So, What’s Occurin’?

Last Friday saw us completing the really tidy ‘Heartbreak Hill’ (volunteers had apparently been busy during April and May cutting grass and painting lock gates) and arriving in Middlewich.  We pressed on through King’s Lock and then three more to moor up for the night by the church.  The next morning we met the skipper of n/b “Louth” – a Goldsbrough boat and he told us that he too is heading for Liverpool along with about 23 other Goldsbrough boat owners!

On Saturday night we competed with fishermen for space at one of the flashes – wide areas caused by subsidence as a result of earlier salt mining.

I’m completely amazed at the sophisticated ‘gear’ fishermen have these days!  The two really nice chaps near us were there for the night complete with:- tent, padded camp beds, luxury sleeping bags, a fancy cooker and so on and so forth …..!!!  They certainly weren’t ‘roughing it’ BUT, all this luxury didn’t make the fish bite!!  They caught nothing!

 

On Sunday we arrived at the Anderton Boat Lift.  The whole area was busy with visitors both boaters and non-boaters.  We are hoping to spend some time on The Weaver after we have been to Liverpool.

We met up with our friends Ken & Sandra on their boat and – had Sunday dinner cooked for us! 

                 

Today we’ve moved on near to where the breach was at Dutton last year.  We’ve been for a lovely walk along part of The Weaver, through fields and back along the canal  past the site of the breach.

       

We think that C&RT have done a really good repair job to the area – all done ahead of time too.  Due to the prolonged rain we had last year the embankment gave way and 24 million litres of water and 12,000 tonnes of stones have been needed to fill it!  Apparently, 12 double-decker buses could have fitted in the crater that developed.

               

               

All this has cost over £2,000,000 though!!!!!!!!

Good Timing

We got to the southern end of The Harecastle Tunnel at 8.05am and by 8.15am we were leading other boats through the tunnel!  Good timing!

40 minutes later we emerged at the Kidsgrove end without catching even a glimpse of the reputed resident ghost (most tunnels have one!) ‘The Kidsgrove Boggart’!!  Perhaps it was all too early in the day for him – or, for all I know, it might be a her!  I did, however, manage to see a white painted skeleton in one of the recesses but I was too slow to catch it on camera.  I’ll be ready for it on the return passage.  The water at the northern end of the tunnel is a definite shade of red!  This, apparently, is due to some sort of leakage from a nearby mine.  Could it be iron?  I don’t know.

The tunnel may be 1 and 3/4 miles long but, being a one-way system, at least there isn’t the worry of meeting on-coming boats!  The only worry is a breakdown – engine or lights! (or an encounter with that ghost of course!!)

                                 My decorative solar lights came on:-  

And there was always ‘light at the end of the tunnel’!  A good saying don’t you think?  You always know which direction you are going in and, although the ‘end’ may seem a long way off, you know that if you keep going you’ll get there eventually!!  

So, at 9.00am we began tackling ‘Heartbreak Hill’ – the section of the Trent & Mersey between the tunnel and Middlewich. (I’m not sure that’s strictly accurate!)  Don’t let the name put you off!  Yes, there are a lot of locks but some of the Cheshire countryside is absolutely fabulous and, being part of ‘The Four Counties Ring’, there are usually lots of other boaters coming towards you and making life all a little easier!  When the canal was built in the 1830’s most of the locks were duplicated – ie there were two chambers side by side.  Many of these are still in operation today.

(Derek, my little slice of fruit cake, I think you would like this section of canal – no time for boredom!! xxoo)

I did, however, find some of the paddle gear very hard to wind up and down and some of the gates very heavy to open and close.

 

Lola is learning the routines well:-

         

Tomorrow it is our intention to get to the junction with the Middlewich Branch of the Shroppie but I have a sneaky feeling that the Middlewich Canal Festival is imminent.  If it’s occurring this weekend then ………………. our timing will not be so great!!

xxoo

Variety is the Spice of Life …..

You know how coins have two different sides?  The Trent & Mersey has been like that for us over the last few days.  ‘Heads’ or ‘Tails’ – both different and both interesting in their own ways.

From Colwich to Stone

We said ‘goodbye-for-now’ to Sharron and Ken with whom we had spent a really good evening.  We will look out for them on the way back – they are heading South.     

Great Haywood was really, really busy with boats – no change there then!  We didn’t even attempt to stop, just waved to ‘Keep Smiling’ as we passed and wished them a safe journey to Liverpool via The Shroppie!

