Barby

During yesterday evening the mooring at All Oak Wood slowly filled, all the way back to the Easenhall Lane bridge. This morning before getting out of bed we were aware of a constant stream of boats passing by, although with the porthole bungs still in we were unsure which way the traffic was heading. At nine o'clock the furry crew had his breakfast and stepping off the boat to allow him to stretch his legs we saw that barring a few long stayers we were alone. The boat traffic had all been heading towards Hillmorton, and we would shortly be following. The weather was fairly chilly but fortunately the wind speed had dropped substantially. We got underway around 9.30 and almost immediately began to encounter oncoming boat traffic. At Hillmorton there is a flight of three locks and we had decided to ascend the flight then stop for lunch. The plan was after lunch to head for a nice mooring just outside Braunston. First we had Newbold Tunnel and Rugby to navigate. On exiting the tunnel the canal is narrowed by overgrown bushes on the offside and with mooring and a water point on the towpath side, the bend is blind and ripe for chaos if boats meet head on. This time we were lucky. At Brownsover it appears that lots of new mooring rings have been installed, but again this short stretch of canal is overgrown and bendy, so not an ideal location for a line of moored boats, although handy for the shops and retail park. Safely through we arrived at Hillmorton to find two boats waiting in the queue for the locks. However, we were told by several people that our arrival was perfect timing as earlier the area had been chaotic with waiting times of two and a half hours. I felt smug taking that extra half hour in bed now. The only slight issue was the two boats ahead of us were hire boats, the crews of which did not seem to want to work other boats up and down the flight. This slowed our progress a little.

Hillmorton bottom lock

Hillmorton locks are set in pairs so working through them should be quick. Sadly the middle lock on one side has been out of action due to a broken balance beam, I believe for some time now. It seems as though for some reason the navigation authority are taking their time in repairing it.

The problem middle lock

If anyone is wondering where all the boats are, we have found them. Rugby, Brownsover was full up and so was the entire stretch above Hillmorton Locks. We have not seen so many boats here previously. This put paid to our planned lunch stop and we now had the prospect of getting to Braunston without a break. As we left Hillmorton behind and just prior to joining the Barby Straight we saw a single boat length of pilling. This is nice a rural spot by bridge 75, and opposite a Christmas Tree Farm. This will be our stop for the night and has been recorded in our guide book. The mooring is nice and deep, we have a sky satellite signal and 4G.

   

Mooring at Barby by the Xmas Trees

We plan to travel to Braunston tomorrow and maybe visit the chandlers. We won't be making any purchases though as Midland Chandlers are holding a Freaky Friday event next week when we will get 20% off.

• Totals 9 Miles 3 Locks 1 Tunnel 
• Running total 221 Miles 45 Locks 10 Tunnels 

All Oak Wood

Yesterday we departed our spot at Willoughby, aiming for All Oak Wood near the village of Brinklow. Setting off we formed part of a convoy of boats, all heading towards Hillmorton. The first point of interest we passed, is the location of the new Dunchurch Pools Marina at Onley. Situated in pleasant rural countryside, but unfortunately adjacent to the local prison. Still work seems to be progressing, and it looks absolutely huge.  

 

 

Next to navigate, was the Barby straight and Barby moorings. This straight section of canal is about a mile long, and passes beneath the M45. Barby moorings are another Marina, but it has the character of a very bleak boat park. Rounding a bend at the end of the straight, and we were on the approach to the Hillmorton flight of three locks. These locks are in pairs, and are reported to be the busiest on the entire network. We were also at the nearest point to our home berth at Yelvertoft, only a fifteen minute drive away. It has taken us four days to get here. We descended the flight, and moored by the water point to refill the tank. The taps here are ridiculously slow, even worse if more than one is being used at a time. Still this allowed for a suitable lunch stop to be had. After lunch we set off on the next leg of our journey, through Rugby. A long section of towpath here was closed to the public, where they appear to be strengthening the bank, below which lays the retail park. Then on through Newbold tunnel, before the final few miles to All Oak Wood. Suspecting that the mooring area might be busy, due to the time of day and the amount of boat traffic we had seen, we opted to try and moor on the south side of the Wood. We had tried here before and found it very shallow, but this time we found a mooring deep enough to get into the side. We had to use the pins for mooring on this side, but now we have found this spot we will opt to use it in our future travels, when we are passing this point.    

 

Today we went for a short walk through the woods, to the further mooring area the other side. It was indeed busy, but there were a few moorings available, however we prefer our new spot. During the walk we saw our first batch of ducklings for this year. They looked to be very new.    

 

 

 

We plan to move off tomorrow and are aiming for Sutton Stop. This is the end of the Oxford Canal at its junction with the Coventry Canal. We plan on spending the weekend there before heading off for the Ashby Canal, which will be new water for us.

• Totals 13 Miles 3 Locks 1 Tunnel
• Running total 50 Miles 18 Locks 3 Tunnels 

All Oak Wood

Yesterday was a long day for us. In fact, had we been running we would have completed a half marathon. We departed our mooring near Braunston, not having had a very good nights sleep. It seems that something on our boat had attracted the attention of a large crow, who after partaking in the dawn chorus, decided to peck at the windows and the roof. The problem at this time of year, is the dawn chorus begins at around 4 am. Anyway, we set off initially for Hillmorton and the three locks located near to the old Rugby radio station. On route we passed our neighbours on nb Hereward, heading back towards Yelvertoft from their trip along the Ashby Canal. The locks at Hillmorton are in pairs, which usually means passage through them is quick, but not today. There is currently a stoppage on one of the middle locks meaning we had a slight delay.

