OK - A little late, but better than never.... 04/04/09 Saturday Leave Norton Junction: 15:38 Brauston Turn: 17:50 Napton Junction: 19:21 Stockton Lock 10: 22:00
Had to go to work in the morning, then my folding bike all but collapsed in a heap - the bearings locked up completely on the back wheel. Finally got to Long Buckby station, but it's a bit of drag down to the boat on such a small bike. Nuneaton was also moored at the junction, but they had gone by the time I arrived. I caught up a boat just near the tunnel, which then spent so long getting through I stopped mid tunnel and chopped some firewood to get the stove going later that night. Another boat entered the tunnel, so I set off again, and caught the boat in front up just as they left the tunnel. Shared the locks with them (a crew of 4), but even though I was single handed they seemed reluctant to set ahead. At a couple of locks I biked down to get the next lock filling, and when I asked nicely if they could walk ahead and get the next lock ready I got a cold look. I did at that point said, "Well, I'm single handed, so shall I do it?" and they finally trotted down. Met Nick (from the Narrowboat Trust) at the bottom of the locks, and he told me they came down the locks last night, and had set off this morning at 8am along the North Oxford/Cov/T+M/W+B/Shroppie route. I kept going, even though it was a bit windy, but had no problems on the way to the locks - even though a boat waiting for me at the blind bridge got caught on the outside of that big bend mostly thanks to the maintenance boat blocking the way. I reached the top of Stockton locks in the dark, but the wind had dropped, and a full moon was lighting the way so set off down them stopping just before the last one. 05/04/09 Sunday Leave Stockton Lock 10: 07:11 Warwick Tescos: 12:06 -leave: 12:37 Hatton Bottom: 13:24 -leave: 14:00 Hatton Top: 15:58 Kingswood: 18:00 Lapworth Top: 21:00 Left early as I wanted to get some distance under my belt, and to play catch up on Nuneaton. After a couple of locks a lock wheeler from a boat behind caught up, and so after getting the next lock ready waited the boat to catch up. This helped as they were an eager young experienced crew with their parents who had been hiring boats for 11 years. We both stopped at Tescos, and apart from a boat getting between us as we left, they pulled over for water at the bottom of Cape - the hire boat stopped for water at the top so I continued to Hatton to get the next couple of locks ready. About 1/2 hour later they turned up at the bottom, and within two hours we were at the top (and helping people through who had arrived nearly an hour earlier). The hireboat was also heading up the North Stratford, but were stopping at the junction. I continued up the locks during the evening (meeting only a couple of downwards boats on the whole flight), and once it got dark tried to find a mooring only to find there was little water in the pounds, and could not get near the sides even at lock moorings. In the end, I went right to the top, and moored on the outside of BW workboat moored on the end of the top lock moorings. 06/04/09 Monday Leave Lapworth: 08:00 Bournville: 13:14 -leave: 14:02 Old Turn Junction: 15:30 Tipton: 18:55 Bit of a layin this morning after yesterday's efforts, but wanted to be off as I had a long run through Birmingham and didn't want to be too late ariving at Wolverhampton. While the Stratford wasn't very deep, and going was slow, it was at first steady. It wasn't long before the vast conurbation that I call Birmingham (even though they are all individual places) started encroaching. Under one bridge I could see some lone kid throwing bricks in off the towpath, and two younger ones on bikes where sat underneath the bridge just chatting. While I was out of gear entering the bridge, I had to engage again under the bridge as it's quite a long one, which was when I got a blade full. A hireboat was following, and managed to get around me as I virtually drifted (under power) out of the bridge hole. I maybe should have stayed there to get rid of what ever it was, but wanted to get away from the kids in case they started any trouble. Allow the hireboat by however had put me in shallows, and only after a bit of poling did I manage to get into deep enough waters to continue of my way. Thankfully the hireboat decided to fill with water near where the first kid was throwing bricks, so gave me a little bit of unintentional backup. I soldiered on upto the tunnel, and decided to clear the prop before entering which took some time, and another boat came along (going the same way) while I was in the middle of this. The tunnel was wide enough, and they squeezed by. It was lunch time at Bournville, so stopped on the towpath moorings to have some lunch and a rest, and then off again after I thought I better get going again! Victoria loved the deep bits near the center of Birmingham, but it wasn't long before I got something on the blade again, and after several attempts to clear it with the engine, gave up and just carried on. Reached Tipton, and then realised I still hadn't managed to purchase a handcuff key. Before starting up them I wanted to make sure I could lift all the paddles I needed to, so left Victoria in the bottom of the lock and walked up getting the locks ready after trying the top paddles. In the end a small screw driver carefully twisted would unlock most of them. It was starting to get dark now, and I didn't fancy the long run down to Wolverhampton at that time of day, so started to head for the Black Country Living Museum and the shower block there. As I turned the corner a long bit of wall fenced from the rest of the world appeared, and thought I might as well sit on this to save the extra 1/2 mile in the morning. The moored boats along the wall I thought might also have a key I could borrow/buy. I had a chat with a couple of people on the boats through the fencing there, and someone kindly gave me a key they had found in their bilge. 