Springwood Haven to Hungerfield Bridge 35, Oxford Canal
Up and ready to lend a hand with NB Burghley Girl if needed this morning. Bob was down in the engine bay tinkering, ready to move across the canal. Last night his plan had been to pull their boat along to be level with the online service mooring at the marina, then give her a great big push, hoping that she’d make it across the cut on push power alone. But this morning Bob decided to start the engine up to get them across the way.
So Mick held the centre line as they got ready, then gave the bow a small push as the engine was started. Across the way they went, around about five minutes of engine power before it cut out due to lack of fuel. They made it across and whilst tying up Burghley Girls engine started to chug slower and slower, dark puffs coming from the exhaust until the fuel was totally exhausted.
Springwood Haven has recently been bought by ABC Boat Hire, next year expect to see more hire boats around. So there was no engineer on site who might be able to help, but they certainly sold diesel and a delivery was waiting for staff to arrive.
We waved Bob, Sue and Amy goodbye, wishing them luck. Once filled up they pulled back away from the services to get the engine going, their aim to day was to push on as far as they could towards their home mooring before turning the engine off.
Today I needed to get some work done. A script needed reading for #unit 21 a Dark Horse Theatre Production that will be mounted next year but will require costumes very soon for some images that will be used to promote the production. So as we tootled along I read making notes, Nuneaton isn’t that inspiring anyway!
We considered pulling in at Star Line Boats for a top up of diesel, but a day boat was tied up on the service mooring, just as well really as the domestic rate was 90p a litre! We’d last a while longer thank you!
Gardens have added interest, narrow sheds and skeletons fishing along with Easter Island heads.
At Marston Junction where the Ashby meets the Coventry Canal work was on going. New piling going in with a very big rubber buffer to help protect the bank whilst helping numerous boats to retain their paintwork! As we passed, so did another boat heading northwards as one was coming out from the Ashby.
Charity Dock is still chocka block with things to look at, although the mannequins seem to be fewer than in previous visits. The Morris Minor still sits high up on top of the scrap and The Stig has been given some shade, pour chap has lost a hand.
Now we were seriously in Frank Country! Our friend Frank grew up around Coventry, his Dad actually being sent away from the city. We passed where Franks sister used to go to school. The house by Bulkington Bridge was for sale the last time we were here and the grey walls down to the canal have seen much better days, the garden also doesn’t seem to be a priority to the current owners.
The Newdegate Arm now overgrown followed, this is where the mineral rail used to end and when Frank was a young lad he used to play here.
We paused for a lunch break and also to make use of the towpath being on the portside so that we could empty the yellow water tank before the Oxford Canal made it that bit harder. As we ate a green boat came past, NB Burghley Girl. Bob must have got her going quite quickly after we left. We waved knowing that they would be pushing on for as long as they could today so our paths were very unlikely to cross again.
There was plenty of space to moor as we approached Hawkesbury Junction which was a surprise. But as we got towards the hand brake turn to the stop lock the number of boats increased. One boat dropping the foot to join the Coventry, another two behind, then one boat waiting to go up the foot onto the Oxford.
Not knowing which way the boat was going to go coming down the lock Mick held back before the narrows to keep out of their way. They came out, faced towards Oleanna and then reversed back to the moorings, the Greyhound Pub next on their agenda for the day.
Mick turned towards the lock to await our turn which wasn’t long and almost hands free for me as there were so many crews ready to help.
I now retired down below to get on with some work. This tends to be the case when we’re along this stretch as there are a couple of hours cruising when crew are a touch redundant. Whilst Mick navigated us along the new straighter version of the Oxford Canal I looked back at emails regarding the show.
Last year there had been hope that #unit 21 would happen this last February, so Amy and I had already had various conversations and ideas about it. She has been living with the show for some time, I on the other hand had put it away as I didn’t have a contract . Sifting back through emails I discovered that the script I’d read this morning wasn’t the latest version! So another reading was required with lots of note taking.
I’d just finished the script and popped back up as the little swing bridge at Rose Narrowboats came into view, perfect timing. I hopped off when the canal narrowed and swung the bridge open, closing it straight after us as someone was wanting to cross. A hire boat had just pulled out heading towards Rugby, meeting another boat coming out of the cutting, our progress was going to be quite slow!
Slow is good along the next cutting. Here the banks have eroded and slipped several times.
Gabions have been placed along the towpath to help keep things where they should be, but the slippage above appears to be pushing them as well.
Coming up to All Oaks Wood the moorings looked full and had a constant stream of boats coming towards us. The hire boat pulled in behind the moored boats and waved us on, we could face the masses coming the other way instead!
Boats just kept coming and coming, waiting for them all to pass would only mean more arriving. So we pulled out and slowly moved our way along, the hire boat following on behind.
Inside the wood we could see that an area had recently been cleared of trees. Was this to make way for HS2? Nothing showed up on our map so we don’t know what that is all about. Just round the next bend there was plenty of space, well so long as you can get into the side! Having moored here now several times we knew where to aim for and succeeded first time.
Tilly got to have a bit of towpath time but the friendly cover and sideways trees seemed to be a touch too dense for her to burrow her way through to the field behind. I finished off my working day by watching a film, 1984.
In 1984 I sold a lot of copies of the book as I was a book seller then, but I’ve never read it or seen the film. I did know sufficiently enough about certain scenes to warn Mick that he’d maybe prefer to be elsewhere before John Hurt got to see what was awaiting him in room 101! Some very useful references to aid my design. I’m now ready for a zoom meeting about the show tomorrow.
1 lock, 16.09 miles, 1 swing bridge, 1 handbrake turn, 4 waiting boats, 2 different scripts, 1984, 4 or 5, 2 longtails, 3 git gaps, 1 designer ready.
