Knowle to Brum

Sunday 2nd August 2009
Woke up to a glorious morning, and set off early(ish - 8:15). We were surprised by how green and attractive the route into Birmingham was. The maps in Nicholson's guide show housing and warehouses from soon after Catherine de Barnes, but we were passing through attractive wooded cutting most of the way. Having said that, there was huge amounts of debris in the cut at times.

Passing near to Tyseley, I heard a whistle and the steam locomotive Kinlet Hall sped over the canal shortly ahead of the boat. Daft, I know, but this simple thing made me really happy - I was jumping up and down and waving at the passengers on the train.

We arrived at the Camp Hill flight at about 11:00 am, and got to the top of the Farmer's Bridge flight - a total of 24 locks - about 3 and a half hours later. We've now done the Farmer's Bridge flight several times, and it never ceases to amaze us - parts really are quite surreal.

This lock is underneath an office block, going from this lock to the next we had to cross with another (fortunately short) boat - it's hard to imagine how they managed to get two 70 foot boats to cross in the past. The water to the left of the lock is the pound between each lock.

Shunting past another boat - short tunnel ahead.














Half way up the flight you pass the foot of the Birmingham Telecom Tower, which can be seen as a landmark for many miles.













Alan takes a picture of me from the lock inside the short tunnel - David is lockwheeling.














These lovely people watched us intently through the lock - it turns out that they are Danish, and start a narrowboat holiday tomorrow - which explains why they were watching so closely.

At the top of the Farmer's Bridge flight - Telecom tower in the background.

We quickly found a place to moor, and went shopping as well as going for a coffee and a wander around the area surrounding Brindley Place. Birmingham has masses of very attractive floral displays.
















The design for this trip boat seems to have been done by someone having a migraine attack.






In the evening we went out for a meal near to Gas Street Basin.

Miles: 13.7, Locks: 24
Total Miles: 103.7 , Total Locks: 120

Warwick to Knowle

Saturday 1st August 2009
The poor weather we have had recently has continued today. It's nice now as I type this at dusk, but we had some foul weather for our journey.

We started up the Hatton flight at just before 9:00 am, it was already drizzling and intermittently rained quite heavily. Alan and I continued our regular swapping of lock winding duties, changing every five or six locks. Shortly after I had taken over at the helm a man from the bank shouted that he often saw women working the locks, and men steering, but it was unusual to see a woman steering. Is it really so strange? If a man is more experienced at steering then it is natural for him to continue - if there are any problems then you want the more experienced helmsman. However, how is the woman going to get more experienced if she doesn't steer? What if she has to steer sometime? And how about the man getting some exercise occasionally?
I love this old BW van near the top of Hatton.


We worked up alone, and met only a few boats coming down. We finished the flight of 21 in about 2 hours 45 minutes.

Just after the top we passed Tawny Owl - where Richard had left us a message in his window! It is really nice to know that some people are keeping tabs on how far we've got.

Leaving Shrewley tunnel - not long after the top of Hatton.

We decided to take the Knowle route into Birmingham (instead of turning left and going through Lapworth), largely because we've never done it before, so we did several lockless miles and then the flight of 5 close together locks at Knowle. I'm told that this is a very beautiful flight - I didn't really appreciate it. Somehow the rain started in earnest just as we started the flight and I didn't have time to get my waterproof boots on, or my rainproof hat before I found locks being got ready. I had soggy feet and cold water running down the back of my neck. My glasses had to be abandoned as I could see even less through them than I could without them.

Not a happy bunny. For the life of me I can't see why they'd left the front doors open!




We stopped very early for us, almost feeling guilty for stopping by 4:00 pm. However, we have been advised that moorings further into Birmingham might be a bit disrupted on a Saturday night. We'll do the whole run into the centre of Brum tomorrow in one go.

We are currently in the fields, not far above Knowle locks, surrounded by the countryside, birdsong, and with a beautiful pink and orange sunset.

Miles: 11.8, Locks: 26 Total Miles: 90, Total Locks: 96.

Braunston to Cape of Good Hope, Warwick

Friday 31st July 2009
Another lovely day, lots of sunshine, fabulously beautiful countryside with goldfinches and yellowhammers singing from the tree tops. Between Braunston and Napton we passed David and Jan on Helvetia - waving and shouting out comments to each other. They seem to be going to Birmingham too, but by a different route. Alan is looking for an old Bowler Hat to wear when we next meet.

Alan and David watch two boats passing from the lower chamber to the upper chamber in Bascote staircase lock - this type does seem to be a bit too much for some people!

Lots of locks and hard work, but we went through most of the locks with a very hard working single hander. We are working hard at sharing the hard work of the locks and the steering - this way we are BOTH tired at the end of the day, and I get to practice my steering more, which is a good thing (if I don't practice then I can handle harder situations). Most of the time the one working the locks also had our ricketty old bike (Margaret) off the front of the boat.

We passed the steam boat Emily Anne tied up in the middle of Fosse Locks. It is owned by the grandfather of someone from the Internet canal forum.

We stopped briefly for supplies in Warwick, then moored above Cape locks, by the Cape of Good Hope pub.

Miles: 19.8, Locks: 25
Total Miles: 78.2, Total Locks: 70

Blisworth to Braunston

Thursday 30th July 2009
A cloudy day to start, with moments of bright sunshine breaking through. The countryside beautiful, very green and English.

