Braunston - centre of the canals

It is another wet day so we are waiting for the rain to stop and it is time to tell you where we have got to. The last blog update was from the top end of the Ashby Canal so this narrative starts from there.

Having visited the Battle of Bosworth site we were keen to visit Dadlington Church where a plaque in the graveyard records the fact that many of the dead from the battle were buried here.

Stoke Golding nearby is clearly very proud of being part of the Bosworth story.

The village sign recognises the story of how, after the battle, Henry Tudor was crowned King of England. This apparently took place at Stoke Golding on a rise still known as Crown Hill. The banners of Henry (top) and Richard (upside down below) also feature on the sign.

The curious marks in the windowsills of Stoke Golding Church are said to be where soldiers sharpened their weapons before the battle.

At the Bosworth Visitor Centre we bought a Yorkshire flag and now proudly display this on Leo. Yes I know we've picked the losing side, but we do live in Yorkshire.

Having come back down the Ashby Canal in a couple of days we reached Hawkesbury Junction where the Oxford Canal meets the Coventry. The engine house is a well known landmark, as is the Greyhound pub at the junction where we had a lovely evening meal.

And here we are last Wednesday about to make the turn onto the Oxford Canal. You can just see where we need to turn under the bridge on the left. It is best done slowly as it involves a 90 degrees turn under the bridge and then immediately 90 degrees left again to enter the stop lock at the start of the Oxford Canal.

Here is the sign at the junction. We  had come from Atherstone and were heading to Rugby. The arm to Coventry is a dead end but there are good moorings in the basin from which to visit the city.

Here is the view round the corner to 'Sutton's stop' with the stop lock to the left of the white house where the lock keeper used to live.

And here is the view looking back towards the Coventry Canal as we are making the turn.

Perhaps it is because of all the rain recently but we've noticed that tree fruit is abundant this year. This is a hawthorn bush covered in berries and there are loads of crab apples, conkers, sweet chestnuts, sloes, holly berries and rose hips.

At Stretton Stop is a narrows, a boat hire firm and a small swing bridge.  With boats moored both sides there is not much room to pass oncoming boats.

An interesting feature of the North Oxford Canal is that it was dramatically shortened in the 1820s. 14 miles were removed of the original 36 miles by installing cuttings and embankments to straighten its course. A number of dead ends remain where the canal used to go. This one at Brinklow is spanned by one of the shapely iron bridges from Horseley Iron Works.

We liked this weathercock on top of the church tower at Newbold, where we spent the night on Wednesday. Appropriately it shows a pilgrim leading a donkey.

Right next to the churchyard at Newbold you can find the old route of the canal and the portal of the previous tunnel. The new route required the digging of the current tunnel, which is not very long at 250 yards.

We had a very pleasant walk from our mooring at Newbold. This bridge crosses the Warwickshire River Avon. Not surprisingly it had plenty of water in it.

On Thursday we pressed on round Rugby. As we approached bridge 59 a lady on the towpath warned us that a car had gone into the canal and no boats were being allowed through. We stopped behind two other boats and walked up to see what was going on. Two lorries had turned up to lift and drag the car out of the canal but had both got bogged down in the mud. However they had managed to get the car, an Audi A3, to the side of the canal and we were allowed to go through.

Not far away we came to the bottom of the three Hillmorton Locks. Here Leo is coming up in the bottom lock. In fact there are six locks in three pairs of two locks built side by side. However at each location one lock was out of action and the ones that were working seemed in a poor state of repair. Let's hope CRT mend this flight during the winter.

We moored overnight near Willoughby and walked in to this charming village.  On Friday we went through Braunston. In this picture approaching Braunston you can see the church in the distance. In many ways Braunston is the middle of the canal network with two junctions so that you can travel from here to Oxford, Birmingham, Leicester and London.

This is the first junction known as Braunston Turn. The two Horseley Iron Works bridges form a triangular junction which makes the turn easier from either direction. Turning right here takes you to Oxford or Birmingham.

Here is the sign at the junction.  We had come from the direction of Coventry and were heading for a few miles towards London.

We are now on the Grand Union so meeting broad beam boats should not come as a surprise. Look how tight is the fit for this hotel boat through one of the bridges at Braunston.

Being the centre of the canal system there are always loads of boats at Braunston and it can be quite chaotic. Under the bridge ahead in the picture is the first of the six Braunston Locks but we can't get there to join another boat in the wide lock because a boat ahead has decided to turn round in the boatyard.  No, it is not a winding hole but that didn't stop him holding up traffic while he turned there!

