Minworth

Today's Canal : Coventry, Birmingham and Fazeley

Still quite cold today and there was a thin layer of mist over the water early on which quickly dispersed. However, no blue sky as high level cloud stayed with us all day.

When we set off we almost immediately arrived at the two Glascote Locks which were in our favour. Now we are back in the swing of narrow locks, three crew can get through them at a good pace. However, we failed to take any pictures here or as we came around Fazeley Junction.

We needed to fill with water as Christine wanted to put the washing machine on as soon as possible. We debated whether to fill the diesel tank as well but initially we decided that it would last us back to base. When we reached Fazeley Mill Marina we spotted their price and went onto the towpath water point instead. No sooner had we connected up the hosepipe but there was a further debate about fuel. The route ahead does not have many places and the main one is at Alvechurch, another ABC marina so presumably the same price. Put the hosepipe back in its box and reverse to the marina entrance and then in to their service wharf. We filled up and also completed all the other usual services.

Drayton Manor Bridge is another popular image. Its twin turrets each house a spiral staircase. It was built in the early 19C. The Tame Valley Wetlands website says "The bridge dates to when Sir Robert Peel (British Prime Minister and founder of the police force) built his new mansion at Drayton Bassett. The canal ran through his estate so it’s widely thought that Sir Robert wanted the bridge to be a feature along the canal rather than the more practical styles typically seen along the waterways."

John Smeaton was the engineer hired to construct this canal and he managed to devise a route that allowed mostly long straight sections. Most of the locks were gathered into a single flight. The architecture is quite conventional but frequent modern signposts guide walkers to various parts of the country parks created form former quarries that occupied most of the land to the east of the canal from Fazeley to the first locks. They were started in 1930s when farmers discovered they could make more money this way than from agriculture!

Gravel Pit Bridge is about the only visible reminder of this history of the area. Older guide books describe it as a conveyor bridge but later became a roadway. As far as we could see it is now derelict, not even a footbridge.

We arrived at the bottom of the Curdworth flight around 12:20. A boat passed us just before this so we were surprised that the first lock was full. We reached the moorings at the Dog and Doublet at one o'clock - just right timing for a lunch break.

Each of the locks has a tiny flower bed around the lock number, all differently planted and kept looking very smart.

Between Locks 5 and 6 is new crossing for HS2. We assume that the line will be carried on a viaduct across the canal - a short section over the nearby motorway is already in place. However, we nothing much happening, the scene is quite stark, almost as if it was from a wartime prison camp!

Lock 2 looks as if it is the top of the flight as the next lock is some distance away.

However, the top lock was originally much close but was moved when a motorway was built right over where it was.

Not long and we passed through the very short Curdworth Tunnel, all 53 metres of it. Not worth putting on the head light! Before long the surroundings become industrial (or even post industrial) and not the most comfortable places to be overnight. We kept an eye on our mobile phone signals and opted for a spot a little before the MInworth locks and not too close to the main road that follows the canal for some while.

8.4 Miles - 13 Locks

Glascote

Today's Canal : Coventry

Today has been very bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. It was chilly to start with (time for extra layers) but by mid  morning it was much warmer. 

We set off in good time with a lot of level cruising ahead of us.

Oh no! Not that pic again.

Bright autumn sunshine really dos highlight the scenic views, even if few leaves have turned yet. 

Hartshill was once an important part of the canal's maintenance capability, firstly for the original canal company and later British Waterways. Modern management techniques, with an added layer of political interference, mean that much less use if made of workshops like this, staff are more mobile and a lot of work is put out to contractors. However, this depot does show again that utilitarian buildings can still be made to look attractive.

One of the major contractors specialising in work on waterways is Rothen who have a base at Mancetter. As well as building a small marina they are gradually smartening up the maintenance base. It looks as if yet another work boat hull is being made ready for action.

Today we have long looks at the passing scenic views so you too can have another glimpse.

