This week we travelled to Lochinver on the north west coast of Scotland. It is a nine hour journey by car from our home in Yorkshire so we broke the distance by staying for a couple of nights in Stirling. We travelled to The King Robert Hotel on the Thursday, but as there were six of us we had booked into Bruce’s Cottage which is in the grounds of the hotel. The cottage was set out well for six adults and very clean and comfortable. We ate in the restaurant at the hotel. The food was excellent and exceptionally good value.
On the Friday, after a good nights sleep, we had breakfast before setting off to the Falkirk Wheel a short drive away. The wheel is the world’s only rotating boat lift, created to assist the swift passage of canal boats, rather than taking over five hours to travel up a flight of eleven locks. The gondola takes about five minutes to rotate, lifting the boats thirty five metres to connect with the canal above. It’s a pretty impressive sight from the ground and the mechanism and engineering behind it blew my mind. On the boat however it is very difficult to tell that you are even moving. Before you know where you are, you are high up on the canal overlooking the vast Scottish landscape.
After leaving the boat, the rain began pouring down, so we decided to head of towards the Helix Visitors Centre where we had a lovely lunch after which the rain had stopped a little. We then went outside to walk around the amazing Kelpies. They are a pair of thirty metre sculptures of steel horse heads, rising out of the ground in spectacular fashion. The sculptures are a fabulous sight and well worth a visit. As it stayed fine we walked further up the road and around the lake before heading back to the car before the rain came again.
We went back to the hotel for our evening meal and had another good night’s sleep before getting up to start the remainder of our journey to Lochinver. After picking up our shopping from the local Tesco, we went for breakfast at the nearby River House Restaurant. The food was absolutely gorgeous and the surroundings equally so!
Travelling towards Lochinver, we took another very slight detour to the scenic area of Aviemore. We visited the ski centre for a coffee break and a leg stretch. The ski centre was impressive, with lots of activities to do outside of the ski season. We then continued our journey north, towards Lochinver, another 3 hours away. The drive takes you through some stunning countryside and panoramic views. Seeing deer in the wild as you are travelling through is an added bonus. We finally arrived at our home for the week, Waterloo Lodge, high upon the hillside overlooking the harbour of Lochinver with a stunning view of Suilven.
It was definitely time for a another theatre trip to London. My daughter and I usually go to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre near her birthday in August. This year we struggled to find a weekend when we were both free, so our visit was delayed until almost the end of September.
Meg has recently moved out of Central London to Leighton Buzzard, into a lovely apartment by the canal with her boyfriend. I travelled on the train on Friday afternoon. It was more straightforward to travel into London’s Kings Cross, walk to Euston and catch the train back out to Leighton Buzzard. There are other ways to do it, but this seemed the quickest and easiest route. It was a pleasure to sit on the train, eat my lunch and read my book without any interruptions. It’s very rare I get chance to sit for two hours without having to get up to do something. It may sound sad, but it felt like a bit of a treat.
There were no issues on the train and I arrived in Leighton Buzzard around 4pm and was met at the station by Ed. After a catch up on the latest news and events, we had a tasty risotto cooked by Ed (referred to as dinner by them, but tea if you live further north). We then played a few card and board games, followed by Tiramisu for desert. It was a very enjoyable evening and it was relaxing to be looked after by someone else instead of running round after everyone.
On Saturday morning, I slept longer than usual, due to the quietness and darkness (we don’t really get this at home as we live near a main road) and as a bonus, the weather was glorious. We had a breakfast of fruit, yoghurt and freshly baked croissants before catching the train into London.
Neither of us really knew what we wanted to do, so we walked from the Euston Station heading towards Regents Park, thinking we would have a little walk whilst we decided what to do. We didn’t really want to go shopping and it was too nice to be inside, so we ended up spending the whole of the day in the park. We walked (a lot!), sat and had a drink and a snack and listened to jazz at the bandstand (although it was almost finished by the time we sat down). There was also an exhibition of modern art as part of Frieze London. It was interesting to look at, but I openly admit I don’t really get most of it and prefer my art a little more traditional and to look like something tangible. Maybe I just don’t have the imagination to see some of the sculptures for what they are meant to be, but they don’t really appeal to me. I enjoyed looking around the sculptures and it was amusing listening to some of the conversations around them. Some were like me, not really understanding what it was all about, but the best were the people who talked about them in an intelligent way. I’m never sure whether they really do, or whether it’s a case of being pretentious to appear intellectual.