07/04/09 Tuesday Leave Tipton: 04:48 Wolverhampton Top: 06:25 Wolverhampton Bottom: 09:39 Weaton Aston: 12:43 -leave: 13:04 Norton: 15:23 -leave: 16:49 Market Drayton: 20:55 Left early in the morning to get down the 21 in peace and quite. It was a nice morning, and about 6 locks in met some people walking up with windlasses. It turned out they weren't from a boat coming up, but helping one waiting to come down. Half way down I met another boat coming up, and the lock keeper had told them I was going down so had left the locks ready for me down to the long pound with the high viaduct over it. Towards the bottom end BW were bringing up a BCN day boat, and historic maintenance narrowboat. The lock wheelers for the following boat had also started to catch me up. No rest at the bottom, for I then had some miles to get under my belt. A little bit of fathage at the stop lock, as them single gates are a pain with a full length boat. While in the lock I quickly bought a Nicholsons for the area - a new one, and it wasn't a couple of hours before I noticed mistakes and missing bridges! I stopped at Weaton Aston to fill with fuel, and managed to get away just before a slow boat set off, though the poor old boat following me down the 21 had got caught behind them! I also stopped at Norton for a shower and to empty the loo. I reached Tyrley with nobody in sight up or down, and so had to bike down the flight to get the locks ready - thankfully most were full or nearly full. At Market Drayton just before the first bridge I spotted Nuneaton, and they spotted me, and so I moored alongside. The boys (Dave and Steve) had just been to the pub and were back for some grub. I can't remember if I made some tea, but I didn't feel like going out again, and so soon after collapsed in a heap, and left them to go back to the pub to do my drinking for me! 08/04/09 Wednesday Leave Market Drayton: 07:17 Audlem Top: 09:34 Audlem Bottom: 12:11 Nantwich Junction: 14:15 Barbridge Junction: 15:11 Christleton Lock: 20:35 I wanted to be early at Chester to do some filming of the horseboat Saturn actually being pulled by a horse. As I was untying ropes, a rather ropey Dave Davies popped his head out of the hatch and said hello. It seems a good night was had without me! :-) The wind had blown like it never had blown before all night, so much that the rattling of the cans on Nuneaton had awoken me in the night. This morning, all was still and it was shaping up to be a nice day. It didn't take long however for the wind to run up, and later in the day I had to keep my speed up whilst passing boats to avoid been blown into them. At Audlem a couple of boats where coming up the top two locks, which held me up rather than helped. As I was leaving the second lock a boat coming up held the deep water, and I managed to ground on the deposits of the overflow weir. I finally managed to get their understanding and they helped pull me off with their boat. I was following another boat down the flight, and whilst there were two of them, I was being held up. I made the mistake of getting into the same pound as them (i.e. the next lock wasn't yet ready for me), and nearly ended up getting stemmed up again. After that I made sure the next lock was ready for me before leaving, but it meant waiting for a full turn of locks, and making a boat wanting to come wait for me to drop down. Still, I spent most of the time explaining about the boat, and the history of the canals to them. A nice lady from the boat behind often helped with my next lock, which saved some lock wheeling. Towards the bottom of the locks the other boat pulled in, and further up the locks I could see Nuneaton. As I pulled into the lock moorings I found I was stuck on something after filling the lock. I had put the bow into the lock tail, and the stern against the bank, but I couldn't open the gate as the boat was stuck at the back. A BW man was clearing leaves off the path, but came to help when he saw I was in trouble. He said there was the remains of a wall under the lock moorings which is what I got caught on. A shame they just didn't pile the other side of it. At the bottom lock someone was coming in to it going up, and so asked them to leave the gate. Two young lads lifted the ground paddles and then left their windlasses on them. I explained to them the safety implications, and that they should remove them, and an adult came up and asked what I was doing and I explained to them the dangers. He wasn't very receptive, and asked who I was to ask. I explained again, but he wasn't listening, and I shouted as I had to get back to my boat in the lock above that I wanted to be as far away as possible if anything went wrong. By the time I got to the lock with my boat (after passing the other boat), there was nobody in sight, and I worked through on my own. The bloke and two lads were from a boat waiting to come up, and I did think about closing the bottom gates on them since they weren't about, but it was more hard work for me. I asked the boat to think about the dangers of what they were doing nicely on my way past but he didn't look like he was interested even though I explained I had actually seen accidental drops with windlasses flying. At Hack Green Nuneaton still hadn't caught up, but at the bottom lock I saw the top was filling again, and with nobody in sight coming up turned the bottom lock for the following boat. At Nantwich on the deep bit a boat wasn't looking where they were going, and so I had to let them have the bridge. There was a strong side wind blowing, that I was expecting to push