We went up a couple of locks and then moored to go shopping in the village, mostly in the excellent butcher's which stocks much more than just meat. We discovered that we had moored right behind Ryan's Lass whose owners Eric and Brenda we know from volunteering at Naburn Lock during the winter. After lunch onboard Leo we carried on up the locks sharing with Jono on Alice.  Jono publishes a vlog called 'Journey with Jono' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuEE3JlxGAM) so you may find pictures of Leo there as well.  The picture shows Leo and Alice in the top lock at Braunston.

Soon after the locks we came to Braunston Tunnel which is just short of a mile long.  We liked this plaque at the entrance with its quotation about the 1796 opening.

It had been raining as we came up the locks and we hoped that it might have stopped by the time we came out of the tunnel.  It hadn't and it soon came down even harder, hence the raindrops on the camera lens in this photo. A few miles beyond the tunnel lies Norton Junction and Ian is turning Leo round this very tight corner onto the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union which goes north here leaving the main line to carry on south towards London.

On Friday afternoon we moored just round the corner from Norton Junction and waited for our friend Maurice, seen next to Helen in this photo. We enjoyed catching up during the evening and ate at the New Inn nearby at the top of the Buckby Locks towards London. On Saturday we carried on to the bottom of the Watford flight of locks seen here. At the Watford flight we were back to narrow locks. There are two single locks, then a staircase of four locks and finally a single top lock, making seven in all. There are lock keepers on duty to see boats safely through the flight. The bottom lock looks a bit like an Inca temple.

This view is taken looking back from the second lock towards the bottom lock with its attractive lock keeper's cottage, now in private ownership. I should also mention that the flight is right beside Watford Gap Services on the M1 and the canal goes under the motorway at the top of the flight.

Here Leo is in the staircase of locks. Helen has just alerted Maurice to the fact that she is taking the picture while Ian is talking to the lock keeper.

The attractive small building at the top of the locks serves to shelter the lock keeper and volunteers as well as being services for boaters. The flowers are a feature of this lock flight. Rather surprisingly we were the first boat up the locks on Saturday morning and we didn't reach them until about 10.30.

We cruised on through Crick Tunnel and stopped a few miles further on at Yelvertoft. In the afternoon we had a longer walk with Maurice than we are accustomed to and found some more sloes for sloe gin and then spent a lovely evening onboard.

It was good to see Maurice again and today we said our goodbyes and carried on to Welford, but not beforer the rain had stopped. We now have only a few days cruising left this year so will do a final posting when we're back home.

Ashby Canal - New Technology and Old Battle

Leo is now moored at the very end of the navigable part of the Ashby Canal about a third of a mile beyond where we were able to reach last time we came here in 2013. This is the story of our cruise up the Ashby but first we can proudly display our new solar panels. So here goes:

About a month ago when we were at Llangollen we booked to have two solar panels installed at Springwood Haven Marina near Nuneaton. Well we made it in time and here is a picture of the marina. We arrived on Wednesday (2nd October) and were asked to just back Leo into the first of the two polytunnels you can see in the picture. That manouevre went surprisingly well.

Here we are in the polytunnel making use of the access to both sides of the boat to do a bit of cleaning and even some paint touching up.

Helen walked round the marina and took this photo showing Leo just peeping out of the right hand polytunnel.

Kevin worked hard for much of the day and here you can see the fruits of his labour. We now have 230 watts of solar power on Leo which means we don't have to run the engine to top up the batteries on days where we are not cruising.

Having paid our bill we left Springwood Haven just before 5 pm and had a lovely evening cruise to just south of Nuneaton and moored in this sunlit spot.

On Thursday we carried on for a mile to Marston Junction which is the start of the Ashby Canal. We have decided to have one last diversion before we set our bow in the direction of our winter mooring on the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union. The Ashby is about 22 miles long and does not have a single lock and is pleasantly rural throughout its length. We had not expected to meet many boats here but in fact it has been fairly busy. This is the sign at the junction - looks as if it needs a clean.

The bottom end of the Ashby has fine stone bridges like this one. Further up the bridges are mostly of brick. Presumably this was due to the materials available.  And notice in this picture our new solar panels.

This bridge has been repaired with brick where it was presumably worn away by the ropes used when horses pulled the boats.

We liked this woolly cow which seemed very interested in the boat passing.

