Summer Cruise 2008

The plan was to post something every day about the summer cruise. I had Internet access, however, by the end of the day there was always something else that needed to be done - checking photos or someone needed to look up, and I usually only wanted to read quietly. I was usually too tired to do anything with the blog - so I'm adding it now.

We had planned to tie up earlier each day than we have done in the past, but somehow it always seemed that 4 pm was too early, so we'd push on a bit, and often not find somewhere suitable until quite a bit later - after 7 was usual, then you need to cook (perhaps visit the pub), so the blog had to wait. This is what we did....

There were three of us - Cath, Alan and David (the 19 year old) - Michael stayed at home. The weather forecast for the first five days was torrential downpours!

Setting off Friday 25th July 2008

Cow Roast to Old Linslade

We locked the house up, leaving a note for our 18 year old son to put the rubbish out on Wednesday morning. We were much later leaving than we had planned so just threw everything in the boat, and got going. We left Cowroast Marina at 12:30 reaching the top of the Marsworth flight an hour later. I used the hour to stow our kit and make some bread dough – although I was slightly apprehensive about the dried yeast I was using. The flight took us an hour, by which time my dough had turned to an alien gloop in the heat and was on the point of climbing out of the bowl. David complained that the boat smelled like a brewery. I worked the dough a bit more and left it to rise again. We worked the Marsworth Two and we were out onto the flat plane north of the Chilterns. It was a fabulous day, blue sky, fluffy clouds, and crowds of wild flowers. Somewhere around the Ivinghoe locks I put the dough to prove, then put it into the oven – 15 minutes later we had fresh crusty rolls. David filled them with strong cheddar and marmite, and we ate them on the back of the boat. It was one of those times when you just know how lucky you are. At Tescos at Leighton Buzzard I went shopping – although there isn’t a lot we can get into our tiny fridge and ice box. Alan and David peered under hatches at the back and checked that the changes they had made to the engine were all OK. After that we continued to Old Linslade, and moored. A quiet meal, some wine, and I was ready for bed, although Alan and David spent some time working out how to use the mobile Internet, and trying to upload photos

Daily total: 13.86 miles, 19 locks

Saturday 26 July 2008

Old Linslade to Blisworth

The weather remained fabulous all day. Not many locks at first, as we travelled around Milton Keynes and up through Cosgrove. We were very surprised by how few boats we saw.

Rescue from a cilling - Then coming up through Stoke Bruerne we had a very long wait for the second lock from the top - we were waiting below the lock, there was another boat waiting above for the top lock. Eventually two boats appeared from the top lock, a hire boat with a large crew and an experienced single hander. The hirers seemed to prefer to do it themselves, so we waited off to the side, watching at the front, as we were concerned about the way that the front rope had been wound several times around a bollard. However, Alan suddenly spotted that the boat was a very long way back - too far in fact. The back of the boat had caught on the cill at the top end of the lock, and the front was dipping alarmingly. Paddles were dropped quickly, and the lock refilled, the back was refloated and the boat moved forwards - fortunately the problem had been reversed before the bows had dipped below water, and the boat sunk.

At the next lock up the woman from the hire boat appeared with a bottle of wine, that she pressed on us for helping them. I suppose that if you sink the boat on your second lock it sort of messes up your holiday!

We continued through Blisworth tunnel - a mile and three quarters of wet and drippy darkness, then moored up in Blisworth. Not made any easier by someone coming towards us through the darkness with no headlight fitted, using only a torch held by the steerer for lighting.

Daily Total: 26.63 miles, 13 locks, 1 tunnel, 2 aqueducts

Running total: 40.49 miles, 32 locks

Sunday 27 July 2008

Blisworth to Braunston

More amazing weather. We made a brief stop at Weedon to visit the graveyard where Alan's brother Peter was buried. Peter died in 1982, but was lock keeper and lengthsman at Cow Roast in the 1970s.

Another long tunnel - although people say that you can't see one end from the other it isn't true, except when it's full of diesel fumes at the end of a long day. However, it is quite wiggly, which makes it very difficult to pass other craft. If you move over to the far right in a wiggle it can make the front of your boat stick out - not what you want, as I discovered when I volunteered to take the boat through the tunnel.

No food in the pubs - We moored in Braunston, then went to the pub for food, only to be told by the first pub that they had been so busy that they had run out of food and closed the kitchen. They sent us off to another pub - which we discovered after a long walk had also finished serving food - we didn't even get a pint as we were all so hungry we headed back to the boat to cook.

Daily Total: 17.63 miles, 13 locks, 1 tunnel
Running total: 58.12 miles, 45 locks, 2 tunnels

Monday 28th July 2008

Braunston - Radford Bottom

Baking hot - I kept washing the boat roof down to try to cool it (we must repaint it a lighter colour!)

We continued on via the Grand Union Canal towards Warwick, passing Calcutt marina where we refilled with diesel and picked up a few spares for the engine.

Staircase lock - At Bascote we came across the first staircase lock of the trip. In a staircase the chamber of one lock empties straight into the chamber of the next, without the usual 'pound' between them. This can cause problems for people who are not expecting them - a crew of Americans were completely baffled, but we taught them "top chamber full, bottom chamber empty". The next lot down emptied the full top chamber into the full lower chamber - fortunately they didn't have a boat in it, and it just caused massive waterfalls over the gates and edges of the lock.

It remained hot all through the day until we reached Radford Semele where we moored in a thunderstorm. Having missed a meal out the previous day we dressed in wet weather gear and walked to Radford where we got an excellent meal in the pub. Going back to the boat we used our LED lantern as there were no footways on the road and it was very dark.

Daily Total: 13.99 miles, 23 locks

Running total: 72.11 miles, 68 locks, 2 tunnels

Tuesday 29th July 2008

Radford Bottom Lock to part way up Lapworth flight

Through Leamington Spa and Warwick fairly quickly, with a brief stop at the Supermarket by the canal in Warwick, then heading for Hatton flight.

Failing to meet up - Hatton is one of the most notorious flights of locks in the country - 21 deep broad locks. We'd been given the offer of some help from a fellow Canal World Forum member, who said he and his partner would be along in the afternoon, so asked for an estimate of our finish time. As it was we teamed up with a very efficient couple and we steamed up the flight in very much less time than we expected to. Paul and Kate turned up to help, but unfortuately we'd already passed through.

This photo shows some of the top part of the flight, where the locks are very close together (although not staircase locks).

I know you - Halfway up Hatton a young boy was winding paddles as his family came down on a hireboat. He looked somewhat familiar, and seemed to be eyeing me a bit unsure of what to say. "Is it chance that you look familiar, or do I know you?" I asked. "You teach at my school," he replied. I don't teach him, but they do all look different out of uniform! At least I wasn't falling in, or swearing loudly.

Then turning left onto the Stratford on Avon canal and NARROW LOCKS!!! hooray!!!

We moored a few locks up the Lapworth flight and went for a pint before cooking and early to bed.

Daily Total: 13.30 miles, 29 locks, 1 smallish tunnel, and some minor aqueducts.

Running total: 85.5 miles, 97 locks, 3 tunnels