Wombles needed......

......in Nuneaton.

Yesterday began well, I had the remaining five locks of the Atherstone flight to go up and then a lock free cruise to Nuneaton, I was in no rush at all and at 9:30 I went up on deck with a cup of tea just as a volunteer lockie was passing, he stopped for a chat, as you do, and just as he was departing he said “I am just going down to the next lock so hang on a bit and when I get back I’ll set the locks for you”, oooh lovely, so I waited until he came back and off I went, he walked ahead setting the locks and opening the bottom gates, closing them after I entered, then went to the next lock while I filled the lock and exited closing the top gate, easy peasy, love a good volunteer J

In the first lock

The services are on the right immediately after the top lock so I swung out left and reversed back onto them for the usual fill and empty and a cuppa while waiting.

On the service point

Then it was off again through lovely countryside.

This stretch is very pleasant cruising up until you pass Hartshill, I had stopped there on the way up, but after that the bags and plastic bottles start appearing in the water, lots of them, you are approaching Nuneaton where the canal seems to be used as a rubbish disposal area, it gets worse the closer you get, I passed an old TV, smashed but recognisable, floating, along with a child’s tricycle, also floating, numerous bags of rubbish on the banks and in the trees as well as in the water  and so many drinks bottles you would think a marathon had just passed through and they hadn’t tided  up yet.

I had intended to stop but it rather put me off, so I continued on, just outside the town I heard a loud crack and a splash and looking behind me a rather large branch had broken off a tree and come down in the canal, a lucky miss, had that landed on my solar panel it would have smashed it, lucky timing.

I continued on until I saw a nice more rural spot and moored up for the night, I am staying put today as well.

Current mooring

Totals yesterday: 7 miles : 5 Locks

Project updates, for those interested:

My battery bank before and after the replacements:

My fuel theft preventer, this is as it was, accessible with no lock.

I started with a lump of 5mm metal, a hacksaw, a club hammer, blowtorch and drill and fashioned and then painted this device.

Add a couple of padlocks and a retaining chain ( you soon learn not to drop things in the canal!) and that is it, it wont stop determined thieves, nothing will, but should prevent the opportunists.

And finally, as newsreaders say, for those of you who don't know what a Womble is Link. They lived on Wimbledon common and collected rubbish (I think! never watched it, honest)

And I know it’s gonna be.......

......a lovely day.

A beautiful start to the morning saw me moving away from Polesworth at 10am.

Passing Stiper’s Hill where the boys with toys were out in force, loads of white van man’s having offloaded the bikes either for themselves or their sons and thoroughly enjoying what looked like a fun morning, the photo’s not great, I didn’t put the specs on and it needed a bit of zoom!

While in the field almost opposite more important things were happening, eating.

According to Mr Google there was another recycling yard at Bradley Green right by bridge 48, but I saw no evidence at all, I think it was probably just a registered office address. My theory had been to moor there overnight if I found it ready for Monday opening but instead I decided to head into Atherstone.

With the sun shining and pleasant views not even the thought of 6 locks ahead could diminish my feeling of well being, actually I quite like locks.

Arriving at the first lock which was in my favour I nipped below for a quick comfort break, strolling casually up to the lock I found a lady had started tuning it to her favour, ‘oooh where did you come from’ she said, I pointed to my boat on the lock landing and smiled, nothing was going to upset me today, not even someone turning the lock without looking first, there were four adults on the boat so after a quick chat I headed back to mine in preparation, and went in after they came out.

The next two locks were in my favour due to the boat that had gone down and at the fourth one I arrived just as another boat did wanting to come down, the lock was still empty in my favour again so the couple locked me through that one.

The fifth lock was a bit puzzling because some lazy so and so had left the top gate open with the paddles up, but nobody had been in front of me and it could not have been a boat coming down, so I guess someone had moved off a mooring and gone up, not good from either a correct procedure point of view but also from a water conservation angle, lazy person! Ah but don’t let it spoil this lovely day Alan J

The next lock was full but a boat was heading down so I opened the top gate and waved him in, he was on his own and asked how many more locks he had to go before Polesworth, I told him six including this one, he said ‘it’s hard work on your own’ I just agreed but it’s not too bad on single locks, doubles are a bit harder.

After going through the lock I moored up , it is empty on the visitor moorings, not another boat in sight, yet when I came down before it was almost full, next weekend no doubt will be busier!

I wandered into Atherstone and topped up supplies before settling down with a cuppa, the Sunday paper and Dire Straits on the CD player, what a nice Sunday.

Totals today: 4 miles : 6 Locks

Linky Thingy

The best laid plans.......

.......often fall apart.

I have 6 batteries to recycle, I had been told of a scrap dealer by the canal at Tamworth so I checked their website for opening hours and Saturday’s they closed at 1pm, so I set off this morning at 8:45 to be sure of making it.

