Under Derby

Swans who live in the tunnel

Light at the end of the tunnel

The intrepid explorers

A walk we did with Kevin's parents on Sunday 21 September along Markeaton Brook which now runs under Derby. We saw lost bridges and walked under manhole covers. A very strange day.

The water went over our wellies.

Belgian Grand Prix

Eau Rouge

to napton junction

Bit late to add this but........

Huddlesford to Marston Jabbett

We had breakfast below deck before setting off. Yesterday and the day before were slow so we needed to do some catching up.

As we reached the two Tamworth locks we could see a boat coming out of the lock. The driver of the boat, Will O'the Wisp based at Peak Forest, tied to boat up in the lock entry and refused to let a queueing boat up. Instead he began to fill the lock again as he was towing down a broken boat. The person on the waiting boat and Kevin asked him to let someone use the water to let their boat up, and offered to help but he was very ignorant and nasty about the whole thing. Everyone deserted the lock top then and let him do all the work. By this time a queue of 6 craft had accumulated.

He finally came out the lock and sailed past grinning widely, without care for others. He had no number on his boat or the one behind, and no cruising license was on display.

A family who were following him and had initially helped him complained he had been rude to them. On the whole boaters are genuinely lovely people who help each other out, and are courteous. Someone like him only cares about himself and should not be allowed on the waterway.

Still we continued past Pooley Hall slag heap, which is part of the English Partnerships' National Coalfield Programme. Made good progress to Atherstone where we went up the flight with Brown Trout. On lock five a woman came towards me and it was Nicola Wooding from EP, whom Joan works with.

Pooley Hall tip

Decided to turn up the Ashby to moor for the night. As tranquil as ever. Ate at the Corner House Hotel at Marston Jabbett. Very mediocre pub food though the place was packed.

Willington to Huddlesford

A wet dog

Tuesday 26th August

Woken at 8 am by a splash in the water and the sound of paddling about. Sappho had jumped off the boat the wrong way and was doggy paddling up the canal. Dragged her out and towelled her down. After popping to the Co-op again we set off towards Burton upon Trent. Under the bridge by the first narrow lock there was an attractive frieze.

Moorhens at Burton Lock

We could smell the hops from the Breweries.

We had to queue at quite a few locks, so at Alrewas J nipped off to the shop to buy more provisions! We shared the locks with various boats, including "Whatsmoor."

River section Alrewas

Wychnor Church

Slow progress so we passed by the showers at Fradley and continued up the Coventry Canal. Finally we stopped at the Plough at Huddlesford, where we ate a meal. The couple from Whatsmoor arrived a bit later and wanted to go up Tamworth locks with us, but we knew we were setting off early tomorrow.

On the way to Napton

Shardlow Canal Heritage Centre

Monday 25th August 2008

We are moving the boat to new moorings so we can explore other parts of the canal system. On Saturday, James finished the work on the bough of the boat and we cleaned the sides up a bit.

On Sunday after the Grand Prix (Valencia Massa, Hamilton and Kubica) we set off to Sawley, loaded the baot without organising it, and then headed off to Wigram Turn Marina, the new home for our boat. Left Kevin's car there and then returned in the MR2.

We arrived back at Sawley about ten minutes before we were due to have dinner with K's family. However we discovered that we were only meeting Phil and Penny as K's parents had taken Billy, Christine and Stephanie off to Scarborough. Had a lovely meal, not the food, the company!! Afterwards we manged to make the bed and fell asleep.

Slow start to Monday as we had to organise the boat, walk the dog, fill with water and hand in our key for Sawley Marina. Eventually we set off at 9.55 am. Quite a gusty day and progress was slow. Lots of boats at the locks too. Well, it was a bank holiday.

Restored front of the boat

K thought the river was on amber at Sawley Flood Lock, but it was well on green at Derwent Mouth.

Derwent Lock

Stopped for an hour at 2 for lunch. Had the bottle of red Penny and Phil had given us. The overcast clouds cleared to give us some warm sun.

About 5pm, we received a text of Glynis to say that Robbie and Hannah had had a baby boy! A new baby in the village. Great news.

We stopped early at 5.30 as the wind was strong and K was tired with handling the boat. We walked into Willington to buy provisions, and headed back for a BBQ. Sat on back of boat as it went dark.

Branston to Sawley

1st August

text to follow

Polesworth to Branston

Joan's dream house

Breakfast guests

Another warm morning but overcast. However as we came to Amington it began to rain, which it did on and off throughout the day - but never too heavily.

Aqueduct over the River Tame

Cleared Glascote Locks, but sheltered under bridge to avoid a pretty heavy outburst. K had to wear his waterproofs.

As we finished the Warwickshire Ring at Fazeley, a BWB tug came along.

Pretty uneventful. Stopped at Alrewas for provisions before heading up to Branston for the night.

A bridge without towpath as the towpath is changing side

The pub sign said it served until 9.30, but when we arrived at 8.45 they said that they had had a busy night and were not doing any more meals. Another meal on the boat then!

Branston allegedly gives its name to the famous pickle. Perhaps someone sold it to boaters as they went by.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branston_Pickle

Marston Junction to Polesworth

Marston Junction

Cast of just before 10 am. Saw a small fox under bridge 18b. It was very tame and watched us for a while. Tried to take a photo but only got a shot as it headed off up the bank.

