Category Archives: Churches

The Only Paper In Town. 23rd August

Shobnall Fields to Marston Visitor Moorings

I could hear an engine, Could this be him? I stopped eating my cereal and stuck my head out of the hatch. It was Brian on NB That’s It and he was going to pull in for a cuppa. We first came across NB That’s It at Sykehouse Lock a few years ago, then shared Johnson’s Hillock Locks and the Wigan flight with them a few years ago. They moor at Strawberry Island in Doncaster and were one of the leading boats of the Strawberry Fools flotilla that set off the Fund Britain’s Waterways Campaign Cruises this year, which we joined to go through Gainsborough on 1st April. Since then Brian and Jo have cruised down to London, honked their horns outside the Houses of Parliament, reached Lechlade, up to Torksey on to Boston, crossed the Wash, cruised to Bedford, waited for locks on the River Nene to be mended and now Brian is heading back to Doncaster single handing. Until yesterday he’d single handed his way from Peterborough to the bottom of Glascote Locks in 7 days to beat the stoppages, several flights of locks will be locked shut at the end of Monday, remaining that way until we have seen some significant rainfall over several weeks.

Brian on NB That’s It

We’d spotted that our paths would cross, so had he, messages had been exchanged yesterday about returning our Middle Level windlass and key. This morning he’d already pulled into Shobnall Marina to top up with diesel, 200 litres (85p)! There was time for a catch up over a coffee, he can slow down now that he’s out of the danger zone. After an hour of catching up he set off again, todays mission would be to battle with striking trains!

I’ve been up all these big trees now!

Yesterday when I returned from Dawlish I’d spotted a boat we were looking out for, NB Jemima-D, Marc and Fabienne had spotted Oleanna and said hello to Mick, he’d just assumed they read the blog so hadn’t twigged that they were also new members of Cutweb an internet based Cruising Club that we have joined this year. I could see someone was outside, an ideal opportunity to go and say hello to them.

NB Jemima-D is a shareboat, or co-operative boat, currently with ten owners, but hoping to be back up to twelve owners soon. Marc volunteers at Harecastle Tunnel and they are watching the water levels dropping at that end of the Trent and Mersey. Boats are starting to sit on the bottom in Stoke. They were glad to still be able to cruise, but their boat won’t be returning to base for sometime. Maybe they’d get chance to do some of the Tidal Trent. It was very good to meet you and maybe our bows will cross again in the coming weeks.

Our two days on the mooring were up. What to do now? We opted to move up to just past Shobnall Marina onto another 2 day mooring. From here we can explore Burton, Tilly hopefully would have some friendly cover to explore too rather than having to climb the giant trees on the playing fields, I’ve got quite good at that! Great views from up there.

The moorings were empty, so we pulled up at the far end. A quick scout round, a busyish road through the trees and friendly cover, hopefully there’d be enough to keep Tilly occupied and away from the road. After lunch we walked in to town to go shopping for the next few days.

Bass pumping station

The Bass Pumping Station was used to pump water up from a well to be used in various ways in the brewing of Bass beer. Apparently there are another six such buildings around the town. Alongside the building is a now rusted away holding tank, it doesn’t look like it’s used anymore, but the water in Burton gave the beer a distinctive flavour.

The deco end of the Town Hall

We walked down to the Town Hall. Originally the Town Hall had been in the market square but by 1883 the building was deemed as unserviceable and demolished, the council taking to having meetings in a back room of the nearby Angel public house. In 1891 Lord Burton offered the use of St Paul’s Institute and Liberal Club for the council offices. 1894 saw an extension built, paid for by Lord Burton, providing more office spaces and a new council chamber. As the town grew the town hall needed to follow suit, so in 1939 a new four story Art Deco building was added again to the east, opening shortly before WW2 started. More info can be found here Link

Outside is a square, a statue of Lord Burton, now slightly hidden in amongst the trees. Next door is St Paul’s church which opened it’s doors in 1874 and was designed by James M Teale and Edmund Beckett Denison. It was paid for by Michael Thomas Bass, the church and vicarage costing £50,000 at the time.

That’s a fancy organ

We managed to find a light switch to have a look around. The organ in the south transept is now mostly empty, but it doesn’t half show off its looks, designed by GF Bodley in 1894.

Large tiles sit on pews in the north transept, these depict the life of St Paul and used to be part of the floor of the chancel. Deep stone carvings in the lady chapel mention Alexander Michael Bass who died aged 6. One window stands out from the others as it’s in memory of Phillip Lloyd Stockley, who was in a machine gun corps and died at Ypres, his father was vicar of the church.

This was to be the first weekend we’d be able to purchase a Saturday newspaper, sadly Lidl didn’t have a copy. We tried the Post Office which had a sign outside suggesting it sold papers, but it didn’t. I opted to cross the railway lines and head into the town centre to see if I had more luck there. Nothing in Sainsburys, so a longer walk was needed. This did mean I got to see quite a few breweries, the offices of Waterways World, the old and new fire stations and some yarn bombed bollards.

There is a trail of Burton Yarn Trent bollards that you can follow, I only found two of them but there are fourteen in all and their website has a pattern you can follow to knit your own cover should you want to.