Passing through Hopwas again, I had stopped here on my trip down.

I bet the Red Lion was busy later, it’s been lovely weather.

And then on to Fazely junction, it was raining here when I came up and I had a perfectly timed short lunch stop here avoiding a downpour, not necessary today.

The Coventry canal is left-ish and Birmingham off to the right

Nice artwork

The branch off to Birmingham looked very tempting with the sun and the still water but not this trip.

Over the river Tame aqueduct.

And approaching the two Glascote locks at Tamworth

I had some good fortune here as a boat was coming down, I am now heading upwards and so he left the bottom gates open for me and the second lock was empty with a nice gap between the bottom gates to indicate that, so I was able to nudge those open saving more time stopping and setting off again, a gongoozler (canal watcher) videoed my progress up the second lock (after asking first, not that he needed to) to show his son later, or so he said J

The recycling scrap yard was just after the locks so I moored up at 11:30 and walked up to the road to check all was ok, and here’s that annoying fly in the ointment, they were closed, the sign on the locked gate said 1pm Staurdays so I assume they had all gone to the pub! I did not relish waiting until Monday so it’s plan ‘B’, whatever that is.

There was some strange artwork beneath this bridge, the words ‘ Support Structure’ followed by a white sketch of a mining pit prop which looked very amateurish and this, it say’s Wives and Mothers

I’ve no idea what it was about but never mind, I’ve no idea about lots of things these days!

Further along in the area of Drayton nature reserve was this colourful wheel, I assume ‘pit’ related but could see any information from my vantage point.

I have moored up at Polesworth for the night and had a quick wander around the town.

Looking along the High Street

I think this was the old school, no signs.

The gate house to Polesworth Abbey

Polesworth Abbey

Information about this can be found HERE 

There were a number of pubs, shops and other amenities and it looked like a nice town to visit for a day.

A very enjoyable cruise today despite the battery disposal disappointment, I am now wondering whether my reamining 5 bags of smokeless fuel will get used!

Totals Today: 9 miles : 2 Locks

Blogging forgotten......

........but I'm back now at full power.

I left my mooring at Great Haywood on Saturday 5th after having a catch-up and lunch with Rod N.b. Tilly Mint on Friday and very pleasant it was as well.

I cruised to Handsacre and this is where things took a turn for the worse electrically speaking, more of that after a few pictures of the trip.

Rugeley Power Station

You wonder what some owners are actually like

 I stopped briefly in Rugeley and popped into the very convenient Tesco for some provisions.

Armitage Tunnel

Armitage factory where the make the loo's etc.

It began to rain so the camera was put away.

I moored up at Handsacre and that evening the domestic batteries (everything on the boat is powered by these apart from engine starting) went flat overnight. On Sunday they did again despite me hardly using them and turning the fridge off overnight. They had gone from just coping to virtually no life left, hence the absence of blogging.

On Monday I ordered 5x135Amp hour batteries to replace my 6x110 Ah ones, that gave me virtually the same electrical storage capacity, a little bit more, for less room taken and less links in the system, I also arranged for an electrician to look at my charging system, just to check it. The batteries arrived next day and on Wednesday after the Electrician had been I fitted the new batteries. It seems my charging system is not working properly but it is working and I need to get it looked at again.
The difference with the new batteries is amazing, I think I have always known mine were not fully functioning but I did not realise how bad they were until now. So hopefully no more worries about whether or not to put the CD player on!

Yesterday I cruised from Handsacre still on the Trent and Mersay canal to just past Whittington on the Coventry canal via Fradley Junction going back the way I had come last year, The weather was not good so no photo's. I was just looking for a mooring when through the bridge ahead of me came Rick on fuel boat Auriga so I pulled over and waved him down mooring up for the night at the same time, he topped up my diesel and I took three bags of smokeless which I think should be enough to see me through until November!

Today I pottered about, fitted some extra retaining bolts on my rear hatch lock, I also made a device to secure over my diesel filler cap, to prevent opportunist theft, I have to paint it before I start using it. The time had also come for an oil and oil filter change, the oil gets changed every 250 hours with a filter change every 500, so I did that as well and then I walked into the village about 20 minutes away to get some milk, a productive day, a productive although frustrating week.

Hopefully now I should be back to my usual with the blog, I am heading to Hinckley on the Ashby canal where a family visit has been arranged and then on to Stoke Golding where I have arranged to have the boat taken out of the water to have it 'blacked' which is basically painting the hull with a couple of coats of bitumen to protect it, should be fun, glad I am not doing it !

Winter Cruise.......

..........tick.

I had a couple of visitors for breakfast, the swan was after food and I did feed him some bread, the big brown beast only wanted a drink, which was lucky for me.

