On the move again.

Hi,

Well,as the title suggests were of to pastures new again.This time were on our way towards Oxford some 95 Miles and 42 Locks from Carlton Bridge 44 on the Ashby.Don’t know for sure when we are likely to get there but it wont be any day soon.We’ve planned to get there for around the middle of May so that should give us plenty of time to enjoy what lies ahead of us.

Since our last blog we have had quite an interesting time up here on the Ashby.As you know we moved up to the end of the canal on Monday then on Tuesday,after helping our youngest move house,we rounded off the day with Jeanne and Pete in the Rising Sun at Shackerstone,one of the best pubs on the canal system.On Wednesday I mowed a bit of grass for the Ashby Canal Association ready for the next day and watched the two coal boats,Aquarius and Ilford,being loaded with the coal that they’re to take around the Inland Waterways,Lisa meanwhile,had a “Girly Day” with Jeanne.Thursday was the big day,we had a few local dignitaries helping to promote the event and though it was a bit cold a few people made the effort to dress for the occasion,myself included.We had an impromptu BBQ on Thursday night despite the cold wind and had a great time with some new found friends,sitting around a brazier filled with some of the leftover coal that isn’t on it’s way round the system.Thanks to Rod & Eleanor,Tony & Sue,Pete & Jeanne and Colin & Sue off the boats,and Andy,Charlotte & Zoe from the old Pump house.

 

The stars of the show.Aquarius loaded and Ilford being loaded on Wednesday.

 

A couple of boats at the show.Pete & Jeanne’s Castellan and Rod & Eleanor’s Storm Petrel.

 

The dignitaries arrive and the token shovelling of the coal onto one of the boats.

 

The speeches,they were worth listening to,and Peter,Jeanne and Myself,not sure that a flat cap suits me,looks a bit like a flying saucer.

 

The BBQ at the end of the day.

 

Some of the inside of the Snarestone Pump House at the side of the canal.It was built in 1884 to pump water to Hinckley from a 700 foot deep shaft below the house.Andy,Charlotte and Zoe,the new owners,proudly gave us a conducted tour on Thursday night.

We moved from the end of the navigation on Friday because Lisa’s sister Heather and her husband Steve were coming out to us again,this time for the Easter weekend.Shackerston seemed like a good place to meet up and then we could have the evening meal in the Rising Sun which I had booked a few weeks previously.As always,the food and drink there were excellent.On Saturday,after cruising for a whole six and a half hours,which is an exception for Lisa and I,we moored near the little village of Carlton.The Gate Hangs Well in the village had live music that night and we’d been reliably informed the band was well worth seeing.This proved to be correct,Waxies Dargle,an Irish Folk and Skiffle band,gave us a very enjoyable night with some unusual renditions of some popular tunes.They get their name from a song by the Pogues by the way.The evening was enjoyed along with copious amounts of that wonderful falling down juice, Marston’s Pedigree,and a great time was had by all.

 

Some of the life alongside the Ashby Canal.

 

Moira Furnace and the short stretch of restored canal that runs alongside it,looking in the direction of the current end of navigation some six miles away.

 

Steve,Heather & Lisa earlier on Saturday evening in The Gate Hangs Well and a not so good pic’ of Waxies Dargle performing.

Then on Sunday,after a long lie in we shuffled the couple or so miles back to Shackerstone where we got into Steve’s car and drove over to Moira Furnace which is on a short stretch of canal that will eventually be joined to where we moor at the current end of the Ashby.Thursdays event was about getting the canal just a little bit closer to Moira Furnace.Then it was back to the Rising Sun,where we enjoyed the lunch,before cruising back to the end of the canal and an early night.I think one or two of us had consumed a little bit too much,if you know what I mean,no names of course.Steve and Heather left us on Monday and then Lisa and I finished the day back at Carlton,not in The Gate I hasten to add,we’ve signed the pledge for a while,honest !!!

