Author: Mary

A day of not much excitement! As I look out of the boat window at the rain coming down steadily, I wonder how our last few days are going to pan out. We have been blessed by dry weather for the majority of our trip, cold certainly and even icy on occasions, but not the steady downpour we are seeing this evening. Emptying the boat in this weather could prove a little tedious!

Our day started with an early prayer Zoom call which meant we were raring to go out by 9am. However we didn’t think the cathedral would be open that early so I spent an hour flicking through magazines that I have been meaning to scrutinise before throwing them out so that they don’t return home with me. There may be a recipe, a book or film recommendation or some health advice that I want to take note of. I can’t just get rid of them in case I miss some nugget of wisdom. Infact one article I read was an excellent piece on how it felt to live alone in the pandemic. I forwarded it to my daughter H, who immediately confirmed that it was exactly as she felt. I wish I had read the article sooner. Somehow I never got around to it.

R was keen to go into town so that we wouldn’t be too late leaving Coventry, so I abandoned the magazines and we made our way to the new cathedral. I am not sure that it was open to visitors, at least at the time we arrived, but we were made welcome and told we could look around. There is a very large, extraordinary tapestry behind the high altar which I have mixed feelings about. I can’t quite make up my mind if I like it, but it certainly makes one reflect and has an impact. Apparently there are 360 different shades of green thread in the tapestry itself!

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Leaving the cathedral we made our way into the centre of the city to have coffee and R was delighted to find a Turkish coffee bar, reminiscent of a trip to Jordan where we drank thick dark coffee with sugar to reduce some of the bitterness. You have to remember to stop drinking before you get a mouthful of the coffee dregs at the bottom of the cup. We walked on to Coventry’s indoor Market and wandered around looking at the hugh variety of stalls. I remember it being much more fruit and veg orientated. Infact the first time I visited I needed to buy a large quantity of leeks to made a vat of soup. I made R walk around the market twice before I made my decision as to which leeks to buy – they were from the first stall we visited. I am surprised R didn’t do a runner then!

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Before leaving the city we had lunch at the cafe situated alongside the canal basin. R choose sausages and mash and I realised why we had a bit of a wait – they had cooked them from scratch and they were delicious accompanied by thick gravy and peas. I had a vegan roasted veg tart and a berry smoothie made with fruit juice rather than dairy and these too were tasty and all was good value for money. The staff were friendly and efficient so if ever you find yourself in Coventry, they are worth a detour.

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As it is the City of Culture for 2021 they are obviously sprucing up the city and trying to attract visitors by advertising. To this end I was particularly struck by a poem I read.

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We moored up for the night just before Hawkesbury Junction and R took the chill off the night by lighting the stove as we settled down for yet more Endeavour!

Seems like a very long day today, perhaps because we have gone back down memory lane. Coventry was where R was living shortly after we first met and so all our early courting was done here. Many a train journey I took from London to Coventry and in those days we used to jump over the metal barrier to cross the ring road, rather than use the walking bridge provided! I didn’t remember exactly where R’s flat was in relation to the canal basin. I don’t even remember the canal! Yet, we turned right out of the basin, where we had found a space to moor the boat, walked up a hill for a couple of minutes and there we were at the flat. I just about remembered it but I think we were last here 37 years ago. The canal then was not a pretty feature and I don’t remember seeing many boats. It has been lovingly bought back to life by energetic volunteers and CRT maintenance. Locals are encouraged to use the well maintained wide towpath for exercise and enjoyment. It’s a 5 and a half mile stretch back to Hawkesbury Junction and that is what we travelled down today through many a changing vista. Some lovely green trees and bushes, graffiti good and bad, rundown housing, new building works and attractive canalside dwellings. High rise buildings and industrial estates. Loads of volunteer CRT members litter picking and a few joggers and one or two fishermen. One warned me that under one of the bridges yesterday a narrowboat got entangled with a couple of supermarket trolleys that had thoughtlessly been thrown into the canal. I made sure I kept to the right hand side of each bridge, as far from the towpath as possible. There were some challenging turns, not helped by canal boats awkwardly moored.