       

We did consider stopping for the day at this point, but instead pushed on for All Oak Wood a further six miles away. We passed through Rugby, and then the fairly short Newbold tunnel before rejoining the countryside. It was nearly 3pm when we arrived, and fortunately there were a couple of spaces still available in which to moor. Today, our rest day we walked both ways along the towpath from the mooring to explore our surrounds. Last year the bridge just along from the mooring underwent some major repairs. It appears that when finished consideration was given to supporting wildlife with the installation of bat boxes.

       

Not too sure if it's occupied, though I may take a walk back at dusk to see if there is any activity. Tomorrow we will depart here heading for Hawkesbury Junction and the Coventry Canal.

Totals 13 Miles 3 Locks 1 Tunnel

Running total 187 Miles 128 Locks 12 Tunnels

Braunston

We only had a relatively short journey planned today so we stopped at the water point at the base of Hillmorton Locks, even though we knew from experience it was a slow filling tap. This gave us time to have breakfast and get rid of rubbish, whilst we waited. At 9.30 we set off up the locks, several boats had already passed us and gone through, so none were set in our favour. The pounds between the locks are renowned for being low, and we usually scrap the bottom in places but not today. There was even water flowing over the top of the bottom lock gates. Once at the top of the flight we passed the site of the former Rugby Radio Station. This used to be a familiar sight especially to travellers on the M1 and M6, with fields full of radio masts. These have now virtually all gone, and the site is going to be used for housing. In a couple of years the area around Hillmorton Locks will be completely different. We then entered the Barby Straight, a section of canal arrow straight for about a mile and a half. We passed the villages of Barby and Willoughby, then arrived at our mooring spot just a mile from the village of Braunston.

       

       

       

       

  

       

                                                         Just a few pictures of our mooring spot.

This is a nice rural spot and normally we would stay here maybe a day or two. However as this coming weekend is a bank holiday we want to be settled nearer to Napton and Calcutt Boats before the weekend boaters pour out of the nearby marinas. The other benefit of being near Napton is we will be close to a delightful pub we know, The Folly Inn. After securing the boat we walked into Braunston for lunch at The Boat House, followed by a visit to the swindlers, also known as Midland Chandlers. We went in just to have a look, and I was hoping not to spend anything. I failed.

Totals 6 Miles 3 Locks

Running total 526 Miles 249 Locks 19 Tunnels

Hillmorton

We had a later start this morning allowing time for the rain to clear. Hawkesbury Junction had proved busy and we still had boat traffic moving at 10.30 pm last night. Today our aim was to reach All Oak Wood near the village of Brinklow. As we set off it was still cloudy, but breaks were starting to appear. After a couple of miles we were passing through the village of Ansty. Unusually, the visitor moorings here were empty, and a few miles further on we found out why. Everyone it seemed was moored at All Oak Wood. We reviewed our options and decided to push on to Hillmorton. As we had passed under the M6 and through an overgrown section of the canal we had seen another steam boat approaching. 

     

      

On this occasion it was the steam boat Adamant, an example of a steam tunnel tug. Just as we were passing the steerer gave a long toot on his steam whistle making the crew jump. I thought the camera would end up in the canal. We continued on through the swing bridge at Stretton Stop, and beyond Brinklow. Next, was the short Newbold Tunnel, and once through we were entering the outskirts of Rugby. We passed the short arm that leads to the Willow Wren hirebase, and the park at Brownsover with mooring on both sides of the canal. On the approach to Hillmorton Locks we found a spot to moor. The bank here slopes a bit and is concrete so it is difficult to get close into the edge.

       

       

Our plan for tomorrow is to ascend the three locks and travel a few miles on towards Braunston. There is a nice rural spot a couple of miles before the junction where we will turn towards Napton on Friday.

Totals 14 Miles 1 Tunnel

Running total 520 Miles 246 Locks 19 Tunnels

Braunston

Set off this morning at 7 am and at 8 we were passing through Newbold Tunnel. This is our first on Achernar and it is only a short one at 250 yds long. Still it was long enough to give the Francis searchlight it's initial use. After the tunnel is a water point which was clear so we stopped to refill the tank. Setting off again was another first this time it was using the travel power which is a 240 volt generator. This allowed us to use the washing machine. We continued on passing through Rugby before arriving at Hillmorton Locks. There are three pairs of locks here and we were going uphill. At the first lock (the bottom lock) we were greeted by some volunteer lock keepers who did all the work leaving us only to deal with the middle and top locks. After leaving Hillmorton you quickly pass from the urban sprawl of Rugby into nice open country. We took note of some good mooring spots for future use.

               Hillmorton locks in the grey gloom with Rugby radio masts in background.

As we continued on towards Braunston the sun emerged and it became quite warm. Oscar has now laid claim to 'His Spot' on the rear deck and he made good use of it warming himself in the suns rays.

We arrived at Braunston at 1 pm the whole run including locks taking 6 hours. We found a mooring space just beyond The Boathouse P.H. It was mutually decided that we would lunch at the pub and have dinner on board this evening as being Friday the pub will probably be busy tonight. We are only a couple of hundred yards from the start of the Braunston flight which will tackle tomorrow. We also have a very long tunnel to deal with.

Totals 14 Miles 3 Locks 1 Tunnel