This is what Braunston was like during the rush hour.
We moved off the next day and went up through the repaired locks and tunnel to Norton junction, stopping there the night for our final BBQ and arrived back at Crick and home to inches of junk mail and kind neighbours having cut the lawn.
And finally:-
Total hours cruising: unknown but spread over 8 weeks.
Total distance travelled: in excess of 350 miles.
Total number of locks: at least 233.
Pictures uploaded to Flickr via hp laptop and nokia mobile phone using GPRS. See http://www.filesaveas.com/gprs.html for details of how to set this up.
From Flickr the pictures were then added to this blog using the 'blog this' feature.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
new collar
This vital component is what had come adrift, the pin down in to the ground had broken and so the gate flopped around in a spectacular manner for a while. But was soon mended, and traffic resumed.
men and woman at work
On arrival at Braunston, there was much activity and lots and lots of boats - all waiting for the usual efficient BW crew to mend a lock collar that had come detached from the ground, luckily we were not in a hurry so moored up for a day.
sun set over boat
Despite the change in the weather, to much cooler and wetter days, some of the evening were really glorious, this was taken by Mary in her 'artistic mode', whilst moored near Polesworth
taking a short cut
I hope the owners of these new flats like canals, because they are pretty close to the constant throb of diesel engine going up the locks. We liked the patio door on the first floor, with one left open to allow the plaster board through.
strawberry fields
So you wondered where those supermarket strawberries came from, the answer is places like this, you could smell them ripening as you cruised past.
would you want to
Would you choose to moor here, this is in the middle of all the enginnering work, coffer dams and cranes were much in evidence as the canal was having foundations for the new railway line laid in and around it, I hope they leave a decent space for boats, some new bridges are very boat friendly and other are marginally fit for one boat to squeeze through.
Waiting at the lights
So here we are waiting at the lights, just as we settled down for a long wait the lights changed and we were off again.
Light Warning
Not expected on the canal, but sometimes engineering works prevale, in this case the upgrading af the fast line from two to four track.
No comment
Fradley Junction nature park on bank holiday monday, a nice lake and wooded walk hidden behind the junction.
speed merchant
Moored at Kings Bromley, one of the modern plagues of towpath life is the constant threat of being run over!
We met a nice young lad who explained to me how he evaded all the complex barriers put up to stop him racing up and down the canal.
This man was followed by his very young son also on a motor bike.
We met a nice young lad who explained to me how he evaded all the complex barriers put up to stop him racing up and down the canal.
This man was followed by his very young son also on a motor bike.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
4mph speed limit
There is a 4 mph speed limit on the canals - but I don't think it applies to this boat (only 18 inches long and powered by battery). It has been attracting the crowds though as it skims across the water - hope it doesn't run out of battery on the far side.
The sun is out at last, so perhaps it will warm up. We are staying here today (sat) and setting off home tomorrow.
The sun is out at last, so perhaps it will warm up. We are staying here today (sat) and setting off home tomorrow.
fishing
I have yet to see a Heron catch anything, but they keep trying. Here at Tixall as mentioned last year much of the wildlife has been decimated by escaped mink, but it it coming back. Sitting here yesterday we
could see the Buzzards wheeling in the sky and deer roaming across the other side of the river.
could see the Buzzards wheeling in the sky and deer roaming across the other side of the river.
The shop next door
And so in the rain we arrived back at Tixall on our way to Great Haywood Junction and the turn south on to the Trent and Mersey pointing home. We have been sat here for a couple of days, sitting out the Thunderstorms and miserable weather, this is August Bank holiday weekend. The local Pub does 'Old Spotted Hen' on draught, so worth staying around the extra day.
The 'shop' next door to us has been selling coal, as the night time temperatures (and day time) are pretty low compared to just a few weeks ago when we started out.
The 'shop' next door to us has been selling coal, as the night time temperatures (and day time) are pretty low compared to just a few weeks ago when we started out.
Narrow with passing place
On the Staffs on Worcs canal going around Wolverhampton some of the route was hewn out of rock and was obviously so hard that the builders could only cut a narrow channel, luckily there was a passing place, I
cannot imagine what would happen if the earlier convoy arrived here all at once, the passing place was
only one boat long.
cannot imagine what would happen if the earlier convoy arrived here all at once, the passing place was
only one boat long.
over the A5
Another traffic jam here, but for the cars and not for us, something large was being escorted up the road with lots of flashing lights.
Its very strange looking at roads now and seeing the queues, we often travel parallel to railways or roads and see the speed of modern transport and then think back to the days when the canal carried all the heavy goods.
Its very strange looking at roads now and seeing the queues, we often travel parallel to railways or roads and see the speed of modern transport and then think back to the days when the canal carried all the heavy goods.
traffic jam near Wheaton Aston
Something not expected on the canal, except sometimes at busy locks and near the hire boat centres, this eventually sorted itself out but was interesting whilst it lasted as sometimes the speed we were
travelling at was below the engine tickover speed. So we had to pop in and out of gear.
travelling at was below the engine tickover speed. So we had to pop in and out of gear.
Woodpecker
Heard this bird before we saw him - probably at Gnosall where we stopped for lunch, we have seen a few Kingfishers but never keeping still enough to take a photo.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Woodseaves cutting - high Bridge
The days journey included another cutting, known for its high bridges.
We were followed a lot of the way by a canoe, but it kept vanishing, in the end I asked what they were up to, "picking blackberries" was the answer.
The end of the cutting has a double arched bridge with a telegraph pole (sans wires) in the middle.
And so we reached Norbury Junction, now a good boating centre - but not a junction as the other canal no longer exists.
Good moorings and an excellent and helpful marina.
We were followed a lot of the way by a canoe, but it kept vanishing, in the end I asked what they were up to, "picking blackberries" was the answer.
The end of the cutting has a double arched bridge with a telegraph pole (sans wires) in the middle.
And so we reached Norbury Junction, now a good boating centre - but not a junction as the other canal no longer exists.
Good moorings and an excellent and helpful marina.
Woodseaves cutting - and canoe
A quick flit up 5 locks at Tyrley and we were away through more glorious scenery, including the Woodseaves Cutting, cut entirely by hand and deep in the rock.
It can be a bit interesting, and despite reversing hard we were rammed by a hire boat - you should have seen the look on the faces of the passengers in the front as they realised what was going to happen - still boating is said to be a 'contact sport'.
It can be a bit interesting, and despite reversing hard we were rammed by a hire boat - you should have seen the look on the faces of the passengers in the front as they realised what was going to happen - still boating is said to be a 'contact sport'.
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