29th August 2015. Bridge 22 to Stowe Hill Wharf.

Today we made our way the short distance to Stowe Hill Wharf where we have a table booked  for dinner at the Narrow Boat pub - celebrating surviving our first month on the canal. This is a bit of canal we know well but we won't be back for a while. It was a lovely sunny day and we enjoyed the journey.

Robin enjoying the sights.

Scooby enjoying the smells

and meeting other canal users.

At one point the canal takes a turn which is right next to the railway. It makes quite a contrast; the fast and the slow practically within touching distance.




A Virgin train rushes past a boat going round the turn after Weedon Wharf. 

After buying diesel and replacing an empty gas can at Rugby Boats, we moored just round the corner, an easy walk to the pub. Robin spent the remainder of the afternoon fishing, catching a 2lb bream with his own baked bread. Jo cycled to the nearby village of Flores for a look-see, passing the beautiful Flore Hall which definately produced  home envy. We will travel the last leg to Heyford Fields marina tomorrow and do some tidying up and sorting before we go home for a few days. We will be back on Saturday the 5th to continue our journey south towards London.

Robin's bream not looking to impressed with being caught. It went straight back in the canal and
splashed Robin with it's tail as it swam off!

August 28th 2015. Norton Junction to Weedon (almost).

We started off early (for us) and headed down to the locks. After filling with water and waiting a while in a queue, we set off through the first locks with a boat which had stopped for lunch on Wednesday thereby missing their chance to get through the lock before it broke and being stranded for 3 days. The boat which they would have gone down with had they not stopped at the pub, was the last boat through before the breakage. One of their crew is currently working on a new boat which they plan to make into the first ever floating off licence and travel the canals on it. They hope it will be ready by April. I hope we see her again next year with her business up and running.
We made our way down the flight, waiting between locks with this and other boats. Lots of chat and cups of tea, laundry and polishing of brass mushrooms (air vent covers on the roof). We eventually got through the broken lock at about 3.15. The damaged gate was jammed shut and CRT trust staff were there to help. As we went through we became aware of all the boats waiting at the other side, more than twenty of them!

Just some of the long queue of boats waiting to go through the broken Buckby locks.
 

Free at last we went the short distance to the Heart of the Shires shopping centre which is a short walk from the canal and has a very good kitchen shop. We eventually moored for the night between bridge 22 and 23 on the approach to Weedon. A different sort of day and good fun as it goes.    

27th August. Staying put at Norton Junction.

Still waiting to go down the Buckby locks. Robin went down the flight on his bike to the farm shop and bought milk and got the news. Boats are now able to go through the broken lock; one at a time and roped through by CRT (Canal and River Trust) volunteers. We decided to wait back here a bit longer which was a good decision because at 4pm there were still 12 boats waiting just above the lock and it was taking half hour per boat to get them through. We'll make our way down tomorrow morning and take our turn in the queue.

Hustle and bustle at the broken lock.

We spent the day footling about. Heavy showers interfered with fishing so Robin practiced making turkshead knots around his landing net handle and insisted on a photo. These are precursors to making placemats - so guess what is he his planning for Christmas presents....

A turkshead knot!

 And so another day passes :)

26th August. Braunston to Norton Junction.

After a day in Braunston doing odd jobs and lazing around avoiding the rain, we finally set off again on Wednesday morning. Our plan was to get water on the way but both taps were in use and there was no mooring space to wait so we pressed on to the locks. We went up the 6 Braunston locks with a hire boat. They had 5 adults, 2 teenagers and a primary age child on board, which, as one of the party confided was a bit too many and they might not do it again. Despite this they all seemed remarkably cheerful and we got through the locks with no problems. We stopped at the top for lunch and a Scooby walk before heading through the tunnel.

The entrance to Braunston tunnel.

 

 

Just as we were about to enter the tunnel we spotted another boat about to come out. It had no headlight but a bloke standing at the front with his mobile phone. Presumably his strategy had been to us his phone torch to light the way - but it's quite a long tunnel and it had stopped working by the time they got through. We were lucky to avoid a collision!  

 

After the tunnel we passed another boat whose crew told us that one of the Buckby flight of locks to which we were heading was out of order and the flight was closed. We pulled in a short distance before Napton Junction and the locks and were further informed by those also moored there that a lock gate had failed and it would be at least 2 days before a repair could be made. So after dawdling along for days we now find ourselves stuck and without a huge amount of water. At least we have WiFi, phone signal and TV reception, so it could be worse!  

 

22nd - 24th of August. Warick to Braunston.