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There were a few heavy showers to contend with but the highlight of the trip was rounding a bend and there on the towpath was a swan with her newly hatched cygnets. It was a magical moment and so unexpected amidst the builtup area that we were in. R held the boat to the side of the canal whilst I gingerly made my way back along the footpath to take some photos and a video to capture the moment. Back on the boat R was in conversation with a man who wanted to walk past the swan on the towpath but was nervous that she would take fright and launch at him. Swans have enough power in their wings to break an arm I have been told.

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Continuing to the basin, just about to pass through the last bridge I then saw a duckling with her baby chick’s. Another heartwarming sight although R was a little more impatient this time, a fact noted by our daughter. I sent her the video of the duck and all she heard was her father in the background telling me to get a move on, with her response ‘OMG dad is so unsentimental’!!

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The basin was quite full and our best bet was to moor behind two boats moored abreast of each other but on either side of the canal. First we had to turn our boat around. Then we had to skilfully reverse between the two moored boats without bashing into either one. Somehow this was accomplished. We realised, seeing the occupants returning later that both boats were at the time unoccupied ! I would not have been so anxious knowing this. You really want to avoid bumping any boat you possibly can although sometimes it is just inevitable.

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The weather was cold, wet and white, not enticing at all to make us want to leave the boat in any immediate hurry. Looking at the weather forecast, tomorrow is set to be a far sunnier day. So I made soup to warm us and then we settled down to do nothing much until patches of blue were seen in the sky and the sun occasionally peeped through the clouds. It was late afternoon when we left the boat to find R’s flat and then wander into the city centre to see the sights. The most magnificent by far being the two cathedrals, side by side. The old and the new, the bombed out and the beautiful. Yes, modern and maybe not to everyone’s taste and yet the beauty of the stained glass windows and the rebirth out of destruction. Sadly we could not go inside as the cathedral had closed for the day and the old part is surrounded by metal fences to keep everyone out. There is something very sobering about having such a reminder of WWII staring you in the face.

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There was quite a buzz in the city itself (it has been selected as the city of culture for 2021, under the banner ‘Coventry moves’) with many bars and restaurants open with outdoor seating. Some of these looked very cold indeed (you could see it on the faces of those trying to look like they were having a good time!) but one bar we had passed earlier had little sideless sheds in the forecourt with heaters in the ceiling. I had suggested to R we might go there to toast our return to Coventry. Firstoff R had to pay a visit to Wilko – yet another of our hose watertap fittings had been inadvertently left on the last tap we had used. Luckily we had a ‘Wilko’ spare to hand. R went and bought a further 2 – at £1 each that doesn’t break the bank but it gives us peace of mind!

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We enjoyed the bar, me toasting with prosecco and R a cask ale, our return to this city of our youth. It was slightly complicated ordering via the app but we are getting more adept. We opted to share a vegan chickpea curry. Turned out the whole menu was vegan but looked rather confusing as they had things like bacon and cheese on offer but I had to remind R they weren’t the bacon and cheese he was expecting! Our heater wasn’t working either! Nor were the heaters of quite a few ‘sheds’. They rectified the problem by bringing us calorgas heaters which certainly helped keep the chill out. I couldn’t but help think of the British resolve that we won’t let the weather beat us – images of chill, wet picnics come to mind and the stiff upper lip resolving that we will have a good time! Reminds me of R’s 60th birthday with his twin sister. They wanted a seaside picnic in June and decided to go to a beach 10 miles from the seaside house the family own, right on the beach! Arriving at the picnic spot the heavens opened and we endured it as long as we could with soggy sandwiches and wet bottoms. Then we returned back to the house on the beach to find there had been no rain there and we could not only have had a dry picnic but, if the weather had turned, could have been inside in double quick time!!

Back on the boat the stove soon had us toasty warm and we enjoyed, as per usual, an episode of ‘Endeavour’.

Returned back to Hawkesbury Junction from the Ashby Canal, a trip that was made longer by one or two instances. The first was due to a puff of wind and involved R losing yet another hat in the canal. I was steering, talking to his aunt, so slightly distracted. When the hat went I thought it would just sink. However, looking back I could see it had floated very near to the canal edge, so I pulled over, R jumped off the boat and with litter picker in hand, ran back along the towpath and reunited with his hat before it had time to float out of reach!