Well,that’s it again for another week.Since our last blog we have cruised 33 Miles,mostly over the same stretch of canal so Steve could have a go at the Helm,and 0 Locks.That gives us a Grand Total of 667 Locks and 1168 Miles since we set of in October 2012.Take care everyone. 

End of Navigation.

Hi,

This week we are back at the end of the Ashby Canal moored up ready for the celebration of the commencement of the next phase of the canal restoration.There’s to be a ceremony with the presentation of a cheque from UK Coal to Leicester County Council towards the restoration and then two traditional working boats,loaded with coal,are to head off around the waterway system.Motor boat Aquarius and the Butty Ilford,that’s the unpowered boat being towed behind,will recreate the spectacle of the last loads of coal carried from the Ashby to Croxley on the Grand Union Canal.Along with the coal they are to be decked in banners highlighting the restoration.Lisa and I may have a little roll to play in all this but I’m not sure of all the details yet,that will be in next weeks blog.

We moved from our mooring near Burton Hastings last Tuesday morning,when the weather had improved somewhat from Monday,and made our way along the Ashby to Sutton Wharf.It’s a useful mooring there with facilities that include showers along with the usual Elsan and water and,if you want,it’s a nice walk from there to the Bosworth Battlefield site.There’s also a very popular Cafe bar alongside the wharf.We left there the next day to get to our first port of call on the Ashby,Carlton,where we wanted to see our youngest Daughters new home and enjoy a pint or two in the village pub,The Gate Hangs Well.It’s a bit of a walk from the canal to the village but it’s worth it,the road isn’t too narrow and in most places there are wide verges.The new house is lovely and the pub was good too,friendly customers and proprietor as well as a good pint of Pedigree along with a couple of other real ales.If you should ever take the opportunity to visit Carlton have a look at number 44 Main Street and see if you can work it out.We stayed near Carlton till Friday morning and then we moved a couple of bridges further along the canal to be close to Congerstone.

 

Our mooring near Carlton & the view behind us.Apparently there was a Wharf here for a nearby quarry but we couldn’t find any trace of either.

  

A couple of shots of our mooring at Congerstone.Nice and peaceful.

The Christening of our latest Granddaughter was to be at Congerstone church on Sunday and we wanted to be nearby to help with the preparations for that and also give any help we could for the house move.Our mooring just past Bridge 49 on  the Ashby was excellent,we we’re completely in the countryside with owls hooting in the evenings and the sound of the Battlefield Line steam engines puffing and whistling during the day,idyllic.On Saturday we met up with old friends Pete and Jeanne off NB. Castellan and went to have a look at the new marina at Market Bosworth.There’s still a lot of work to do there but there was a lot of interest and quite a few of the 150 berths were reserved,though it’s not due to open till September.As things stand we are only likely to make use of it for short periods through the winter months,if we should be in the area that is,and of course,if they have room.Their prices seemed to be about the average so we shall see.From the marina we went up into Market Bosworth itself for lunch and had a nice meal in a pub we’ve visited before,Ye Olde Red Lion,the foods good but the Pedigree is a bit pricey.On Sunday the Christening went very well,the church was full and we had an enjoyable reception afterwards in the village hall.This morning we untied our ropes and set off to do the 4 miles to here at the end of the Ashby Canal navigation where we shall stay till Friday.

  

The cake for the Christening which was made by our eldest Daughter.The Baptism,Beatrice’s Dads family have a tradition of using a particular spoon for the service.

 

 

A boat moored at the end of the Ashby Canal.A Moorhen has built a nest and laid her eggs.The owner can’t move his boat now till the eggs have hatched and the chicks have fledged.

 

Lisa busily planting some shrubs to improve the area here at the end of the navigation.The plinth has now been started.The two beams in the background will be mounted on the plinth when it’s finished.

That’s all for this week folks.Since last week we have done no locks and just 19 miles.That gives us a Grand Total of 667 Locks and 1135 Miles since we set off in October 2012.We’re looking forward to seeing a couple of you over the Easter Weekend.Please take care everyone.

