Hawkesbury Junction

Well, we made a good choice weather wise departing the Marina this week, on our seven month cruise. Monday 16/4. we visited the service pontoon for a pump out, and to fill the diesel tank to the brim. We said our goodbyes in the office, and to a furry friend who visits the bird feeder at the end of our pontoon.

A healthy looking rat

We turned left from the Marina and headed towards Crick. Our transit of Crick tunnel was unopposed, but we got a thorough soaking from the leaky roof all the way. Once beyond Crick tunnel, the countryside comprises of open fields, which are slowly filling with new lambs. On arrival at the top of the Watford flight of locks, we were pleasantly surprised to find no queues, and were able to commence our descent immediately. The first mate, (the furry one) stayed on board with me, whilst the second mate performed their lock duties. Once at the bottom of the flight, we cruised the final couple of miles to Norton Junction, and found a mooring in our usual spot. The next day, Tuesday 17/4. a gale was blowing. We decided not to move as it would have been decidedly unpleasant, and we did not fancy buffeting around in the six wide locks we would have to navigate. Four legs was taken for a walk, beyond the New Inn and on down the Buckby flight. This took us past the canalware shop, which has often relieved me of so many of my hard earned pounds. It did it again today. Wednesday 18/4. we set off after breakfast turning right at Norton Junction, and joining the main Grand Union canal. Today was the beginning of the reported heatwave. After cruising a couple of miles, we reached the entrance to Braunston tunnel just as a boat was emerging. We were informed there was nothing following which is always nice to hear, especially until after we have navigated the kink in the tunnel. Our transit remained unopposed, and significantly dryer than Crick. No sooner do you exit the western portal you arrive at the top of Braunston locks. Unfortunately there was nobody waiting to share the locks with. Descending always seems easier than ascending, especially when the locks are in your favour, as was the case for us. Beyond the bottom lock we had a short stretch to navigate before arriving in Braunston, and we found the landing outside the Boathouse Pub empty. It was clearly fate, so we pulled in and stopped for lunch. Following refreshments we resumed our cruise, and at Braunston Turn, we took the right hand fork joining the Oxford Canal heading north. We passed our usual spot about a mile out of Braunston, and found someone occupying it. Luckily we didn't want it. We passed the newish Marina at Onley which is rapidly filling with boats, and then navigated the Barby straight passing beneath the M45. We found the spot we were aiming for vacant, and secured the boat. It was by now very hot.

Cruising beyond Braunston

  Thursday 19/4. was going to be another warm day. Setting off for Hillmorton locks about a mile ahead, we chuckled to ourselves about how it had taken four days to get here by boat, but only takes 10 minutes in the car from Yelvertoft Marina. Hillmorton locks was busy, but as the locks are in pairs, we were not held up. At the bottom of the flight we stopped for water. The tap here is well known as slow filling, but this suited our purposes today. About 40 minutes later, we were once again underway. Passing through Rugby, and navigating Newbold tunnel, we carried on towards our planned stopping point at All Oak Wood. Friday 20/4. started misty but soon the sun was up. Today we had a short hop to Hawkesbury Junction, with no locks, and only the small swing bridge by Rose Narrowboats to navigate. On arrival we found the mooring relatively empty, and so picked our spot. Once the boat was secured we took lunch at the Greyhound Pub, overlooking the junction.

Mooring at Hawkesbury Junction

Today Saturday 21/4. we took four legs for a walk along the Coventry Canal heading towards Nuneaton. This is the way we will be heading on Monday, as we aim for the Ashby Canal.

• Totals Monday 16/4.      7 Miles 7 Locks 1 Tunnel
• Totals Wednesday 18/4. 9 Miles 6 Locks 1 Tunnel 
• Totals Thursday 19/4.    8 Miles 3 Locks 1 Tunnel 
• Totals Friday 20/4.        8 Miles
• Running totals              56 Miles 18 Locks 3 Tunnels 