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Continuing on along the canal we made two brief stops at farm shops situated very close to the towpath, the second stop because I thought they had a cafe attached. Actually the advert was for ice cream! Still we picked up a cake to have with coffee on the boat and continued on until well after lunchtime so I suggested we moor up for a sandwich. R grabbed the midrope, jumped onto the towpath and as he tugged at the rope it caught hold of a heavy long metal bar that sits on the roof and, plop, it fell into the water. A few expletives – it’s the bar that secures the boat when no one is aboard for a period of time. Custom made, it would be tricky to replace. R started asking me if we had a magnet on board. I had no idea what he was talking about so suggested he go and look. Apparently he thought the boat might be supplied with one as they are very useful if metal objects go overboard. Accepting defeat we settled down for lunch, frustrated that the tally of items falling into the canal is steadily growing. Further along the towpath there was a very smart boat moored up so I suggested that R might like to ask them if they had a magnet we could borrow – the very affable and helpful man immediately produced a ‘Seasearcher’ which was exactly what we needed. A strong heavy magnet on the end of a rope which you sink into the water and see what it picks up. Within minutes R had located the metal bar and extracted it from the water. What joy! We thanked our neighbour profusely. He was glad to have been of service. The last time he had used it was to fish his mobile phone out of the lock. A few days in a bowl of dry rice and it worked perfectly. The only fiddly bit was trying to dislodge a grain of rice that had got wedged into the socket where the phone charger connects! We had a long conversation about buying a custom made narrowboat which he had done 20 years ago. He had washed it this morning and was painstakingly applying polish all over – I have to say it looked brand new!

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The contrast of narrowboats boats on the canal is striking, from their size to the condition that they are in. We pass quite a few stretches of longterm moorings and often there are small gardens adjacent to the boats. It can be depressing seeing piles of rubbish or accumulation of junk (not that dissimilar to how are neighbours at home must have felt before G ordered a skip!) and then sometimes what you see is just so odd, such as the boats next to ‘Charity’s Boatyard’ this afternoon where the gardens were full of strange assorted paraphernalia!

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Arriving at the Junction after a very pleasant day weather wise, none of the forecast rain appearing, we moored up next to noisy neighbours. That’s a first. Usually you hear very little noise coming from other boats. It quietened down when they went off to the pub and when they returned we braced ourselves for a late night party but actually they must have just retired to bed! Our usual evening entertainment of an episode of ‘Endeavour’, slightly late in starting because of a Zoom meeting first. And earlier, after mooring, I indulged in a very deep hot bath as we are next to a water tap! I did another bucketful of hand washing as I am trying to avoid having to use a laundrette – looking at our itinerary the closest we will be to one is a halfhour walk, so I think I shall try to eek out our clothes and arrive home with a great big pile of washing to catch up on.

Set the alarm for 8am. H and J travelling down from the North to see us for the day and threatened a 9am arrival so I wanted to get the boat looking good even though they are only allowed to peer through the windows! Oh and come inside to use the facilities.  Otherwise it was warm clothes and rainmacs  for the day with the weather not so sunny and a few showers forecast. The plan was for them to arrive early and we would travel along the canal to a winding hole, turn the boat and travel back to where they had left their car. J had asked me to send him our what3word location (app:what3words) which I did, along with a written description of where we are and place names. Unfortunately J took ‘what3words’ as gospel truth and didn’t check they corresponded with my description of where we actually are.  I didn’t check  ‘what3words’ related to where I was standing, being unfamiliar with using the app. So I had sent J our location the only other time I have used the app, a couple of months back, which happened to be bridge 76 on the GUC!! We are at bridge 35 on the Ashby Canal!! Oh dear. 1hr and a quarter later ……. at least the motorcar travels at more than 4mph. This trip is still a learning curve. Six months on the boat and we are still making rookie errors. Let us hope we learn by them. At least I still had H and J’s Christmas presents to give them, which in J’s case was gin. Think he needed it! The other amusement (because you have to try and see the funny side when something like this happens) was the what3words associated with our actual location: angry.expecting.resembles.   J  probably felt very angry at the extra journeying time but we still were expecting them and what would the remainder of our day resemble!

