A fairly uneventful day today. We got away from Newbold in Avon around 11:00, and just over a mile took us to Bridge 59 in Rugby. Moored here for a trip to Tesco, then off again, arriving at the bottom of Hillmorton Locks around 13:00.

The History of Rugby Football under Bridge 59
These 3 locks are paired to ease congestion like some on the Cheshire locks on the Trent and Mersey. A very kind gentleman, working his boat through a lock ahead of us, set the adjacent lock for us as he went. So we arrived at each lock with it empty and the gates open.

Hillmorton Top Locks

There are moorings at the top, and we’ve stayed here before a couple of times, but we’d planned to get a bit further away from the Rugby conurbation.

An unusual method of propulsion on the ex GUCC butty LICHFIELD.






















We moved a couple of miles further on to near bridge 75, where we’ll stay the weekend.

Moored near Bridge 75
We’ve had another dry bright day, but the wind has been a nuisance.

Locks 3, miles 5½

I fitted the new Centaflex coupling his morning before we set off to Newbold on Avon. It took a little longer than expected as I had to shorten the gearbox mounting bolts, but we were still ready to go by 13:00.

Old Coupling……
And the new Centaflex

Disappointingly, the new coupling made no discernible difference to the prop shaft noise. Ah well, I’ll have to look for something else. At least the batteries are charging OK now.

I had a chat with a couple of guys doing a channel survey this morning. They are taking depth measurements across the canal every 10 metres or so, all the way from Hawkesbury Junction down to Oxford. The distance of 77 miles will take them maybe 8 weeks!

2 Men in a Boat
Shortly after this photo Meg decided it was time to get off – unfortunately forgetting that we were still in the middle of the canal! She climbed out of the water onto the bank, shook herself and gave me a dirty look as if it was my fault! Then she had to trot along the towpath for a couple of hundred yards till I could get the boat close enough to pick her up.
We’d been threatening her with a bath anyway…….

Through the fancily lit Newbold Tunnel, and we met Carol moored at the other end.

Newbold Tunnel Lights
Couldn’t get close enough to the bank near Carol, so we went through the next bridge and moored.
Although pretty windy, it’s been fine and dry, with a fair bit of sunshine.

Locks 0, Miles 3

A steady day today, away from Hawkesbury just before 11, arriving at All Oaks Wood not long after 2.
A dry and fairly mild trip, but cloudy. The wind is getting up again now, though.

Mags took over for a few minutes while Meg and I stretched our 6 legs on the towpath.
Saw this chap, maybe taking a break from filming Lloyds TSB adverts?















Quite a bit of work had been done on the towpath approaching Ansty


This section of the Oxford Canal was straightened out in the 1820s, chopping 14 miles off it’s previously winding route. The civil work left several “oxbows” of the old line, some used for mooring, and some, like this one, closed off. All on the towpath side are crossed by these elegant cast iron bridges.

Bridge over Old Line
To straighten the canal it was necessary to employ the same techniques as used on the Shroppie. So embankments and cuttings are regular features. Some of the cuttings are showing their age though, nearly 200 years on!

Warning Sign











Slippage in Cutting
We stopped off at Rose Narrowboats at Stretton Under Fosse. I’d noticed a couple of weeks ago that the wire from the alternator to the domestic batteries gets hot when the engine is running, and Martyn, when he was servicing the engine, agreed that it was undersized. So I bought a length of 10mm² wire, and a new battery to replace one that is looking suspect. Also, for the last few months we’ve put up with propshaft noise between 800 and 900 RPM. I think it’s caused by sympathetic vibration resonating in the hull. So I bought a Centraflex flexible couple which should act as a damper.

After we stopped today, I dropped in the replacement battery and rewired the charging circuit with the higher capacity wire. That will sort that out. Maybe tomorrow I’ll fit the new coupling and see if it has the desired effect.

Locks 0, miles 8

We postponed our departure from the Ashby till today. Yesterday was very windy and it would have been hard work to hold the boat in the channel.

Iain and Alison on NB Gosty Hill gave us a wave as they headed up the canal in the afternoon, so I flagged them down and topped up our solid fuel stocks. But I finished up getting wet up to the crotch as I slipped off the bank at the front of the boat, rushing to help them tie up alongside. Ah well, it’s been a while since I fell in so I guess it was due. And, statistically, yesterday was the unluckiest day of the year.

Tried to get a shot of this swan taking off, but he was airborne by the time the camera was ready. I’m always fascinated by the amount of effort required for them to get off the water.