We arrived at the top of the Atherstone flight of 11 locks just on 11 o'clock. Only a couple of volunteers on duty today (we were told that it is much harder to persuade volunteers to sign up for weekend rosters) One had to look after the office and small visitor centre at the top lock leaving the other to see what help he could give on the first three locks. We were following a single hander but even so we made good progress.

Two of the locks have recently been fitted with these warning signs which seem to have sparked some discussion. We wonder how they are seen to be correct as it is when the gates are closed that the greatest danger exists, especially when trying to get around the end of the balance beam to work the bottom gate paddles. On the other hand, it may be being a little clever and taking into account that visitors not used to canal terms may see the balance beam, as a gate. Presumably an incident has given rise to this signage.

After Lock 5, Andrew popped to the nearby Co-Op which we have used several times before, leaving two of us to continue down the flight. It turned out that this store has closed and is to be converted into a tesco. Fortunately Andrew was able to get what was needed at and Aldi (not our favourite store usually) as well as Profiterole Gateau for tonight's meal. (That was not on his shopping list!) Later update: Andrew never expected to go to the Co-Op and planned on Aldi all along . . .

All of the locks at Atherstone once had working side ponds (several years ago we did manage to make one work) but all have now been abandoned and most of the paddles removed to prevent temptation to try!

These are yet another design - these cannot be filled in as they also provide the bywash channels. We assume that the idea was to keep the ponds topped up so that they were generally available to use for upcoming boats.

Only Lock 10 has had the blue sign treatment - at all the others boaters have to rely on the numbers carved in to the balance beams to know where they are! What is special about this one?

Here we are at the bottom lock - as you can see, Andrew re-joined us with the shopping after about three locks. We left the bottom lock two hours and 11 minutes after starting - not a world record but adequately respectable for us! We do not have many records (if any) of our time non-stop as mostly we seem to have spent time going into town.

Below the lock there was a good mooring - handy as it was now lunch time. When we set off again we only went a short distance before the Grendon service block for a quick empty of the elsan.

We were then back into level cruising mode again. The direction of the sun and sometimes its brightness made photos a bit difficult so only a couple of selected views. 

We passed Alvecote, the Samuel barlow and the large marina. This has long been a haven for odl canal boats, some restored, some re-purposed and otherwise made very smart. Just three of many more in one picture.

From Alvecote through to Fazeley the canal runs through a pleasant mostly modern suburb of Tamworth. It is unusual in the number of bridges that still remain - no sooner had we passed through one and we were lining up for the next!

By now the sun was quite low in the sky, even if still very bright, but occasionally making it difficult to spot oncoming  boats. On a day with much later sunset we might have continued down the Glascote Locks but we felt that at this time of year that would be a bit of a stretch that might leave us with limited mooring options. Hence we stopped in a place we have used before, just short of the locks.

14.5 Miles - 11 Locks

Bedworth

Today's canals : Oxford, Coventry

We awoke to another very different day - the sky was already bright blue but very much chillier. The morning continued that way although by the afternoon the sun had warmed everything up somewhat. Extra layers still needed.

Armada Wharf had signs that they had sold out of diesel. Perhaps they have had a better end to the season than they expected. All reports do suggest that it has been difficult for canal related business to predict their level of trade this year, often varying dramatically from one week to the next.

Another sunny canal view - but not a boat, lock or bridge in sight! What is our photographer coming to?

These three seem content that no rain is expected today.

We could not read the sign on this piece of fencing as it was in small print and facing the wrong way (for us). However, it seems to have been regularly ignored.

About 45 minutes later we came across this work site where it seems that the towpath is being renovated. Rothen seemed oblivious to the obstruction they were leaving over the weekend. No real need to leave the workboats doubled up. Just beyond we saw another piece of fencing with what looked like the same notice except that here the fence was now flat on the ground!

The canal was definitely very much busier today and we gradually joined a line of boats - here you can just see two boats ahead and there were another two behind us.

And then the two became three. We certainly found that, with almost no overtaking opportunities, the pace of the convoy is at the speed of the slowest! And the slowest is always at the front . . .