We then went past Judkin's quarry, and what is locally referred to as Mount Judd.

There is a pretty BWB wharf at Hartshill.

Stopped for petrol and to buy a new pair of deck shoes at Atherstone. Bought a card for Daisy.

Descending the Atherstine 11 lock flight took 3 hrs 25 mins, which is an hour longer than last time. It was very busy and we had to wait at virtually all the locks. Lock 2 also was leaking badly and took ages to fill.

Stopped just after 7 p.m. at Polesworth, where we had had a birthdy meal for Kevin back in 2000. In the log it said we had eaten at Foster's Yard, but it wasn't the same pub. It has been turned into a balti house and their were groups of foul mouthed people drinking outside. We eventually found the pub where we had had the meal - the Red Lion. Seemed to have the same clientele and it no longer did food. So we went to the Bulls Head, which though it had several signs saying it did food - didn't! Finally the Royal Oak stopped serving snacks at 6.30.

So we went to Spar. Polesworth on a hot evening seemed to be filled with youths in old cars, playing loud music, squealing their tyres and revving up at junctions. As we walked back to the canal, a cabriolet passed us by at speed. Next we heard the unmistakeable cruch of metal on metal as it collided with another older car at the main junction. Despite having a puncture the older car drove off at speed.

We decided to leave the centre of the town for somewhere less frenzied, and moored outside by Pooley Hall house, where we spent a qiuet night on the back of the boat, watching the stars come out, and planes coming into land at Birmingham.

Snarestone to Marston Junction

An Ashby Canal milestone. Unfortunately the last 9 miles of the canal are for the most part unrestored.

We had left Sappho asleep in the long, dry grass next to the boat when we turned in for the night. At 2.45 am Joan awoke to the unmistakeable sound of heavy rain beginning to fall, so she got up and let Sappho on board.

It rained heavily then for an hour or so. The chairs which had been left out the night before were full of water and needed turning over.

We decided not to go through the tunnel at Snarestone after consulting a couple who told us the canal had not been extended since we last visited in 2000. The tunnel was the site of an altercation that year as we had a mid tunnel argument with a man who entered the other end of the tunnel after us, but then expected us to back up. We didn’t as it is much more difficult in our type of craft.

Caught up with the log on the lappy as the broadband signal has been very weak for the last few days.

Kevin took two photos of the tunnel’s portal from the same spot with his new digital camera.

Cast of at 10.15 am. Windier and threatening more rain. We moored at Market Bosworth for lunch, and managed to get a meal at Ye Olde Red Lion Inn. There were a couple of heavy downpours whilst we were there.

As we headed back to the boat, there was a man in the water trying to fix a hire craft.

Ran out of petrol whilst cruising past Hinckley. Will need to buy some more tomorrow.

At 8.15 pm we moored at Marston Junction in the same place as we were marooned in 2006 (Leicester Ring trip) when the steering cable broke, and we had to wait two days for a replacement, having also ran out of water.

Daddlington to Snarestone

Market Bosworth

Monday 28th July

It rained a little overnight. We were woken by cars pipping their horns as they passed over Bridge 30. A few hire craft went by as we took breakfast.

At 12.20 we arrived at Bosworth Wharf. Walked up the hill into town, staying in the shade of the trees to keep cool. Had a drink at a pub, and were surrounded by small children who asked us questions about our brown Dalmatian. They were on a summer activities scheme and were off to do swimming and water pistoling in the afternoon. Despite a sign saying the pub did food until 2 pm, the landlord said they weren’t serving anymore.

There was a chip shop next door with a rather original name. See photo.

There were other places to eat, but we decided on eating on board. Made a risotto with our own broad beans and onions and sat out on the bank to eat it. It was 29 degrees celcuis in the galley.

5.15 pm we set off again towards the terminus. A wind arose and it blew us into the the arch of Bridge 49. Bent the frame and cracked the perspex of the side window panel - not for the first time. We will need to mend it when we get home.

At 7.15 we moored in a quiet spot just after Pare’s Bridge, where a railway used to cross. Wide towpath. We walked down to the Globe to eat but they didn’t do food on Mondays! Third time in two days that we have been foiled in our plan to eat out!

Got out chairs and table and had a BBQ again. Very tranquil evening.

Brinklow to Daddlington

A graveyard for old boats

Another one of those alluring bridges to the former line of the canal


Sunday 27th July

Cast off at 8.45 am. As is often the case with these trips, we start overlaying in bed till later and later in the morning.

Reached lock at Sutton Stop where the Oxford Canal meets the Coventry. We had to wait for a couple of boats to come through, but the drop in the locks is barely half a metre.



Stopped and used facilities. Made it up to Marston’s Junction where the Ashby Canal starts. Moored close to Bridge 2 and had a BBQ on a scorchingly hot day. Quite a few craft passed by.

Set off again at 3.30 pm. Soon the canal opened up into the fields and slight hill to starboard that we remembered from the last time that we came.

At 7pm we stopped by Bridge 30. Walked to the Dog and Hedgehog at Daddlington, but they only had mushroom stroganoff for veggies on a Sunday evening and hadn’t enough rice for two portions. We decided to finish our drinks and head back to the boat where we had a meal of tomato and marscapone sauce with pasta and garlic bread. Clear night sat on the back of the boat.