Back on the Ashby again.

Hi,

As the title says,we are back on the Ashby Canal.We got here yesterday and our mooring is just a short distance from Burton Hastings,a little Warwickshire village North East of Coventry.It’s nice here apart from the weather which has been a bit wet and windy.As a result,we haven’t bothered moving,though a lot of other boaters have been brave and cruised.At times it’s been a bit like the canal equivalent of Piccadilly Circus,we’ve lost count of the number of boats that have gone past.

We’ve nipped back up here on the Ashby for a few reasons.One,our newest Granddaughter is to be Christened this coming weekend at a church just a few hundred yards from the canal.Two,we’re going to catch up with some friends who are moored at the end of the navigation where we will attend an event that is being staged to highlight the restoration of the Ashby canal.A couple of traditional working boats are to be loaded with coal and will tour the waterway system adorned with banners.Lisa and I are members of the Ashby Canal Association and it’s nice to get to some of the functions and help to support their aims.Three,our youngest Daughter will be moving house and like all nosey parents we want to have a look at the new home,the pictures look amazing but there’s no substitute for the real thing.

We left Curdworth last Tuesday morning,not quite bright and early just a bit earlier than we would normally expect to set off,but we didn’t get far.We want a Tiller Tassel to decorate Chyandour and the guy that makes them,Dave Edwards,was moored just a few hundred yards ahead of us.After placing our order and having a very entertaining hour with Dave we set off again to do the 11 Locks and 6.5 Miles to our next stop at Fazeley Junction.This junction is the Eastern end of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal where it meets the Coventry Canal.There are water and Elsan facilities here plus a few shops,its also only a short bus ride to Ventura Park retail outlets and to the nearby town of Tamworth.The most important thing for me though was to wash off the Saharan dust that had settled on Chyandour over the previous couple of nights.I like my shiny boat you see.

 

The Pleasure Grounds below Tamworth Castle.They have some lovely floral displays.The River Anker as it flows through the Pleasure Gardens.There are two rivers flowing through Tamworth,as well as the Anker there is the Tame from which Tamworth gets it’s name.

 

The Mill that stands alongside the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal as you approach Fazeley Junction.It was built in about 1883 and called Tolsons Mill,it was used to make bootlaces,webbing,corsets,clothing and upholstery.Only the ground floor is now in use.On the right is the project that I have been engaged in for the last couple of months.It’s a Rag Rug,it’s 7 foot long and a little under 2 feet wide and I got it finished while we were at Fazeley.I can now get back to having the odd drink or three in the evening.

On Thursday we set off down the Coventry canal heading for Atherstone,another place we have stopped at before,and moored about a mile or so below the Atherstone Flight of locks,leaving the flight for Friday morning,no rush you see,so nice and easy.Before we set off on Friday,I took advantage of Midland Chandlers latest Freaky Friday,when they have 20% discount off their stock.I phoned and ordered the few bits that we want from their Distribution Depot,which is only a half hour bus ride from Atherstone,in the nearby town of Nuneaton.Thanks to Phil and Kevin my order was waiting for us when we got to their depot on Friday afternoon.On the way up the Atherstone flight of locks we saw a familiar boat,Miner Bill,the crew are Tweeters on Twitter and it was great to introduce myself to Nikki and put a face to the tweets.We spent Saturday with our eldest Daughter and eldest Granddaughter,they came out and picked us up.I got to watch The Wizard of Oz in the company of our Granddaughter while her mum and Lisa went shopping,it was the first time I’ve seen it all the way through.

 

Our first Ducklings,swimming in formation along the Coventry Canal at Atherstone.Our mooring near Burton Hastings,I didn’t take this today,the view is the same but with rain instead of sheep.

Yesterday we set off from the Visitor Moorings at Atherstone and just cruised till we felt like stopping.The mooring here on the Ashby,between bridges 6 and 8,there’s no 7,was empty and tempting so here we stopped,with the intention of doing a bit more today.The weather forecast on last nights Countryfile wasn’t too promising and so it turned out.It’s lashing it down with rain as I write this and I’m glad we decided to stay.I don’t envy those intrepid boaters who have cruised past.

