Category Archives: Canal and River Trust

Hanging On For Green. 10th September

Kiln Pontoon to Cromwell Lock Pontoon

The Geraghty zoom included topics such as Department stores, Post Holes and just what they might be, Soprano frocks and the E3 bus route. During the zoom we got a wiff of whatever from outside that we’ve smelt the last two evenings. Mick decided that he should check our lead acid batteries just incase one had started gasing. We have a starter battery, which was fine, and two bow thruster batteries, which were also fine. The pong had to be coming from elsewhere.

Next was a trip to stock up on more essential food stuff to cover us for the next few days. Waitrose was visited and we managed to come away with two bags for under £30, a far more considered shop than yesterday!

With everything stowed it was time to move on downstream. A phone call had been made to Kings Marina to see if we could top up the diesel tank, but a message suggested that the lady who runs the marina was away, we’d not be calling in. Instead we carried on past the entrance. Mick radioed ahead to Nether Lock, there was a boat going down and one to come up, we were to come in on the green.

However the green was quite a wait. Whilst holding onto the centre line we had time to watch the people working on the railway tracks that cross just above the lock. I spent quite a bit of time admiring the size of each spider that inhabited each recess of the big piling we were clinging to. The biggest spider was around the size of a 50p piece.

Eventually a boat appeared and the lock lights turned green. Nether Lock the last couple of times we’ve been through on self serve has taken forever! Hopefully with a Lock Keeper present it wouldn’t take as long. The bottom paddles were whipped up in one go, rather than incrementally on self serve, we were down in a jiffy.

Fishermen lined the banks, just how do they get their cars by the fishing pegs? The pub at North Muskham was popular with people sat at the tables, only one cruiser moored up.

I glanced to the side of Oleanna, hanging in the air as if it was a Hummingbird was a Kingfisher. I grabbed my camera, not the best photo, but it looked straight at me before glancing back at the river. Then it darted ahead and dived catching a fish, then zoomed back to a perch to enjoy it’s fishy snack.

Soon the pontoon mooring at Cromwell came into sight. Two boats on the outside, definitely one on the inside, would the other inside be free. Thankfully it was, meaning we’d be by a tap and possibly have electric for the night. We winded and then made our way onto the inside, across the pontoon from us NB Preaux, we’d be heading onto the Tidal Trent with them in the morning.

**The pontoon, easier to moor on than the wall**

Mick called the Lockie Neil to check there were copies of the new Trent charts available, there were but he’d have to be quick as he was only on duty for another hour. The new version (18) was checked over. A few noticeable changes, one in our opinion not as good as our old version 13. The first page from Cromwell looks to have been copied and shrunk slightly from a previous version. I checked the red line, the line to keep to, it didn’t look to have changed, I added the old page into the new book.

Other details missing were at Dunham Dubbs. Here is where boats have had problems as they turn the bend. Just keeping to underneath the pylon wires at certain times of the tide isn’t enough so extra markers have been added on the banks. These haven’t made it to the latest version of the charts. We printed the chart off from facebook and added that in too.

A delve into the cat proof cupboard came up trumps with three CRT electric cards, Mick tried one in the post by Oleanna. 19 credits left, bingo we had power! A couple of loads of washing and the use of the electric kettle, all paid for years ago.

We’d just said hello to our Trent buddies when the skies opened, thunder rolling around above us. We’d hopefully have chance to chat more in the morning. Originally when Mick had booked our passage he’d been told that high tide would be around 9:24, we were booked for 8:00 but may not get away before 8:30. This might mean the tide would be too low by the time we reached Torksey to get over the cill. However Neil the Lockie today said he’d be around from 7:30 the green light would likely to go on around 7:45, the sooner we got going the better chance of getting in at Torksey.

Early night for us then.

1 lock, 5 miles, 3 batteries fine, 1 suspect boat, 1 hobble shopping trip, 2nd very hot day, 1 long wait, 1 space on the inside, 1 bored cat, 1 alarm set.

https://goo.gl/maps/9btNZ7r1zWvApVtU9

Another Plunge Into The Depths. 6th September

Stoke Lock to Hazelford Lock low side

A volunteer was spotted this morning and when we were ready to push off Mick radiod ahead, ‘Come in on the green’. I hobbled to the bow to be on rope duty, Mick slowing Oleanna right down for ease of passing the rope around the riser without having to step onto a locker. Down we went to the next reach of the river.

Hazy hazy out there this morning. Looking back up stream a chap was waist deep fishing in the froth near the weir. We soon heard on the radio that someone was on our tail approaching Stoke Lock.

Onwards down stream in the haze, Tilly wasn’t bothered about waving to the lovely ladies in Burton Joyce who’d rescued her, I wonder if that’s the level crossing she was found near.

The banks were filled with Egyptian Geese, Lapwings, Mallards, Egrets, Canadians and Cows. Such a lovely stretch of the river.

At Gunthorpe the gates were open ready and waiting for us. I hobbled to the bow, passed my rope round THE riser. We then had a wait as the boat behind us had just about caught up, the lockie reopened the gates and we had a five minute pause. Down we both went thankful of there being a Lock Keeper on duty today, the pontoon below sits right in the current from the weir so is hard to access on a normal day with two able bodied crew.

As we headed further northwards the sun was doing it’s best to burn through, our view clearing all the time. What a pretty reach. Now we had Herons and sheep sheltering in the shadows from the sun. Cruiser Brenda overtook us, his pace just a touch more than ours. I sat and wove ends on on the socks I’d knitted for Mick and myself.

Approaching Hazelford Lock we were asked to slow down as a boat was about to come up. Brenda and Oleanna slowed our pace and ended up treading water for a while. With the green light we were in the lock and descending down. Here Brenda carried on towards Newark, here we pulled in against the lower part of the moorings.

At the moment it takes time for us to moor up. I’m not able or confident about stepping onto the bow to tie us up as I normally do whilst Mick sorts the stern out. But I can lasso a bollard and hold the rope until my glamourous assistant is available. The bank is high, the river level low currently, so getting on and off the boat is that bit more tricksy. As I stepped back inside I heard a clunk splash clunk. What was that? Mick’s two month old phone plunging into the depths!

