Northampton to Birmingham and back
103 miles, 0 locks
The TV signal was terrible in Northampton - I later found out there is
a fill-in repeater just to the west of the town - and Dad had been
thinking on getting a proper satellite dish for our other boat anyway.
Maplins has been selling a portable camping kit at £80, so we went to
have a look at one.
We walked the mile to the shop, but from yesterday when Dad called
them up for some information they had sold out. Milton Keynes were
out, but Banbury had some, but not very handy for us on foot. On our
way back, we stopped at the station to see if there was a route to
Banbury, but it involved a 1 hour wait at Coventry. We found that
Birmingham was an easy place to get to, so we went back to Maplins to
see if they had any there. They had plenty, and so took the train,
eating lunch on the way. We spotted the Leicester Arm, North Oxford,
and the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal on the way - interesting
to see these places from the train.
The train back to Northampton left in 20 minutes, and so we rushed to
the shop just off New Street, and bought two! One of me, and one for
Dad. We rushed back, weaving between the bank holiday weekend crowds,
and just made it with less than a minute to go.
We had fun trying to set it up, as the satellite doesn't not have
Astra2 on the manual satellite finder, but once we worked out how to
work it we had no more problems. We watched Doctor Who, and had some
tea. Later we went to the lock island, where a marquee housed a folk
band called Old Speckled Men, who were quite good. We found out that
David King was off on holiday towards Stratford, and not coming this
year!!! We'll give him so grief when we see him at the National.
Day 9: Sunday 30th April 2006
Northampton to Northampton via Northampton (passing through Northampton).
5.6 miles
~10:00 to ~17:00
Chris, a friend of ours from Bethells Bridge Boat Club was joining us
for the second week. We moved the boat to the footbridge near the
supermarket, and after a quick shop loaded him, and his stuff aboard.
We soon left on the Westbridge Challenge, which involved picking up
ribbons on the arm and surrounding waters, and answering some
questions, whose answers could be found on the quest.
Going up the Westbridge Arm (again), we spotted another narrowboat
approaching the first major bridge on the arm, and then turning
around. I happened to mention it was navigable for a further mile, and
they followed us up. We collected the ribbon hanging from some of the
bridges, and after making sure that the other boat know where to turn
continued up forwards under the railway bridges (and another ribbon)
and around the council yard bend. This time I got much further, nearly
to the pipe bridge, and could see the end, but the silt stopped us
from continuing with any sort of real progress.
On the way back, we went up the Nene to the B+Q jetty to pick up
another ribbon, and then to the Northampton Arm first lock to see if
there was one there. On the way back our friends were manoeuvring at
the junction, so they were on the challenge as well! Chris spotted
some more ribbons on the piling near a dry dock with an old Nene lock
guillotine, and so did the other boat. I had to reverse up, so they
beat us to it, but as they grabbed the ribbon the whole lot fell into
the water, and promptly sunk! They had a fragment, and so after
apologising left us to it. Thankfully Chris (sharp eyes that lad),
spotted a fragment floating near to the gate and so we grabbed it.
On Friday night we had spotted the organisers putting a ribbon on the
railway bridge near the lock, so we knew where that was, and we found
another on the wall near one of the weirs. We were still one short,
and we travelled up and down the river a few times trying to find it.
When we arrived back at our moorings we were talking to our neighbour,
who told us where the one we were missing was, so we hightailed back
up the river for the umpteenth time.
We were the only ones with all ribbons, and we probably went further
up the arm than anyone else, but last years winner won it again - fix,
I say! Still it saved having to bring the trophy back next year!
We also watched some of the boat handling competition (mostly from the
boat as we passed). It involved holding a funnel under a running pipe
from the bridge until the beaker was full - the quickest time wins.
Sundays entertainment was not as fun, as it mostly involved a non
canal related quiz we know few answers to, so we satisfied ourselves
with the drink. The fish and chips were well worth it though, and
while we were there several kids were running around selling raffle
tickets to all and sundry. It's nice to see the young enjoy these
things as well.
Chris managed to win a bottle of wine, and we may have won something
else if, after throwing away all our tickets, they found some more
prises!
Day 10: Monday 1st May 2006
Northampton to Northampton via Wellingborough (nearly)
23 miles, 22 locks
08:00 - 18:30
Chris woke us up early, and by 8am we were off. No one else seemed to
be moving, so it might have been a good time to go up the arm, but
instead we wanted to see some of the Nene. We worked down the Nene on
our own, and by lunch time decided we'd had enough and would not get
back to Northampton at a sensible time if we didn't turn around at
Wollaston Lock. While we were having lunch on the lock mooring a boat
came up (first one all day seen moving!), and we went up with them
back to Northampton. Having to leave the bottom guillotine gate open
at each lock was annoying, especially when you had to wait for the
lock to empty slowly on the electric ones.
We met some boats working down from the rally, but mostly in the
pounds or moored up, and only managed to get away with not raising the
gate on two locks.
That night Chris felt like a takeaway, so we went to the Aladdin Balti
Hut on Bridge Street. Very nice it was too.
--
Michael Askin
http://shoestring.zapto.org/
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