We have only travelled from Great Haywood to Stone (actually the other way round) once before and had forgotten just how rural it is.   As recommended by Ken & Sandra, we moored up for the night close to the village of Burston where the young River Trent flows very close to the canal.

               

On reaching the lovely (and very popular!) little market town of Stone the next day, the only available mooring spot was right by the car park and rather grim!!  However, it did at least enable us to go off and do some shopping before moving on to Barlaston.  I hope we can stop for longer in Stone on our return journey. 

From Barlaston to Westport Lake.

Today we have travelled from Barlaston, on past Etruria and to the visitor moorings at Westport Lake which is about a mile from the South Portal of the Harecastle Tunnel.  Going through the region of Stoke the character of the canal inevitably changes dramatically, being surrounded by busy roads and industrialisation both past and present.  Clearly this area was once the industrial heartland of the potteries – architectural relics remain in evidence.  Even in a derelict/semi-derelict state I think some of the buildings remain majestic.

These old bottle kilns might now be surrounded by modern housing but at least they are still there and ‘steal the show’!

And …………………..

           

 

                     

Five locks lift the canal 50 feet to Etruria and the junction with the Caldon canal.  The following pictures are of us going through the second lock.  Surely this must be one of the seediest locks on the entire system?

                 

Walking alone under the bridge to get to operate the lock, my friend, Sue, on n/b “Peaceful Waters” would call it ‘a wire in the blood’ moment!!

Anyway, as I said, we are now moored by Westport Lake.  We’ve walked Lola around the circumference of the lake and she has discovered what fun it can be chasing ducks and geese and making them scurry into the water!  We were all on our own when we arrived but there are now several other boats.  The sunshine which was promised for today has somehow failed to materialize.  Tomorrow – the tunnel  ………………. and beyond ……………

xxoo

Striking a Balance

 

Well, I have to say that we found “The Greyhound” at Hawkesbury Junction deserving of its good reputation.  I can’t believe that we haven’t been in there before!  It’s full of atmosphere (and even on a Wednesday evening it was full of people) and has an extensive menu.  A pub well-supported by the good folk of Coventry I was told.  We had a lovely evening with Helen & John.  Helen is my late brother’s daughter but he was divorced when she was only four and her mum moved to Lincoln shortly afterwards.  Helen is a secondary school teacher and she and John live just outside of Hull so over the years I have not seen a lot of her.  I hope we have sufficiently whetted their appetite for being on a narrowboat  so that they come and spend longer with us in the future.

                                                     When we have visitors they have to bring their own bedding!!

We left Hawkesbury on Thursday morning and kept on the move until we were almost at the bottom of the Atherstone flight – we made steady progress and moored up at about 5.30pm.  Friday, the sun came out and we did a similar distance reaching Streethay at the end of the day.  Saturday, that ‘steady progress’ was interrupted by a few obstacles.  First of all – bridge ‘oles!  Quite often there were boats moored either side of the bridge holes and, what with this and the water really needing to be dredged, it was a case of …….. coming to a grinding halt, reversing, full steam-ahead, slowing down and then limping through!  Going through the long bridge under the A38 we were met by another boat who hadn’t/couldn’t see us coming because of the moored boat blocking his view.  That involved him poling back!  Then – Fradley Junction!  How busy was that!  The majority of boats coming off the Coventry and those approaching from Alrewas were going towards Great Haywood – and that, of course, included us.  Even with volunteers manning all the locks it seemed to takes ages to clear the three locks.

In praise of volunteers – what worthwhile jobs they do.  Some were manning the locks, some cleaning paintwork and rubbing down surfaces ready for re-painting and others weeding.

Next -The Narrows near Armitage – the first section was interesting as a boat came towards us and just kept on coming despite the fact that we were almost out.  In the end John found it easier to let him carry on and he (John) reversed all 7/8ths of the way back!!  Sometimes self preservation (and the preservation of new blacking) become the most important thing on the agenda.

Another lovely looking pub we have yet to frequent –“The Plum Pudding” near Rugely.

On reaching Rugely it was really busy with moored boats so we forsook the opportunity of a visit to the supermarket and carried on to moor between there and Colwich.  We were lucky enough to find a spot but, again, it was pretty busy with moored boats.