Well,that’s all again for this week.Since our last blog we have done 24 Locks and 28 Miles,quite a lot,it’s time we slowed down.That now gives us a Grand Total of 667 Locks and 1116 Miles since we set off on our travels in October 2012.Take care everyone.

Curdworth.

Hi,

Well,that’s it,we’ve finally sailed away from Birmingham after almost 20 weeks and in that time we’ve done over 200 miles,gone through 135 locks,drunk gallons of Real Ale and various other alcoholic beverages,and all in all had a fabulous time.Our thanks go to Andy and Di’ off the good ship Fenakapan who have been our companions since we got back together at the end of November.Between them they showed us places we would unlikely have found ourselves and shared their knowledge of the BCN and Birmingham with us.Andy probably knows the location of every Real Ale pub in the whole of Birmingham and he showed us some good ones.We’ve both gone our separate ways now but,if all goes well,we will meet up again later in the year.Lisa and I are now heading for pastures new and hopefully some new friends as well as some old ones.

Our blog this week comes from the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal in North Warwickshire,just on the outskirts of the village of Curdworth.You can just about make out the distant hum of the M6 Toll and M42 Motorways from here,and there’s the occasional roar of engines from Birmingham Airport,if the wind is blowing the right way,but it’s nice here in the open countryside.We left Birmingham yesterday morning,going down the 13 locks on the Farmers Bridge flight in an hour,thanks to assistance of Andy and Di’ and another gentleman who no longer has a boat because of the poor health of his wife.He likes to help boaters down through the locks having moved to Birmingham after “discovering it”,so to speak, when he had his own boat. Yesterday was a lovely day for cruising the canals so we made the most of that good start and did a total of 27 Locks and 9 Miles before calling it a day.I think that may be some sort of record for us.

Most of our time since last weeks blog has just been spent pottering around Birmingham and getting things together for our departure.I had a good day in the new library on Thursday looking through some of the old maps and books that show the routes of the canals when they were originally built.It surprised me to see how they were constantly being changed to meet the requirements of ever changing industries,canals,branches and arms were filled in or new ones dug as the need arose.On Saturday night we had our farewell meal with Andy and Di’,nothing special,just one of Wetherspoons grills washed down with some of their real Ales.Wetherspoons are having a Real Ale festival at the moment and there are about 50 ales from around the world,from Spain,the USA and Sweden,to name a few,as well as UK ones.We then went into the The Post Office Vaults on New Street and what a delight that is,it’s a tiny bar but they too do ales from around the world and we had a great time.Lisa particularly liked a Belgian one made from Coconut milk.

 

I haven’t taken any pictures since last week so I thought I’d give you a selection of ones I’d taken on our hire boat days.Here’s a couple from off the Staffordshire & Worcester.We hired just after the big freeze of 2010 and shortly after these were taken we had to turn back because of ice.The left one is of the Botterham Staircase Locks.On the right Lisa is doing her usual.

 

One of the ornate Bye Washes on the S&W,each lock seemed to have a different one.A smoky approach into the Bratch  Locks.They are not a Staircase because there is a Pound between the lock gates but it’s only a few feet long.

 

These two were taken in May 2011 on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.The view from the Burnley Embankment on the left.The most striking thing is the Chimney Pots,they’re all the same colour,hundreds of them it seems.A view down some of the broad locks on the L&L,they can be hard work if there’s just the one boat,it’s better if you can share.

Well that’s all again for this week.Since our last blog we have done 27 Locks and 9 Miles,all yesterday.That gives us a Grand Total of 643 Locks and 1088 Miles since we set off in October 2012.Take care everyone.

Old Turn Junction.