We’d just been saying if it wasn’t for Gunthorpe Lock and if there were a few more moorings along the Trent we’d really like it! Not anymore!

Tilly was read the rule book from cover to cover and then given five hours shore leave.

What NO Fishing! Pah!! Oh hang on I remember, up the top it’s really really good! Apart from returning to stock up on Dreamies and have a little bit of a cool off she made use of her hours of freedom and thankfully stuck to all the rules today.

What to have for tea tonight? Here we’d thought a barbeque would be good, but how would I get off the boat? A trial attempt was needed. The bow is higher than the stern and after sussing out walking backwards along the gunnel would give me more room to get my bum on the bank then a big pull up aided by Mick it was possible. However the rest of the big steps were quite hard going to reach the wider area at the top. Maybe, maybe not.

Mick then set to with net, pole and a torch to see if he could at least retrieve his phone from the depths. It actually worked, even with the depth being nearly deeper than our boat hook! At least with the sim card retrieved he could use an old phone until he gets a new one.

In the end we decided to set up bbq base camp a few steps up the bank, it would be a shame not to watch the sun set. The steps made for a good table and seat for me. If only the weir wasn’t so loud it would be so tranquil here. Well until we heard what we thought was a microlight. How wrong were we! Two speed boats came round the bend below the lock racing high up on the plane!

They had to slow down otherwise they’d crash into the lock or weir. Such small boats can stop very quickly and did so right alongside us. Such small boats can make one very big wake, poor Tilly sat inside being buffeted about all over the shop.

One chap headed up to work the lock, which seemed to take forever, especially as the two boats zoomed round in circles! The paddles were lifted, then dropped, the gates remained shut. Then the lights went out, had they broken the lock? Ten minutes later the lights came back on and soon the gates opened, we heard a zoom into the lock, then the gates closed. Ten minutes later we could hear them speeding off into the sunset.

Peace and quiet again (excluding the weir) to enjoy our chilled medication just as the sun was saying goodnight.

3 locks, 9.7 miles, 9.75 digits still, 3 lock keepers thankfully,1 low mooring a touch too high, 1 soggy shivering phone, 3rd drowned phone, 5 hours of long awaited freedom, 1 big haul of blackberries, 1st pair socks finished, 2 pork steaks, 4 veg kebabs, 1 hobbling chef, 2 high speed morons shattering the peace, 2 plans maybe 3 for next year, 1 including the Trent, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/WK55yCamscqFbpqB9

Melding Into The Sky. 5th September

Sainsburys Nothingham to Stoke Lock, River Trent

A number checker was spied through the curtain this morning, time for us to move on. Mick rolled the covers back whilst I dug about in the shoe cupboard below the dinette, just what shoes would I be able to wear? Anti-slip clogs, possible but maybe a touch touchy on my toe. Sandals, sadly the strap would sit exactly over my toe. Flip Flops, yes they would do, thank goodness it’s not raining or winter yet. I’d normally avoid such flimsy footwear on a boat, they can be slippy in the wet, offer no protection to your toes and because I don’t wear them all that often I occasionally catch the toe and they become a trip hazard. But I’d not be working locks today, I’d be at the helm, so they would be fine.

A touch breezy as we came up to Castle Lock. Mick hopped off to set the lock, then set me and Oleanna free thankfully not ending up on the offside where the wind and bywash were encouraging us to go.

Along the canal past the old British Waterways Building, the pubs, under all the low bridges to the right hand turn. Here we said goodbye and thank you to Nottingham’s NHS once again. Maybe they should have a mooring for us outside!

The new mural seems to be lasting well, we only spotted one rogue tag along it’s length. At Meadow Lane we pulled into the water point, started to fill up the tank, disposed of yellow water, the rubbish would have to wait til later. A boat came up the lock in front and asked if we’d like the gates leaving, we’d still be a while, they closed up behind them.

A while later a lady walked up from the river. They had a widebeam and a narrowboat to bring up, would we be using the lock to go down. Not for quarter of an hour at least, she decided that they’d wait for us, she thought the widebeam wouldn’t get past us and the cruisers moored opposite, it looked wide enough to us and it wasn’t as if they’d be saving water by waiting as the bywash was flowing away quite happily. Each to their own.

We were quite grateful as the crew worked the lock for us, nowhere to pull in below so we were able to sound the horn and head on downstream. This solved our possible problem of pausing at the pontoon to pick Mick up and me not being able to get off to secure a rope whilst waiting. Thank you guys.

Today there was to a be a Twenty20 match at Trent Bridge, Mick had considered going, but at £60 a ticket for pajama cricket he felt it wouldn’t be worth it. Shame as we’d have moored on the County Hall Steps and Mick could have walked. Another time there will be a match worth staying for.

The river was quiet, only one boat came towards us, a few paddle boarders enjoying the last days of school summer holiday. There are now signs warning of strong currents above Holme Lock, we made sure we tucked well up towards the top gates before Mick stepped off to go and press the buttons. I’d warned him about the flashing lights going on and on and on and on forever between button presses.

The top sluices were up, it looks like they have altered the locks to reset to being full for safety. Thankfully we were heading downstream so this would help speed up the lock operation. But if you were coming from below it would take forever to empty the lock as only one set of paddles were working. I got to go through at the helm whilst Mick waited and waited to press the green button. I should have moved Oleanna over into the shade as the water dropped, I could even have taken a seat and put my foot up, but I remained at the helm incase. Such a big lock, such a long time to empty it!

Mick stood watching waiting for the level to equalise, his t-shirt the same blue of the sky. With a big exit after the lock before rejoining the river properly I could slowly make my way to the pontoon to pick Mick up once the lock was closed, here’s hoping Gunthorpe Lock is manned tomorrow!

Down stream we sauntered in the sunshine. Under Radcliffe Viaduct, round the big bend bringing us to Stoke Lock. A cruiser seemed to be sat in front of the lock, what were they doing? It took a while for us to realise it was actually moored on the high wall. We pulled in to the pontoon, the low mooring we’d hoped for was occupied. The Cat health and safety committee met.