Despite the lovely calm sunrise by 8:30 it was raining, not heavily but continually, I didn’t want to get wet today and normally I would see what happened and if it didn’t clear by 11ish I would make the decision to stay put, but today at 12 there was a break and I decided I would move so I prepared and set off, as I moved away from the bank i saw a boat some distance behind me, heading my way.

Sandon lock was not too far ahead and I tied up on the landing and walked along to find it was against me, no surprise there, I set it for me and as I walked back to my boat the other chap was just tying his, I moved into the lock and he came along telling me to stay aboard and he would finish locking me through, a nice start.

As I slowly passed the long term moorings just before Weston-on-Trent this swan decided my button might be a good source of food, he followed along for 100 metres or so pecking away at it.

Past the 17^th century Weston Hall in the distance.

 and then passing through Weston itself

Next was Western lock, again against me , having gone through and closed the bottom gates and moved off again around the slight bend in the canal I saw a boat heading towards the lock, timing is everything, sorry.

Another fairly long line of moored boats slowed progress before Hoo Mill lock which I was surprised to find in my favour, someone had left the top gate paddle slightly open, so that saved me a bit of time.

Exiting Hoo Mill Lock

I wanted to moor up at Gt. Haywood before the lock, I also wanted to use the services for the usual fill and empty, the moorings were quite busy but beyond the service point there was one visible space, there was also a boat on the services, a dilemma, head straight for the mooring or use the services, I stopped at the services knowing full well what would happen and it did, the other boat finished filling with water, moved off and took the last space L oh well, can’t win ‘em all.

No real problem I carried on through Gt Haywood lock and moored just the other side, alone again, naturally, (that’s enough of that Gilbert!).

So that completes the four counties ring, as it’s known, and also the detour along the Llangollen which was my intended winter cruise and very enjoyable it was as well, soon be summer J

Tonight’s mooring

Totals today: 7.5 miles : 4 locks

And for those that didn't understand my earlier attempt at humor.....click on the link ......Alone again

All is Calm

After an horrendously windy wet night I woke this morning to this sunrise.

What a difference a few hours can make.

Strange Weather.....

.....strange lock palava, strange marina set-up.

The winter mooring rules whereby you can stay almost anywhere for 14 days ended on the 29^th February and I wanted to move anyway so despite the weather looking decidedly showery I set off at 10am in the dry.

A few minutes after that it was light rain, then 10 minutes later it was light snow, then the wind got up and as I approached the Aston lock the snow got heavier, I tied up and could see someone walking around the lock so I walked up to give him a hand, the chap was stood by the top gate trying to pull his boat forward......mmmm...... he had tied the stern to the small lock bridge and the rope was tight, I told him it was tight, I wondered what he was trying to achieve but said nothing, his stern was stopping me closing the gates for him, he wandered back along the lock, down the steps and looked up at his rope, puzzled, I watched him for a minute and then walked back to my boat to get a smoke, when I returned he had finally got all of his boat in the lock and was still wandering around, he had left his windlass on the boat, I opened the ground paddle at the top and the realised the bottom gate paddles were still up so I walked back and closed them for him, he walked around to me and told me he was trying to stop his bow from getting flooded and couldn’t see what he was doing from the stern, that’s why he had tied the boat to the bridge, oh well he was happy now, I finished locking him through then bought my boat in and as I was finishing another boat arrived so I left the bottom gates open for him and headed off.

I needed gas, diesel and smokeless fuel and Aston Marina was just ahead so I headed in, I regretted doing that, what a strange set-up they have for services, the diesel point is beneath a bridge that divides the large long marina into two halves, no signs but I saw it as I passed below the bridge and had to reverse back to it, the wind was now howling and it was snowing heavily, I was getting frustrated, I tied up and looked for a ‘service attendant’, none were visible nor was where you might find one, I spotted a chap working on a boat so walked over to him and asked, the Marina office I was told, it’s at the far end of the marina, I walked along, a fair walk in the wind and snow, when I got inside I said I would take sandwiches next time I go on an expedition. The chap and I then walked back to the boat, he filled my diesel, we then had to walk back to the office area to get gas and smokeless, I paid and walked back to my boat again, lugging the gas and smokeless on a trolley up an incline against the wind, probably bearable on a sunny day but what a stupid arrangement, of course as I finished loading it aboard the sun came out, wind still howling but dry again.

I headed out and went a mile further along until I found a nice spot to moor; the wind had beaten me after my moral was lowered by the exploits of the lock and the marina experience.

I have moored in a lovely spot though, but the wind is still howling and it has been hail stoning in between sunny moments.

Today’s mooring

Butterhill Bank

Totals today: 2 miles : 1 lock