On Tuesday we woke up to sunny weather and started to make our way to Hawkesbury Junction which would be our home for the next couple of nights. We had passed through here on our outward journey, but did not stay.
Hawkesbury Junction, also known as Sutton Stop is really pretty area of the canal but also very busy. We arrived by mid afternoon and took the right turn, back on to the Coventry Canal. The mooring areas were busy. We filled up with water and managed to find a nice sunny spot a little bit further down from the junction.
We had a nice relaxing afternoon, before heading off to the lovely Greyhound Inn for food.
The next morning was a little overcast but undeterred we set off in an Uber to Coombe Abbey Country Park. By the time we arrived, the sun had come out and it had started to warm up nicely.
The park area surrounds a stunning hotel with its own lake, gardens and wooded walks. There are lots of varieties of trees, including some California Redwoods.
We walked on of the routes which was about 2 miles long, through wooded areas and past the hotel. We then stopped off for some lunch at the visitors centre before another little wander and heading back to the boat.
By late afternoon it was really hot and we got the chairs out and sat outside on the canal towpath enjoying the sunshine.
Another boat moored up next to us and the gentleman on board came out to chat. He recognised our Yorkshire accents and we all began chatting about home. After a few minutes of conversation, it turned out that he was from Earlsheaton and he and his wife had been friends with Andrew’s mum and dad. He then went to fetch his wife, who recognised Andrew straight away and so began an hour or so of reminiscing. It quite amazing to meet someone you know, by chance, moored next to you on a canal.
The sun stayed out long into the evening and we ate our tea outside, making the most of it. When the sun began to drop behind the trees and the midges came out, we went back inside to enjoy the rest of the evening playing cards.
On Saturday we started our return journey to Springwood Haven. Unfortunately it was pouring with rain first thing, but brightened up as the day went along. The locks were challenging, due to the number and the fact that we had to set each one on the way. Our overnight stop was back at the mooring near to The Two Boats Inn at Long Itchington. We had to moor a little bit further away from the pub as it was a busy area with lots of boats out on the canal.
Sunday was a beautifully sunny day and we started with the long stretch of double width locks, which was hard work in the heat, but a really pleasant journey alongside an older couple who appreciated the help and company through the locks. We then continued back to Braunston junction which again was busy due to the nice weekend weather. We had a walk along the canal, initially intending to walk into Braunston Village, but realising it was Sunday and as it was after 4pm, nothing would be open. Instead we stopped off for a drink at The Boathouse pub. We sat in the garden and enjoyed the sunshine before heading the mile back to the boat. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, fishing and reading.
Monday was once again warm and sunny. We set off on the long haul of the journey back to Ansty. Luckily there only a few locks at Hillmorton, which made the journey less arduous, but also meant we did not walk very far. The tow path is not great on much of this stretch and is still closed around the remains of the landslide. It was a day for mostly reading and watching the world go by. With a short stop off at Tesco for supplies, it was a long cruise of over eight hours to reach our overnight stop at Ansty.
Today we are still moored on the Saltisford Arm and decided to visit Warwick Castle. The day started off a little cloudy and breezy, but got brighter as the day wore on, meaning we were able to have a full day outside.
Warwick Castle is an absolutely amazing day out. On arrival we had a short wander through the grounds and looked at the itinerary of events for the day. We then made our way to “River Island” for the War of the Roses. On entry we chose to go on the side of the House of York (of course) indicated by the white rose. The opposing side was the House of Lancashire and the red rose. The next 30 minutes were filled with an excellent display of jousting, fighting, horse riding and story telling. We were encouraged to cheer on our knights and kings and boo the opponents. It was extremely entertaining.
Our next stop was The Falconers Quest, which was again some great story telling and an amazing collection of birds of prey and falconers. The whole thing was done with such precision and timing, with appropriate background music, making an impressive display, including some of the birds flying, extremely close to the heads of the audience.
