Hawkesbury

Today's Canals : Coventry, Oxford

Time now to leave Coventry and wander slowly back to Brinklow Marina. We have been able to give the new battery a good test and let it go down to 37% overnight, not having cruised for the past couple of days. One of the factors that persuaded us to make the upgrade was the ability to have a couple of days off cruising without great concern about battery power.

Alongside where we moored was once a swing bridge. OK, so the bridge is actually still intact but has not been used for some time, leaving more room for visiting boats.

We have probably shown the surviving wharf crane before but have included this shot to show that the weather today was very different from the weekend. Althiugh is was expected to be very cold at night by the time were were about the clear skies and sunshine had already taken the edge of the chilly air. By the afternoon it became definitely warm!

As we set off so did others - we think at least five left today - good news for the couple of boats we passed coming into the city no doubt hoping for a good mooring in the basin. Just after setting off, looking back, it is clearer how the basin is divided on to two arms.

Neither elsan nor refuse facilities were accessible in the basin so they will have to wait until we reach Hawkesbury but we were almost out of water so only went out of the basin to the the couple of water point just after the entrance bridge (originally built as a security feature to control entry of boats and local miscreants! `The roadside edge of the basin is now quite open to provide an amenity access for visitors and local people. It certainly seemed quite popular. We were not the only leaving boat to need to fill.

The arched footbridge again - here with a bright blue sky and a few wispy clouds.

Not too slow a tap - not quite the fastest but even with two of us filling at the same time we reached 'full' sooner than we expected and were able to continue on our way.

Another of the converted buildings at Electric Wharf. This building is known as Cable Yard and was part of the original power station but other than what might inferred from the name we have not really found out much about its particular role. The letters LE on the end were once part of CABLE. It is now a mixture of offices and apartments and was specifically designed with eco credentials in mind.

Cash's Houses once again - just 'cos we can!

We continued to retrace our steps back towards Hawkesbury. We did not spot anything specific of note but it was a pleasant morning for cruising. We had a slow boat ahead so it was just as well we were not in a hurry! The section of canal was once not one of the finest as detritus from canalside industry and poor housing marred the experience but for some years now it has been very different even if it is taking time to throw off it past reputation.

Another view of Exhall Basin looking very different from a year ago.

We called at the service block immediately before the junction for much needed disposals. In the process Mike discovered that one of the cassettes had developed a small leak around the vent fixing but fortunately we have some spare part. With luck they included a new o ring that seals the unit from leaking to the outside.

We then made the sharp turn under the splendid cast iron footbridge. Fortunately we judged it correctly as there were several unhelpfully moored boats in places where they should not be, including two on a lock landing with a very clear No Mooring sign - it is nit even necessary to be able to read words to know what it means! A couple of other boats were tied up outside The Greyhound pub which seemed yo be doing a good trade today. Just made it that bit trickier for unwary boats coming to the stop lock just after the junction. Christine managed to operate the lock - it may be only a small rise but still needed some effort! Her first this year, but then we have only worked 9 locks in total so far.

5.9 Miles - 1 Lock

Cathedral

As planned we walked down into the city centre to visit the cathedral for it Easter Day main service. At least it was dry - not quite so afterwards!

We were in good time but the nave was well occupied by the time the service was ready to begin. Whilst they match most other cathedrals for the sense of drama and formalities,  they have the ability to make it feel much less formal than in some places. Dean John is shortly to retire after 13 years at this cathedral and brought a very real sense of joy and welcome in his manner.

The new Bishop, Sophie Jelley, preached an excellent sermon and also added to the sense of celebration that the Dean had created. She was able to announce that afterwards there would enough eggs for every one to enjoy - especially as the usual refreshment people were taking a break this week. 

The famous tapestry behind the main altar seemed to be especially fitting for today and as we all turned westwards for the final dismissal, sunlight was streaming through the huge window.

The only downside to this building is its acoustics - it was designed perhaps just a decade before there was a better understanding of how to allow speakers to be well heard. Those of us with less than perfect hearing are challenged to follow what is being said against a powerful echo repeating it all. Fortunately those accustomed to the place know to leave sufficient gaps to allow the echoes to dissipate.

Although the sun was shining brightly as we came out and set off back to the boat, it was also slightly raining! Fortunately it did not amount to much until we were over the footbridge and the boat was in sight when hail arrived! We were close enough to not really wet.