Pontoons set away from the bank give us cause for concern. Tilly may spot twitching in the friendly cover along the bank and go for a pounce, only to discover that the friendly cover was hiding the river, a river with a current towards a weir. We weren’t willing to risk it. Sorry Tilly.

PAH!!!

The afternoon was spent behind closed curtains keeping the sunlight out. A breeze through the boat would have been nice, but it was our choice to have the doors closed and Tilly in, a load of washing was dry in no time.

I cast on a sock whilst watching ‘It Should Happen To You’ 1954, starring Jack Lemmon in his first major film appearance and Judy Holliday as Gladys Glover a young woman seeking fame. Gladys rents a billboard and has her name painted on it in BIG letters. This leads to her becoming a name, Jack Lemmon falling in love with her and the owner of Adams Soap company trying to seduce her. ‘Me Too’ came to mind. Thankfully Gladys came to her senses and managed to escape, I didn’t have to shout at the TV anymore!

I managed to turn the heel of the sock whilst watching a Hitchcock Presents.

3 locks, 6.8 miles, 1 left, 1 pair flipflops, 1 collapsing chair, 0 cricket, 27p a ball! 0 shore leave, 1 miffed cat, 0 bbq tonight, 1 pasta salad, 2nd sock well on it’s way, 7th requested.

https://goo.gl/maps/id1pNU9EUztuvLy79

Going Down Kegworth. 30th August

Zouch Lock to between Kegworth Marine and Radcliffe Bridge 46

Coats were required when we pushed off this morning. Two boats had just come past heading southwards and as we rolled the covers up one headed towards Zouch lock, we had ourselves a locking partner.

The chap with the boat asked straight away how far we’d be going today, ‘We’re definitely going down Kegworth Deep Lock today’. Then the lady at the lock asked the same, my reply was the same too. After that we’d then see, we’re not in a rush to get anywhere so if we saw somewhere good to stop then we would. This sounded good to our partners.

The lock was surprisingly half full, the reason soon became obvious a paddle had been left partly up at the bottom end, it still took quite sometime to fill. A C&RT chap arrived with windlass in hand he’d come to help a crane boat up the lock, he ended up being a handy extra bum to push the top gates open.

Below the crane boat appeared, Pride of Sherwood, you can tell we’re getting closer to Nottingham now. We exited and the crane boat squeezed into the lock only a few inches to spare on the width, most probably length wise too.

Time to add waterproof trousers to the mix. Thankfully soon blue skies were ahead of us and dark grey behind. We’d considered moving down to one of the moorings shown on Waterway Routes yesterday, but with the flight path directly overhead for East Midlands Airport we’d decided against it.

The first glimpse of the cooling towers at Ratcliffe on Soar power station, NB Somewhere Else had a good mooring for the view.

Shortly before Kegworth Deep (New) Lock as the weir stream moves to the west you get a view of a fine house. Stone work and brick suggest the building has had several lives and scaffolding on the far end suggests a new roof was happening.

It took a while for me to find information about the house, The Hermitage. It was sold last year and I found several articles in local newspapers from when it went on the market. Each one suggested a different asking price ranging from £2,000,000 down to £1,500,000, quite a big difference only over the space of a couple of weeks. I wonder what it sold for in the end.

Back in the 16th C the house was used as a religious retreat for church dignitaries travelling between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. The property was owned by the Parr family and used as a hunting box, Catherine Parr (Henry VIII wife) never lived here but it is thought that she’d have visited. Bay windows were added in Victorian days and an extension was added in the 20th C.

There are gardens of all kinds, rose, water in the 5 acre grounds. Eight bedrooms, 2 pantries, a wine cellar, a beer room, quite a house and somewhere mentioned a boat room!

More details here and photos inside. https://alto-live.s3.amazonaws.com/z_IcaADIjwbX0Gg7FTWCHHXJVK0/CbwyhoDNHGVaV3SsdWHJbn_TtCw/Brochure/[0]/zawPywL1gkyKv_dyF2nsSg.pdf

Our partners slowed as they came round the bend to the top of Kegworth Deep Lock a boat was just exiting, we swapped positions and were helped down by a cruiser that was waiting below. In a couple of weeks the lock will be having some remedial work done to one of the paddles, a notice has been in existence for the lock for a couple of months now. Despite the notice all paddles worked, stiff but that’s only to be expected on such a deep lock.

We followed through Kegworth Shallow Flood Lock and then pulled in at Kegworth Marine. A gas bottle had run out last night. If we hadn’t filled with diesel we’d have topped up here £1 a litre, but you have to pay cash. We cobbled together enough cash for a couple of bags of coal too and chatted away to the chap. We’d arrived just in time as they were closing up for the day to do some grit blasting.

Onwards, what would a mooring be like that we’d got our eyes on? Round a couple more kinks and there it was, high up but accessible. We pulled in, a nappy pin at the stern, but at the bow this wasn’t possible the armco having a solid top to it so no gaps, spikes were brought out and hammered in.

Tilly was given five hours, we didn’t see her for quite a while. Thigfs ogtsdies gd, i sorldt hevos a Thissy stbieo od aprooel! Another day of her talking with her mouth full!

This afternoon I sent an email to the chap who knows what he’s doing regarding printing for scenery. I explained how I’d made my model and was concerned that I’ve shot myself in the foot by making it as a collage. He agreed that a scanner only focuses on one level, but suggested I send in a piece of model and he’ll do a test print. I’m so hoping he can find a way of making it work, otherwise I’ll have to repaint everything flat for the cloths to be printed. It took ages to do the original! Fingers crossed.

Late afternoon I had a catch up chat with Jo the props maker, she’s been doing woodwork, making trick boxes and working out mechanisms for collapsing chairs.

2 locks, 1 flood lock, 4 miles, 40kg coal, 1 gas bottle, 1 cat evicted, £500,000 difference, 1 high mooring, 55cm a touch too wide, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/poW36n2wnafnnawe7

Must Keep In Order! 25th August

Friars Mill to John Merrick’s Lake, Wanlip

Was that a boat? The noise and engine fumes suggested someone was on the move, but at 6:10am? I peeked out of the front door curtains, yep, someone heading to take up pole position for the lock queue. Half an hour later another two boats went past. Now there’s keen and there’s waiting for six seven hours! Each to their own.