Infact the remainder of the day went really well. When H and J eventually made it to the boat with their puppy, in training to be J’s hearing dog, it was  lovely to see them after 10 months and catch up on news. Many a happy canal reminiscent was shared as this was the couple we shared a narrowboat with a decade ago when J was in a boot because of an injury and H and I had to walk miles to find food as not as many pubs were open as we had hoped, to give us an evening meal. The puppy is adorable and was very well behaved although he is going through a ‘nipping’ stage so I just had to watch where I put my hands! We meandered along the canal, J taking the helm for much of the first couple of hours although he didn’t much like passing boats so occasionally we would swop places so I had the responsibility of avoiding them! In wide stretches it’s not a problem but so often, having not passed a boat in a long while, you meet one at the tightest corner or narrowest point. The weather was fairly mild but as the day drew on got wetter. Luckily we all had jumpers and waterproofs to keep off the chill and this is afterall England! The forecast for the remainder of our trip is wet near to where we are so we will be getting our moneys worth from our comprehensive wet weather clothing. As long as the sun occasionally breaks through, that’s fine.

The puppy needed a walk and a pee so J and R jumped off the boat a couple of bridges before the winding hole to also stretch their legs. Agreeing to meet at the turning circle H and I continued on the boat but rather surprisingly arrived before the men, who had been slowed down by the puppy. I decided to have a go at turning the boat, a skill that I haven’t tried without R to guide me so I was fully expecting trouble. For some reason it was remarkably easy to do and I felt quite shocked. Of course there was no wind, it was plenty wide enough and there were no onlookers to make me feel self conscious. It may be a one-off but it is a necessary skill to have as at some point a boat needs turning! Unless of course you can find a totally circular route, such as the one we undertook a decade ago.

I am so glad I had made a hot chilli yesterday which we could all enjoy and it helped to keep us warm. It also meant that when we arrived back at where the car was parked H and J and the puppy could go straight home. I am sure J will have appreciated the return journey time of 1.5hrs rather than the 4hrs of the morning, especially as we had not realised by now it was after 6 o’clock. Such is the joy of the boating life – when it is light you can lose all track of time.

R had a 41 Club Zoom where the speaker talked about living with Parkinson’s. Meanwhile I caught up on the last couple of episodes of ‘Line of Duty’ so that I won’t be behind for the last episode. There’s bound to be a spoiler once it’s over so I plan to watch it asap!

We’ve had a few fun happenings today! First off R managed to lose what we call a ‘nappypin’ – it’s a metal pin that inserts into the canalside aramco steel sheeting enabling us to thread through a rope and moor the boat. We usually use chains but not this time. I think it slipped out of his hand when he tried to remove the pin from the sheeting. We only travelled for less than an hour before reaching the boaters services where we moored up to empty the cassette and fill the water tank. I suggested to R that first I wash my hair, then I do some more hand washing and once I had thoroughly rinsed everything he filled the tank. By then it was 11 o’clock and time for ‘Baby Breathe’. 50 yards from the boat was a lovely canalside cafe and a narrowboat serving drinks and icecreams. R went to investigate and I started my Zoom call. A boat passed us which I thought nothing of, but the reception in the boat was poor so I went outside to see if it improved. I found us almost straddling the canal – when the boat had passed it rocked us and loosened our mooring rope. When filling for water we just tend to use the midrope at the mooring bollard – this came loose and we floated away! Hurriedly I went from bow to stern, started up the engine and returned us to the edge just as R returned. I left him to tie the boat up and returned to my call. Once it was over we decided to have lunch in the cafe. We were near enough to the boat to see if anyone came along wanting to use the facilities in which case we would move (which, by the way, were excellent – not only did the CRT provide toilets, which were spotlessly clean, they also provided showers!). Seating ourselves on a vacant table, sitting in the sun was glorious. However there only appeared to be a couple of waitresses, who were having to sanitise tables and benches as well as take food orders, so I did wonder how long we would have to wait. I spent the time fantasising about which ice cream flavour I would have for dessert and whether I would push the boat out and have two scoops rather than one. I could see the lovely biscuit cornets half covered with dark chocolate and was getting very excited! Eventually a waitress appeared, very apologetic for the wait and took our order. R in addition to fish goujons in a cob (posh way of saying fish fingers in a bun!) ordered a ‘dressed’ side salad and triple cooked chips. Meanwhile I had couscous with mediterranean vegetables. The food was surprisingly quick to arrive and I have to say, was absolutely delicious! Especially the triple cooked chips. The side salad did not disappoint – plenty of spinach and rocket leaves with sundried tomatoes, radishes etc. Sometimes side salads can be so predictable and dull (I sound just like my mother!).