Shopping and Eating

We had planned today as a chance to visit the shops in what is a quite compact city centre - there are, of course, several retail parks dotted around the suburbs but these are not easy to reach without a car or a city tram system. There are plenty of buses but it is not easy to work out how to use when start and finish points are pre-determined.

We also wanted to repeat last year's experience with a visit to the buffet restaurant Smokin' Hot. As an 'unlimited courses' buffet we discovered that it is a good idea to eat mid afternoon and then saunter back to the boat where we can chill our for the rest of the day with barely a snack later on.

Marks and Spencer was Christine's main target as she had researched ahead of time and knew what she wanted. She sent Mike off to investigate the nearby malls with an agreed time to meet up again. 

Fortunately M&S has the foresight to stock up the right items in the right size! Two clocks on the boat had given up during the winter lay-off, the main cabin one as well as a small illuminated alarm clock that Mike had fitted above his head when in bed. This makers it easier to check the time when he awakes as there is nowhere to place any items on his side (Christine does have such a facility)

The cabin clock is faced in cork and fits in well with the overall colours - we have found that it should be possible to replace the mechanism but only by ordering on line. So that will have to wait until we are back home. However we both found our selves looking at the space where the clock should be. In addition Christine would like a wall clock in the front cabin - a favourite place to sit and read when the weather is warmer. We thought that we might by a wall clock for there now but temporarily locate it in the cabin. In a Poundland-lookalike Mike spotted a plain wall clock, right size, for just £2. Even if it is not long-lasting it surely must be worth a punt! We failed entirely to find the alarm clock as nobody seems to use them any more, mobile phones do the job just as well (that is what Mike does at home) so that will also have t o await an online order. 

We continued to wander around the city centre. It is soon obvious that this is not a place for those seeking more upmarket purchases from retailers who still have happy-to-serve-you staff on hand!

Although the morning had thus far been overcast and fairly cool, there was a break when some sunshine broke through so we found a seat (they are not abundant) in one of the public open spaces between retail centres and people-watched,

The Body Shop we eventually found but it was a disappointment mainly, as Christine was told, because their new owners have yet really established what their USP is going to be. Some sections in the shop were sadly depleted. Luckily as quick return to Boots yielded success.

It was by now almost 2.30 so we opted to head to the restaurant a little earlier than planned. Just as well as there was lull in their bookings and could find us a table. (They said that they had over 500 people booked today!)

It seemed that they have slightly enlarged their range of choices (in a time when many are going the other way). There was no shortage of options and we ate well! This is not fancy cheffing but is well presented and with very friendly staff (well, Luis our person was excellent and keen to make sure we were OK - you have to understand that we were breaking social conventions by not having a suitably young person to guide us! The whole set-up is clearly aimed at families and younger groups where the wide choice is a particular asset. They now have become so busy that they offer only 90 minutes table slots and we had to crave a few minutes over so that we could also fit in a dessert!

We walked back to the boat feeling very full and crashed out! Much, much later, we had a tiny snack but snoozed and read and did not mind that there seemed nothing interesting on broadcast tv!

In order to give the new battery a bigger test we did not turn on the engine all day. So fare all seems well and we were able to take it down to 46% overnight (our previous setup did not support much below 80%) Our electrician advises not to go below 30% as a matter of course even though the manufacturer claims 20%.

Coventry Basin

Today's Canals : Oxford, Coventry

Today the weather was back to grey, almost always dry but very windy. Despite this it was not, at first, especially chilly but as the wind gradually worsened, so it felt colder. About half way into Coventry, fleeces were needed.

To start we had to complete the last few metres of the Oxford Canal. Our overnight mooring was only four boat lengths from Sutton Stop Lock, an important lock to prevent one canal from benefitting from another's water, only drops down about 300mm so does not take long.

Once through - another boat was just coming round Hawkesbury Junction so took advantage of the open gate, we paused for a few minutes to empty an elsan cassette. The service block here is now completely closed -it has gradually deteriorated over a number of years and is now deemed  unsafe to use at all - but the basic facilities of a service stop are still available. The main issue was the lack of an elsan disposal unit (it was still in the closed block) so a 'temporary' enclosure has be built whilst CaRT work out a plan for the longer term. Alas it has no wash down hose, just a flushing hole in the ground!) We wonder if it will be here long enough to become a listed building, characteristic of 21C canal management!

