Finishing at Langley Bridge

Thursday 20th May 2021

Jolly boating weather – not!

We set off in general greyness but it didn’t much look like it was going to rain, even though it was forecast. At the locks we were busy, Graham was pulling branches and clumps of floating weed out so that they didn’t interfere with working the locks whilst Brenda started the annual ‘Balsam bash’ by pulling off plants growing on the lock gates as the boat entered the lock – some of them had a good build up of soil perched on top of the gate beams that they were growing from.

 

At 11 am the rain started and the temperature dropped, November has come early this year! A jogger on the tow path said that she felt sorry for us as we looked weather beaten by 12:00. A fisherman was intrigued watching us ascend a lock. Out came his phone and he followed Graham’s every move, videoing the whole emptying and filling routine. Another tow-path walker was also fascinated stating that she’d never seen a boat pass through these locks before. A lesser cruised canal for sure!

 

Just before we got so wet that we would have tied up, we reached Langley Mill lock, the last before our destination – the great North basin at Langley Mill. Graham had phoned ahead and arranged a fourteen day mooring at the Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association basin using the AWCC temporary mooring arrangement. Norman, their Chairman and Moorings Officer, came out to welcome us and help us perform the sharp turn, through the swing bridge into their basin. With a narrowboat moored on the water point and a cruiser tied up alongside the swing bridge it was not an easy manoeuvre, followed by reversing into a tight gap between two ‘end-on’ moored boats.

Then the rain stopped but the wind increased. Graham did a car shuffle and then we jumped ship and headed home to do the washing and attend pre-arranged commitments.

G&B

And onto the Erewash canal

Wednesday 19th May 2021

We set off with lovely sunshine but a very cold wind, and cruised through Shardlow (where we filled with water) Sawley Cut and Trent Lock and then turned left onto the Erewash canal. Never been up this one so it had to be done when passing.

 

At Sawley lock, a fellow boater told us that the Erewash canal was hard work but he forgot to warn us that the heavens would open as soon as we turned onto it. We approached what looked like a garage, the noises coming from that direction convinced for Graham and a passing walker that it emanated from a badly timed car engine without an exhaust system. Workers even came out from the factory opposite to see what all the noise was about. Turned out it was a road-line-marking lorry that was obviously not going to be laying any double yellows today, it’s faulty compressed air system was causing the din.

 

The locks on the Erewash were hard work, possibly because they get minimal use, but the rafts of weed and flotsam didn’t help, neither did the swans at lock 61. On arrival, Graham found one swan in the lock and another below the lock. They were both obviously trying to get to each other and so he started emptying the lock with a view to getting them together by opening the gates. A passer by commented that both swans were aggressive males whose partners were sitting on eggs in their pounds and would fight each other to the death if they got together. Graham then turned the lock again to fill it with the intention of letting the swan leave at the top level before re-turning the lock to let Jannock ascend once the swan had left. This worked but the swan below the lock started attacking Brenda and the boat as they entered the lock once the gates were open.

It would appear that every pound on the Erewash has a nesting pair of swans except one that was occupied by two males – make of that what you will!

We eventually stopped for the night at Hallam Fields, Ilkeston which was a pleasant mooring alongside a large sports field which was very peaceful.

G&B

Burton on Trent

Monday 17th May 2021

We set off from our peaceful overnight mooring in Alrewas with improving weather. The Trent section of the canal was marked as Passable OK so we dropped down onto the river and transited back onto the canal at Wychnor lock. The sun became quite warm by 11 o’clock and then the rain was so hard by half past that we pulled over rather than transit a lock in the downpour. 

 

As the lock was filling, the storm abated so we passed through and cruised into Burton on Trent in light, but cold showers. With the rain stopped the blue skies were gone and replaced by heavy grey instead, We moored at Shobnall bridge because Nicholson’s said it was a good access point for the town. After lunch we walked into town for a few bits, especially a replacement smoke detector.

 

Brenda was pleased to find a Primark so managed to get some replacement trainers and a couple of pairs of cheap sunglasses. Sainsbury’s to restock the larder and Wilko’s for the smoke alarm. We had missed the market. It was quite a trek to the town centre from Shobnall and it’s not particularly attractive.

From today, the Covid regs allow pubs to open normally from today but none in Burton looked as though they were, so a visit to the brewery tap was off the plan.