We went back to sleep, maybe they did too!

If anything my head was a touch worse this morning, more pills required. Tilly’s incessant shouting at the back door drove me outside where Mick was listening to a one sided game of solar panel Top Trumps. More boats had come past, it was now 11am, I’d rather be moving ourselves round to the lock cut than being sat pinned to the pontoon. I sat in the bow for a while, then another boat came past, was that seven boats ahead of us now? Thankfully our neighbour soon united and pushed off, we followed suit, we’d be boats eight and nine.

Round the bend new housing has gone up, the route to the lock felt longer than before and sadly tags now cover the Frog Island mural as you arrive into the cut. Here we had to stop. Ahead a line of single boats led up to the lock, where we were boats were breasted up, if we reversed we’d be a touch too close to the weir. Word was passed to us that the boats ahead were going to breast up, in order of arrival, no pulling alongside a boat ahead and jumping the queue! It looked like most boats had dogs on board so had taken wall positions for ease of getting them to land during their six hour wait, now woofers were passed from boat to boat and up the high wall to go for a pee. I’d have managed it no problem, but I had to make do with my pooh box!

The boats at the rear of the queue couldn’t be bothered to move up, we’d all be getting through the lock today, so last nights neighbour jumped into seventh position and we managed to now be sixth. There was still quite a wait to be had and within an hour there were another two boats pulling in behind everyone else. Eleven to go down today, how many to come up?

An early lunch, a little wander around Frog Island. More chaps in blue arrived, the first one had been here at 10am. The pickup reversed round on the off side, the fence was undone and pulled out of the way. The bottom paddles were lifted, the lock emptied then the chain winch pulled the bottom gate open that bit more until the water was level.

A chap with a clip board came to give us our instructions. We’d be going into the lock in order that we were moored in, only one person on the boat whilst it was in the lock and to stay as close to the bottom gates as we could.

Two boats came up, the second one hadn’t booked, they’d just turned up and been allowed through, not so many upstream boats today, in fact only three. The first two down stream boats pulled into the lock.

A new chap in blue arrived, we’d seen him at Stenson Lock a few years ago. He stood above the mitre on the top gates, took a photo chatted to Frank the volunteer. Then he checked one of the gate paddles.

Boats above the lock now jostled to keep in their order of arrival! I suppose if you’ve sat there waiting for six hours you don’t want to loose your position. We’d be in the third locking. Once the third and final boat had come up the lock, we were told that it would be much quicker getting us all down now. We couldn’t be bothered to move up and cling onto a rope. Once the boats ahead were heading for the lock we untied, I stayed on the bank and Mick hovered waiting for our turn.

**Encouraging the gates to close firmly**

Once in the lock the chap from Stenson checked the positioning of the top gates before the bottom paddles were lifted. Presumably they sealed better being closed in a certain way.

Paddles lifted, water drained, water bubbling behind Oleanna and NB Somewhere Else, the chain on the winch was pulled, pulled again and again, the remainder of the water draining from the lock, the gates opened.

THANK YOU! We were through.

Time to climb back on board and head to the next lock. Our locking partners were old hands, having lived aboard for nine years, then moved back to land, but this year they bought their current boat and hope to down size their house to spend time between the two.

We worked our way through the locks, at Belgrave Lock there were the obligatory kids in canoes on the weir stream and plenty more by the centre. Wiggles round on the river, lots of Himalayan Balsam on the banks.

As we came round the last bend before Birstall Lock we’d caught up with the two boats ahead. There seemed to be a problem, one boat being pulled back into the lock landing. The other boat went into the lock whilst the weed hatch was lifted on the other. Large chunks of cushion filling were being brought out from below, this could take a while.

The lady holding the rope apologized for holding us up. I offered the use of our propmate. Just give me a minute said the chap as he pulled more and more out from his weed hatch. Now if this had been us, we’d have waved the next boat straight into the lock, not knowing if clearing the prop would take a minute or twenty, more boats were going to be arriving after all. After quite a while Mick suggested that maybe we go ahead and free up some lock approach for the next boats to arrive. Reluctantly we were waved onwards, after all we’d now jumped the queue to forth position and when we left the lock we’d jumped into third!

Not much room for boats below the lock, we planned to carry on for a more cat conducive mooring. Down Thrapston Lock and on to find a mooring alongside the lakes. We pulled in where there was long grass, nappy pins not easy to use in such a place so Mick got out the spikes. I stood holding the bow rope, my head not keen on leaning over. I flicked an ant off my hand. I looked down, an army of ants marching up my right leg and up the rope in my left hand. I was stood on a nest.

Mick finished mooring Oleanna up. I jotted down our position as I do every day and then gave Tilly the rules and allotted shore leave. I’d just opened the back door when Mick shouted we were moving, too many ants! Luckily Tilly had paused to enjoy the view from the stern across the cut and I managed to grab her before she’d headed off into the trees. She wasn’t impressed at being bundled back inside the boat.

We moved up a few hundred yards and tried again, shorter grass and more importantly no ants. Tilly was given ninety minutes, off she went.

Soon we were passed by the next two boats, a short time later the next two, a while later another one. The last two must have stopped earlier. We all got through no matter what order.

5 locks, 5.3 miles, 6 pills, 1 shouting cat, 6 plus hours wait, 7 men in blue, 9th to 6th to 4th to 3rd, 2nd moored, 2nd mooring, 467825 ants, 1 happier cat, 1 quiet evening.

https://goo.gl/maps/Qt4QPzNEeohWtjBz9

He Must Be Called Frank. 22nd August

Gees Lock to Friars Mill Moorings

Tea with breakfast and we were ready for the off at 8:30, early for us.

Last night Mick had closed the bottom gates on Gees Lock and thankfully they’d stayed that way. At Blue Bank’s Lock it was full and a chap walked up and opened the top gate for us. He was a Scout leader and was on a walk down to see if the river was at a suitable level for the scouts to use later in the day. He also stayed to help close up and have a bit of a natter. Thank you!