We turned left towards the city centre. Just after the junction is Exhall Basin, part of the imprtant former collieries that produced the coal for the canal to transport efficiently into the city and its surroundiny industries. Last year we noted that it was sad to see it still neglected but this time we can report that a lot of work has been done to tidy it up and it is now full of boats! It looks as if diesel and gas are planned to be available but that is work in progress. It is operated by a company that also run New Islington (Manchester) and Lady Lane (North Stratford) moorings. Exhall is currently offered just as residential moorings

This handful of balloons seems to have escaped only to be captured for an indefinite detention in the treetops. We have noticed in the press recently that there is a growing campaign against balloon releasing, not only because of the harm that the balloon material causes to wildlife but also because helium is and important industrial gas and gradually become scarcer. We can sympathise with those views even if countless children and adults parties find them irresistible. 

Last year we were disappointed to see that a set of good moorings had been removed - all the rings cut off at ground level - disappointing because hey were the only official moorings for quite a distance and also close to a bridge and a retail park. Whilst it is good  that all of the canal from Hawkesbury into Coventry is a good foot and cycle path, it was created before the recognition that a hard surface from hedge to water left nowhere for casual moorers to put in pins.

So it was good to see that in the last year, the bank has been piled, armco added and moorings rings installed that are low profile to avoid tripping up towpath users.

Just after Bridge 3 we could see through the hedgerow a mart conversion of a former industrial building. After a bit of searching we later found that it is now called Tower Court, somewhat of a pun, maybe unintentional, on the fact that it was part of the one-time Courtaulds site where the spinning of viscose yard was started at the outset of the twentieth century. Another, larger, of the buildings has also been adapted on the opposite side of the canal although that appears to be less successful having failed to attract long term tenants for some while.

When we pass the well-known Cash's Houses we know that we are then only about 15 minutes away from the final basin.

The former original Victorian power station for Coventry at Electric Wharf is now entirely re-developed and the whole area given new life, mainly with high density housing. Although we have watched the replacement of the former rather depressing derelict industrial sites over the past few years, it now seems to have matured quite well - and the developers moved on to other projects!

We reached the basin and we relieved to see some free spaces although almost all of the 7 day moorings just outside the basin were empty. After having been given incorrect advice from CaRT Customer Services when Christine enquired before we left home (that all the moorings were 2 days only) it was helpful to see that a new sign at the entrance clearly says 7 days! This was also confirmed by the cheerful volunteer welcomer who greeted us as we looked for a mooring and pointing to the best option. We also met him last year!

By now it was lunch time. In the afternoon we only ventured as far as the Tesco Local just over the footbridge - not our favourite! The wind howled down the straight main road into the city centre and almost blew us over. We easily decided to beat a quick retreat having bought the main essential larder items that we needed immediately. We can take our time tomorrow to explore a wider selection of shops.

5.8 Miles - 1 Lock

Hawkesbury Junction

Today's Canal : Oxford

We awoke to a brought sunny day with a mixture of blue sky and fluffy clouds. It remained this was all day but remained slightly chilly despite the sun.

However, it was rarely a good day for photos as the sun was shining right behind us  most of the trip making if impossible to see much when looking back from the stern. Just occasionally the canal changed direction enough to illuminate the side of this facing us.

Every cloud has a silver lining but in the case of this boat every blue sky helps to generate a lot more electricity!

As well as all the spring flowers, there is plenty of white blossom in the hedgerows.

After about 40 minutes we passed the entrance to Brinklow Marina, our current official Home Mooring but, with another week to go on this Shakedown cruise, we continued on past, heading now towards Coventry Basin. The edge of the city is already quite close (we had to check the map several times to convince ourselves that we really could see the buildings in the city centre). Hopefully we will reach there around lunch time tomorrow.

Bridge 35, known as Hungerfield Bridge, was at just the right angle to the sun to get a usable picture. Alongside the bridge is the former Boat Inn, long since converted to a private residence.

Last year we noted that the repairs to the bank collapses were still incomplete and the towpath closed to walkers. The route is now open and nature is just beginning to reclaim its territory on the restored cutting side. Even now, a couple of places were till very muddy underfoot and water continues to seep out of the bank.

