Destination Hawkesbury Junction.

Over the last few days I made several trips out to the shops, I am now well stocked with non-perishables and as stocked as I can be with perishables.

I also treated myself to a new winter coat, I found a YouTube video the other day that someone had taken of me working a lock on the Llangollen canal in the winter of 2016, I was surprised how scruffy I looked, so although the old coat was warm it had to go! I don't remember being filmed but we must have spoken because he thinks I was possibly from London.

You can view the Video Here

This morning the forecast was for a dry day, so at 8am I set off for the water point just ahead of me.

Filling the water tank, again!

Job done and off round the blind bend to make my departure from Rugby.

Heading off

As you leave you pass over a couple of short aqueducts the views below are not inspiring, one is an industrial estate and the other road works, so here is an above picture.

The cruise was about 4½ lock free hours and to be honest not too much happened and not much was interesting so here is the picture story.

Bridge entrance to Willow Wren Boat Hire

3 Bridges in 1 picture.

Did not pass many boats, but of course this one was just before a fallen tree.

Approaching Newbold on Avon

Newbold tunnel (250yards) two way working with towpath.

Just a view.

Lime Farm Marina

Entrance to Brinklow Marina, these style bridges are very common in this area.

Peace and solitude no doubt

This small swing bridge for pedestrians is at Stretton Stop, by Brinklow boat
services. 

M6 motorway

M69 motorway

Arriving at Hawesbury junction I was pleased to see a 7 day mooring spot free just before the lock and the junction itself so I pulled in, a boat was just leaving the lock to head towards me, I had got my bow line fitted and had walked to the stern to deal with that, it’s dead straight, plenty wide enough and no boats are coming the other way, I looked back to see whether I had time to tie the line or needed to hold it until he had passed, and he was just about to side swipe my boat, which he then did, why, how, my brain cannot compute some of the things that happen!  but he did shout an apology “sorry about that, I think I need a white stick”, I agreed in a not to friendly fashion.

Current mooring:

The chap who hit me had to negotiate this section of canal !

Totals today: 12 miles : 1 ‘ickle pickle’ swing bridge

Continuing .

Yesterday in keeping with my ‘don’t cruise every day unless you have to’ method I decreed it would become a ‘rest’ day, so I started work on de-rusting and treating the second bow locker, no pictures, it’s the same as the first one! I will continue with it in dry periods if we get any.

This morning I decided to continue the aborted cruise which had been curtailed by the lack of a functioning horn and a huge queue at the Hillmorton locks when I arrived, my destination was Rugby where I could stock up on non-perishable food stuff, which is getting a bit low, and perishables.

The forecast was for a showery day and it was lightly raining as I set off at 9:15am and headed for the first of the three functioning locks, it turned out to be the offside locks that were in use and I had to turn the first one (for those that don’t know this means emptying or filling it for use depending on whether you are ascending or descending), I am now back in narrow lock territory and that makes life easier but on the downside the queues can be longer in busier periods as obviously only one boat can get through at a time, but not this morning, no queue at all.

Entering my first single lock this year.

Having worked down the first lock I could see a boat in the second one so I held station in the jaws of the lock until I saw the gate being opened and then set off to pass him in the pound.

Second lock in the distance with boat coming up.

After working the second lock I had just closed one of the pair of bottom gates when a boat came into view, so I re-opened the gate and headed off again, passing the small arm at bridge 70 which leads to Granthams Bridge Boat Services which has a dry dock, it looked fairly busy.

Arriving at the third lock there was a lock keeper on duty so with his assistance I was soon through that one as well, another stress free descent completed J

Lock keeper's on duty today, to aid traffic through.

Not long after leaving the locks I passed a C&RT barge with tug and they set off to follow me.

Bridge 66 with some artwork depicting canal life then and now, on the opposite side it depicts Rugby, the game,  as you are now entering the outskirts of the town

But first you have to get past Clifton Cruisers, meeting boats here is always fun as there is not much room, but today I had a clear passage through.

With the barge following I was warning approaching boats when necessary, it’s amazing how many just accept the warning and do nothing, at least two boats got into bother when the barge I had warned them of appeared around a blind bend or emerged from a bridge hole, and then as I arrived at the Rugby visitors moorings where it is narrow and bendy (as can be seen in my mooring pics), I was attempting to pull my boat to the bank and a boat passing did not slow much, or better still knock his boat into neutral as he passed me, I shouted a warning about the barge as I struggled against the drag caused by him but he took no heed and ended up in bother as well, Karma for not slowing enough for me J .

Current mooring:

Totals today: 3 miles : 3 locks.

I will stay as long as I need to, no need to cruise in the rain and the forecast for the weekend is not great, it will allow a few trips to the shops, little and often is best when you have to carry bags!

It's rained steadily all afternoon and I managed to drop a charger on my tablet cracking the screen, not a great afternoon but on the plus side, oh sorry, there wasn't one!

The Narrowboat Shuffle.....

......two types!

I cast off this morning around 8:30, boats had been passing me in the direction I was heading since 5:45 (earliest one I saw) this morning, later on I found out why.

My first stop was just about 100yards ahead to do the usual fill and empty and then I was off to negotiate the fairly tight busy section around the junction leading to the Oxford South first passing The Boathouse pub.

As I approached the actual junction with its twin bridges a holiday boat was heading out to go in the same direction as me, he had time had he been going straight out, but, he wanted water and his wife on the bow was pointing to the tap which is very awkwardly placed on a tight bend immediately after the junction, having seen me and the tap he carried on, I would have waited had it been me and let the other boat through first (me in this case) but he did not wait, so I had to stop and wait for him to get in position and get moored, the gap left once he was sorted is just wide enough to get through without clipping moored boats opposite as you are turning at the same time as squeezing through. No harm done but it would have been so much easier for both of us had he just paused.