Hi,

This week we are back in Birmingham for just a few days while we get stocked up,before we head down the Farmers Bridge flight of locks,and away.Old Turn Junction is an old canal crossroads where the Oozels Street Loop,The Newhall Branch and the Birmingham Main Line canals go their separate ways.The Oozels Street Loop is one of the loops of James Brindley’s Old Main Line that went to the coalfields at Wednesbury and then on past Wolverhampton,this bit here opened at the end of the 1760’s.The Newhall Branch is all that’s left of an arm that originally went to coal wharfs in Birmingham and,when it was completed in 1790,the Farmers Bridge Flight on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.To the South East the Birmingham Main line heads towards Gas Street and what was the Paradise Street Branch with more coal wharfs,it then joins the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at Worcester Bar.While in the other direction,heading North West,is Thomas Telford’s New Main Line that is straighter than Brindley’s,and bypasses some of the more winding bits before connecting back up to the old Main Line at Tipton.

After a couple of easy days opposite the Langley Malthouse on The Titford Canal we set off,on Wednesday morning,back down the six Oldbury Locks,onto the Old Main Line,down Brades Locks and back to Albion Junction on the New Main Line.Lisa and I wanted a few quiet relaxing days before we came here to Birmingham and Albion Junction fits the bill well.Only the trains heading backwards and forwards to Wolverhampton disturb the peace and quiet,together with the odd boat going past of course,but,after a while,you don’t notice the trains.We stayed there till Sunday morning before cruising the six miles or so to here,just past Sheepcote Street Bridge,alongside the NIA.We’ve moored close to here on a number of occasions now so it doesn’t hold any surprises.What is surprising though is the number of other boats moored here,a lot more than we’ve seen before.

Yesterday we got the train from New Street and went over to Trent Lock for a few hours.John and Sheila,off the good ship Water Ratz,are back from their holiday in Sri Lanka and we had some catching up to do before they head off on the next leg of their journey.We may catch up with them again later in the year,who knows.While we were at Trent lock we called in to the dockyard there to see Mick & John,the two brothers who created Chyandour for us.It’s good to see that they are both well and working hard,their next creation,Vixen,is getting nearer to completion.

Since our last blog we haven’t really done a great deal so I’ve not got much in the way of photo’s for this week but I did take a few pic’s around the pools at Titford and down the Oldbury flight.

  

The end of the Portway Branch at Titford Pools on the left,this view is after going under the M5 bridge,I didn’t take Chyandour so I’m not sure if it’s navigable.This branch went to  the Newbury Lane and Churchbridge Collieries.The end of the Causeway Green Branch with the M5 in the background,again I’ve no idea of the depth of water.This branch went to the Lower Holt and Blackbar collieries,both of which were disused by 1890 .

 

Another couple of shots of the part of the pools.There are footpaths all the way round.The one on the left is of the original canal reservoir.

 

Langley Maltings from the road,you can see the damage done by the fires that have been set in the buildings.It’s such a shame,I guess they will eventually be demolished.More beautiful industrial architecture lost.

 

A last look,for now,down the Oldbury Locks,boatmen called the locks “The Crow” after James Crow,the overseer of an Alkali  works that was alongside the locks and which had a short canal arm,called the Crow Arm,to the works between locks 4 and 3.There we are with Fenakapan working through the top lock.

  

Lisa putting her back into it on one of the locks,they were easy locks to work.Lunch at the bottom with a well earned cuppa and the junction with the Old Main Line and the M5 motorway bridge ahead.

That’s all again for this week folks.Since last Monday we have done 11 Miles and 9 Locks,that gives us a Grand Total of 616 Locks and 1079 Miles since October 2012.Take care everyone.

Titford Canal.

Hi,

This week we are on the Titford Canal near Oldbury in the West Midlands and we are moored opposite the former Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries,Langley Maltings.These buildings were built around 1880 and the grain used for the making of Malt,which is used in the brewing process,was initially delivered by narrowboat,production ended in 2006.The Titford Canal was opened in 1837 and is the highest part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations.