An hour and a quarter took us to Marston Junction and a left turn onto the Coventry Canal.

Bridge 2 on the Ashby Canal

Contractors were towpath trimming on the Coventry….

And further along they were engaged in towpath repairs.

Down to Hawkesbury Junction were we “used the facilities”, then negotiated the hard left turn into the stop lock onto to the Oxford Canal, and moored about 50 yards along.

Stop Lock onto the Oxford Canal. This was known to the boaters as “Sutton Stop”, named for the first lock keeper based here.

Moored Just Up From the Junction.

So after spending nearly 5 weeks on the Ashby, today we’ve been on 3 different canals in the space of 3 hours!

The weather has been kind today, cool but dry and the wind has dropped.

Locks 1, Miles 5¼

It was very mild last night, continuing into this morning. It was drizzly and damp first thing, though.

We got away at 11:20, and the first stop was at Nutts Lane Bridge. I nipped up to the Londis shop on Coventry Road for some basics and then we were off again.
Just past here is a short branch which led to Hinckley Port, the major transhipment basin for the town. Here coal and raw cotton for the hosiery industry were unloaded, and finished goods shipped out. It was also an important facility for Leicester, 11 miles away. Until the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal was finished, Pickfords (then major canal carriers based in London) used to unload cargo at Hinckley and complete the rest of the journey to the city by road.
The arm is now leased to Hinckley Boat Club

Hinckley Wharf Arm


Next stop was at Limekilns for water, then we pressed on, leaving Hinckley behind.

Filling up at Limekilns

Meg’s Spotted a Bird in the Bushes


The odd short sharp shower accompanied us to Burton Hastings, where we pulled over. The towpath isn’t too bad here, though it gets worse further on, and it’s nice and quiet. We’ll stay here for the day tomorrow.

Seen four or five boats on the move today, probably just weekenders taking advantage of reasonable weather.





I see the initial report from the AAIB on the Boeing 777 crash earlier in the week blames an engine or system failure, the engines not giving extra thrust when required.

Locks 0, miles 4

There’s 152 lucky people after yesterday’s Boeing 777 crash landing at Heathrow. It could have been so much worse. It’s all very well some specialist on the TV last night saying that it’s statistically a lot safer flying than driving, but most road accidents don’t end in fatalities. Unfortunately most air accidents do.
It’ll be interesting to hear what was the cause; the aircraft type has a very good safety record.

Today started wet, but by the time Martyn had arrived to do the engine, the rain had cleared. The oil and filter change didn’t take long, and we were ready to move off by 13:15.
The next time I might be doing this myself, as the warranty expires in the summer.

We didn’t want to stop here another night. It seems to be a popular spot for feeding the ducks and swans, and several people, turning up with their bags of bread, gave us sour looks as if we shouldn’t have been there.

So we set off, just a short cruise of ¾ of an hour, just past Barn Lane Bridge (no. 19) where we’ll stay tonight. Then tomorrow into Hinckley, get some bread and milk, and the plan is to stop near Burton Hastings till Monday.

Locks 0, Miles 1½

PS
I’ve just read on Sue’s blog that Mike and Liz of NB Snecklifter are retiring onto the bank and selling the boat. They'll be missed, I'm sure. They’d extended their plan by another year last year and we met them on the Maccie in April.

And APCO (the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators) has balloted it’s members concerning licence fees for continuous cruisers like us. I’ll not add my views, suffice it to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Sue. Read her comments here. (Tuesday 15th Jan posting)

I knew we should have moved yesterday! Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing. Yesterday was fine, dry and with barely a breath of wind. Today is wet and windy once again, and we’ve got to move to find somewhere for Martyn to come and service the engine.

Wet and Windy Trip
The first option was “Duck Corner” near Stoke Golding, but as usual this was full up. It’s popular with those boaters who still rely on a car; they can park right alongside.

Duck Corner (Taken last Year)
The next choice was at Basin Bridge, with similar opportunities for parking. But there’s only room for 1½ boats! With a 60 footer already on the mooring, there was just room to get our stern on the bank.

(Almost) Moored at Basin Bridge.
Not a nice day for cruising, drizzly with heavier bursts, and quite windy. The towpath around here is very muddy.

Martyn is due tomorrow, and then we’ll move closer to Hinckley.

Locks 0, miles 2½

We’d intended to stay near Shenton till the weekend, then head a bit further South. But the wet and windy weather encouraged us to stay put.
Today wasn’t much better, but with full loos and empty water tanks we had to go to Sutton Cheney Wharf. As luck would have it we caught a window of dry weather this afternoon, so apart from a couple of light showers early on we did OK.