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We tucked in and were really enjoying the food (thankfully I had nearly finished) when a couple approached us, asking if that was our boat that had drifted to the opposite side of the canal? They had recognised us as we passed their boat earlier in the day. We thanked them profusely – although from where we were sitting we could see Wind Rose, we couldn’t really see it’s angle so had failed to notice it had moved! I took the key and headed to the opposite towpath and then saw my problem. Although on the opposite side of the towpath, the boat was prevented from going close to the edge because of the weeds. Short of striding into the canal I could not reach it! As I was trying to assess my alternatives, in the distance I saw a boat coming towards me. If that boat could grab hold of our midrope and throw it to me I could sort our problem. Infact the skipper had a much better idea. Thankfully his boat had a bow thruster which gave him additional steerage. He suggested I returned to the opposite towpath where he would pick me up and reverse me to WR! R by now had finished his lunch so we both hitched a lift on the bow of this kind man’s boat, got aboard and headed off, too embarrassed to return to the cafe mooring to pick up my longed for ice cream. Lesson learned – moor up securely if you leave the boat for the shortest amount of time!

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We only went a short distance along the canal when I suggested we moor up near a glass and pottery studio. Bad idea. The mud was thick and we could not get close to the edge. In addition another boat behind us was getting into difficulties trying to turn around. It was a day boat, much shorter than ours with 4 elderly novice boaters aboard. They had to about turn to get their boat back before the hire period ran out. We suggested they go further along to a wider part of the canal in order to safely turn, which they did. Meanwhile we moored, a foot away from the side, and left the boat to see if there were better moorings ahead, which there were. There was also a farm shop selling ice cream so I bought a tub of chunky chocolate – it was delicious. It also sold good quality meat so we bought some of that. We did have a long wait. When we arrived another couple was already waiting for the farmer to arrive, who could operate the contact less payment as the man in the shop only knew how to take cash payments. Eventually a tractor pulled up transporting the farmer and then we had another wait as he didn’t really know how to work the contact less payments either – it was a system installed by his son at the start of lockdown! However it was cheering to know how much business this small farm shop has procured over the past 15 months. They supply all sorts of groceries, enabling the locals to avoid the supermarkets if they so wish. We returned to move the boat and I found R had used another nappy pin. Unaccustomed as I am to them I pushed it down rather than pulled it up and so we lost our second nappy pin of the day! We did then moor much more successfully although another boat nearby didn’t seem pleased to have his patch invaded. He was running a generator that R thought might go continuously all night. Fortunately he turned it off about 7.30pm! A couple of ladies were sitting on a bench by the boat (the Ashby canal has a plethora of benches, all enscribed, so I presume they are in memory of someone who has died) so I offered them a cuppa. As they had just had one, they declined, but one of them had pulled a muscle and was not sure she could continue walking back to the car. We chatted for ten minutes and they set off but knew, if needed, the injured lady could wait with us whilst her friend fetched the car. We haven’t seen them so hopefully all is well.

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This really is the most lovely stretch of the canal network, so much green to be seen with open fields and cattle grazing. It leads to a feeling of peace and quiet enjoyment. There are a surprising number of walkers, who are friendly and chatty and some show quite an interest in the narrowboat way of life. The man on the boat next to us who has travelled nearly the entire network tells me that this is one of his favourite stretches. I can see why. We had decided to stay in this mooring for one more night so we had a very chilled Sunday, walking into the village after Zoom church, in the hopes of finding a Sunday roast. That was not to be but I enjoyed a double sherry which made me realise R’s idea of a double sherry is markedly different to a pub measure! Before setting off we did receive rather an unusual phone call from Surrey police. They had been contacted by the Warwickshire police who had come across an abandoned car in one of their local carparks, registered in my name. They were concerned for my safety. After explaining that R had left it in this particular carpark because there appeared to be no time restrictions and that we would pick it up next weekend, the policeman was reassured and said he would pass the message on. I have to say I was quite impressed by the care and concern. It is a bit of an issue as to where one can safely leave a car whilst travelling the network, which is why for the majority of our trip, the car stayed at home. However we need to load it up to take everything home so it made sense for R to return by car this time.

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A walk around the small village led us to a new cemetery that has only been there since, I think, 2010. There were not many graves although sadly quite a few recent ones.