Just ahead past bridge 90 is the burnt out shell of a ‘Sea Otter’, they were good quality expensive aluminium boats but are no longer made, unfortunately aluminium does not handle fire well as can be seen, the fire happened a while ago, I read about it on someone else’s blog, everyone was safe but his pride and joy is no more now.

A little bit further along and another boat pulled out ahead of me, once we got onto an open stretch I could see one ahead of him as well, and then one behind me, it was getting busy, boats coming the other way at frequent intervals as well.

He got ahead while I was still passing moored boats on tickover.

The sky was fairly clear and the views were of sheep grazing in the ridge and furrow fields that are found here.

It wasn’t long before the first type of shuffling began, the lead boat of our group of four pulled over for some reason and was passed by the second boat, he then pulled away again in front of me, I met an oncoming boat in a narrow overgrown section so I paused to save either of us having to go gardening, the boat behind me had been catching me up so I took this opportunity to wave him past as well.

Along the straight stretch passing the Barby Moorings the rain started so it was out with the umbrella and the second boat off our little group decided to moor up.

We were passing the new Onley Marina and I was just taking a couple of snaps, when a boat appeared through bridge 80 causing the chap ahead to take evasive action while I came to a stop and waited for it all to clear before heading off again.

Still being completed but now occupied Onley Marina

I wanted a bottle of gas and intended to get one at Saisons wharf but there was a boat moored on the landing area that clearly wasn’t just there for supplies, he had too many ropes tied, and as there is only room for one boat I decided it could wait.

Just after the wharf is bridge 73, again on a bend, and it was here I made a discovery, I had my bow half way in the ‘ole’ when I spied the sharp end of a C&RT barge being pushed along by a small tug also about to enter the bridge hole, I went for the horn, and was met with silence, me horn was kaput! The tug driver, once he saw me, took evasive action, it was all very controlled really, and pushed the barge into the bank as I squeezed through the gap, I thanked him and watched him take a few minutes to extricate himself from the awkward position he now found himself in, so when they say check your brakes horn and lights before a journey (in a car normally) you should do it, I may check the horn in future J

Having discovered the lack of a working warning device I decided it may be best to moor up and sort out the problem, so I pulled over onto the visitor mooring just before the Hillmorton locks at the end of a line of boats.

Current mooring:

Totals today: 7 miles : 0 locks

It was here I discovered something else, all but two of the boats ahead of me were queuing for the locks, there are 6 locks here 3 pairs of single locks side by side, but only one side is currently operational, hence the early boat movements this morning and I am now being entertained by another type of Narrow Boat shuffle, boats passing me and finding the problem, so reversing back again, then as one boat moves forward they all shuffle up going around me and the other two moored boats and stopping temporarily in the gaps between. I was glad I stopped and stopped I will stay for now.

This afternoon I sorted out my horn problem, it seems that somehow while painting the inside of the bow locker I had pulled apart two crimped electrical joints, silly billy! it was soon fixed though so I’m all horny again (sorry, couldn’t resist that).

Braunston....

.....another Tunnel and another lock flight.

It was just after 9 when I cast off yesterday in slightly misty but not unpleasant conditions and cruised past Norton Jcn and the entrance to the Leicester Arm, one day I will either head up there or emerge out of it J but not today.

Leicester Arm entrance

Nice little cottage right on the junction.

I had about 1½ miles of pleasant cruising to cover along the summit before reaching Braunston tunnel.

The South portal entrance is a bit obscured so it was a slow approach donning life jacket again and switching on lights etc. before disappearing into the gloom.

I passed three other boats while making my way through the 2042 yard tunnel (7^th longest navigable), another one that is two way working with no tow path, at one time steam powered tugs pulled unpowered boats through but this service ended in the mid 30’s.

You may not be able to see it but the small dot of light in the center of
the picture is an approaching boat.

It's always a nice sight, the approaching end of the tunnel.

And emerge into daylight once again.

Leaving the North portal

The lock flight down to Braunston consists of 6 locks (6-1) taking you down 35’ 6” with fairly short pounds in between,  I was pleased to see two boats coming up and shortly after I arrived a boat joined me to go down.

First lock down, lock 6

We shared the locks and mostly again met boats coming up, the easiest way to do this is to wait for the boats leaving the other lock to set off and set off yourselves at the same time passing in the pound.

Passing in the pound

This is my locking buddy just following me out of lock 3 with the Admiral Nelson pub which is adjacent to the lock.

At the bottom lock there was a couple of volounteers along with boats waiting to come up so we were soon through that and heading into the busy area between the lock and the Marina with all the activity going on around us

I then started to look for a mooring as I needed provisions, Braunston is, it seems, always busy but you can usually find somewhere, and I pulled onto a 48 hour mooring just before the permit holder moorings and water point.

It wasn’t ideal as the boat behind was running his generator but he switched it off not long after I arrived.

Current mooring:

 Totals today: 4 miles : 6 locks : 1 Tunnel

And for the first time in a while I was able to open the side hatch which is now on the canal side.

View from the side hatch

I walked the long uphill slog to the village and got a few bits and pieces from the rather poorly stocked Londis store, today I will go back again to the very good butchers and buy some perishables, they do a nice range of meats, some veg, pies and jams and sauces, it’s a lovely little place.

This morning has been chilly and wet, but hopefully it is going to brighten up this afternoon.