**Look horse, the tea room doesn’t open until tomorrow!**

King’s Lock. Long before the tea rooms ever existed the cottage had been vandalised and set on fire. A young chap called Ade and his partner Lou approached British Waters to see if they could rescue it, it was due for demolition. They worked hard on the cottage and today it is a popular spot with walkers and boaters. Ade and Lou now are set builders and have built Chippy panto every year I’ve been designing it.

Sadly they only open Wednesday to Sunday, we always seem to pass when they are closed, one day we’ll actually go inside. By now I was taking note of moorings that were available, I knew one person waiting on the other side of North Lock 42 in Leicester who may be looking for a mooring later today. Two boats below the lock, plenty of room for several more boats.

A sign on the lock beam warned us of a sunken boat between bridge 107 and Aylstone Lock, there it sat, half submerged having been set light to, thankfully no-one had been onboard at the time.

As we pulled up at the lock a boat was exiting below. There was time to have a quick ‘Are you carrying on? We’ll wait for you!’ conversation. Brilliant we’d now have two people filling locks and coping with swinging gates. Aylstone Lock took its time to fill and empty, the smell of fuel at the bottom gates was really quite pongy. Now the narrow stretch that today made us feel as if we must have gone the wrong way. But the dye factory was still there even if the gas tower opposite has totally vanished.

The walls round St Mary’s Lock are still covered in graffiti tags as always, the smell of fresh spray paint emanating from the walls. There sat the boat waiting for us, NB Blue something, didn’t catch their full name, surrounded by C&RT volunteers, they were preparing to paint the lock gates. It always amuses me when someone suggests hoping/jumping back on your boat as it descends into a lock when I can just simply step back onboard below as it leaves. As there were numerous blue shirts about many with windlasses I decided to walk on to the next lock along with the crew from the other boat.

**Heading along the straight into the city**

Freeman’s Meadow Lock sits by a big weir opposite the football ground. Two boats were just pulling away below, we’d been following a convoy. The other lady and I chatted , they were heading for North Lock, booked through today. It was their first time on the Leicester Section. I made suggestions of where they might be able to loiter should the lock cut be full of waiting boats.

Our arrival into Leicester was earlier than originally planned. Our plan had been to arrive as the moorings emptied out with boats heading to North Lock for their assisted passage. We’d not been able to book for today, but decided to keep the pace up and have a couple of days in Leicester before our booking. Castle Garden moorings were empty and at Friars Mill there was enough room for two narrowboats behind a couple of cruisers who looked like they lived there. We pulled in, our plan had worked.

We decided to go and see what was happening at North Lock, how many boats would be waiting? How were they going to open the gates with the top cill being in such a bad state?

Above the lock seven boats waited, below only four, the rest were holding back where there was more space and would move up once they heard boats were on the move. Plenty of chaps in blue and life jackets milling about, a list of boat names booked for today sat on a lock beam, 8 uphill 8 down. The bottom paddles slightly lifted and the water at the top end bubbling away, both sets of gates chained shut.

Familiar faces and boats from our journey across the Leicester Section, the people from Ripon, our lock partners from today and right at the front of the queue NB Golden Eagle.

The road alongside the lock is a busy one onto Frog Island, so everyone had to keep an eye on their backs as huge wagons pulled in with inches to spare receiving a round of applause from everyone waiting for the lock. On the other side there is a new development being built, fencing and neat planting to a showroom, behind which is a complete building site. A forklift came along and moved away barriers, two chaps moved piles of breeze blocks and undid several panels of solid fencing this was so a vehicle could be brought alongside the lock.

C&RT undid a section of the neat fencing, swinging it out of the way. A 4 tonne chain winch and strops attached to the offside lock beam. A signal was given, a C&RT old pick up was driven round through the building site, the aim to use it’s towbar as an anchoring point for the winch. The pickup was turned round and then maneuvered into such a position that the towbar was just in line with the lock beam. Everything was attached and ready to go as the lock was drained.

They waited for the level to reach a mark that couldn’t be seen from our side of the lock, from here on the level would stay just about even, the same amount of water coming in through the cill as was going out through the bottom paddles, now is when they needed to encourage the bottom gate to open just an inch or two to empty the lock fully.

All the time this one chap had been leaning against the off side beam. ‘He must be called Frank’ I said. ‘Give me a leaver and a fulcrum and I’ll move the world’ says our friend Frank. He’d most certainly have been that chap leaning against the beam if he’d been here!

A pull on the chain winch, another, the beam moved a touch, a gap appearing in between the bottom gates, the rush of water leveling things out. Brilliant! The first two uphill boats were ushered into the lock, paddles would up and they were soon on their way, cheers all round.

Then the first two down hill boats. Once they had reached a certain level they were encouraged to move forward should anything more happen to the cill behind them. The whole process was repeated everything now where it needed to be. It took 14 minutes from the first boat entering the lock to the last one exiting. Job well done.

Chatting to a C&RT man he said that they’d been getting calls for assistance a couple of times a day in the last few weeks. People had started to improvise, a Spanish windlass attached to a handrail, a forklift truck and numerous passersby had been commandeered to help open the bottom gates. This morning they’d just been informed that there would be a stoppage to replace the cill around the 4th September. Until then assisted passages will happen twice a week.

I sent an update to the boat waiting out of view that boats were on they’re way towards them now. The second batch of uphill boats now entering the lock. We’d seen enough now. A little spec in my vision suggested either I’d been looking towards the sun or a migraine was on its way. We headed back to the boat for some pills, my sight not having improved sadly. I spent much of the remainder of the day in bed listening to Tilly complaining about not being allowed out!

Mick popped into one of the railway archways near Friars Mill, a car repair shop to ask if they might know someone who’d be able to look at our alternator that went faulty on us earlier this year. The chap said he’d get someone to look at it and let us know, his deadline being Friday morning when it’ll be our turn to go through North Lock.

Half the uphill boats pulled up in Leicester the rest chose to carry on. We’ll keep our Welcome to pull alongside notices in the windows for when the next group of boats arrive for the lock. Our neighbours behind us won’t be moving on, as they told us, They live here!

Up in Yorkshire work took place on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, 20 tonnes of clay were used to block the leak and and then plug the bank. The leak now stopped before anything more serious happened to the bank.