Returning to the boat, the boat next to us had left so we decided to move our boat along a bit, I can’t quite remember our reasons but then a boat came behind us. Then the boat that had left returned and could only fit behind us if we moved our boat further forward. It was all a bit of a tarrafiddle but we eventually settled down to enjoy yet another tranquil evening. Sunday evening Zoom church, 2 Zoom calls and an episode of Endeavour tired me out so again I was asleep long before R came to bed!

I learnt a valuable lesson today which will become clear as the day unfolds! We set off promptly at 9am so as to arrive at Hinckley in good time to walk to the laundrette before meeting BBT and his wife, PJ. They were en route home after spending a week on their narrowboat, a bit further up the country. Expecting their arrival anytime from early afternoon I made a plan and ‘the best laid plans of mice and men’ as the saying goes…!

My first surprise was how busy this relatively short stretch of canal is. Perhaps its popular with boaters because there are no locks to contend with. To be honest that can make the journey feel a little flat, but at least you can time your travel a bit more accurately. Knowing we would be two hours before arrival I got on the helm sans tea or crumpet whilst R was busy in the galley preparing me breakfast that I could eat whilst meandering along. Before we even left the mooring a boat was coming towards us. Then as we rounded the first bend there was another boat in the near distance heading our way and a boat on the side that looked as though they were about to set off, holding their ropes in readiness. Enquiring of them what they were doing they said they had had to pull over as they had felt something around the propellor which turned out to be a pair of jogging pants and a plastic bag! It had been quite a fiddle to untangle those! I did then see a child’s tricycle in the canal – a reminder that some people do unashamedly use it as a dumping ground. Fortunately it is quite a wide canal in many places so you can take avoidance action if you think you see an obstacle but more often than not you just have to hope for the best. Another boat approaching me started gesticulating which is always a concern when you can’t make out their angst. In this instance he was just warning me that I was heading for some low overhanging trees. I tried to explain, in the 20 seconds you have for conversation when passing a boat, that I had felt it more prudent to avoid him than the branches of a tree. With branches you just duck, briefly shut your eyes and hope they don’t catch hold of anything on the roof. So three boats heading our way by 0930 was a bit of a surprise especially as I had to balance eating my breakfast with one hand whilst steering with the other, although the trick with using my hips to change direction did come in handy.

On the very outskirts of Hinckley there is a watertap and I had suggested to R that when we get there we run the bath with the piping hot water, get ourselves washed and then put on a totally fresh set of clothing. The only disadvantage to this plan would have been if the water tap was busy because after the bath was when we wanted to fill up. Another boater had told me the trick of running the water into the tank as you have a shower so as to not run the risk of running short. It’s a great feeling being clean and knowing the tank is full as well – water anxiety is an issue. Hence why every 1L plastic bottle of sparkling water has been repurposed when empty to be filled with tap water, an emergency back up!

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Stripping the bed of linen, I prepared two substantial bags of washing. We then moved the boat further into town, where there was a wharf that we could wait at for our friends to arrive later but first we set off on the mile and a bit journey to the laundrette. According to Google it was open until 4pm so arriving there about 1pm still gave us plenty of time to get the wash clean and dry. I am sure you can imagine the ‘blue air’ as we eventually arrived and found not only was it shut, but it only did ‘service’ washes, starting at £25 for a large load. I rang the mobile number on the shop door and a friendly man cheerily told me he was not open today due to an unforeseen emergency. How I wished at that point I had done what I usually do, which is ring ahead! It would have saved a pointless trek of nearly 3 miles with two cumbersome bags. Enquiring if he knew of any other local laundrettes, it transpired there was another one 2 miles away but we discovered that closed at 2pm on Saturdays. There was nothing we could do, so we retraced our steps. Passing Lidl I popped in for a few provisions, notably scones and cream for afternoon tea. Arriving back at the boat I hand washed 2 jumpers, a tee shirt, a lightweight pair of trousers and some smalls. Not a tremendous amount of washing but even so it took 3 loads of spinning in the washing machine on the boat, each spin lasting about 20 minutes and necessitating the engine running. There was no way I could wash the bedlinen so for the first time in our trip I made use of the spare set I had brought with us. Usually I wash and dry the one set, putting it back on the bed to prevent it becoming damp whilst stored. I was relieved that the spare set was dry as I had stored it in an airtight vacuum bag for the entire trip.