At Stretton Stop we paused at the water point to replenish our tank,  rather depleted by a load of washing through the machine this morning. The site generally looks as if it is not been having a good time recently - the hire boats were once noted for their splendid condition - but no doubt the moorings on the lengthy arm (part of the abandoned original line) bring in a goodly income. The chandlery shop has now closed but the boatyard seemed to have work to do. (It is able to haul boats up a slipway for out-of-water work) The tap is not one of the fastest and it took a while for the tank to fill, but we found in the past that the ones at Ansty and Hawkesbury are no faster (unlike Braunston)

The short mooring arm looks as if it has been recently dug out for a leisure boat but maps from over a c century ago show a slight indentation to the bank here so perhaps there was a small wharf but we can find no evidence one way or another.

The next section of the canal has very few mooring opportunities - the towpath edge was constructed with sloping stone sides, long before the desire for boats to be able to tie up whenever their crew wish to stop. We considered Ansty but the good moorings here are usually very full so we made the decision to press on and have lunch 'on the go'. Of course, when we passed Ansty there was plenty of room had we still wished to stop!

We spotted nothing remarkable on the way to Hawkesbury. When we arrived around 2.30 there were only four other boats moored just above the lock so we could tie up to the piling and not have to use hammered in pins - unlike last year when we stopped here on the night before our return to Brinklow and our forced house arrest for the rest of the cruising year. Other boats did turn up to moor behind us - the next to arrive minutes after we had tied up, had to use pins.

11.4 Miles - 0 Locks

Newbold

Today's Canal : Oxford

Today was universally a grey, overcast day with little wind but a tad chillier than yesterday.

We set off in good time as we had a date with the boatyard just above the bottom Hillmorton Lock. For several days we have had problems with the oven, with the flame going out in the middle of cooking. We had a particularly hard time with the roast on Sunday. Also, on a number of occasions, once gone out it would then resist being re-lit. When we were coming up the locks last week we spotted a sign listing the services of the boatyard and Christine rang to see if they could take a look at it - yes they could and she arranged to call today.

But first we had two locks to descend. Although the notice at the top lock suggested that there would be three volunteers to assist to day, there was no sign of them here! As these are the busiest on the network, the mechanisms and gates work very smoothly.

We were instructed to turn into the short arm after the middle lock which leads to the boatyard and to hover under the bridge at the entrance. We immediately could see that this a much more imposing facility than we had imagined, almost non of it visible from the main canal. This was one of the main workshops of the Oxford Canal Company. It continues to build new boats, maintain the Willow Wren fleet of hire boats that operates out of Rugby Wharf and to provide maintenance and breakdown services to today's private boat owners.

The arm is short and very crowded. Towards the end a dry docks is accessed by a tight turn.

Two boats were in for work on them and also a third in the covered dock at the far end of the open dock was having a complete re-paint. There was a pumping engine installed here quite early in the life of the canal to ensure that water from above the flight that was used when boats passed through the locks was saved and returned back to the top, We believe that pump was housed in the building to the left of the docks but, surprisingly, the information about this significant site available on the internet seems scant. 

When the duplicate locks were later installed to cope with the volume of traffic, they were designed to act as mutual side ponds, with half of a lockful being saved of possible. At one time each lock could be filled in 29 seconds.

An engineer duly came to look at the over and, of course, it totally failed to demonstrate the problems we had been having and worked perfectly every time! Hopefully that will continue when we come to cook tonight's meal.

After leaving the boatyard we backed out to enter the final lock. All three volunteers were here so we dropped down very quickly and - for us - effortlessly in only a little more than the 29 seconds.

The next pound is level through to Hawkesbury. Continued northwards and passed Clifton Cruisers - an ornate footbridge at the nearby bridge offers pedestrians a safer crossing as the road is often rather busy.

The hire fleet were all out bar one - quite different from the crowded scene when came came the other way.

Lots of different wild flowers are starting to come out - we think these were king cups.

We arrived at the visitor moorings with good rings to tie to, just before the short Newbold Tunnel. As it was now lunch time and several of the preceding moorings were full, we opted to stop here rather than go any further and risk being stuck for mooring.