6 locks, 2 shared, 4.3 miles, 3 resident boats, 1 plan paid off, 15 or maybe 16 boats through the lock, 4 tonne chain winch, 1 Frank, 6:30 start for one boat, 9 men in blue, 2 big thank yous to C&RT, 3 pills.

https://goo.gl/maps/PFAyadinKKHV2Mav6

Cadburys Take Em… 21st August

Ellis’s Bridge 86 to Gees Lock 36

A boat! NB Golden Eagle passed us heading towards Leicester, would they be stopping at Kilby Bridge services or carrying on? It’s a rare thing to see a moving boat round here at the moment, I suspect that will change tomorrow. We moved up to the services ourselves and topped up with water, disposed of rubbish and Tilly got a fresh pooh box, no sign of NB Golden Eagle.

Up to Kilby Lock, set against us as we knew it would be. As we made our way to the next lock a C&RT chap was walking the towpath with a keb (a rake with bent ends used to clear bywashes and remove reeds from the canal. He shouted across to us that there were paddles up at the next lock, he was running water down to a low pound. Once he was out of view we then asked ourselves should we leave the paddles up, or leave them down at the next lock. A touch of a moral dilemma for a boater, it feels wrong to leave a pound emptying itself with no-one watching. But once Oleanna was down I went back and lifted a top paddle, we’d possibly be grateful for the extra water further ahead.

Below Ervin’s Lock a group of lads were noisily fishing, they weren’t doing so well. I remembered that I hadn’t locked the front door, a thing we do when in built up areas and going through locks, you just never know. Below the lock was the low pound, the bywash gushing forth into it from above. Blimey it was slow going! We remembered this from four years ago, the really shallow pound, at least it gives you time to appreciate peoples back gardens.

A house for sale, no end of garden mooring, wonder if you could persuade your two neighbours (and C&RT) to let you moor across their gardens? A slightly disturbing giant gnome, nowhere near as good as Monty (Neighbourhood Watch by Alan Ayckbourn). This gnome looked as if someone had been wrapped in fibreglass to create it.

I think it was Whetstone Lock that was finally in our favour, a boat moored above a short distance must have recently come up, it made a change from having to close gates and fill it. At the bottom gates I found myself standing in a squirrels left overs, a carpet of cracked hazelnut shells covering the ground, not many nuts left in the canopy.

As we turned the big bend at Glen Parva we hoped for a space to pull in. NB Ragamuffin sat at one end of the mooring, a fisherman the other. Maybe we’d have been able to squeeze in but it would have been really quite cosy. We decided to carry on a few more options available ahead.

Gees Lock, empty with a bottom gate open. I walked down to close it and start filling the lock. Mick followed but didn’t lift a paddle as I expected. He was suggesting to moor up on the lock landing, it was a long one and we could tuck ourselves at the far end, after all there’s hardly any traffic about if any. This we did knowing we’d be moving first thing.

Still quite a busy towpath, but Tilly made good use of it. One boat came past making use of that closed gate and letting it swing back open as they left. Oh well, I’ve closed it once I can do it again.

**99% plastic garden, 1 dying plant in a corner**

Our friend Chris on NB Elektra got in touch this morning regarding my printing problems for panto. He was willing to have a go at improving the image with various programs he has. Many thanks to him for his hours tinkering away, they are an improvement. However it could be that I’ve shot myself in the foot with my original artwork, a collage may not be the best thing to scan to be enlarged. 0.5mm depth between layers may not be helping. Maybe a really good photograph would be better? Maybe I just need to have a chat with Peter, the man who deals with such things all the time, only tricksy thing is we’d not been planning for his company to print everything.

At midday a notice came through about the leak on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal.

A leak has occurred close to the M18 Bridge and it affecting a section of towpath between M18 Bridge running parallel to East Ings Road track at Thorne. The team are working to repair the leak as soon as possible. The navigation is currently open and but this section of towpath above the leak will be closed until the repair is carried out. During the afternoon photos of a tug and skip filled with clay were posted on facebook, presumably heading towards Thorne. Fingers crossed they get the leak bunged up quickly.

Another notice came through regarding the Chesterfield Canal.

Low rainfall and diminishing reservoir levels mean we have no option but to close the Chesterfield Canal from Boundary Lock 41 upstream, as we are unable to provide enough water to accommodate boat movements. The closure will commence on Friday 1st September. We’d been thinking of heading that way, but with the best part of the canal closed we’ll leave it for another time.

6 locks, 4.4 miles, 1 giant gnome, 1 low pound, 1 dilema, 2 moving boats, 565783 hazelnuts, 0 covered in chocolate, 2 notices, 40 tonnes of clay! 1 closure, 1 plan changing, 1 phone call needed, 1 more Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.

https://goo.gl/maps/nbYVXU2kfnXiNEGLA

Holding Up His Majesty’s Mail. 19th August

Between bridges 8 and 9 to between Locks 21 and 22

Princess Sparkle and Bilbo Bagins let go of the timeshared outside before Tom and She did. The outside moved slowly away, but it moved slower for them. She said we’d just about caught them up when the bridge drifted up to reached us.

On arrival the bridge had only just closed, the crew from NB Drifter just about to climb back on board after letting themselves through, some road traffic and then a couple more boats. I walked over, turned the key unlocking the barriers which are manual here. I closed one side and was walking across to do the other one when a Post Office van arrived. The Postie offered to help push the bridge, a welcome offer as it is really quite heavy. He was also happy to wait for a following boat to come through too, he said he was used to it, normally helping the day boats through. We were all soon on our way again.

At the bottom of Foxton boats were here there and everywhere. A day boat wanting to wind from it’s mooring, NB Drifter had opened the bridge and were now backing up the otherside of it towards the bottom of the inclined plane to wait for water. The boat in front of us was trying to find a suitable place to pull in before checking in for the locks, we just waited until there was a suitable pause and headed through the middle turning right under Rainbow Bridge towards Leicester.

Back in the world of widebeams we passed one which you could say was moored in a winding hole, but it’s a big winding hole, they’d taken time to find places for their ropes just below the waters surface. Past Debdale we were now where we should have been last night and entering the SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSI area.