There were a lot of boats travelling up the Whilton flight with us, so we had to wait for almost every lock. I was trying to make bread dough, which kept rising, and as I didn't have time to shape it or put it into pans I just kept knocking it back every few locks.

David volunteered to steer, and decided to wear Alan's Panama hat while he did. It looks much better on him than it does on Alan, so I suspect that it may have a new owner. It rained the whole way up, then the sun came out again at the top. I put the bread in the oven quickly, so that it would be ready before Braunston tunnel when we would need to turn the oven off.



The Toll House, Norton Junction

Braunston locks were completed in the bright sunshine, we worked very quickly down. Every boat we met was crewed with experienced boaters, paddles were opened sensibly, gates were opened on time, boats were in the right place. In Braunston we moored up, and headed up to 'the Old Plough' in Braunston itself. We ordered three vegetarian lasagnas, and drinks, then settled down in a corner. After a while a very apologetic young man came and said that there were no vegetarian lasagnas left. A discussion showed that there was only one vegetarian meal of any type left - which wasn't much use for three vegetarians. So we finished our drinks.

I went to the bar to pay the tab that had been started when I ordered food, and the lady there said, "you were the people we couldn't feed - you should have been told when you ordered, before you took your drinks - no charge". All credit to them, I do think that what they did was right, but how many pubs would actually do this?

We found somewhere else to eat, looking out across the Northamptonshire countryside in the fading light of evening.
Miles:17.5 , Locks: 13
Total miles: 58.4, Total Locks: 45

Stoke Hammond to Blisworth

Wednesday 29th July 2009
An overcast day, which eventually turned to heavy rain, with few let ups.

Today was a day marked by many lockless miles. We took it in turns to steer, travelling around the twisting bends of the canal as it skirts Milton Keynes. We've seen several more 'community boats' today - there are a lot of them in this part of the canal at the moment.

The first lock of the day was Fenny Stratford, which needs the swing bridge left across it at all times when the lock is being used. So a BW key is needed to unlock it.

At Wolverton we spotted this interesting craft.







Our next lock was at the other end of Milton Keynes - Cosgrove, where we spent some time trying to rescue a very young duckling which had become separated from its mother and siblings by the lock. David spent some time with a boathook, 'steering' it towards a bucket wielded by Alan - the whole process attracting some interest from onlookers. Having finally caught it we reunited it with its family.














When buying diesel the salesperson pointed out that we were paying £34 pounds more in tax than we would have done last year, and then told us that only very small numbers of people are declaring as much as 60% for propulsion (as we do). She viewed the tax as unenforceable.

Stoke Bruerne flight in the rain, and then through the tunnel - following an extremely slow boat. There was a terrible stench at one point in the tunnel, surely no-one would have done a 'self-pump out'? I do hope not. Then we moored in Blisworth. We walked up to the village to see if the shop was open, but being quite late it wasn't. Alan and I walked around the churchyard in the hope of seeing some 'canal names', but what struck me most was the war grave of the gunner who died on the 4th November 1918 - 7 days before the Armistice.

The churchyard is filled with Rowan trees heavy with berries.

Blisworth Churchyard.


















Alan looking dodgy amongst the gravestones - actually trying to hide the shopping bags he was carrying while I took a photo.

Miles: 23.1, Locks: 9
Total Miles: 40.9 , Total Locks: 32.

Marsworth to Stoke Hammond

Tuesday 28th July 2009
The day started overcast, but eventually turned quite bright, with scudding white clouds.

The first part of the day we travelled very slowly, there seem to be far more boats around than are normal so far down the Grand Union. We worked through several locks with a young couple who are taking their boat up to Whilton to have a skin tank added to their boat - they had an interesting cooling arrangement going, utilising a section of garden hose. Just above Horton they headed off to the bank to rescue a crow that was flapping in the canal - it's legs were tangled in something. I was surprised that the bird was still alive when they pulled it out.

Travellers Joy beside a lock.

The banks of the canal are covered with wild flowers and the bushes are showing signs of the fruits of the harvest later this year. Some blackberries are ready, but most are still green, and the sloes and damsons are starting to turn darker. Just north of Church lock goldfinches were darting between the trees as we passed, and a large crowd of long tailed tits swooped along the opposite bank.




I try to show some muscle at Leighton Lock.






















Steering down through the Soulbury 3 - David in conversation from the roof.

We eventually passed through Stoke Hammond, went a little further, to ensure that we were not too near the road, and moored up.


Miles: 15 , Locks: 23
Total Miles: 18 , Total Locks: 23

Summer 2009

Monday 27th July

Lots of thing delayed us, but I was determined that we would actually spend a night on the boat, even if it meant being in the marina. Alan, David and I packed everything in the car, issued last minute instructions to Michael, and set off. As it was we managed to leave the marina sometime after 8:00 pm, and set off across the summit, finally arriving in the dusk about an hour later. For Alan it was the first time travelling after dark, and was made particularly difficult by crossing the deep cutting of the summit, with large overhanging trees.

As we crossed the summit I packed things into cupboards, and began to get a meal ready. We finally managed to eat a curry at about 10 pm, then off to bed.

Miles: 3, Locks: 0