Waiting for the delayed arrival of our guests we moved the boat to a mooring in the sun, outside a pub. We hadn’t been there long when we were asked to move as it was a private mooring. Even offering to buy a drink didn’t allow us to stay so we moved to the opposite side of the canal which was opposite a Marina, and wondered if we would be asked to move on from there! However BBT and PJ shortly arrived and were happy to cruise further along the canal with us. BBT decided to take the car to a bridge further up the canal and then walk back along the towpath to rejoin us. To expediate this he was delighted to hop on a passing bus (it being free to bearded gentlemen of his stature) travelling in the right direction towards us. However the bus unexpectedly turned up a road into a village so he found himself further away! Jumping off and crossing the road he encountered another bus that took him back towards the canal (all very surprising when you consider there are only about three buses a day running in this area!) so he felt blessed to be able to rejoin us in time for his cream tea! It was probably after about half an hour that we spied his car parked adjacent to the canal, at an excellent mooring for the boat. A beautiful view, a wide towpath and benches to sit. We got out our picnic table and chairs and enjoyed the last of the summer sun before BBT and PJ set off home in the early evening. BBT was particularly chuffed to have done a personal first of travelling on the same day on two different canal networks in two different narrowboats!

After they left and I busied myself cooking supper R spoke to the couple in the next door boat, warming themselves by a firepit. For ten years they have been travelling the canal network, usually April to October. They had done a couple of winters but found them particularly challenging on a boat with no stove. One of their stories involved having to go through three locks, all needing the ice to be broken, in order to reach a water tap, which they then found was also iced up! So they are now fair weather travellers! Am not sure what I would have done if that had happened to us. Although we did have ice forming at times on the inside of our windows, I never imagined the scenario of iced up water points. Probably just as well my imagination did not stretch that far!

An episode of ‘Endeavour’ and I was ready for bed although R stayed up watching some comedy followed by a programme on Australia so I was sound asleep by the time he retired.

Today was a great example of how one can change plans at the very last minute and wonder why one had not considered the plan earlier!

When we arrived at Braunston on Wednesday we worked out that however far we now travel, we must turn around on Tuesday to get back to Braunston by Bank Holiday Monday. Looking at the canalmap we had decided we could get to Fazeley Junction, near Birmingham but that this would involve 30 or more locks, a rather daunting prospect with just the two of us. The majority of locks are at a place called Atherstone so an alternative would be to turn the boat before we reached the first of the locks. That didn’t seem much of a journey although we can elongate it by taking the Coventry arm into the centre of the city. Then this morning, looking again at the map I realised we could take a right turn off the Coventry canal onto the Ashby canal, and travel for up to 16 hours without one lock in sight! Far more relaxing with plenty of turning spaces for us to cut the journey short if we don’t feel like covering such a long distance. I think I am a little nervous, after the Marston Doles stoppage, of a lock breaking, us getting stuck and not being able to return the boat in time. This new option seems far more relaxing and hopefully will enable us to also have time to go into Coventry.

Before the ultimate decision we joined the Coventry Canal at a place called Hawkesbury Junction. We had to pass through a ‘stop lock’ which only had a height difference of 6″! It was originally created as a toll barrier at the point where the two canals joined. Moored up at the Junction to make use of the Elsan, we spied a pub. Although it looked closed from our direction it was infact doing a roaring trade in the back garden and we took advantage of a cooked lunch.

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My one concern, knowing nothing about the Ashby canal, was to do with its depth and weed proliferation. Images of the Aylesbury Arm came to mind and I really didn’t want to chug along for hours not knowing how much debris would be wrapped around the propellor. However as we were about to join the Ashby canal a boat turned out of it and I was able to get the rundown of what it is like. I was reassured that they had really enjoyed the experience so now I feel a lot happier. We have moored near a small village. We didn’t find a church or a shop (although looking at Google there is a Spar shop somewhere nearby!) but there is a school and then row after row after row of houses. Very manicured gardens and neat houses, many looking identical. It was easy for R and I to be judgemental – where was the life in this village, the community aspect. It all felt a bit pedestrian with everyone behind closed doors, minding their own business. And then we came across the village pub, not a building of beauty, but buzzing with lots of people sitting at tables of six in the outside area, enjoying a Friday night drink. Here, I realised, was the community and it was so good to see some life happening. Lots of chatter and laughter with a feeling that this was where the locals came to hang out.