When we first did this stretch we noted the amount of reeds, how narrow the channel was and how few moorings there were. Now it’s pretty much like most canals, certainly there was little difference on our way to Market Harborough. The wind blew the reeds about, a wave of green alongside Oleanna, but thankfully the gusts didn’t seem to be catching us out.

Tunnel mode engaged for Saddlington Tunnel. A chap at Foxton the other day had been saying how long it was and that he’d be cycling over it later. I told him of Standedge Tunnel and how it was six times as long, certainly no way of seeing from one end to the other. With our powerful torch at the back we could see all the bat boxes, you are meant to be able to see the bats swooping out of the tunnel at dusk.

A pause at a mooring for lunch then onwards to the locks.

The Top Lock Cottage is for sale, a renovation opportunity apparently, even though it has quite a new kitchen. A big amount of land comes with it too for a guide price of £650,000. They’ve been very careful with their drone photo to include the lock and not too much of the sewage works the nearest neighbour!

A C&RT chap was busy running water down, paddles open at both ends of the lock. He was surprised to hear that North Lock in Leicester was fully booked for Tuesday, he didn’t understand why they didn’t just get on and mend it. I suspect that will happen once the school holidays are over with and the height of the season has passed.

At Bridge House Barn it was the lull between ceremony and evening do at a wedding. New guests were arriving at the big teepee, Mick waved at the kids who soon would be busy on the dance floor or hiding under the buffet tables.

We dropped down the first four locks, one pound most definitely low, nowhere near the bywash. I walked ahead to set the fifth lock hoping to moor overlooking Wistow. But then a space with a view showed itself, half an hour short of where we’d planned to be, we pulled in. A good wide towpath, trees friendly cover for Tilly, the willow tree needed a touch of a prune before the pram cover could be lifted, but all good. We just needed the wind to die down now for a barbecue.

Sadly the wind kept coming and going, it would have fanned barbecue coals too well, so we abandoned that idea and had kedgeree instead.

Late evening, photos appeared on a facebook group of water flowing out of the side of the Stainforth and Keadby Canal near to the M18. The poster had reported it to C&RT at midday, no notice had been issued. Speculation of a breach started to spread through social media. We’re not due there for several weeks, but if there is a problem we’ll be needing to take a different route. First decision will be at Trent Lock, if we carry on up the Trent the next decision will be at Keadby whether to go round Trent Falls. For now we’ll watch and see how things progress and hope that our friend David and the other moorers on that pound are okay and don’t end up sitting on the bottom.

4 locks, 8.3 miles, 2 bridges, 1 held up, 1 right, 1 tunnel, 0 mysterons, 1 windswept bride, 1 low pound, 1 boat heading our way, 1 mooring with a view, 2 windy to sit out, 1 happy cat, 1 band playing 80’s 90’s hits into the night.

https://goo.gl/maps/cfZRtmawdAzKj61E9

Cheese On Toast?! 17th August

Bungalow Bridge 59 to Market Harborough Visitor Moorings

Boats were on the move before us, six came from the direction of Foxton, would this mean that the top six locks would be in our favour? No. Foxton isn’t like that, in fact few places are, yet we always joke about it. We pushed off just as our nearest neighbours were coming back from stretching their legs, they’d be following us very shortly.

As we rounded the bend to the top of the locks we were very surprised not to be joining a queue. I hopped off and walked down to find the Lock Keeper with the book to check in.

**Not spotted the chap with the cuppa before**

Here as at Watford the staircase locks mean one way traffic only. Here there is one place you can pass, a pound between the two staircases of five. The book holder was just above the halfway point with a boat going down hill, they now swapped with a hire boat that had been waiting for them in the middle pound. Our instructions, when this boat came up, we’d be going down, at the moment there were no uphill boats.

**Giant chilled medication served at the top**

We waited patiently at the top, had a look around the old stables, sadly it was far too early for chilled medication. Once the hire boat had come up we pushed off and into the top lock. Boats had arrived at the bottom so we’d get to the middle pound and wait for them to come up. The boats behind us would have quite a wait before it was their turn.

Red before white. The Lock Keeper pushed and pulled the towpath side gates for me. A new volunteer was being shown the ropes as it were, they’d be starting in the book shop at the top, but it’s handy for them to know what the flight is about so they helped with the gates too and were given bits of information as we descended.

The first gongoozlers joined us at the very top lock, some following us down, some just getting in the way of paddle winding, but they are happy to stand back to watch.

Boats were coming up the other set of five, we were making good progress down, a pause required before dropping down into the middle pound as the red paddle needed lifting for an uphill boat and it was by their chamber, then I could lift the white paddle. In this order it saves the water from our chamber just flowing over the bywash instead of being used to fill the lower chamber.

The Lock Keeper had a handy hook to lift our centre line from the roof as we passed under the bridge, now we were to pull into the side and wait for four boats to come past before we could continue on down.

One lady on an uphill boat walked away from the chamber below, ‘I’ve left the gate for you, oh and the paddle’s still up over there’. But what about those boats following you? She soon turned round and went to close up behind herself. The last boat up, wound the red paddle up long before the white was even thought about. Mick and I jumped back on board to loosen ropes as the level dropped, Oleanna did a jolt as the stern line was untied.

A forty minute wait before we could continue on downwards. More and more gongoozlers at this end of the flight, one lady with her kids grew up having boat holidays, she explained to the kids how it worked, but didn’t stop them from balancing on posts close to the water! I asked the Lock Keeper, ‘4000 boats go through the locks on an average year, has anyone ever counted the number of gongoozlers?’ One sunny August day someone had had a go and they’d numbered 2000. I’m so glad we didn’t have that number around us today, it would be impossible to see Mick at the helm.

At the last few locks there was no need to push gates we’d got ourselves gate pushers on both sides. Mick pulled the stern into the landing below the locks, handed over a key of power and then started to swing Oleanna round to head towards Market Harborough. I walked round to do the honours, passing the bottom lock now waiting for the first of the uphill boats who would most likely wait in the middle pound like we had for the downhill boats behind us.

The bridge worked nicely, the bridge landings thankfully not required as a day boat was trying to tie to the bollards to head for a pub lunch. Winding your rope round a bollard six times might just do the trick, I wonder if anyone at the hire base shows them how to tie up?