After a delightful afternoon in the sunshine we headed of to have something to eat at The Real Greek in Marylebone, which was only a short walk from Regents Park. We enjoyed some tasty food and drinks, before making the short journey back on foot towards Regents Park for the evening performance of Fiddler on the Roof.
I love the open air theatre. The reason we originally went was because it was the first one to reopen after the Covid pandemic, but it has now become a yearly tradition for us. The productions are usually excellent and this was no exception. From the moment the fiddler played the opening bars, I had goose pimples. The singing was amazing with some beautiful harmonies. The acting was superb, with some very moving, emotional performances. The girls were more spirited than in the film and older productions, which I liked. It was very well cast. I love the show and the music and this didn’t disappoint. The threatening storm held off until after the performance, despite several flashes of lightening in the last half an hour.
There was a cancellation of trains on the way back, so it was a late journey and a packed train back to Leighton Buzzard. We enjoyed a cuppa and a chat when we got back, heading off to bed at 2am. It’s a long time since I had such a late night and I definitely felt it later in the week
The following morning, we went for breakfast at the vibes cafe at the side of the canal. We sat outside, but undercover as it was raining, but fairly warm. The breakfast was very tasty. I had brioche French toast with fresh fruit and maple syrup. After breakfast it was time for the short walk up to the train station to catch the train into London and then home. Unfortunately, once again there were cancellations and delays on the trains, but I managed to make it back to Kings Cross in plenty of time for the train back up north.
My husband collected me from the railway station and on returning home there was a lovely Sunday roast all ready. What a lovely surprise. It was a great weekend and I felt I had time to chill out and enjoy some relaxing time with my daughter
It’s five years since we visited Amsterdam and it felt like time for a return visit. This blog is a little delayed as we went at the beginning of September. We went with different friends, who had never visited Amsterdam before. We travelled from Manchester Airport on Monday afternoon but stayed overnight at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Manchester Airport. Although we are only about an hour from Manchester Airport, the journey can often take much longer and we felt that it would be nice to start the break relaxed rather than worrying about being in traffic and arriving late at the airport.
The Crowne Plaza Hotel was very clean, with large bedrooms and an extremely comfy bed. On the Sunday evening, we ate in the Asian Fusion Restaurant called Sampans. The food was extremely tasty. The staff were friendly and helpful. We had a relaxed evening ad a few drinks before heading off to bed
Our flight on Monday afternoon was delayed by about half an hour, but we landed at almost the correct time. Getting through passport control took some time, but we soon got a taxi and headed off to the Hotel.
We chose to stay at WestCord fashion Hotel on the outskirts of Amsterdam. We previously stayed here and found it to be comfortable, clean and with very friendly staff. Once again it did not disappoint. From the moment we checked in, the staff were extremely helpful and always cheery and smiling.
We did not go out in the evening but went to the restaurant and bar within the hotel. The food was good and the prices in the bar were reasonable, comparing well to the prices in the UK.
Heineken Brewery Tour
The following morning, we were booked in at the Heineken Brewery Tour. We headed out first thing and bought a multi-day ticket for the tram. This is really convenient as it travels all over Amsterdam, has a very efficient, frequent service and is always clean. It cost €26 for four days of travel. We travelled on the tram to the area nearest the brewery and looked for somewhere to have breakfast.
We found a lovely little café called Bakers and Roasters. We sat outside, as it was very warm and humid, although a little overcast. The breakfast was tasty. We all had “Sunrise Bircher”, which was overnight oats packed with fruit, nuts and seeds.