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

Following our night at Hawkesbury, this morning we woke to a less windy, but slightly chillier day. After breakfast and disposing of some rubbish, we set about our departure. There had been a steady stream of boat movement, and just as we untied the boat another one appeared through the stop lock. We waited for it to pass. Once underway, we were soon travelling parallel to the noisy M6, and ahead of us the equally noisy M69. It seems so long ago since we left the peaceful tranquility of the Ashby Canal. It was about an hour before the drone of the motorways could no longer be heard, but just as we escaped their noise, so we began merging with West Coast Main Line, and its diesel trains thundering past. Rose Narrowboats was the next hurdle, here the canal is narrowed by the long lines of moored boats, and some triple parking of the hire fleet. There is a small footbridge to move, so the crew jumped off the boat, to facilitate our passage through a narrow channel. It was at this point we passed a boat on the water point that had been ahead of us leaving Hawkesbury. This was to prove to be very fortuitous for us a short while later. We travelled the final mile to our intended mooring spot just prior to All Oak Wood, and on arrival found it to be very busy. There was however one solitary gap in the line of moored boats, and as we slowed down it was just big enough to shoehorn ourselves into. We had the last spot. 

• Totals 8 Miles
• Running total 212 Miles 42 Locks 9 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

All Oak Wood/Day 4

This is our final day here. We would have moved today but we need to use the services at Rose Narrowboats tomorrow before we head off to Hawkesbury Junction. Over the last couple of days we have conducted a few walks around the local area, we also had a Sunday roast at the Bulls Head in Brinklow.

Yesterday, the wind nearly blew the satellite dish off the roof, so this has now been secured temporarily with string. During the day the mooring here has slowly filled, with most boats having at least one dog. Oscar has enjoyed himself with some new friends to play with.

The weather today also began to improve, which is a good omen for the next week or so, and the sunset this evening was worth a photograph.

       

                                   View from the canal across the fields towards Brinklow.

All Oak Wood/Day 2

This morning what had been a crowded spot last night had thinned out somewhat. We had to moor using pins yesterday, which can work loose as other boats pass. We now had the option of moving to where the piling was and using chains, but on checking the stakes were still secure in the ground so we are staying put. Our stroll today took us further along the Oxford Canal, we wanted to check out the boatyard services ahead. The boatyard is run by Rose Narrowboats who hire boats out as well as providing services, chandlery and repairs to passing boats. It is just as well we checked, we were going to depart on Monday, but this is a busy changeover day for the hire fleet and so they don't provide the services we would need. On Tuesday however it no problem, so that is when we will go. The walk took us through a fairly dank cutting, although the sun is starting to reach the towpath it is yet to dry out fully.

        

It was in a particularly muddy stretch Oscar decided to charge up and down like a loony, covering both me and the first mate in slimy mud. He was not very popular for a while after that. The walk to Rose Narrowboats was about one and a half miles and roughly halfway we came across a disused canal arm that at one time would have served the village of Brinklow about a mile away.

       

Rummaging through the woods it was possible to see the remains of the old arm and a rather dilapidated bridge through the foliage.

       

Something else we saw today I thought was decidedly unsportsmanlike. Travelling along the canal dangling probes into the water to electrically stun the fish. Apparently it is a way of capturing fish to either count them or move them elsewhere.

       

    Today we decided to abstain from our regular lunchtime activity so no pub reviews in this post.

   

All Oak Wood/Brinklow

Today we left the area of Willoughby and a little over an hour later we arrived at Hillmorton Locks. There are two pairs of three locks here but currently one side has been closed due to a lock cill being damaged. The water in the pounds between the locks was also very low so we travelled very slowly through the flight. At the bottom we pulled in for water and to dispose of some rubbish. The water tap was the slowest we have encountered, taking over half an hour just to top up a quarter of our tank. Whilst waiting we were provided with some entertainment. A couple of boats were moored in the winding hole by the bottom lock. Not ideal but the was still plenty of room. A boat entered the winding hole and during the process of turning proceeded to T-bone one of the moored boats at full throttle. After filling with water we continued on until we reached All Oak Wood. Whilst here we saw a boat passing, nb ploddinalong. They also write a blog which is now added to my blog list. We will probably stay here till Monday or Tuesday.

Totals 13 Miles 3 Locks 1 Tunnel

All Oak Wood

Only a short cruise today for a couple of hours. We arrived at a good rural mooring spot,next to All Oak Wood,near the village of Brinklow at 12.30 pm. After a light lunch we took Oscar for a walk to explore the surroundings. On return to the boat,some more boats had arrived and the mooring was beginning to look full. Still it is a very pleasant area and we intend to stay put tomorrow. The boat is performing well,but we have suffered the inevitable first scratches to the hull blacking now.

Just a couple of pictures of our mooring at All Oak Wood. Tomorrow we will take a walk into Brinklow for a look.

Totals 4 Miles