B&G

An afternoon at the National Memorial Arboretum

Sunday 16th May 2021

We started off from our very quiet overnight mooring and then stopped before the junction to refill the water tank. Then through the swing bridge to become part of a three boat shuffle. Eventually everybody got where they wanted to be including the boat that was just turning round to go back down the Coventry canal.

 

Then down the five locks to Alrewas, past the new marina being built, where we arrived earlier than predicted due to the easy run down from Fradley where we met a couple of Cutweb members for a chat. Now that Covid rules have been relaxed we were amused to see both cricket and football being played side by side on the same field. Imagine the hassle if a footballer got clobbered by a rogue cricket ball. The footballers were having to constantly retrieve their stray footballs from the cut as it was.

 

After lunch we walked to the National Memorial Arboretum which is about a 45 minute walk from where we were moored. Unfortunately I used Google maps which ignored the ‘National Arboretum Way’ footpath and took us along the A513 road between the A38 and the Arboretum entrance. Not a walk we would recommend to any-one as the grass verges are un-even with abundant overgrown trees dangling across the route. It was only studying the OS map in Nicholsons guide when we returned to Jannock that we spotted where the footpath was routed.

 

A visit to the Arboretum is highly recommended, and it’s free entry. It is so beautiful. The trees chosen to carefully represent those who are being remembered – indeed honoured! There are many beautiful and varied sculptures. We thought of so many family and friends both lost to us and who serve country and community but it is not a sad place to visit – just very thought provoking.

 

The Arboretum is run by the Royal British Legion and although we had pre-booked our free tickets, as we entered via a pedestrian access rather than the formal entrance we did not collect them on arrival. After visiting the loo, Brenda stopped at reception and asked whether they needed to know that we were on site, and they did.

 

We decided to take a ride on the ‘wally trolley’ that provides a guided tour around the grounds. I’m so glad that we did because it was a one hour trip with running commentary that explained a lot of specifics that we were not aware of when we had wandered around earlier. Although it was expensive (£7) each, it was well worth it for the extra information that we gathered during the trip.

 

The long walk back to Alrewas, via the A513 again, was another un-enjoyable experience but was rewarded when we called into the Coop for some milk and picked up Bread, apple pies and doughnuts all at vastly reduced prices.

G&B

To Fradley we must go

Saturday 15th May 2021

Another grey morning, after a very wet night, greeted us when we awoke. As Brenda drank her morning cuppa she watched a Woodpecker doing a very thorough recce on an adjacent tree.

Last night we watched a family of 7 ducklings. They mooched about feeding and diving and the mother duck called them to settle once she’d found a nice sheltered resting place. They were very well camouflaged. Then two white ducks swam past but turned and made a beeline for them. Mother duck came out to meet their aggression but to no avail and so she roused the ducklings and made them leave the sheltered spot. They all hurried off pursued by the white ducks. We thought they might return to use the resting spot but no, they just swam right past and back towards Hopwas bridge. We found a snack for the mother duck and her babies but their cosy spot remained empty for the rest of the night.

The rain persisted, on and off all morning and it remained cold so not pleasant cruising weather. We moved on to Huddlesford where we pulled over to moor but then the rain stopped so we set off again and went to Streethay Wharf to buy a couple of gas cylinders. 

 

Then onto Fradley where we moored at the end of the steel piling at ///haystack.custom.charge before going for a walk around the Fradley Pool nature reserve. The last time we visited here it was just being sorted whereas it is finished now. A lovely place for a peaceful stroll watching various water birds. Children were jam-jar dipping and tramping through the muddy undergrowth – lovely?

 

G&B

A car shuffle from Hopwas

Friday 14th May 2021

The very peaceful mooring spot induced over sleeping and a rare late start – we had expected to be woken by a dawn chorus but we suspect the dull grey, damp and cold morning meant choir practice was cancelled.

 

Once on the move we passed Alvecote marina and made our way to Glascote locks where we descended behind a single handed boater with one other boat coming up.

 

On through Fazely without stopping and continued on to Hopwas where we moored up by the school. There are not many other boats about, considering that we are in mid-May, however there have been a few hire boats out so that is good considering it is not a school holiday period.

 

Graham went off on the Di Blasi to fetch the car from Brinklow and move it to a suitable parking spot up here. Brenda stayed on Jannock and attacked the housework lightly.

Our overnight mooring was at ///computer.skyrocket.narrow

G&B

An easy passage down Atherstone

Thursday 13th May 2021

Animal of the day – a water vole spotted under the bank near Mancetter.