Meg and I took advantage of our extended stay to thoroughly explore the Bosworth Field Country Park and surrounding area. The moorings we were on were a short distance from where Richard III lost his life and throne to Henry Tudor, later crowned near Stoke Golding as Henry VII.

Sunset over Ambion Hill

Meg Playing Ball

King Richards Field
Shenton Station, the Southern terminus of the Battlefield Line, was also a short distance away. No steam engines running at this time of year though.

This station building was brought from Leicester and rebuilt brick by brick to replace the original demolished structure.

Shenton Station

We got away around midday, and in 35 minutes were at Sutton Cheney Wharf. The 48 hour mooring is still closed, with no change (apart from a bit more yellow tape!).

Plastic Landing Stage
Another 30 minutes saw us moored just before bridge 32. We’re hanging around again near Stoke Golding as I’ve arranged for he engine to be serviced by the same chap who did it last February. It’s got another 1200 hours on now though!

We’ve lost Carol on Corbiere for a bit. She went down to Hinckley for the weekend to meet some friends, and now is off down to Hawkesbury. We’ll catch up again in a few days.

Locks 0, miles 2¼

What a wet and windy night! We were sheltered from the worst by the thick hedge along the towpath, but even so the rain pelted the side of the boat and woke Mags up a couple of times. Me, I slept peacefully through it all.

This morning the sky had cleared and the wind had dropped to a breeze, so, after the Tesco van had been and gone and the groceries were stowed away, we got on our way.

A couple of light showers, 4 miles and a stop at Bosworth Wharf for water and we were tied up at the Bosworth Field Battlefield moorings near Shenton.
I think we’ll stay here a couple of days.

Over Shenton Aqueduct
Back on the Battlefield Moorings
We could see Richard III’s pennant flying on Ambion Hill as we approached Bosworth Field.
Locks 0, miles 4

We had a fine weekend, cold but dry. We intended to move out yesterday, but the weather was very windy and it’s not easy cruising when you’re going sideways most of the time. A 50’ x 4’ cabin side makes an effective sail!

So instead I spent a couple of hours with my head in the engine bay, batteries to check, gearbox and engine fluid levels, stern gland to adjust a little and the bilge to clean out. It looks a lot better down there now.

Clean Engine
Carol arrived after lunch, having spent a couple of nights in Shackerstone.

Today we decided to set off back down the canal, to moor somewhere easy for the Tesco man to make a delivery to us. We decided on bridge 57, near Congerstone. But first we had to do something about the water dribbling into Corbiere around the prop shaft. So out came the spanners and another stern gland got adjusted.
We moved off in convoy at just after 13:00, and had a blustery couple of hours, with rain moving in just as we stopped for the day.

Took another couple of pics in Snarestone tunnel……

And tried to get a better shot of the kingfisher, but he was more shy today so we didn’t even get close.

Spent 1½ hours with a very slow internet connection doing the shopping, adding Carol’s groceries to ours. We’ll move on after the delivery tomorrow, Bridge 57 is one of those that motorists feel obliged to use their car horns as they approach.

Locks 0, miles 5

We just moved the couple of miles to the terminus today. A very gentle 1½ hours in fine sunny weather, although there was a cool breeze.

Approaching Shackerstone Tunnel
I had the opportunity to try some different settings on my camera in the tunnel, with varying success.

Looking back from midway through












Looking forward.
Another ¼ mile to the current terminus, where we used the facilities, winded the boat and moored for about 12:30.

Moored at the end
I had a 2 mile walk with Meg to Measham, initially following the course of the canal, now filled in. But plans are well advanced to re-open this section, with a slight detour, through to the town.

Start digging?
Locks 0, miles 2

We stayed on the Battlefield Moorings yesterday. Meg improved through the day, although she still wasn’t up to eating anything.

They don’t make them like they used to….Disused riveted iron railway bridge over the canal near Shenston Station on the Battlefield Line.
We didn’t get off till 11:45 today, the intention being to cover the last 8¼ miles to the current end of the canal. The day was cold and murky, but the wind has dropped making it feel a little milder.

We met NB GOSTY HILL just after 1 o’clock, heading back towards Sutton Cheney. So we flagged them down, manoeuvred alongside and filled up with diesel (at 59p/Lt) and solid fuel.
By this time Carol had also arrived behind us, and we filled the navigation with all 3 boats breasted up. A good job it’s pretty quiet at this time of year!