me out of the channel, but in fact held me in the middle, so I had to reverse back, and then drive around the oncoming boat. Somewhere along the passing, I managed to get to close to the edge, and ended up two inches out of the water at the stern. Thankfully just coming around the corner was Nuneaton, and with a flurry snached Victoria off the bottom, and together we continued around the next corner to avoid being blown back in the bank. I followed Nuneaton along the canal, and shared the next locks with them. The locks to Chester may be wide, but are built for 70 foot boats, so it's a tight fit to get the gates open - usually having to push the bow towards the center of the lock to get the gate post past it. At Stone lock I went off first, and left Nuneaton to follow as I knew they could run along the canal fast than I. It's wasn't until raising the paddles on the Iron lock that I realised there wasn't a ladder, and so jumped on Victoria as she descended the deep lock. Some kind passer-by helped me through the lock, as Dave and Steve still hadn't got to the lock. There was quite a wait at the next lock, and when they finally arrived, it transpired that they had got caught in the lock, and Dave had to take up all the fenders to get out! Dave and Steve were going to stop at the pub at the start of the long pound (along with many others), but I wanted to get without shouting distance of Chester ready for the next mornings activities. It was a beautiful and peaceful evening, and a really nice cruise. It was just getting dark as I arrived at the Cheshire Cat (after passing Ivor and Mel on Mountbatten and Jerricoe). I tried to get in to the bank, but it was too shallow, and further along even a hireboat was aground. I continued along the canal, and finally moored just in front of a maintenance boat outside the next pub. I tied my front line to the maintenance boat to avoid having to mess about, and was in the pub by 20:45 just in time to put in an order for food. 09/04/09 Thursday Leave Christleton Lock: 07:30 Northgate Locks: 09:25 -leave: 11:30 Tower Wharf: 12:00 Ivor and Mel passed by at about 07:15, so I thought I better be off before many others got by. When I reached the top lock I started it filling, and biked down to the next lock and helped Ivor and Mel out of the lock, and then started it filling again. By the time I was back at the top lock Ray from nb Owl was also waiting, and we went down together. Steering Owl was John Blunn, who was a time served boatman. I wanted to stop at Tescos, but thought it might be better to go back after reaching the pool as time was pressing. It turned out to be a waste of time, as the staircase was closed for emergency repairs replacing a sluice, but while they did this I went back to Tescos on my bike for some supplies. It didn't look like the staircase was going to be ready in time, and so headed down with my camera to the basin, and filmed Saturn leaving for Ellesmere Port. By the time I had got back up John was just pulling Victoria into the lock with Owl (I said they could), and so helped with the locks. Once at the bottom I brought Victoria around onto the towpath moorings in the basin, and started the long task of making her clean and shiny. I got talking to Jim Macdonald off Elizabeth after doing some icebreaking for them at the new year. She is a fascinating boat, with some serious history, and was only of the first pleasure boat conversions done the 1920's by a shipbuilders on the south bank of the River Humber - her stern is Humber barge shaped! They had just come back from several years doing the continental wayways Later Nuneaton arrived, and that evening after a meal in the Telford went to a small pub in the town called the Pied Bull. The reason that was chosen was because the Telford had a band in, but it was noisier in the Pied Bull! 10/04/09 Friday Leave Tower Wharf: 10:00 Arrive Ellesmere Port: 12:33 The weather forecast was no too clever for today, and so I thought I would be clever and get off before the rain. It wasn't long before reaching Ellesmere Port, but the weather was cold and not nice even though it had yet to rain properly. I pulled into the upper basin as the floating bridge which allows boats in the back of the dock could only be moved out of museum hours. The rain came and went, but it never got really heavy, but in the end it started to brighten towards the end of the day. The wind never gave up though. Since I wanted to go out for a cruise on Sunday when my Mum and Dad visited, I got put down in the bottom basin. All day the locks were controlled by museum staff, who all promptly disappeared as I turned into the top lock. I was left to my own devices, and even though I let the top lock empty really slowly still nearly had a flood on my hands. I'm still not really sure why the top lock is nearly twice as deep as the bottom one. When I got to the bottom I moored along side some shops where another boat, a town class whose name I've forgotten (and it's not sign written) was moored. It turned out that the gate to the museum was locked as well as the access to the road, so everyone shuffled up a bit, and boat moved that should have not been there in the first place, so we could squeeze in. My neighbours were very helpful, and showed me (and let me use their last drop off) a very good metal polish that antique dealers use. This finally made the brass rings on my chimney come up brass colour. I'll probably remember their name after I've posted this, but my memory isn't what it never was! The night was spent in the bar drinking and talking, and a good time was had by all. Part two, some time in the future. Cheers, Mike ps. Can't be bothered to read it back, so apologies for mistakes and the like -- Michael Askin http://shoestring_DOT_zapto_DOT_org/