This is Stoke Golding Wharf where there is a hire boat base.

More steam trains! We timed our arrival at Shackerstone near the end of the canal for a weekend so that we could catch a steam train back to Shenton Station and visit the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. So on Saturday we watched this engine being linked to our train at Shackerstone.

This line used to be part of the Midland Railway and we loved this relief on the footbridge which has been lovingly painted probably by a volunteer.

From Shenton Station at the other end of the line it was a 10-15 minute walk up a fairly steep hill to the Heritage Centre.  We passed these pennants at the top of the hill.  The left one is for Richard III with a white boar on it and the right hand one is for Henry Tudor with a Welsh Dragon.  Lest you have forgotten the battle was won by Henry who thus started the Tudor dynasty and Richard was slain, finishing up under a car park in Leicester!  We enjoyed our visit to the Centre and learned a lot about the battle particularly from the guided walk around the site with Liz.  It is a shame in some ways that they have built the Heritage Centre here because since then new discoveries have put the site of the battle about 3 miles further west.  But at least you can see the real battle site from the hill by the Centre.

On Friday evening we had a good meal at the Rising Sun pub in the village after walking over some rather wet paths to a village with the intriguing name of 'Barton in the Beans'. The pub was full of people from that village (which does not have a pub) so we asked about the name. Apparently a lot of land round here belongs to the Crown Estate and they used to grow beans here for the Royal Family. So there you are. 
Leaving Shackerstone today we spotted the motte from the castle that used to be here.

Today (6th October) we came the last few miles to the end of the Ashby Canal.  In this photo we are about to enter the Snarestone Tunnel which is 250 yards long and quite crooked.

Here is an action picture which makes it look as if we are really wizzing through.

About half a mile  beyond the tunnel we came to Snarestone Wharf. When we came here in 2013 this was the end of the navigation. The restoration has now taken the canal a further third of a mile towards its original terminus at Moira.  The only snag is that the new winding hole at the end is only big enough for 52 foot boats and Leo is 57 foot long.

Not to be thwarted, this is us backing through the swing bridge at the Wharf heading for the very end.

It has been a windy day today and reversing was not easy especially round a bend with a boat moored opposite. So we resorted to towing Leo backwards!  It wasn't really too hard and we reckoned we were going about 1 mile an hour.

The Ashby Canal volunteers at the Wharf referred to this bridge as the 'Motorway bridge'. It has been built as part of the restoration and its design was largely in the hands of the County Council. It is only for use of a farmer and the footpath which crosses the canal here but it is ridiculously wide and solid looking without the arch that would be correct and consistent for the canal. What a waste of money and why oh why didn't they put a towpath through the bridge?

Here is a picture of Leo taken from the bridge with the small winding hole beyond us.

Here is the last milepost showing there is another 8 miles to go to reach Moira.  You might just be able to see Leo in the background.

Here for comparison is the last proper bridge before Snarestone Wharf, the old terminus.

After a good roast lunch at the Globe Inn at Snarestone we went for a walk to see bits of the canal beyond the present navigable limit. We came across this marker showing the coal mines beneath us.  Mining subsidence was one of the reasons this part of the canal was abandoned.

And here to finish with is the view of the canal beyond the winding hole. We understand that work is to start at the end of this year on building an aqueduct over a small river just beyond the house in the distance. So perhaps next time we come to the Ashby we shall be able to go a bit further still. Tomorrow we shall begin our journey back down the Ashby before we head for Braunston and then the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union. We will have about another couple of weeks of cruising before the winter sees us back on land.

 

Canal Cruising in the Rain!

Well it has been a bit wet just lately hasn't it? It is now a wet afternoon to follow an amazingly wet morning so it is time to tell you where we have got to. In summary we have come south on the Trent and Mersey and have turned off onto the Coventry Canal at Fradley Junction. We are moored close to Springhaven Marina on the edge of Nuneaton as we are having some new solar panels fitted there tomorrow. So here is a catch up starting from Great Haywood Junction.

At Great Haywood we joined the Trent and Mersey Canal heading south. There are two locks here going down to follow the valley of the River Trent. This is the second and is called Colwich Lock.

Through the trees below we could see Bishton Hall, shown here, which is now a school. We saw some pupils out tending to ponies in the grounds.

We've noticed that the sweet chestnut trees are very prolific this year. Lots and lots of chestnuts for harvesting later in the year. They are not yet ready for eating or we would have gathered some to roast on the stove on Leo.