At Foxton Swing Bridge I could see someone wearing blue. This bridge often seems to have problems, I wondered if someone was posted here to open and close it, but the bridge didn’t move. I walked over to see what was happening. Two chaps were working on it. One suggested we moor up and have lunch, the other said to give him a few minutes and they’d swing it open for us. This they did and we were on our way again.

As the crow flies Market Harborough is a couple of miles away, by canal it’s more like five. We pootled along passing the winding hole where we’d turned on our hire boat NB May all those years ago, not enough time to get all the way to Market Harborough. An aroma in the air was hard to fathom. Could it be cheese on toast? Maybe with a touch of yeast extract added? No it turned out to be J.G. Pears they do something with food waste, maybe they’d had a lot of cheese on toast arrive!

It’s been quite some years since we came this way. Four years since we came down Foxton heading straight to the north. A footbridge has gone and now a long stretch of towpath is being upgraded right in to Union Wharf. As we progressed closer to the town the works gradually progressed from bare earth, timber sides, hardcor, fresh earth on the edge, tarmac and sausage roll planting along the edges. We wondered if the planting would end up being all along here making it hard to moor out of town.

Brilliant a space at the end of the moorings, except it was for permit holders only. Thankfully there was a space further along and a boat pulled out meaning we wouldn’t have to moor directly on a big bend. Tilly was allowed out and we sat down for a late lunch.

Barking, barking close to the boat! Where was Tilly? We rushed out to see Tilly on the top of a garden fence a woofer barking below. Between us and the woofers owners the situation was solved, she took her dog inside, I encouraged Tilly back to the boat where the doors were closed. Tom had spoken, I wasn’t allowed out again, apparently I don’t understand urban areas with gardens, sheds, french windows and woofers in their outsides. So not fare!

A walk to the Co-op and Post Office. The Co-op (new to us) too pricey and not much choice for provisions for the next few days. We got what we really needed and will take the long walk through town tomorrow for a good stock up.

Back at the basin more boats had arrived, many taking up a paid for mooring with electric right by the restaurant. One poor hire boat came back to base early, saw that it was far busier than expected, winded a headed back out only to return an hour later looking fed up and very hungry. They found somewhere to moor in the end as they didn’t come past again.

10 locks, 2 sets of five staircase, 6 miles, 40 minutes wait, 1 right, 2 swing bridges, 0 held up, £2.95 for four half slices of cheese on toast, 1 cat grounded, 1 woofer silenced, 1 spoil sport Tom, 1 horrid She! 2 spot on wormers, 1 pint milk, 2 loaves of bread, 1 coach in the post.

https://goo.gl/maps/bgkQRRAJLj8ZuDuy6

Squeeeezing Through Cropredy. 1st August

Sovereign Wharf to Top Lock Claydon

With breakfast out of the way Mick headed to meet our Sainsburys delivery. The chap had followed his sat nav and was in a residential cul-de-sac that I’d never heard of. A quick look at a map and phone call later he knew where to head and could be seen arriving through the hedge. Mick transported everything back to the boat on a trolley. As I stowed everything he topped up the water tank, time for us to head onwards.

Every lock out from Banbury we would meet a boat coming downhill today, no need to reset the levels and always someone around to help close the bottom gates.

**Looking that bit tidier than a month ago**

The house at Bourton Lock has had a touch of TLC in the last month. The shutters have a fresh coat of paint and the scrawled graffitti has vanished. I wonder if one day anyone will live there again.

As we passed crews they all exclaimed at how busy it was in Cropredy, boats breasted up and only a gnats hair to get through in places! There was certainly plenty of traffic, three boats awaiting their turn above Slat Mill Lock, our arrival perfectly timed.

Now the towpath was filled with boats, only a few spaces left. Rounding the bend by the cow field a boat coming towards us went aground on the silt, it’s alway deceptive that bend. As we got closer we realised who it was, Paul the boat mover again. He’d been trying to take a photo of us and found the bottom a bit too quickly. See you somewhere, sometime no doubt Paul.

Slow going, no let up on moored boats. It’s still about ten days before Cropredy Festival, hopefully everyone who wants a mooring has arrived. NB Watt Way was tucked in amongst the boats, we’d been on the Great Ouse with her last year. NB Derwent 6 with Del and Al were chatting away to a walker. By the services trading boats had taken root, add to this kids eager to go canoeing and an off side mooring it made for a touch of squeezing past. Busy busy!

The lock cottage by Cropredy Lock had a big banner pinned to it, Rock at the Lock and the lock gates had posters for various events this coming weekend, both shows from Mikron will be here, sadly we won’t be, we’re just that bit too far ahead of Mikrons tour this year. We did wonder where Tyseley would be moored, hope someone gives them an off side mooring.

Once past the marina the moored boats thinned out, but we still met plenty of downhill boats, most heading onwards to Banbury today. We looked back, all the moorings taken in Cropredy, the 24hr moorings (we speculated) would have the same boats on them for the next ten days.

We rounded the bend below Claydon Locks and pulled in for some lunch, blimey that had taken what felt like forever to get this far. Tilly’s excitement and near dash for the front door was thwarted, we needed to move some more today, the sideways trees would still be there next time.

Only one down hill boat on the Claydon flight NB Debdale just dropping down the bottom lock. Pounds were low between most locks the levels a good foot down. Instead of walking on ahead leaving Mick to close up behind, I stayed incase he grounded, but thankfully the levels weren’t that low.

Up the last lock onto the summit pound we pulled in at the far end of the visitor moorings, plenty of space here. Tilly was given a couple of hours to explore and she made the most of her time. Mick looked at details of how to install our Nebo link.

**Gluten free Toad in the Hole, click photo for recipe**

As today is Yorkshire Day our evening meal had to contain some Yorkshire Pudding, so I made up a Toad in the Hole. The sausages took quite a while to brown off, but the gluten free batter rose wonderfully. Happy Yorkshire Day.

12 locks, 7.2 miles, 2 many boats everywhere, 1 reader, 24hrs my foot! 2.5 hours, 1 summit reached, 1 skein of yarn not wound that’ll be rectified tomorrow, 1 big tray of Yorkshire Pud.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZEbD5RFKbqcNrQtB7

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna