being towed, we emerged into a wooded cut 20 minutes later.
At Norton Junction we turned north on the Leicester section heading towards Crick. From here the canal meanders through light woods and rolling fields before the motorway (M1) and railway takes over, the canal literally passes the back door of Watford Gap services!
Arriving at Watford Locks we were presented with a small queue of 5 boats and a 90-minute delay. After negotiating the locks, which includes a staircase of 4 single locks (this the reason for delays), we continued on navigating the Crick tunnel at around 4.30pm. 1528 yards long, the tunnel was opened in 1814. All tunnels built in this area suffered great problems in construction. Quicksand’s caused the route of the tunnel to be changed and greatly affected work. Stephenson found similar difficulties when building the nearby Kilsby tunnel for the London to Birmingham Railway.
We moored for the day overlooking Crack’s Hill, a curious looking tree topped mound!
Sunday we had a leisurely journey and after turning onto the Welford Arm at Welford Junction we arrived at our dry dock at around 4pm, passing thru’ the one 3ft lock at Welford, the only lock of the day.
Leaving our dry dock Wednesday 27th our work complete the journey back was excellent with no delays at Watford Locks and making good time we moored at Ball’s Bridge (N0.3) for the night. Thursday 28th we set off around 11am arriving back at Wigram’s at about 4pm our journey complete. The one event of note on our way back occurred just as we emerged from the Braunston tunnel when 2 hire boats collided head-on within! Fortunately no serious damage but we were sure glad we passed the oncoming boat outside of the tunnel!!

Claydon and Back!

Once again we're back in port for the weekend having returned to drop off an old friend of ours who's visiting from Dubai.

Don't let the picture put you off!!!

What a contrast! From Villa to narrowboat! Still, we'll be enjoying Dave's hospitality when we visit him for the whole of October.
Our trip up to Claydon was uneventful with the odd exception.
As we approached lock 11 of the Napton flight I was surprised to see the gates, left open by the exiting boat who'd clearly spotted us, closing as we approached. Despite sounding my horn several times to alert the nice lady to our impending arrival, alas it was to no avail, once again we'd had the lock turned on us! A waste of water and bloody annoying. When I asked the question 5 minutes later 'WHY' it was the old chestnut 'I didn’t see you'. Well that's interesting I said I certainly saw you. I was then told as they departed the lock that I was a very rude man! Personally I can't think of anything ruder on the waterways than turning a lock against an approaching boat. Unfortunately there seems to be less and less consideration as more boats appear on our canal system. I'm still unsure whether to name and shame.
Anyway Dave was amused and all in all I think he had a real good time. Although he did complain on departing this morning about aching muscles he never knew he had.
Claydon from Napton is actually a good trip to complete over 5 days. Plenty of locks, good views at bridge 130, the Bygones museum and even a medieval village to investigate at Wormleighton. It gives your guest a good idea of what life is like aboard a narrowboat. Lots of physical work at the locks, the great outdoors and plenty of food and wine. A stop at the Wharf, Fenny Compton for lunch is also a nice treat.
The weather was excellent apart from yesterday morning when we had torrential rain. Having said that I was at the tiller for the duration while Dee and Dave enjoyed the comforts of the cratch cover! Mind you they worked hard later as we completed the return trip thru' Napton flight. A 13-boat queue from the top lock resulted in a 4 hour stint before reaching the bottom lock in bright sunshine and almost cloudless skies.
Despite being the middle of September there's still very little sign of the tree's starting to loose foliage. This years yields of fruit are astonishing. Blackberries, Sloe and Elderberry are in abundance with some bushes keeling over from the sheer weight. Dee's baked here 3rd blackberry and apple pie this month, not that I'm complaining. Lots of Swallows are still visible but we haven't seen a Swift now in over a week.
We're heading off again on Tuesday 19th in continuation of our Autumn Tour.