Approaching Rugeley the canal crosses the River Trent on an aqueduct. The river looked pretty full after the rain and we've heard since that it is closed to navigation further downstream. Rugeley is a useful town for shopping and has an excellent hardware shop, something that is becoming quite rare. So patronise it now.

On Saturday our son, David, and his partner, Ash, drove up to see us and helped us down two of the Fradley Locks. This is Shadehouse Lock, the top one of five that descend through Fradley. Two locks down is the junction with the Coventry Canal.

Fradley Junction is probably one of the most photographed sights on the canals. Here we are below the two locks with the Swan pub on the left and the turn onto the Coventry Canal to the right. The bywash around the locks was cunningly reconstructed to by pass the junction when the Coventry was built so that the Coventry Canal would not steal water from the Trent and Mersey.

Here is Leo turning onto the Coventry Canal. So how did we get this picture?  Well David walked round and took some photos of us turning the corner.

And he was then handy to open the swing bridge just round the corner! The white building opposite the junction is The Swan at Fradley.

David and Ash took turns steering Leo along the twisting course of the Coventry Canal as far as Huddlesford where we moored. We ate out with our visitors at the Plough which has excellent food and good beer.

When we set off on Monday we soon passed a junction with a short arm now used for moorings. This used to be the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal which led to the north of Birmingham and on to Hatherton on the Staffs and Worcs. We had seen the other end of this canal a few days ago. Work is planned to restore it and there is a purpose built but isolated aqueduct over the M6 Toll road. One day, hopefully, it will all join up.

This stone by the canal marks the point in Whittington where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal meets the Coventry. A brief explanation is needed. We tend to regard the section of canal between Fradley and Fazeley Junctions as being the Coventry Canal. The truth is that the project to build the Coventry Canal ran out of money so the final section was completed by the Birmingham and Fazeley to Whittington and by the Trent and Mersey from there to Fradley. The Trent and Mersey's bit was later bought out by the Coventry Canal company.  All very complicated and sensible now just to call the whole lot the Coventry Canal.

Here, in the rain, is Fazeley Junction where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal goes under the bridge towards Birmingham. We stuck to the Coventry Canal heading south to Tamworth and Nuneaton.

Soon after Fazeley Junction the Coventry Canal crosses the River Tame on an aqueduct. This river too looked full to overflowing.

Not far beyond the Tame the two pretty Glascote Locks lift the canal out of the valley. Notice the waterproofs and umbrella not to mention the wet roof on the boat.

We moored not far above the Glascote Locks on Sunday and on Monday (30th September) we carried on into Atherstone passing the boatyard at Alvecote on the way.  This marina cum boatyard has quite a few old working boats including the three shown here.

Grendon Wharf comes after the canal goes through Polesworth where the well kept gardens backing onto the canal distracted us. Monday morning was sunny as the pictures show but the afternoon was again pretty wet. We moored part way up the Atherstone flight of 11 locks. 

Here is Leo waiting below Atherstone bottom lock.

We enjoyed the Atherstone Locks. This one, lock 10, is our favourite with an old lock beam as a seat and views of the flooded countryside beyond.

The first six locks come in pairs so we climbed up four and then moored before getting into the town. In the distance we could see what looked like a castle and the zoom lens and the map identified this as Merevale Hall to the west of the canal.

Atherstone is a pleasant small town with all necessary shopping. This photo is of Market Square but it was not market day so no stalls. The archway under the white building to the left is not just a way into the yard but is a road through the town.

Today (Tuesday 1 October) we came up the remaining 7 locks of the Atherstone flight. The first three we managed in the dry but then it came on to pour and this is the wet view looking back to the top lock. Three volunteers were helping boaters on the flight and taking shelter in a hut at the top lock when they could. This picture does not show it, but there are lovely flower beds around the top lock and basin lovingly tended by the volunteers.

Later we passed Hartshill Yard. It is most attractive and was used as a base by British Waterways.It may now be used by Canal and River Trust, but no boats were there today.

The overspill weirs have been running hard today to shift the excess water after all the recent rain and in some places torrents of water were pouring into the canal. The canal has turned brown and muddy even before it is stirred up by boats.

So that brings us up to date. Apart from getting solar panels fitted tomorrow, we are aiming to go up the Ashby Canal before heading on more directly to our winter mooring south of Leicester. Lets hope the weather picks up.