After a lovely extra day moored on the Saltisford Arm and being tourists in Warwick, we set off on Saturday back through Leamington Spa and beyond.

The Saltisford Arm. We were moored at the far end.

 Our little diversion is over and we need to get back to within range of the M1 for our lift home next week. 10 miles and 13 locks today, most of which we shared with a small and rather dilapidated plastic boat which was the floating home of a very sweet couple and their dog and rescued racing pigeon. The weather was hot and at one point the man told me that both the dog and the pigeon were lying under bed as it was the coolest place on their little boat! They were heading back to Milton Keynes around which they normally live, so we may see them again on our way through. We moored at the Blue Lias and had dinner there - very welcome after a hard hot day.

A pretty lock cottage at the Bascote locks.

On Sunday we made our way towards Braunson. 6ish miles and 11 locks. Uneventful except for some tremendous showers and interesting skies. The canal continues to be busy though; lots of boats about.

Between showers!

We moored in a quiet spot with little WiFi connectivity and dodgy TV signal, but on the other side of the canal from us there were bushes full of sparrows bathing and drinking in the water and then fluffing and drying themselves off - all with noisy happy twitterings.    

Sparrows bathe and drink in the canal.

On Monday morning we did the last couple of miles to Braunston and stopped there as the rain came down hard again. As we are in no rush we stopped for the afternoon and night to sit out some of this nasty weather. And more (t)rolls are going in the oven!



20th August 2015. Warwick.

A lovely day today :)
We made our way through the outskirts of Warwick to the Saltisford Canal Arm - a short offshoot of restored canal run by a small local charitable trust. The turning point (winding hole in boating lingo) is half way up the arm and our mooring is right up the end. After a lot of faffing about involving bargepoles and ropes we managed to turn round and reverse our awkward old boat backwards along the already moored boats to the space we had been allocated. Narrow boats have no steerage when going backwards and Harold is particularly clumsy in the water, but we got the hang of it eventually and moored breasted up to Windrush.

Harold moored 'breasted up' to Windrush.

In the afternoon we set off on foot with Scooby to explore Warwick. We found the Church of St Mary's which allowed Scooby in, so he came round with us and managed not to pee on anything. The church was lovely and had a particularly impressive chapel where Robert Earl of Leicester (he who unsuccessfully wooed Queen Elizabeth the 1st) is buried with a number of the very influential Earls of Warwick in the previous couple of centuries.



St Mary's the dog friendly church!

We found Warwick Castle which doesn't even allow dogs into the grounds even though he is sooooo well behaved....

 

As near to the castle as we could get with our very well behaved dog....

..... so we retired to an Olde Worlde Tea Shoppe for a cream tea instead.



After general exploring (and purchasing of a fold up stool so Jo can see over the top boxes to steer - £4! a bargain) we returned to the boat for a rest but with plans to go back tomorrow.

In the evening Robin took Scooby for a bike ride and he ended up running a circuit of Warwick racecourse - 1 and 3/4 miles!

Two furlongs to go!



 

 



19th August 2015. Bull Bridge to Tesco's!

Nice easy start with a 2 mile trip to bridge 41 in Royal Leamington Spa. We moored near the bridge and set off with Scooby to explore Leamington. On the canal you definitely come into the town by the backside and have to cross a busy road and go under a railway to get to town. The big church which looked interesting was closed, but we found the Jephson gardens which are large and pretty and full of people of all ages having a good time. However, the café had run out of sandwiches at 1.45 so we remained hungry. Dr Jepson was a local doctor and philanthropist who prescribed cures in the spa waters. The waters were salty and you had to drink a half pint at a time as well as eat Dr Jepson's special diet which forbade any fruit or vegetables. It's a wonder anyone ever got better. We also found the pump rooms which now house a small local museum and an art gallery with a very random selection of art. Robin was grateful for and would recommend the sausage roll in the café at the pump rooms. The river Leam goes impressively through the town and some of the architecture is handsome, however, it didn't look so well cared for as somewhere like Bath and the whole place felt a bit haphazard.

We returned to our boat just as the rain began and as we settled down with a cup of tea we heard banging on the boat and realised some local 'youths' were throwing crab apples from the grounds of flats on the opposite bank. Robin (you can take the man out of the police but not the police out of the man) set off in pursuit with Scooby. Scooby chased them away - his bike chasing skills are well known in Stevenage. We decided, however, that discretion is the better part of valour and moved on in the pouring rain. We ended up another mile or so down the canal and into Warwick, mooring by a big Tesco's. We hope for a more peaceful evening.

Robin and Scooby enjoying Jephson park before all the drama started.