SO ……………. we have re-looked at the maps and decided to ‘strike a balance’ and average about 15 lock miles a day so that we can moor up at no later than 4pm each night.  That should be about a sensible 5 hours travelling time – any more than that and somehow the fun element dwindles, we/I get tired (not getting any younger!!!!) and it just becomes tedious!

Sharron & Ken on n/b “Janus” have just pulled up in front of us (we first met them at Evesham in 2009) and Jane & Jona on n/b “Keep Smiling” are behind us (last seen at Foxton earlier this year) so there’s some catching up to be done.  We need to catch up with some chores too so we’ve decided to ‘stay put’ for today.  After all, it is Sunday!

Tomorrow’s planned destination:- Sandon.  xxoo

Breaking with Tradition

I think it’s easily done – and I’m pretty sure we’re not alone – but, when we cruise canals we’ve cruised often before, we always end up stopping at the same places!  This, of course, has been on the basis that we travel 2-3 hours a day.  However, in order to get to Liverpool for our booked passage fairly comfortably we think we need to do 4/5 hours a day or, sometimes, even 5/6!!  This means by-passing some of our ’we always moor here’ spots and already it has felt quite alien!

To us The Newbold Tunnel will always be ‘Peanut’s Tunnel’.  Peanut was the most gorgeous little tortoiseshell kitten belonging to son, Ben, and she accompanied us on his n/b ‘April Love’ when we brought it back from Ashwood Marina back in 2004.  We thought it was a rat running along until Ben realised that Peanut had taken the opportunity to ‘jump ship’!!  Back in 2004 the tunnel was not lit.  It was then Ben who ‘jumped ship’ to catch her!  She nearly became a Surrey cat forced to turn feral and live in Warwickshire!

Lola has been learning how to tow-path-walk alongside the boat.  She wasn’t too fazed by either her first encounter with inter-city trains or the noise of the traffic overhead on the M6.

 

I think it now safe to say that I definitely have a new love in my life!  It’s taken a while but we have now established a fairly good routine and ……………. she neither bites me so much nor destroys my things so much!!  She is gorgeous!!

 

 

What IS it about mooring on the North Oxford at Hawkesbury Junction?  Every time we have wanted to stop here it’s been difficult in as much as …………there has been very little space available. Today was worse than ever!  There was only one space left on the 7 Day visitor moorings and the rest was taken up by boats – scruffy boats – which looked like they had taken root!  I’m sorry – I don’t want to be snooty about it but, not only were they piled high with junk and looking a complete mess but, this time, even gypsy-type ponies were tethered by them grazing.  Assumptions I know …………. the assumption that these boats are ‘continual cruisers’ and the assumption that these ponies were in some way connected to them.  In any event they were/are monopolising decent moorings in a very popular area.  Perhaps they give good custom to the pub?  I don’t like myself for having thoughts and feelings like this but, today, I’m not in a very politically-correct mood because it made things difficult for us!  When John saw the young ‘hoodie’ walk by complete with his Staffie dog he gave up trying to moor and decided we would take our chance and go through the lock. Now he might be a really decent young man and the dog might be absolutely lovely but ……… that’s just not the translation most of us have is it??  Once in the lock John had to go down the weed hatch to remove two thick sheets of polythene which had obviously been used during some sort of painting task as they were sprayed with gold paint!  Anyway, once through the lock we just managed to moor up on the Coventry side before the rain got heavier!

Tonight we are being joined by my niece, Helen, and her husband (the nephew I never had!), John.  We had given them instructions for Hawkesbury Junction so it was a bit important that we could stop here!  Tonight’s the night to find out what this famous pub is actually like! xxoo 

That ‘ul Teach Us!

We thought we’d be clever and leave Crick today rather than tomorrow.  “They’ll be less boats on the move,” we thought!  We arrived at the top of the Watford Flight at 10.30am to find 5 boats going down, 6 boats waiting to come up and then we would be 5th in the next batch waiting to go down!!   waiting….. and waiting …. and waiting!!!!  Oh well, that ‘ul teach us to go cruising on a Bank Holiday Monday!  We eventually got going just after 1pm.

