In amongst our Christmas presents this year we got a lot of books. Most were canal orientated along with Nigella Lawson’s latest cookery book (thank you Emma), a book on bike rides (thank you Anne) and one on teaching your dog the classics somehow sneaked in there. My friend Nick has a weird sense of humour, his friend wrote it. Well that was the excuse he gave and he is very much a dog man.
I’m looking forward to reading Murder on the Oxford Canal and Mick has already started on Water Ways. So far the writer has been learning the ropes with Kate Saffin on her boat and they have just arrived at The Folly, Napton where Alarum Theatre Company will be performing their show Idle Women. I wonder if Heather from NB Bleasdale will get a mention along with NB Tench? Thank you Christine.
The Yorkshire calendar came from Kath and has several canal related photographs, mostly around the Skipton area. How apt that May (Mick’s birthday month) happens to be of bridge 186 in Kildwick, the bridge where we have photos of Lillian leaving and Oleanna approaching. Thank you Kath.
There’s not much to report regarding the breach this week. I suspect Oleanna has risen and fallen with the level, pretty much as she has done the last few weeks. Aerial photos are few and far between as people are staying home and until work starts there isn’t much new to see.
But yesterday there was the following C&RT notice.
Notice Alert
Aire & Calder Navigation Main Line
Location: Culvert 14, Don Drain – Aire & Calder Navigation – Towpath closure at Breach Site
Starts At: Culvert 14, Don Drain
Ends At: Culvert 14, Don Drain
Monday 18 January 2021 08:00 until Sunday 27 June 2021 18:00
Type: Towpath Closure
Reason: Structure failure
Original message:
Following a breach over the Christmas period adjacent to culvert 14 on the Aire & Calder, an area of the canal is to be dewatered to enable investigation works and a permanent solution to be constructed. To enable safe working the towpath is to be closed.
You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/19008/culvert-14-don-drain-aire-and-calder-navigation-towpath-closure-at-breach-site
Towpaths tend to stay closed for longer than the navigation, but this gives us some idea of how long they are thinking the breach may take to fix. 23 weeks for the towpath. It looks like we will end up leaving via Goole Docks out onto the Tidal Ouse.
0 locks, 0 miles, 23 weeks, 7 books, 1 calendar, 1 bedroom prepped, 4 cat walks.
What a lovely selection of gifts you got for Christmas. If you study the dog tricks, we can lend you Monty to practice on next time we meet! Seriously, we are following Oleanna’s trips up and down and do hope you are able to escape in due course. We will watch your trip down the tidal Ouse with interest. Is it one you need a pilot for? Take care. Jennie x
Thank you for the offer of Monty. It may be sometime before I read the woofer classics.
We won’t need a pilot unless we head out onto the Humber and I think we may hold onto that trip for another year.
If we head upstream we’ll head to Selby, if downstream then to Trent Falls and onto the Trent.
Trent Falls!
Blimey. You’re brave.
SAM
NB ‘Red Wharf’
It’s one of two options.
We’re kind of hoping that there may be a few boats wanting to head out at the same time, so maybe an escape flotilla to the Trent
Do please post a review of the Faith Martin and Canal Pushers!
Debby
Will see what we can do
Your Tilly has good taste!
I can recommend ‘Canal Pushers’ and the follow up, set in Bath, ‘River Rats’. The third book in the series, ‘Oxford Blues’, set in Oxford (!) comes out this summer.
(And no, I’m not the author)
SAM
NB ‘Red Wharf’
Delighted to see Canal Pushers in your cache! Hope you enjoy it.
Blimey the author! Hello.
Hello. Sam on Red Wharf is one of three boaters who kindly triple check the boat stuff in my books before publication. He showed me your lovely blog. Working on book 3 at the moment. Oxford Blues is out in July from Orphans Publishing. Please tell me and share if you enjoy CP!