When we arrived at Hawkesbury Stop Lock there was inevitably a queue but we opted to have lunch by mooring just before. By the time we set off again the queue had disappeared. No pix of the lock as the sun was in the wrong direction and, with the service block having its own queue we were a little busy finding a way of emptying the elsan and then getting to an unoccupied water point.

We continued up the Coventry Canal, with yet another obligatory photo opportunity, Charity Dock. We could not easily see all of it as there were boats moored - we do not recall them in that spot before.

The Stig is still there!

After Marston Junction this huge new industrial development began to loom into view.

As we came close to the canal end of the site we could see that it is still being finished off. Rhenus is a German company providing supply chain logistical services on an international scale. Basically, a lot of big sheds, large fleets of trucks and significant computing power (perhaps located in one of the equally huge data centres we saw near Slough) Looking at old maps we see that it is built on former agricultural land. not one of the many coal mines or quarries that once dominated Bedworth.

On the other side of the canal is a very large housing estate just beginning to take shape.

With the sun close to setting we finally moored just after Boot Wharf, opposite the allotments.

18.5 Miles - 1 Lock

Rugby

Today's Canals : Grand Union, Oxford

We set off in good time, just after a wide beam that had been booked to come through the tunnel first thing (they are restricted to their use of the tunnel for safety reasons which underline the argument that this part of the Grand Union was never really intended for wide beam barges, above Berkhamsted)

At the first lock we noticed on the bottom gates that they were installed in 1997, 26 years ago. Since they are expected to last around 30 and still seem in reasonable condition, apart from boater damage to the closing edges of the gates, that is not bad going.

The weather forecast suggested that the morning would be fairly good and, indeed, the temperature was much warmer than yesterday, but that there was a high probability of heavy rain from between 2 and 3 this afternoon. Hence we planned to press on with lunch-on-the-go to get as far as we could in the dry. We even had a few blue patches in the sky at times.

After two locks all three of us were in action and we made good progress and exited the sixth lock at the bottom just a few minutes over an hour later.

The boatyard below the flight seemed to be busy with work - we were told a few days ago that one of the Wyvern boats was on its way to be overplated - the company makes its boats last as long as possible as can be seen from the quite early registration number of this one.

This footbridge carries the towpath over a secondary entrance to Braunston Marina. As can be seen, it is quite a steep climb up and down, A few years back someone left money for it to be replaced by a more accessible form but, alas, the money turned out not to be enough and the discussion about what can be done seems to be continuing.

The obligatory photo of the iconic former toll house.

We made a good decision to stop to use the water point and elsan beside the towpath just before the junction as the main facility just ahead on its own mooring appeared to be out of action. We made a brief stop at Midland Chandlers for the annual supply of Elsan Blue and Marine 16.

After the junction we were now on the northern section of the Oxford Canal. Long ago straightening of the original contour canal also created wider (for boats) bridges which is why wide beam boats can make it to Dunchurch Pools, but not beyond. (At Hillmorton the locks are narrow). This bridge seems to have had some extensive damage to its parapets and a significant repair project is underway.

As we passed the entrance to Dunchurch Pools marina the projected heavy rain clouds were beginning to drift in rom the north, yet we were still much warmer than yesterday.

After two hours of level cruising - and meeting far more boats on the move than we have seen in a long while - we arrived at the top of the three paired Hillmorton locks. These were the first narrow locks we have passed through since leaving Oxford at the end of April. back to side ponds - the winding mechanism between the two locks once operated a paddle to let water flow from one lock to the adjacent one, acting as a kind of cheap side pond.

After Hillmorton we had another long level pound. Again, there were times when it was very bright and sunny.

We were fortunate to find a spare mooring close to the planned supermarket shop. Mike was allowed to catch up on the delayed two days of blogs whilst the other two went to tesco. The promised heavy rain, alas, arrived as they were walking back and we abandoned any ideas of moving on. Today is forecast to be much better weather.

11.1 Miles - 9 Locksa