New Territory For Us With Flamingo

(Now with just Flamingo- posted by Alan)

From our overnight mooring we were quickly arrived at Fazeley Junction, where we joined the Birnungham and Fazeley Canal.  The choices there are left to Birmingham, or right to Fradley Junction to join the Trent and Mersey canal - we took the latter option.

Fradley

The passage from Fazeley Junction to Fradley Junction is about 11 lock free miles, but unusual because it is historically 2 canals.  From Fazeley Junction you are initially on the Birmingham, and Fazeley, and typical features of Birmingham canals take over for a while.  For example all the bridges are named rather than numbered.  However about half way between the junctions at a nondescript point in Whittington, history has dictated that it ceases to be the Birmingham and Fazeley, and becomes again a detached part of the Coventry Canal.  It remains so up until Fradley junction, with the bridges reverting to carrying number and not names.

Fradley

This 11 miles went very well, despite being shallow in parts, and we made good time considering conditions and the large amount of other traffic.

Our plan was to turn right at Fradley Junction, on to part of the Trent and Mersey that circumstances have meant we have not been on in about 10 years.  It was just before the turn that I discovered I was completely unable to light our Morco instantaneous water heater - our only source on Flamingo for hot water in the summer, other than boiling a kettle.  Even with the cover off and everything exposed it simply would not light, at which point we got a sinking feeling about having to spend up to two weeks more on board with no running hot water.

Fradley

Should we turn around, and make a run back to Alvecote, where at least we might be able to attach to a 230 volt mains supply?  The next opportunity to turn around would not be for quite a few locks and several miles - a fair amount of boating.  We decided to turn right on to the T&M anyway, but quickly pulled over to assess the situation further.  Dismantling some of the gas supply to the water heater proved gas was available at the inlet, so why would it not light?

Well eventually it did, but we have no idea why it didn't before, (or indeed whether it will again tomorrow!)  It's rather worrying but we both grabbed a hot shower whilst we knew it was working.

Moving off again we quickly realised that after Alrewas the canal closely parallels the A38 for quite a few miles, and we had no desire to spend a night next to it.  So we have moored at a quiet spot some half a mile before Alrewas, and will save the joys of the A38 until tomorrow.

We walked the dogs onto Alrewas, and enjoyed a couple of pints each, and a very acceptable meal at the Crown Inn.  The dogs could have gone inside, but we chose to sit in the garden on what was a very pleasant evening.

Shortly I will turn the Morco water heater off overnight - watch this space to see if I can relight it tomorrow!

Tame Aqueduct (Coventry Canal) to near Alrewas (Trent & Mersey Canal)
Miles 13.1, Locks:4
Total Miles both boats: 119.3,  Total Locks both boats: 47

If we can't be docked, let's go boating!

(Now with just Flamingo- posted by Alan)

So three days ago we ended up with both boats unexpectedly at Alvecote Marina, following the failure to pit them in the dry dock at Grendon for blacking, as planned.

Glascote top lock.

We have been back home in the intervening time, but came to the conclusion that as any maintenance or improvement of the boats is rapidly getting squeezed into the last part of the year, ot is likely to mean we do little more boating in 2018, once this trip has ended.

So we have decided with the boats to far from home to realistically work on them. we might as well do a lottle bit of boating while we can.

So having relocated Sickle into the marina moorings at Alvecote, we set off quite late in the day with Flamingo.

1971, 1 think.  Brother Mike steering, my late brother Pete at the parapet wall.

We are moored near the Tame Valley Aqueduct, giving access to a nature reserve excellent for dog walking.  However we did have to fight hard to keep Odin out of the Tame.  Water is a magnet where Odin is involved, bit we were not convinced, strong swimmer though he is, that the Tame was not flowing at a greater speed than he can sustain!

I first boated over the Tame Aqueduct in, I think, 1971, on a hire boat holiday with my mum and my 2 brothers.  Some 47 yeras on it still looks remarkably the same, (though I admit it is now in colour!)

Alvecote Marina to Tame Aqueduct

Miles 3.3, Locks: 2
Total Miles both boats: 106.2,  Total Locks both boats: 45

Things Definitely Not Going To Plan

(With both boats - posted by Alan)
(Retrospective Post for Tuesday 14th August

Well there was a clear plan for today.  A very short trip from Atherstone Locks up to Grendon Dock, where we would watch the boats go into the dock, and give them a quick look over, before leaving them there for the week to have their hulls blacked. (I'd even bought some "Wellies" in Atherstone to keep my feet dry!).

At Grendon - the problematic dock is in the background.

The reality turned out to be rather different.  Initially nobody was at the dock for the agreed arrival time of 9:00 a.m.   When two men did turn up, one suggested with the pound several inches down that getting the boats into the dock might be a challenge.  "Bring the big one in first", he said, "the bows will go in, but we may have to motor it a bit to get it all in".  Well the bows never really went in - they got just about as far as the raised gate to the dock, where we were then stuck very firm, with the deeper back end of the boat already raised several inches out of the water.