Next up we took part in a tour of walls of the castle, with an interesting and knowledgable guide telling us over 900 years of the history of the castle. This was followed by a tour of the state rooms, again with a great guide who gave us lots of information and stories about the rooms.
We then visited the Horrible Histories maze, which was geared up for children, but as a Horrible Histories fan, I really enjoyed it. After much debate (I’m not the bravest when it comes to scary attractions) our final visit was to the Dungeons. This was an extra cost, but well worth it. A series if actors tell gruesome stories about ghosts, plagues and torture. Very entertaining and makes you jump in places but not as scary as I convinced myself it would be.
We definitely had a full day in Warwick Castle and there were still lots of things we didn’t get to see, so it will definitely be worth another visit in the future.
After leaving the castle called in a couple if the shops before heading to the “Tilted Wig”for a tasty meal.
When we returned to Saltisford Arm and our boat, the sun was still out and we managed to sit outside with a drink a perfect end to a brilliant day!
Before setting off this morning we were visited by a family of swans at the duck hatch. It was lovely to feed them through the hatch, until one of the parent swans began hissing at us and trying to get its head through the hatch. We bid a hasty retreat and shut the hatch, as none of us were keen on battling with protective swans.
Travelling from Braunston was a mostly rural area, peaceful through roaming countryside with no locks for miles. Just before our overnight stop at Long Itchington, are a series of wide locks, big enough for two boats. As there was no one else travelling in our direction, we managed the locks with a single boat.
It was a much shorter journey today and we arrived at our mooring spot close to the Two Boats Inn. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and we walked up into the village to buy supplies.
Ling Itchington was a very pretty village and although we walked up along the roadside, we managed to find a footpath through the fields, which brought us back on to the towpath. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the sunshine, before heading off to the pub for tea.
Long Itchington to Warwick
The first part of our journey from Long Itchington took us through picturesque countryside once again. As we reached the Bascote staircase locks we were joined by another boat, and a lovely couple, meaning we could share the double locks and the work of setting all the locks between us, which meant we were able to get through the long series of locks within a couple of hours.
After mooring up for brunch, we continued our journey into Warwick, with a short stop at the big Tesco to stock up on provisions. This part of the journey is much more built up, passing industrial and residential buildings on each side of the canal.
We chose to look overnight at the Saltisford Arm, which is owned by a charitable Trust. Away from the main canal, this is a lovely little haven, with well kept grassed areas, a small shop and facilities for boaters. It certainly felt safer than being in the city centre and was worth the £10 per night fee.
As we arrived, it had started to rain and began to get heavier as the evening wore on, so we decided to cook food on the boat and stay in out of the rain.
Over the past couple of days we have met some lovely people on the canal, chatting about the weather (well what else, we are British?), where they were heading and admiring their boats. We have also unfortunately met some quite rude and condescending people, who on seeing a hire boat automatically assume you have no idea what you are doing and like to offer unsolicited advice often in the way of shouting “You need to slow down” even though the boat is only just ticking over. Thankfully the friendly people outweigh the not so friendly which is a good thing!
Leaving Ansty, we headed along the Oxford Canal towards our next overnight stop at Braunston Junction. The majority of the journey, other than the area around Rugby was rural with fields and woods.
We passed through our first swing bridge at Stratton Top and filled up with water. At Brinklow we came to an area that had suffered from a landslide some time ago. The canal had been closed here due to the blockage. Lots of work has taken place to clear the area, but there is still work going on and you can see the remains of the devastation caused due mainly to the high amounts of rainfall.
Our next new experience was travelling through Newbould Tunnel, which is quite a short tunnel at only 250 yards long. Just before entering the tunnel you are advised to put your light on and toot the horn. I took great delight in tooting the horn, whilst our friends were sat on the front of the boat, completely oblivious until the sudden sound made them both jump a mile! After some abuse, I let them settle down and tooted it again telling them I was only following the rules.