The Crick Show 2013

Being moored in the marina whilst the show is taking place is definitely the way to ‘do’ the show.  It’s been really nice being able to drop in and out and what a good show it’s been.  The weather has been lovely and it seems to me that there have been more stalls and exhibiting boat builders than I remember there being in previous shows.  We have really enjoyed it.  We didn’t have a shopping list as such this year but we’ve somehow managed to buy lots of things!   John now has an old klaxon – something he has yearned for ever since we got the boat!!  Some of the craft items were fabulous – there were lovely pictures, some fantastic glass plates and ornaments and brilliant pictures made up of bits of tile, old bobbins etc etc.  Some people are so creative and so clever.  The live entertainment going on in the beer tent was constant, varied and very good.  Bands were playing right up until 11pm and the tent was heaving – really nice for moorers, exhibitors, campers and locals.  Actually, the whole place seemed to be heaving throughout the two days we were there – heaving with people and heaving with dogs too!  We’ve never seen so many boats moored out on the canal opposite the marina either.

Lola coped much better with the crowds and noise than we had anticipated. The red boat-dog scarf suited her better than the blue!  She was even recognised by a blog reader so, thank you, Neil, for introducing yourself to us.  It was also really good to bump into Ann and Pete whom we first met on the Buckby flight some years ago when they had just bought their boat Tortola from Braunston marina.

Our friends from Hitchin – Kim and Mark – joined us on the Saturday and then, later in the afternoon Anne and John from Staines arrived too.  We all went to the Red Lion in Crick for a meal that evening and , guess what, it was heaving!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, a large part of the weekend has been spent queuing!  Queuing for alcohol!  Queuing to look at boats!  Queuing for food!  And now, queuing for locks!!  Oh well!

Anne and John stayed on the boat with us for both Saturday and Sunday nights.  We went round the show together on the Sunday and then on the Monday they came with us as far as Braunston.  In preparation, we moved their car to Braunston on the Sunday evening.  So, like the faithful, loyal friends they are,  they kept us company in the lock queues!!  We finally reached Braunston at about 6pm and John (bless ‘im) cooked us that brunch we had planned to have earlier in the day!  We have had a truly lovely weekend – our thanks to one and all.  Maisie has now been safely returned to Stanwell and her mum.  Lola will miss her!!  So, what now?  It’s off to Liverpool for us!  xxoo

Hallelujah!

We’re out of the dry dock and back on our mooring!    Confinement in a marina is one thing but confinement in a dry dock within a marina is …… even worse!  However, as far as dry docks for liveaboards go, Crick must be amongst the best.  At least there’s some natural light, all facilities are at hand, some grass is very close by, you can get TV and Internet reception and there’s no noise or mess like you get when it’s all part of a working boat yard.  I’m still very glad to be out of there though and that it’s over for another two years or so.  That’s the accepted recommendation for boats being blacked.  This time our front anodes needed to be replaced as well but they are the originals so have lasted 15 years!  For non-boaters who know nothing of these – they help to protect the hull from electrolysis.  Boaters talk glibly about ‘this blacking business’ because obviously, they know all about it but again, for non-boaters:-  

Every couple of years or so boats need to be taken out of the water – either by being craned out and put ‘on the hard’ or by going into a dry dock which is like being in an empty lock.  You float in and then the ‘plug’ is taken out so that the boat ends up sitting on supports.  The slime and bits of loose paint or rust which inevitably build up under the water line can then be pressure washed off and the hull checked over.  The hull is then re-protected with at least two coats of a bitumen-type paint.                              

 

Noel and Carolyn have recently taken over the running of the dry dock at Crick.  They are a lovely couple and have done a really good job for us.  We have also had the bands at the back re-painted.  John has coated all our rope fenders in cuprinol and ………… they are now definitely a shade of ginger!!!!

Whilst we have been in there it’s all been happening outside in readiness for the big boat show which is taking place this weekend.  Marquees have been erected, grass cutting seems to have been non-stop and boats have been arriving either by water or on low-loaders.  There seem to be quite a lot of wide-beams being exhibited this year.  Is this an indication I wonder that more people are choosing to live on boats as house prices are now so high?  Traders are busy delivering their wares.  I met one guy who said he’d been driving backwards and forwards countless times from Middlewich. Surely he just needed to acquire a bigger van??

Now, I know it’s nearly June and it’s ridiculous but ……. we have re-lit the fire!  It’s so cold!!  I’m beginning to think that traditional English Summers really are a thing of the past.   The outside of the boat is really dirty again so now we need to get her washed, polished and generally tidied up before our esteemed guests arrive for the weekend.  Sunshine – PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE can you indulge us all and make a significant appearance!  I’m off now to clean windows and sort out plant pots!  xxoo