Hawkesbury Junction

Today's Canals : Coventry, Oxford

Cool and cloudy for most of the day. The weather does seem to be stuck in a rut at the moment. Just after we set off we passed Ruby's Yard, a Community Interest project set up by a group of local led and inspired by a nearby resident Ruby Chambers. The site has had a chequered history - for a long time it was thought to be common land, usable by local residents. Somehow it became formally under the ownership British Waterways who left it without purpose for some time. Then, in 2001, they leased it out for use as a boatyard and a small slipway constructed. This use was bitterly fought by the residents. The boatyard collapsed as a business before too long and the site again became derelict.

Ruby Chambers lived on the road leading to the boatyard and was heavily involved in community affairs in Atherstone. In 2010 she was elected as town mayor. In 2004 she started to negotiate with BWB who eventually sold the site to her to prevent further commercial uses - it was claimed that heavy lorries did damage to the residents' road.

Ruby died in 2012 and left the boatyard to her daughter. She established a Community Interest Company along with other local people with the aim of creating a recreational space especially for local and young people. They have gradually developed the facilities - this marquee space seems to be one of the latest additions. (see here for more information)

Near Mancetter there is a small Alpaca farm that we have noticed many times in the past. Earlier in the year we could not see any of the animals so wondered what had happened to them. Today, as we approached, still no alpacas in the enclosures where we had previously seen them. Then, as we passed further along, there was a large herd of them! The family also do joinery work for canal boats (see)

We planned to stop at Hartshill Maintenance Depot to fill up with water but another boat was only just starting so we carried on, now aiming to fill at Hawkesbury.

This substantial wharf was once the end of a tramway that brought product from the nearby Hartshill Quarry to be loaded onto boats. The quarry had been in operation for over a century when it ceased working in mid 1990s, eventually being sold to the present owners in mid 2010s. Since then it has re-started work and planning application was made in 2022 to regularise the operations that had been going on for many years. A photo can be seen that shows what the quarry looked like in 1911.

An obligatory photo is missing (*see end)

Tuttle Hill offside leisure moorings is a long stretch but with almost no users. A lonely boat remains there but with no registration  number of licence displayed it is perhaps abandoned. The site is clearly regularly mowed and the description makes it clear that the mooring is pretty basic and not easy to access. The site is said to have No Moorings available so perhaps is perhaps being considered for closure.

We stopped for lunch just before Marston Junction.

Afterwards we carried on. Where else but Charity Dock?!

From mid afternoon we started to see some sunshine but it was sometimes a bit elusive, so you will just have to take one of the few photos with blue sky!

We stopped at one of the two water points just before the junction. The pressure seemed a little better than on occasions in the past. Christine took some rubbish to the disposal point and took a look at the service block that has recently been condemned. She reports that it most definitely looks rather dangerous.

After the tank was full we came around the sharp bend into the junction and to Sutton Stop Lock. We moored immediately beyond this despite it not being the best of moorings - pins even in a popular spot. We really did not want to have to look further as the top end of the Oxford is notorious for a lack of good mooring opportunities. At some stage the towpath bank was strengthened with sloping slabs of stone which prevent boats from coming near to the edge but to rub all night on the hard surface.

* OK, so we recognise that some of you might be upset at the lack of the obligatory photo so here is just a snippet to calm you down! We know that you know where it is.

11.4 Miles - 1 Lock