The Cap’n was up and about while I slept off my medication (not really - lame excuse for sleeping in!) I took the tiller whilst he went for his breakfast and was asked to get some pictures of the new Mancetter Marina, we have always said that the lake here deserved to be turned into moorings and now it finally has. Very smart it is as well.

 

There has been a lot of canal related development along this stretch including the Rothwells wharf and the Alpaca farm – cute!

 

With a bank of wallflowers, squirrels, the water vole we spotted and bluebell woods it’s a good way to start the day. An easy run down the first five locks of the Atherstone flight ably assisted by the volockies made the day even better. We stopped after the A5 bridge and went into Atherstone centre for a wander and some shopping. There is a lovely cake and pie shop right next door to Greggs. We treated ourselves to a lamb, mint and pea pie for lunch – sorry Greggs but the filling choices were better next door.  After lunch we set off again down the rest of the locks, in intermittent light rain,  to Bradley Green.

 

On through Polesworth to moor for the night at the old Pooley Hall colliery in amongst the trees. The Cap’ns choice of rural mooring was superb because as soon as we had tied up, it started to rain proper wet stuff.

Overnight mooring was at ///kind.farmer.linked

B&G

Ready for the off!

Tuesday 11th May 2021

Having had our second Covid jabs and with the Public Health rules relaxing we were ready for the off!. We left home after lunch to travel to Brinklow via a supermarket in Banbury. It’s a shame that the weather is stuck in March.

The new management have improved Brinklow marina so much – thank you Castle Marinas. Once we had unloaded the car we wandered up to the residents tea parlour and chat room for a cup of tea and a book swap. The one thing that has not been changed is the friendly community spirit that was fostered during the dark days of uncertainty.

Wednesday 12th May 2021

Graham filled the water tank and reclaimed his credit from the service post before we left the pontoon. We then moved Jannock down to the service wharf and did a pump-out.  Then out the marina entrance again and this time turning left towards Coventry.

 

A fairly un-eventful cruise which started windy and then became grey with light rain as we proceeded North through Stretton Stop (where the footbridge was open already) and Ansty to Hawkesbury Junction. Brenda worked the stop lock whilst Graham drove Jannock round the very tight bend to get us onto the Coventry Canal heading towards Nuneaton.

 

Shortly after the turn we were approaching the house of our friends and noticed Terry busy working on their boat Grace and so we stopped and tied up alongside for an hour long tea and chat stop. They will be setting off towards Llangollen soon so were preparing their boat for the trip.

Then on through Nuneaton to stop and moor for the night just before Springwood Haven marina at ///flame.tens.monkey

G&B

A visit by the grand-daughters

Saturday May 1st 2021

Moving aboard day. Lots of jobs to do to ready Jannock for a crew with kids cruise tomorrow. Frosts most days in April, so lets hope the weather warms.

It’s been so dry recently that we welcome the deluge that is promised for next week, starting Bank Holiday Monday – just NOT TOMORROW please weather gods.

Graham was surprised how much stuff we had to move from Jannock into the back of the car in order to make the boat ‘toddler safe’

Sunday May 2nd 2021

The weather gods were three star – adequate! The junior Keens’ arrived at Brinklow just after 9am so we had a coffee then off. Out of the marina and turned right towards Rugby. Three excited little girls taking in everything but frustrated that they couldn’t do all those little things that were not safe. That included two and a half year olds wanting to drive the boat all by themselves.

We pulled over at Rugby for a bitsa lunch and a run around on the grassed area by Masters Bridge. We hope everyone was at least full when we continued on our trip.

We continued down to Clifton Cruisers where we just managed to wind at the entrance of the arm with Matt pulling the bows round using a rope. The littluns had got bored now and so it was drawing with crayons and watching a Sean the Sheep DVD in the lounge whilst we returned to Brinklow. Back in the marina, we all went for a walk to find the ponies and their foals in the next field and also had a play around the lake.

Sausage in bread and marmite toast was chosen for tea, with banoffee waffles served by Felicity to follow. A mad half hour of hide and seek, under the bed covers, had the kids so pooped that they were keen to get in the car for a snooze on the way home.

As the rain started we moved Jannock back to our old mooring place, resplendent with new pontoon deck and services posts making it a much safer environment now. A quick tidy up after returning all of the stuff from the back of the car back onto Jannock and then home for a busy week. Hoping to start our summer cruise soon – Covid willing of course.

G&B