Afterwards we had a wander before heading to the Heineken Brewery. The tour was mostly self-guided but has some guides along the way to explain some parts of the brewery. It was an interesting tour and we took our time to read the information and watch the videos as we travelled through. I am always astounded by the amount of people who book a tour and then wander around with a phone in front of their face and don’t really look at what is going on or interact with anything.
The reading and listening paid off, as part way round there was a quiz and we were real swats, getting all the questions right and winning Heineken pin badges!
One section of the tour teaches you how to taste the beer rather than just drink it. We were asked to hold our glasses up to the light and describe the colour. My friend called out “Amber”, at which point the guide threatened to call security and throw her out! The correct answer in case you’re wondering, is gold.
Once we had completed the tour and free samples, we went to the rooftop, where there is a 360-degree view of the city. We had a further free drink there and enjoyed the view, until it started to rain, cutting the visit a little short.
We had a walk and a bit of sightseeing, but the rain continued, so we headed to the “Sex Museum”. It seemed that everyone else had also headed here to get out of the rain. The museum is entertaining to a point, but considering the things that people can access on TV and via the internet these days, it was nothing particularly shocking or unusual (or maybe my years at work has desensitised me). It was interesting to see the difference in cultural attitudes regarding sex as well as the way views have changed over the years. The overwhelming thoughts were it was a large pornography collection and “you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”.
Rather than wandering in the rain for the rest of the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel. We had a coffee and a rest before showering and heading back out in the rain for something to eat. We chose a tapas restaurant and enjoyed a relaxing evening before returning to the hotel for the night.
A day of museums and sightseeing
The following day was lovely and sunny, so we set out mid-morning to have brunch before our booking for Anne Frank House. We finished our brunch quite early and went for a walk. We ended up in the gardens of the Rijksmuseuem. We sat in deck chairs enjoying the pretty gardens and the warm sunshine, before heading off to the museum. We had booked a half-hour introductory talk prior to entering the museum, which was well worth it, as it gave more insight into the Frank family and the people who helped them. Despite having visited the house before, it was still worth the visit and is it’s always good to be reminded of how awful humans can be to each other. After we came out of the museum, it started to rain.
We had booked onto a canal boat tour, but they kindly said we could postpone to another day due to the weather. We chose then to go to the Albert Cuyp Market. This was a huge market, with some nice stalls with food, gifts and household products.
Windmills in Zaanse Schans
On Thursday, we decided to take a trip out to Zaanse Schans. It was a beautiful sunny day. After some research we discovered that it was easy to get there by train from Central Station to Zaandijk Zaaanse Schans, followed by a short walk from the station.
We started off our day at the library close to Central Station. Although we had been here before, it is still an impressive building. We had coffee and cake, before heading off to the station. The trains run regularly and the return fare was just over €8. The platform was busy and it was clear that most people were heading the same way. The train journey was about 2o minutes and then we walked for 15 minutes before walking over the bridge on the river Zaan where we were treated to a spectacular view of the windmills.
Entrance to the area is free, but you can also opt to pay to enter some of the windmills and other museums on the site. We paid to visit the inside of the paint windmill, which houses two pairs of millstones, one for chalk and one for paint pigment. Going on on to the platform and hearing the sails whooshing by was great to see and the view was amazing. There is so much to see here, with gift shops, traditional clog making, cheese making, cafes as well as just walking around the beautiful area built on the dykes. The traditional Dutch timber buildings were reconstructed here from other areas in Amsterdam, giving an authentic feel. Although there were lots of tourists here, the place is huge and it never felt cramped. It was an excellent day out, helped by the beautiful weather.
Canal Boat Tour
On our final morning, we headed in the centre for breakfast. We ate at Kessen’s which was close to the start point for our canal boat tour. The food here was delicious, the café was sparklingly clean and the staff were really friendly.
We then went to board our boat for the canal tour. We booked with Flagship Tours, on an open canal boat. The guide was extremely entertaining. As well as being knowledgeable about the area, he also had personal anecdotes, which added humour to the tour. It was a really good way to spend an hour in the sunshine, finding out more about the area and seeing some of the sites. Unfortunately, after the tour, it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for our return to England.
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 