 

Langley Maltings,opposite our mooring on the Titford Canal.The End of the the navigation at Titford Pools and the Portway Branch with the M5 motorway bridge in the distance.The Portway and the nearby Causeway Green Branches were abandoned by 1960

 

Titford Pump House,which was built to pump water from the bottom of the Oldbury Locks back to the top,and the Junction of the Titford and Tat Bank Branch Canals.The Tat Bank Canal is closed and is used for residential moorings.Something that was pulled out of the canal near Smethwick and no one is sure what it is or was.It’s definitely military,probably army but the only markings on the chassis are the tyre pressure stencils and the body is obviously missing.Anyone got any ideas?

last week,while we were moored at Windmill End,one of the things I wanted to do was  visit a local hostelry called “ Ma Pardoe’s” or The Old Swan.They brew their own ales at The Old Swan,with names like,Old Swan Original,Entire and Bumble Hole,and I can vouch for every one of them.A plate of Liver & Onions washed down with a few pints of Bumble Hole led to a memorable night on Tuesday.On Wednesday we left Windmill End to nip down to the end of the Dudley No.2 Canal at Hawne Basin where Coombeswood Canal Trust provide some lovely services as well as very cheap diesel.We spent the night there and made use of their washing machine and dryer,again very reasonably priced,and they also have a bath.Yes,a proper bath,with plenty of hot water,something Lisa only gets to enjoy nowadays when we stay in a hotel.

On Thursday morning we filled up with diesel and made our way back to Windmill End for a few more days of taking things easy. Then,on Friday morning,out came the Bus Passes,and we nipped over to Dudley to get a few bits and bobs.In the afternoon we got on the first bus that came along in the opposite direction and went to Stourbridge where we had a pleasant browse around the town that is famous for its glass making.

Saturday was just a day to relax in the warm sunshine that we are enjoying at the moment and also to take a look at the Visitor Centre at Windmill End.Bumble Hole & Warrens Hall Local Nature Reserve Visitor Centre,to give it it’s correct title,is run by volunteers who operate a small cafe and sell bits and pieces to raise funds.Inside the visitor centre there are maps and models showing what was here not so many years ago,as well as the details of Hingley & Sons the chain-makers of nearby Netherton,who made the anchor for the Titanic.I find this whole area fascinating,what was once a mass of industry is now green and pleasant land,to steal someone else’s phrase.There were Coal Mines,Blast furnaces ,Iron Works and Brick Kilns here,all belching out the black smoke and grime that led to the area being called “The Black Country”.

 

One of the things we have a go at on the winter evenings is making Rag Rugs.This one was made by Lisa,it’s her fifth,all different sizes and this one is the largest.Mine’s a bit bigger and not quite finished yet.Lisa with Peppa the parrot.Her owner takes her out for a couple of hours every day,as you can see she’s on a lead but doesn’t fly very far,just a few feet.

We left Windmill End,for the final time on Sunday morning after topping up Chyandour’s water tank,and cruised the 3 miles and a bit,back through the Netherton Tunnel,to Albion Junction on the BCN Main Line.It was a gloriously sunny day and we recorded the highest temperature so far this year,just a tad over 23 Degrees.We left Albion Junction this morning,turned South onto  the Gower Branch of the BCN and up through the Brades Locks to Brades Hall Junction with the Old Main Line.From there it was along the Old Main Line to Oldbury Junction where we turned sharp right onto the Titford Canal and then up the 6 Oldbury Locks to where we are now.A very pleasant 3 hour cruise.

 

Brades Hall Junction on the Old Main Line after we came up Brades Locks.Oldbury Junction,after we had turned,that’s the M5 Motorway crossing the junction.

 

Chyandour rising up one of the Oldbury Locks and looking down part of the flight with another M5 Motorway bridge in the distance.We’re pretty much surrounded by the M5 but you can’t hear it where we are moored.

Well,that’s it again for this week.Since our last blog we have travelled 10 Miles and gone through 9 Locks.That gives us a Grand Total of 607 Locks and 1068 Miles since we set off in October 21012.Take care everyone.