After lunch we reviewed our schedule and decided that we did not need to move any further so we awarded ourselves a reading afternoon! (And time to write the blog a bour earlier than usual)

4.3 Miles - 3 Locks

Hillmorton

Today's Canal : Oxford (and arguably Grand Union)

Today promised to be much more spring-like and indeed it mostly was, There was little wind and, in the morning, a good mixture of blue skies interspersed with grey clouds that produced no rain.

Many of the canal-side fields had flocks of sheep with their new born lambs, gradually coming to terms with having to find their own food. During the morning we tried hard to find some that would stand close enough  to the water to take a usable photo but they were uncooperative! This was the nearest - and also shows the early grey clouds.

The A42 crossed the canal around Napton Junction several times. In the past the bridges were enlarged for modern traffic and took the road straight across, leaving the canal with a distinct S-bend underneath. These are tricky to navigate - as well as being two tight bends, there is little visibility of any oncoming boats.

By the time we reached the second crossing, the sky had changed completely.

Around the corner from the second bridge we spotted a large brood of tiny chicks - 13 here. Wonder how many will be around in a week or so's time as they fall to hungry predators.

 

We passed Napton Junction and continued a little way to the next winding hole where we turned around. Although this was supposed to be a full length, we only just fitted as the far end was both overgrown and some of the ground has collapsed into the water. Still, with a 16+ point turn we made it without touching the sides at all! But we were too busy to take a photo . . . 

Several pairs of swans seemed to be preparing for the breeding season, collecting sticks and straw to build a huge nest. Here, one mother was well ahead of the crowd and we could just see that she had laid some eggs.

The decoration on this boat is quite impressive, of not to everyone's taste. It is certainly not traditional!   However, it must have taken many hours of careful work to achieve - alas it now needs some renovation at the edges.

We have doubtless shown this bridge before but it is a useful reminder of what is the actual structural load bearing part of the bridge. Some of the farm bridges have had the side parapets removed to allow tractors to tow across the very wide crop sprayers that are now commonly in use.

The next bridge is the usual design. Settlement of the abutments at the edges can sometimes lead to visible cracks in the para[et walls and can cause some concern that the bridge is about to collapse. However, as the previous photo shows, this unlikely to be an issue and the bridge still retains it full load bearing capacity. (This bridge did not looked cracked but is included as a reminder of how they look normally)

We returned to Braunston Junction - just before it stands this impressive turnover bridge that would carry towpath traffic a cross the junction before the addition of the two ornate cast iron structures we showed yesterday.

Another attempt at taking a picture of the daffodil display nearly ended in disaster as Mike made a real mess of turning back onto the north Oxford.

The reason for the parenthetic note in this blog's title is a reminder that the section of canal between here and Napton was initially the Oxford Canal but became an important link for the parts of the Grand Union north and south of Braunston. This actual junction was only created in the mid 1800's as party of the extensive straightening of the Oxford, originally very much a contour canal. The junction was at first a little to the south where the marina is now, and set off in a very large level loop, now bypassed with a much more convenient junction.

The afternoon continued to improve and an outer fleece later could comfortably be removed.

At last - a mother and two lambs that were prepared to stand still for a photo shoot!

At Tarry's or Kilsby Road Bridge there is a much photographed collection of buildings. A now abandoned loop of canal once ran just to the right of these properties. We believe that the road that is now become the B4038 Rugby Road ran between the two terraces. The present road bridge (that looks likely to date from 1930s) diverted the route just behind the main left hand terrace.

The canal had another loop to the south but the only remaining part of that is now a winding hole, immediately opposite the previous photo.

We showed Hillmorton Marina yesterday but took a closer look today and discovered that all of the moorings have been removed except for a couple of spaces attached to some of the homes. The development is still being completed with one or two final homes under construction.

Only a short distance later we were close to Hillmorton Top Lock. We have a date at the boatyard above the bottom lock tomorrow morning (our oven is playing up) so did  not want to go down the flight today. The mooring spots just before the last bridge above the locks had room but are not very convenient. The towpath edging is the older style of concrete piling with old railway tracks instead of Armco. The main visitor moorings are between the bridge and the locks but are very popular. What should we do? Should we carry on and risk not finding anywhere and having to go down the locks or do a lengthy reverse?

15.4 Miles - 0 Locks