Continuing through beautiful landscape we came to the very pretty area of Hillmorton Locks. Here there are two sets of locks at each level, to allow the swift passage of boats on a busy stretch of canal. Here we purchased some duck food, as we had given them some cereal previously but were aware that some human foods aren’t great for ducks.
We travelled past Barby Marina, again very rural and peaceful. There was very little breeze, so it was warmer afternoon, although there was the odd short shower. Before long we could see the spire of the church at Braunston. The turn at Braunston took us on to the Grand Union Canal, as all the moorings in the area were busy, we continued a little further, mooring up and having our tea before relaxing for the evening.
On Sunday we spent our day travelling back down the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, retracing our route to Fazeley Junction and on to The Coventry Canal. We had a fairly steady day, until reaching the Atherstone Locks, which were quite busy. Unfortunately the first half of the locks we were stuck behind an elderly gentleman, a lone boater who refused to let us help him with the locks and it took him what seemed like an eternity to get through each one. Luckily part way up, there were volunteers from the Canal and Rivers Trust who were assisting with the locks as just were travelling both ways. This speeded things up enormously and we manage to make it just in time for the table we had booked at The Anchor Pub.
We had an impressive roast dinner in the pub before heading back to the boat for a game of cards. Once again it was a fairly early night as all the fresh air had wiped us out and we were all shattered.
Day 4 – Nuneaton, Hawkesbury Junction and Ansty.
On Monday morning we awoke to the sound of rain pattering on the roof of the barge. Luckily by the time we got up and had a coffee, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. We continued retracing our steps, stopping off at Springwood Haven Marina for a few minor faults with the boat (centre line had worn through, fridge wasn’t very cold and the battery wasn’t charging properly). Luckily whilst these little issues were solved we were able to have our breakfast, ready to set off for the day ahead.
We travelled down the canal, through the built up area of Nuneaton. Although this is a more populated area, it wasn’t as concrete as the approach to Birmingham. On the outskirts there were some lovely houses backing on to the canal. It didn’t take us long to pass through and we were back out into the countryside.
Through the slightly straighter area of the canal Julie and I decided to have a go at steering the boat, as Andrew had done it all up to this point. He very patiently talked us both through it and we did okay, but neither of us were keen on padding other boats, or going under bridges, of which there are many.
We then came to Hawkesbury Junction, which joins the Coventry and Oxford Canals. This is a very pretty area, with cottages by the lock and a lovely pub on the side of the canal. We didn’t stop at the pub, but may get chance to call in on the way back.
There is a stop lock which joins the two canals. The drop is only four inches of water, but was put in place after a dispute between the two canal companies. Once through the lock we travelled a short distance before mooring up for lunch.
I walked on the canal with Nick for the next hour, catching up with the boat at Antsy, mooring up ready for a couple of hours relaxation before heading off to the Rise and Castle Pub for tea. It was lovely to meet up with our friends who live in Coventry, so only had a short distance to travel.
We had a great meal and a catch up, then headed back to the boat for a game of cards, before heading off to bed.
It’s been a couple of years since we had a holiday on the canal, but decided to return to it this year. For one reason and another it has been a hectic, busy and stressful few months. We know that canal holidays are an excellent way of slowing down and chilling out, which is just what we need right now.
We’re doing two weeks with our friends, rather than just one week. Our plan was to travel the Warwickshire Ring, which needs two weeks to allow some downtime in between cruising.
Our journey started at Springwood Haven Marina, with a hire boat from ABC Boathire. After loading the 66ft boat with all our belongings, we had a quick tutorial and safety briefing before setting off on our travels. We set off in an anti clockwise direction, mainly to get the built up area of Birmingham out of the way early on, rather than coming back that way.
Day 1 – A short journey to Atherstone
Setting off along the Coventry Canal at around 3pm we knew we had only a few miles to go to stop at the locks at Atherstone. We were booked in for a meal at the King’s Head. The afternoon was slightly overcast and a little breezy, but the sun soon came out and we were enjoying watching the world slowly go by as we cruised along.