After much thrashing, heavy engine running, and pulling on ropes, we had not moved at all.  It was decided instead to see if Sickle might clear a passage, but first it took a lot of effort to get Flamingo "unstuck", and moved enough to allow a straight approach on "Sickle".

Sickle actually fared much less well, and never managed to get within 20 feet of the dock entrance.  We fairly quickly agreed with the Alvecote employees that it was highly unlikely we would get either boat in.  More of a worry was that if we succeeded, and levels did not improve through the wee, we were highly unlikely to get them out either.

So the planned docking had to be abandoned.  We agreed we would take both boats up to Alvecote, where they would have been heading for the event in rather less than a fortnight's time anyway.  On the journey up the low level became more obvious, and the boats were regularly rubbing the bottom, despite being where the channel might reasonably have been expected to be.

We were advised to moor them in the basin in front of the Samuel Barlow, but again the low levels meant we couldn't even get them within 12 feet of the bank.  As the dogs needed to be got off, and can't jump over 12 feet, that was never going to work.

Nobody had a firm suggestion where to leave them, and it is too early to move them into the pontoons they will be lined up on for the show, as these are used by paying moorers.  So the best we could do was leave them tied up outside the marina.

Our car was at Grendon, which is where we had expected to drive home from.  So the gentleman from Alvecote drove me down there, and I then returned to Alvecote.  Cath and I loaded everything in the car, including the dogs, and went away to consider what happens now.

Even then our day continued not to go to plan.  We needed to drive first to Weedon to collect our other car.  For some reason Google Maps took us some highly convoluted route via the M6, even though that is the subject of miles and miles of 50MPH speed restrictions.

We also knew that to get to home from Weedon we would normally pass down the A5 through Towcester, and that part of that is closed for long term roadworks.  We thought we knew a route around them that we had used on the way up, but didn't realise they had now additionally closed the road South of Towcester.  It took a while to extricate ourselves from that mess as well.

Not only are the Towcester road closures going on to November, the A4146 Linslade / Leighton Buzzard bypass is also being closed for a couple of months - another part of our natural route to and from our mooring.  In fact the Northbound road was already fully closed, but apparently the South will remain open for some of the time they work on that.  Then the situation will be reversed. 

With the Linslade and the Towcester closures combined, it looks like for some months we will be forced to go to and from our mooring by the  M1 instead.  "Deep joy!, as the expression goes!

Atherstone, Bottom of Locks) to Grendon Dock Alvecote Marina

Miles per boat: 5.0, Miles both boats: 10.0, Locks: 0
Total Miles both boats: 103.0,  Total Locks both boats: 43

More of the same.

(With both boats - posted by Alan)
(Retrospective Post for Monday 13th August

We simply needed to be at our planned distination of Grendon Dock at 9:00 am tomorrow morning.  This is but a short trip up from the bottom of Atherstone locks.

So today, quite simply, we worked Flamingo down the remaining 6 locks of the flight, before tying her up, and walking back to do the same with Sickle.

By the bottom of the locks the locks are in closely spaced pairs, put with much longer pounds in between.   These long pounds are quite shallow, and tend to go lower overnight due to leakage.  Passage along them was quite slow at times, as the boats dragged the bottom.

Atherstone Town to Atherstone, Bottom of Locks)
Miles per boat: 1.4, Miles both boats: 2.9, Locks: 12
Total Miles both boats: 93.0,  Total Locks both boats: 43

At Last A Proper Lock Flight.

(With both boats - posted by Alan)
(Retrospective Post for Sunday 12th August

As already reported we are doing short days and not rushing.  Specifically at lock flights, with just two of us to manage two ex working boat and two large dogs that don't particularly like being on board as we pass through locks, we have decided to work each boat through singly.  We leave one locked up at our start point in the flight, and work the other one through.  Then we tie and lock that one up, and return to the second boat to work that through to rejoin the first.

We had no need to do all 11 Atherstone locks in a single day, (so 22 in total), so today elected to go down just 5 locks, and to tackle the remaining 6 tomorrow.  (How different this all sounds from some blog posts from past trips where we have tackled 30, 40 or even 50 locks in a day!) .

There is nothing much to report really.  The locks were busy.  Three volunteer lock keepers were on duty, one at each of the top three locks.  They were efficient and polite, but are still only basically monitoring and assisting at the top three locks, so at the remaining eight, people are still on their own anyway, so I'm not certain how much they help anybody who has difficulties with an 11 lock flight.

Atherstone is a pleasant well kept flight, and the locks easy to operate, although I have lost my nerve, and no longer attempt the step from one bottom gate to the other, (something Cath generally does without too many worries).  This does make me the rather less efficient lock operator, as I end up doing more walking around.

We had no problem finding adjacent moorings for both boats in the pound that gives easiest access to the main shops in the town.  As always in this sort of case Cath went shopping for supplies, and I ended up in Aldi buying things I had no idea I "needed" before I ventured in there.  To my surprise I also easily found a store selling Wellington Boots - something I thought I would need if I was to get into the "dry" dock at Grendon to look over the boats.