Fuelling up. We’ve got ours (the heap of bags on the roof), and Carol is filling CORBIERE.
The weather turned soon after, wet weather blowing in on the breeze. Carol had to stop to restack her solid fuel so she could see ahead, then called it a day at Shackerstone. We made it a little further to near Bridge 56 before stopping.

A Kingfisher was keeping pace with us for a while; I finally succeeded in getting a picture of it! OK, so it’s not David Bailey standard, but it’s the best of 12 that I took!

Kingfisher near bridge 55


Meg’s had a bit of tea tonight so she must be feeling better.

Locks 0 miles 7

Meg was poorly last night. She’d picked up a dead fish (judging by the smell!) when we were out on our evening constitutional, and it upset her tummy badly. She’s been sick all night, so we all had an interrupted night.

Poorly Meg
She was brighter this morning, so we walked back to Sutton Cheney Wharf via the Bosworth Field Country Park and Ambion Wood. Yesterday I promised to post some pictures of the sinking “plastic pontoon”.


Although it seems sensible, if the landing is dangerous, to prevent people from accessing it from the footpath, as all of it’s users are from the canal wouldn’t it also make sense to have some sort of notice facing the canal?
Carol was still there, waiting for the water tap to thaw, and she noticed a posse of BW people with clipboards descend just before she left. Maybe some action is imminent? Or maybe they were measuring how much more yellow tape they need to seal off the area completely……

Carol joined us at the Battlefield Moorings just after lunch. Her dog, Seley, was dressed for the weather, complete with fur trimmed hood!

Seley with the latest designer cold weather gear
The snow hasn’t arrived here yet, but it’s been a cold day in the east wind.

Meg seems better this evening, although she’s still not eaten anything. We’re not forcing her so long as she drinks. She’ll eat when she’s ready.

Locks 0, Miles 0

I was just about ready to take Meg for her morning when a boat went past, and then pulled in in front of us. Carol and NB CORBIERE had finally caught up with us.

Carol and Corbiere
By the time we’d exchanged all the gossip and news, and Meg had had a belated walk, it was 12:30. Carol had arranged to meet her brother at Sutton Cheney Wharf, so that’s where we set off for.

There’s some very shallow sections around here, and I had trouble keeping up with Corbiere without creating a lot of wash, so we arrived at the wharf and the “Plastic Pontoon” about 10 minutes later. Just as 3 BW guys came along and told us that for Health and Safety reasons we could no longer use the mooring. It’s subsided on the bank side, and, with snow and ice forecast, they’ve decided to close it.
An added complication is that the local population of Water Voles have taken up residence under it, so it’s going to be a while before anything is done. Meanwhile it’s isolated from the bank with the more and more familiar yellow plastic tape, although there’s nothing on the waterside. I’m going to walk back and take some pics tomorrow.

As usual with hire bases in the off-season, Ashby Boats was cluttered with boats.
Anyway, we shoved off and travelled the 40 minutes up to the Battlefield moorings near Shenton Station. Carol was going to follow, but by the time they’d eaten in the café at the wharf, it was getting too dark to cruise, so, for Health and Safety reasons, she’s stayed put and will catch up tomorrow.

The day started quite mild, but an easterly wind sprang up in the afternoon, making it cold on the exposed stretches. It’s this wind that’s bringing in the white stuff in the next couple of days.

Stoke Golding Church and Sunbeam
Locks 0, miles 6

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here’s hoping you all had a good night last night, and wishing you all the best for the future. The year started well – did you see those fireworks in London? What a display!
We had a quiet night on the boat, a couple of drinks and a bit of TV.

So we’ll have to see what 2008 brings us, now. I think economically it will be a little more strained than last year, inflation likely to rise along with interest rates and commodity prices.
And Messrs Brown and Cameron will have to get their respective fingers out, on the one hand to demonstrate effective and decisive government and on the other to create a credible opposition.
On a personal note, I know our finances will be squeezed, with BW announcing a 12% increase in licence fees (possibly 33% over the next 3 years), and the loss of low tax rated red diesel later in the year.
Ah well, we’ll have to see how we go.

We’re moving on tomorrow, probably up to Bosworth Field. It’s been surprisingly busy on the water today, I reckon 20+ boats in both directions. The last one was NB GHOSTY HILL, a coal boat we’ve bought from before. He was heading UP the Ashby, so we’re bound to bump into him in the next few days, and we can top up our bunkers.