After about three miles or so, we reached our first locks at Atherstone. This is a really pretty area with a series of eleven locks. It took us a few seconds to remember the routine for the locks, but once we had completed the first couple we were soon back in the swing.
We travelled through locks one to five, before mooring up near the Kings Head Bridge. After having a short break and a shower, we headed off to the Kings Head Pub for our evening meal. It was a very picturesque pub and the food was excellent.
Returning to the boat, we were all tired out and headed off for an early night.
Day 2 – Atherstone to Curdworth (or not?)
Day 2 was a little cool and breezy. We started out by completing the remaining Atherstone locks, by which time it had completely clouded over and started to pour it down. Undeterred we continued and within half an hour the rain had cleared and the sun came back out.
We moored up and had breakfast, allowing coats and shoes to dry out, before continuing on through the scenic area of Tamworth and through the Glascote Locks. There are only two locks here but they were quite leaky, so took a while to fill. Once through the locks we headed towards Fazeley junction where we filled up with water before turning left onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal towards Birmingham.
Shortly after the junction we travelled through a quiet open area, passing Middleton Lakes Nature Reserve and reaching Kingsbury Water Park, adjacent to Curdworth Locks. Here there are eleven locks. We had been told earlier in the day that the canal in the Curdworth area was low and it might be difficult to moor here. A passing cyclist also told us that there was no water further up the canal (but what did he know!?)
We made our way through the first three locks (numbers 11, 10 and 9) easily. By now it was really hot and sunny and we were looking forward to getting through the locks and mooring up ready for a relaxing evening in the sun. It soon became apparent that this wasn’t going to happen!
In between locks 9 and 8, is the Dog and Doublet Pub. It was quite busy outside the pub and there were a few boats moored up. I walked up to speak to the people on the first boat who said that there was no water in the canal from here for the next nine miles up to the Aston Locks in Birmingham. This was unlikely to change until the lock had been repaired, but no news of when this might be.
We moored up and got cold drinks from the pub. The people on the other boats were staying overnight, but we realised that if it was not repaired soon, we may be stuck there for a few days and the situation was only likely to get worse. We rang the boat hire company who had no further information about the closure. There was no notification on the app from the Canals and River Trust, which wasn’t great as lots of people were heading that way.
After our drinks we decided the best option was to head back the way we had come. Due to the size of the boat and width of the canal, the only way to do this would be to reverse down the canal through the three locks and turn in the next winding hole at the other side. Andrew controlled the boat as best he could, as it cannot really be steered in reverse. After a few false starts , bumps and getting caught in the bank, the boat was safely reversed into the first lock. There were some helpful tips and quite a lot of jeering from the audience of pub customers.
To reach the next lock, the boat had to be towed in the old fashioned way, unfortunately not by horses, but by us (mostly Nick) pulling the boat along and me holding the centre line trying to stop it drifting too far, or hitting another boat.
Slowly we worked our way through the locks and to the winding hole, where all our problems were over as we turned the boat to face on the right direction. This didn’t quite go to plan as the boat wasn’t far enough into the winding hole and found itself with the rudder trapped under the edge of the towpath and the bow wedged against the bank at the other side.
Barge poles were used to try and never the boat of the bank but it really did not want to budge. We were then joined by a local resident and two boaters, who came to help. They all made their way to the opposite bank where there was much levering, pulling and pushing until eventually the boat came free. After much thanks to our helpers and offers of beer, we managed to turn around to head back down the canal.
We travelled a little further before finding a quiet spot to moor up and replan our route. We are now going to head back up all the way to Springwood Haven and towards Warwick in a clockwise direction and return the same way rather than doing a circular route.
It had certainly been an interesting day, but we worked together and accepted help from others to solve problems and find a way through. It had given us a lot to talk and laugh about as we continue on our journey.
50 The Musical 