Tuesday the 18th August 2015. The Blue Lias to Bull Bridge.

Cloudy and a bit chilly this morning. With a good mooring at the pub garden we decided to give Harold a wash - he hadn't had one since our visitors at Foxton locks. Jo did the bank side and Robin the canal side (he is always the more adventurous) and we shared the roof and the ends!

No sign of the sun but we set off anyway about 1'oclock on our shiny boat. All very rural and peaceful.

The road ahead.....

5 miles and 12 locks then achieved, the locks mostly spaced out evenly. We did some with another boat and others on our own. The locks here all have a distinctive 'candlestick' paddles which we haven't seen before.

Robin and a candlestick!

 

We have seen lots of young adult creatures this trip; swan families with a posse of big brown cygnets, lone dusty coloured moorhens not yet grown shiny back feathers and red beak, ducklings nearly as big as their mothers but with half feathers and half fluffy down. Today this young rabbit popped out of the bushes as we stopped at a lock. He seemed quite healthy and happily grazed at the lock-side as we took the boat through.

 

August 17th. Braunston to Stockton locks.

9 miles, 11 locks and a less painful back - good progress today. We left Braunston mid-morning and turned south east along the Grand Union Canal. We made our way to Napton junction where we rejected the pretty Oxford Canal, choosing to stay on the Grand Union and turn north instead towards Warwick.


Signpost at Naprton Junction.

We ended the day by going down the Stockton lock flight; 8 locks one after the other. All the locks were against us as we were following a pair going down. Another boat started going through with us but they broke down at the second lock so the rest we did on our own. We got a good routine going and were down in no time; team work - although with Robin doing all the hard work and Jo just steering the boat, he was most of the team!

Looking back up the Stockton lock flight.

We moored for the night at a nice pub conveniently located at the bottom for a well earned drink.

Moored at the Blue Liars pub.
Blue Lias is a local stone quarried for making cement which contains many fossil remains - hence the seemingly rather random dinosaur on the pub sign!  

16th August - Norton Junction to Braunston

Just a short day. Not far in miles and just a tunnel and the 6 Braunston locks. Jo's back was very painful today so we just went into Braunston and moored so she could rest. While she did so, Robin did all the things on his to-do list and visited the chandlery on his trusty bike for another stern rope and some bits and bobs. Phone calls home and dinner in the pub tonight. Hopefully a less painful day tomorrow and we can make more headway towards Warwick.

Robin takes a seat while he waits for a lock to empty.

A Braunston lock cottage.

August 15th 2015 - Crick to Norton Junction

Nice sunny day. Through Crick tunnel and then down Watford staircase locks. Straight through the locks without a wait - just timed in perfectly. Lots of hire boats about and just one lock-keeper to keep them in order.

Jo steers through the narrow Watford lock flight.

We decided over breakfast that we have time to take a diversion as we need to be near the M1 on the 31st. We will turn West at Norton Junction instead of East and take a 10 day round trip as far as we can towards Warwick and Leamington Spa. No mooring near the junction so we went on and found a spot just before the Braunston tunnel. Poor TV reception but good internet - there's no logic. Lots of hire boats around again with people enjoying themselves plus the sound of a young buzzard in the trees above us calling to it's parents. Robin took Scooby for a bike ride and we settled down for the evening. Through Braunston tomorrow and then into unchartered waters (for us anyway).



Robin and Scooby setting off for their run/ride. You can just see the hire boat full of kids in the background!

14th of August 2015 - To Crick

It rained all day. After a lazy morning, Robin donned his Musto sailing waterproofs and took us the 8 miles to Crick. Jo baked biscuits - which to the surprise of all were edible and did laundry. So not every day is a sunbathing and fishing day. No internet or phone service at Crick but a village shop for supplies. 


Robin braves the elements.

Laundry drying all over the cabin - what happens when you sunbathe on a hot day and launder on a wet one! 

Thursday 13th August. A trip down the Welford Arm.

We set off from our picturesque mooring to visit Welford. Jo put some washing on and I started baking some bread, making a dough and waiting for it to rise. We went through Husbands Bosworth tunnel and then turned left down the Welford arm of the canal. By now the dough had risen and been knocked back and shaped into rolls ready to prove and bake. We arrived at the only lock on the arm just as the rolls were about to come out of the oven. A slight delay in the lock while the trolls were taken out. On to Welford and a slow cruise to the end of the arm where we turned round and moored. Rolls had come out rather large and we had half of one each for lunch (yummy). After a rest we decided that there was not much in Welford so dumped rubbish, emptied loo cassette and set off. As we travelled slowly along you could almost hear the sound of duelling banjo's and someone shouting high six. Back onto the main arm and south where we moored for the night.by bridge 36.