 

Springwood Haven to Atherstone
Miles per boat: 3.9, Miles both boats: 7.8, Locks: 10
Total Miles both boats: 90.1,  Total Locks both boats: 31

Gently Onwards And In No Rush.

(With both boats - posted by Alan)
(Retrospective Post for Saturday 11th August

Cath takes Sickle into "Sutton Stop"

We were now firmly at the situation where we have ample time to complete the trip at a leisurely pace, so no rushing from this point onwards.

We made a latish departure from our overnight mooring at Hawkesbury, but before we even travelled through the stop lock, tied up again to take water.  Whilst the tank was filling I also took rubbish up to the refuse point, and went to empty a toilet cassette,

Flamingo follows Sickle though

Eventually we were ready to go through the shallow stop lock, and as nothing came the other way were able to hold Sickle in the exit from the lock whilst we worked Flamingo through.

I don't think I have gone round the 180 degree turn from the Oxford Canal onto the Coventry with nobody else on the boat before, so I knew I had no look out, and nobody to assist if I fouled up the turn.  Going "round in one" is always worth trying for, but Flamingo is a heavy boat, (effectively "part loaded"), and doesn't turn anything like easily as an empty motor.  I've never made it in one yet, so wasn't trying that hard today.  I misjudged the early part of the turn, and had to hold back slightly, but was then surprised that it did go the whole way around after that without too much of a fight.  For the first time with Flamingo I felt that "round in one" could work after all.  One to try again the return trip?

Taking Flamingo round the 180 degree turn.

The Coventry Canal was fairly quiet - certainly quieter than the last few days on the Oxford, but inevitably when we did meet someone it was often on a bend or at a narrow bridge.  We quickly discovered a flaw in our planning.  We like to use the Nicholson Canal guides to know what is around the next bend, and where the tricky curves are.  However today we moved from the area covered by Book 1 to that covered by Book 3, and it turned out we only had one Book 3 on board.  So whilst Cath leading with Sickle had a map, I following on Flamingo did not.  Fortunately Cath usually signals me about other boats approaching, or what she can see through the bridges I am still unable to see through, so we got along OK.  I would still have preferred to have maps of my own though.

Typical Coventry Canal bridge.

We don't travel the Coventry Canal that often, but do so enough to have an idea of where good overnight tying up points are, and the area near Springwood Haven Marina is we know a good choice.  This would mean a short day, but, as I said, we are now in no rush at all.

There is a good circular walk from where we tied up, so the dogs got a proper outing, not just a quick trip up and down the towpath.  One of the fields we had to cross is the type where the footpath passes straight through the crops, and the farmer flattens that bit out.  However as the field was just being harvested, (literally!), we had a bit of guesswork to do, and at points actually had to step over piles of the crop still waiting to be gathered up by the relevant bit of farm machinery.

Hawkesbury to Springwood Haven
Miles per boat: 7.6, Miles both boats: 15.2, Locks: 2 
Total Miles both boats: 82.3,  Total Locks both boats:21

A Fuller Day's Boating.

(With both boats - posted by Alan)
(Retrospective Post for Friday 10th August

An uneventful day, and with only two of us working both boats in fairly leisurely style, is the only day where each boat has travelled into double figures for the mileage.

On this stretch of the Northern Oxford we find few really good mooring opportunities that allow us to get both boats into the side without a fuss, and reasonable banks where we are not trying to rely on mooring stakes in "mush", so we usually make this one of the longer days, to get to a suitable overnight mooring.

We did deliberately break the trip twice, for a mixture comfort breaks, shopping, tea, coffee and food.  Firstly we stopped on the now extended Rugby Visitor Moorings at Brownsover, where if you can find a space, the new rings make a tie up very quick.  Cath did the Tesco trip.  Next we stopped at All Oaks Wood- often used by us for overnight stops, but we decided to press on to Hawkesbury.

It rained steadily for much of this - quite a change from much of the recent sweltering heat.

At Hawkesbury we tied up before the stop lock, and were quickly advised we had made a good decision, because if we had gone through the stop lock and made the turn onto the Coventry Canal, all the mooringsd were apparentlty taken along the whole straight out towards Bedworth.

Outside the Greyhound at "Sutton Stop", (Hawkesbury Junction).

We had hoped to eat in the Greyhound, a canal pub that quite remarkably I have not been in since the 1970s, but  notices about 90 minute wait times for food rather discouraged us, and there was no inside seating available.  Instead we sat outside for a quiet pint, and then went back to eat on the boat.



 We are easily up on time, so the final 3 days of the trip should be most leisurely, if nothing unexpected happens.

Hillmorton to Hawkesbury
Miles per boat: 15.2, Miles both boats: 30.4, Locks: 0 
Total Miles both boats: 67.2,  Total Locks both boats: 19