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Not much more happened after our evening constitutional. A light supper of scrambled eggs as we had eaten well at lunchtime followed by an episode of ‘First dates hotel’ (recommended by a friend as light entertainment!) and ending with ‘Endeavour’.

Great to have R back on board and we had a lazy start to the morning before walking into Rugby to revisit old haunts. When I was 18 I was friends with one of the sons of the then Rugby School headmaster, so I used to visit on occasion and became familiar with the town. 40 years later, I remembered very little, so it was good to walk around and see the fine architecture, although I thought the shopping area was a little rundown, possiblydue to the current covid restrictions.

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Back to the boat and we set off on a short journey towards Brinklow where we had decided to moor for the night. On my ‘Pearsons canal companion’ it recommended that en route we moor up briefly and walk across the fields to the picturesque village of Easenhall. There were a few thatched cottages of interest and the village was well maintained. It gave us another opportunity to stretch our legs in the beautiful sunshine under a clear blue sky. We returned to the boat and continued on to Brinklow where we found a perfect mooring, with a large grassy verge as part of the Towpath. This was ideal for setting up our fire pit in readiness for cooking a bbq later. My step brother, Ro,  was due to arrive en route from Oxford to his home. We were blessed with a warm evening and a beautiful vista, an ideal introduction to canal life. It was so good to see him as the last time had been at my mother’s funeral in September. Deciding that he likes the look of the narrowboat life and if restrictions are eased, he will be able to come and join us for a few days later in the year. We managed to bbq sausages and lamb chops without burning them to a cinder and it was good to make dual use of the fire pit which we then sat around until about 9pm. Ro still had a 2-hour car journey ahead of him so when he left we took advantage of a relatively early night.

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I thought yesterday’s delay of the Napton locks would set me back on my journey north but actually we ended further ahead today than anticipated. The four remaining locks on the Napton flight were speeded up by the help of a delightful Yorkshire man who obviously wanted to get moving and realised if he assisted me, I would travel through the locks more quickly and thus, so would he! I was able to sort the potty, refill the water and rid the boat of rubbish at the bottom of the flight before the arrival of my friends G and S. S has travelled the canals extensively with her parents so was very at home on the boat. So much so that I was quite worried for her safety as she pranced lightly along the spine of the boat, avoiding the clutter of the PVs and ropes, to take a picture of a bridge or something else of interest!

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Meanwhile G steered the boat effortlessly which enabled me to relax and do nothing except offer refreshments and talk alot. S also took to the helm with the ease of someone who is used to narrowboating. I suppose it is a bit like riding a bike – a skill never forgotten. We had miles of undulating Oxfordshire countryside with not a lock in sight and many sheep grazing on the green pastures. There were a few other boats to contend with but on the whole it was a very relaxed atmosphere and the hours quickly passed by. I took to the helm as we approached Braunston and turned onto the northern half of the Oxford Canal. This was new territory for me and I felt excited about travelling further up the country away from my comfort blanket of the South. Our destination was the outskirts of Rugby although we ended up as near to the town centre as it is possible to go. There were three double locks at Hillmorton which meant they were single locks side by side. Interestingly when we asked the boat coming towards us which chamber they had used (so that we could use the full lock) they couldn’t remember! We made contact with R who was just arriving in Rugby. It is incredibly difficult (oops thought I had finished the day. More to come – will continue later as steering boat atm!) to marry the ‘Pearson Canal Map’ with Google maps or an old fashioned paper one. I give what I think are perfectly reasonable and understandable directions to the boat and everyone gets lost! R had the added stress of arriving by car and having to find longterm parking near to our mooring once we had decided where to head for. It didn’t help that where he parked there was an old arm of the canal that he started to walk along thinking it was the main canal. He did think one of the remaining bridges was rather low and that the canal was very weedy but sometimes it is like that! Eventually we married up, him on one side of the canal and us on the other. Unusually you could moor on either bank. However it was easiest for us to swop sides as our timing was perfect and no ropes had been secured.

We enjoyed Waitrose ‘best rhubarb and apple crumble’ cake with mugs of tea on the boat bow before G and S returned to their car, at least a dozen miles away!

R and I caught up on the week’s news. Luckily he had fed himself some ‘main course’ ready meal at lunchtime, so we finished up leftovers before joining our midweek church Zoom group.

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