Husbands Bosworth tunnel a view from the back of the boat heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

Captain Rob concentrating as he goes through the tunnel (Don't tell Jo he's calling himself captain)

Heading out of the tunnel

Rob's big rolls (yummy) the bananas are there to give some idea of size.......... It's a blokes thing.

12th August 2015 - The bottom of Foxton locks to just beyond the top of Foxton locks!

Up the Foxton flight today. Very busy so there were 5 boats going up in front of us by the time we had got ourselves organised. However after a short wait, all went smoothly with the help of the lockkeepers and many trippers and gongoozlers. A small posse of children helped me with the gates and a random Argentinian man asked Robin if he could come aboard and have his picture taken. Robin obliged of course - and managed not to mention the war. As you go up everyone speaks to you and asks questions; its certainly locking as a spectator sport!

Harold waiting at the bottom of the flight

Looking back down from the top lock

Making our escape from the top lock to get on our way

We didn't get far, however. We found a mooring spot just a couple of miles along the canal with wonderful views so we stopped and spent the rest of the day sunbathing (Jo) and fly-fishing (Robin). Hopefully we will get a bit further tomorrow or we won't reach Milton Keynes by Christmas, let alone Hertford!



Panoramic video of the view from our mooring - a new innovation, hopefully it will work!

And, of course it was all too much for Scooby.....

11th August 2015 - Market Harborough to Foxton!

A nice day today ; like yesterday but in reverse.
We shopped in the morning, setting out separately; Robin to get the heavy Sainsbury's shop and Jo with a list of random items (velcro, thick thread, LED light bulbs, selotape, clothes pegs....) to forage for. Although Robin did the heavy work, Jo was also particularly successful today with all items safely secured. It was like a treasure hunt, exploring a strange town and asking people where to find things. A fun experience!



Robin returns fully loaded!

 

After shopping we headed back down the canal to moor just short of Foxton locks. It's a pretty bit of canal, although narrow in places and with some debris in the water. We are moored next to two hire boats which, we assume, contain a church outing as we ate our supper to the strains of the crew singing hymns accompanied by a violin. All human life is here!

Random flouting logs.
Scooby gave them a suspicious sniff as we passed - perhaps he's seen Titanic!

    



10th August 2015. Foxton to Market Harborough.

A lovely day with family at Foxton yesterday (including an excellent carvery lunch at the Foxton Locks Inn with good service, despite it being absolutely rammed with people).

Today we took a little detour to Market Harborough; a journey of just over 5 miles down an offshoot of the main canal which took around 3 hours. No locks but one swing-bridge and a number of oncoming craft;  hireboats just picked up from Market Harborough basin.

We found a mooring on the approach to the basin which ends the Market Harborough arm of the canal and set off on our bikes to explore the town and collect supplies.

 

Not such a pretty view on our mooring today - but being near the shops makes up for it!

 

All went well in town and we decided the shops merit a second look tomorrow so the bikes are locked up on the stern and we'll be off for more foraging in the morning. In our defence, this is the last town we will go through until Milton Keynes which is many days - possibly weeks - journey away. We shop while we can!

Our bikes ready for action again in the morning.

8th August 2015 - to Foxton

An easy day today. Through just 5 locks in the company of Eleanor, followed by a stop for us and a short walk to Fleckney village from bridge 73. The chemist was shut but the good Co-op was open and Robin carried beer, rolls and mustard back to the boat in the rucksack. Then on through quiet countryside to the bottom of Foxton locks for a tidy up before we have guests (Jo's brother and his children) tomorrow.

We also tried out the breadmaker to good effect so we will have home-made toast for breakfast tomorrow.

The end of our first week on the boat. So far so good!
We will celebrate with dinner at the Foxton Lock Inn  :)

Robin gives the thumbs up to his first loaf on board!

7 miles and 15 locks today. Travelling again with narrow boat Eleanor. Good company and good progress. The canal creeps around the bottom of Leicester, heading south and then east. We enjoyed sailing passed all the back gardens that reach down to the canal; taking a privileged peek at every sort of decking arrangement and garden ornamentation.

We moored just past the village of Newton Harcourt in a nice spot with lovely views to one side (best to keep quite about the mainline railway to the other side). Eleanor moored behind us and we plan to travel to Foxton together tomorrow.

The lovely view from our mooring and the promise of pretty scenery for our travels tomorrow. 

Harold settling in for the night



Harold and Eleanor behind; travelling companions, if only briefly.

The view from our dinette window as we ate our supper.