Coventry Basin

 Today's Canals - Oxford, Coventry

No sooner had we set off than we realised that the prop was not working as well as it should and that there was increasing vibration through the tiller. As we moored last night there was some indication of an issue but we forgot to check this morning, as we had intended. (Mike's excuse is that Christine sent him to pick blackberries that she had spied in the hedge alongside our overnight mooring! If you believe that you will believe . . .)

We pulled into the bank as soon as we could get passed extensive weeds and removed the weed hatch, although we quickly realised that today's 'weed' was a much shredded bed sheet. Well, if it was not shredded to start with it certainly was by the time it was all removed although it was a much easier task than most times this happens. Setting off once again we made much smoother and faster progress.

The property next to Bridge 4 used to be the Elephant and Castle pub but that closed in 2011 and was converted to housing. We have not discovered what sort of housing but it does seem to be secretive and concerned about security - string fences, locked gates and an entrance gate that would keep out most casual trespassers.

A little further and we passed this burnt out hull - not the first time we have seen such as this along here. Whatever its history this is a sad end to anybody's boat and possibly their home.

We approached Sutton Stop Lock, normally as busy place with all of the 7 day moorings fully occupied, and were amazed to see not a single boat tied up here. (The offside is used for permanent moorings)

Through the lock and under the towpath junction bridge and we turned left towards Coventry, now finally leaving the Oxford Canal after many days. Our first objective was a 'full service' at the sani station and water point just around the corner. We were not impressed: the first stretch which is most convenient for using the facilities, is now reserved for work boats and the next part is supposed to be for using the water point - we wanted to do that as well so OK but is is a little way down the towpath. We recall that there used to be two taps here but one seems to have been removed. The towpath all the way out from Coventry has recently been upgraded to cycling standards. In the process all of the mooring rings have been removed so we had to revert back to tying to the Armco. The rubbish bins have been relocated inside the building, presumably on account of extensive misuse which was evident when we came here before. However the space in which the bins are now kept is most unhealthy and close to being a noxious menace - some real ventilation might help. (We are the boat in the far distance,  next but one ahead of the boat in front of the work boats)

The towpath project is a welcome visual improvement to this canal - out first impression was that overall the canal is much cleaner than it was not so long ago. However there are some obvious downsides to the design. Firstly, as the above photo shows, the level in places is well above the bankside piling and it looks as if heavy rain could quickly erode the steep slope and those undermine the new path.

Secondly, although the historical mooring places have had their rings or bollards preserved (save for the above service point) there are long stretches where the need to provide a minimum width means that the original towpath size results in the path coming right out to the edge so that no mooring pins can be used.

Thirdly, before construction the preparation did not eradicate all of the weeds and, in from the edge, they are already taking hold and will soon require considerable attention. A lack of an adequate maintenance budget could lead to all the good work being undone, That would be a shame but, sadly, i so often the case with well-intentioned capital projects.

A similar problem can be seen with this otherwise attractively designed high  density housing project. The waterside feature no doubt looked good on the planning illustrations but is now sadly neglected and the wooden edging is in a well advanced state of rotting away.

Sutherland House was built in 1920's and 1930's for Courtaulds. Recently, over a £1 million has been invested in a major uplift to the building which is now just coming to market as a series of office spaces both large and small. A large Courtaulds works was on the opposite side of the canal and is now in the latter stages of being re-developed as a large housing estate.

Cash's Hundred Houses is always worth a look - did you ever have a cash nametag sewn into your school. uniform?

As we passed the Electric Wharf, on the opposite bank CaRT were holding one of their Let's Fish events, aimed at introducing people to fishing in a canal. These two young ladies seem to be enjoying the input from their Fishing Coach. The next event here at the end of the month is already fully booked.

Around the corner we came to the entrance to Coventry Basin, passing through the bridge that seems impossibly small. Earlier this year CaRT turned all of the moorings in the basin into bookable slots. Although the system allocates the booking to one of A, B, C or D, there are no labels 'on the ground'! We took the only available slot left (we arrived only 40 minutes after the official start time for a new mooring!). There is also no sign that we could see to tell visitors about the reservation system if they thought that they could just take any available space. Casual visitors with no booking can use the towpath mooring just outside the basin - we moored there on our last visit in 2018 when the basin was largely occupied by a now defunct hire fleet. We were surprised that, as the bookable moorings were all taken, there was no-one moored on the casual arrivals space.

After a late and lengthy lunch break we eventually stirred ourselves to walk into the city centre to complete the re-stock we started yesterday at Rugby. Turned out that we did not need/want a lot more - fortunate as the food shops in town are few and more of the last minute or ready meal variety. We can always make a further stop at the large Tesco Extra on our way out of the city.

Later Mike started to prepare the evening meal whilst Christine took a look around the basin. There was a knock on the cabin side and two ladies at the side window wanted to know what to do about mooring. They were with a group on a 70 ft hire boat from Rugby. They could see that there were no free slots (certainly not for a boat of that length) and what should they do? Mike explained that they needed to find a space on the non-bookable space the other side of the bridge they had just come through. Can we ask another question, please? How do we turn the boat around? They really were quite concerned about what to do so Mike offered to go and assist. The winding space here is not that easy to use and moored boats tricky to avoid. Although Mike gave support and instructions they did manage a very successful turn without hitting either bank or the other boats! What Mike was keen to hide was that he had been quite apprehensive about the task as there was a lot to go wrong! There was still plenty of room for them on the mooring rings.

Miles - 1 Lock