The Market Hall

I tried two newsagents and finally I found possibly the only copy of our chosen newspaper in Burton. When I got it back to the boat it turned out to have August’s edition of Harpers tucked inside, an American magazine priced at £8.99! Had someone hidden this there to pick up later for free?! Neither of us have found anything that interesting in it, but we are very pleased to have our first Saturday newspaper for what feels like months, there’ll be something to read in bed over the next couple of mornings, plus puzzles!

0 locks, 0.5 miles, 1 Fool on his way home, 2 Cutwebs, 2 BIG trees climbed, 2 outsides, 1 cat a bit too close to the road, 1 cat grounded, 1 newspaper hunt, 49 brisk minutes walking, 1 USA magazine, 10 chicken sausages in a tray bake, 1 town hall, 1 church, 1 plan for the next few days.

https://what3words.com/raced.duke.honey

Is Autumn Here Already? 21st August

Massey’s Bridge 12 to Shobnall Fields

Woofers were audible for quite a lot of last evening and as I set of to walk to the lock there was fencing around an area advertising a woofer baby sitting service, quite a good one by the look of it, where you can leave your dogs to roam in their field having fun. I don’t think the place is open yet, but we may amend where we moor in the area in future as I suspect the woofers will be noisier.

Not long before we pushed off there was plenty of boat traffic coming and going, the last boat heading towards Swarkstone Lock was the hire boat we’d seen at Sawley. We’d end up sharing the next two locks with them. At Swarkstone a CRT volunteer was helping boats through. Apparently the delay in getting the Derwent Mouth pound back up last weekend was because Wychnor Lock, where the water could be let down from is in a different CRT region. So to get water sent down someone couldn’t just jump in a van to go and lift a sluice, but it had to go from one region to another delaying the top up by 24 hours, this is of course according to the volunteer.

Swarkstone Lock

The hire boat were a family of four, Mum and Dad considering getting a boat when they retire, the teenage kids very helpful and chatty, but looking forward to a hot chocolate between locks.

I opted to walk on ahead, even though the pound up to Stenson Lock is 3 miles long. Yesterday I was questioned by several people about why I wasn’t getting on the boat and being made to walk! So as I walked I considered what I should get printed on a t-shirt. In the end I opted for ‘I’m walking my imaginary dog’. Maybe that will stop people being astounded at me walking so much.

I noted a couple of moorings that we’d thought might not be so Tilly friendly, which actually she would love, the railway quite a distance away from the canal and the road stopping sooner than I thought it would. We’ll see what she thinks when we’re on our way back.

Raggley Boat stop was full, this was roughly where we should have moored last night, just as well we’d not carried on. A little wooden sign hung on a tree ‘Bumpy Farm’, here chickens scratched the ground and floppy eared goats bleated through the hedge to me.

Just after I’d reached half way boats started to come towards me, a lady walking the towpath with a windlass in hand. She’d realised that maybe she’d made a mistake in walking, even more when I told her she’d not quite got half way and the walk would be 3 miles!

Stenson Lock

Two boats were just entering the lock, Oleanna and the hire boat weren’t too far behind me as the depth of water isn’t too bad. The two boats rose in the lock and were replaced by two more coming down, a constant stream of boats from both directions. I chatted to a chap from a boat going down, he’d been an architect but drawing gave him back ache, so he’d retired from it aged 40 and got into vintage cars, writing books about them. As his wife brought their boat into the lock I was suddenly getting déjà vu. Their powder blue electric narrowboat NB Falcon was familiar from somewhere, I think I’ve talked to this couple before, possibly on the River Nene.

Hooray for Willington!

Our turn next, up the deep scary lock. Stenson used to have quite restrained ground paddles which worked counter intuitively. But now they seemed to rush water into the lock, with two boats in the chamber both paddles could be lifted together, so I don’t know if it’s still counter intuitive. Boats arrived above, the next pair ready to swap with us and the hire boat. I hopped on board, my walking done for the day until later.

A surprising property. Click photo for details

Now the run towards Willington. The house that is hemmed in between the canal and railway is for sale. It would be tempting apart from the railway behind it. Gradually the amount of boats moored up increased as we neared Mercia Marina. A top up of water and disposal of rubbish at the services before we carried on westwards running alongside the A38 for much of the way.

The Trent and Mersey now becomes a narrow canal at Dallow Lock. We pulled in next boat in line, one going up, one about to come down. I chatted to the crews of the boats, we all had connections to Goole and Hull, two downhill boats heading back towards base avoiding dropping levels until maybe later in the year.

Dallow Lane Lock

Now we hoped to find a mooring. Shobnall Fields would do us, there was a gap and then space nearer the bridge where there are picnic tables. We opted for the gap, this would do us for a couple of days.

Fishing at Dallow Lane

Tilly was impressed at the size of the trees, but not impressed with the lack of friendly cover and the constant stream of woofers. She opted to stay in the pram cover rather than venture further afield. I however decided to have a walk up to the station to see how far it was for tomorrow morning. 16 minutes brisk walk got me to the ticket office, that would do nicely. I chose to walk through residential streets rather than past St Paul’s and the Town Hall, I’d save that way for tomorrow.

More interesting than the residential streets

I picked up a few things for my lunch tomorrow at Lidl along with some meatballs before returning to Oleanna to make a fish crumble. I’d totally forgotten to buy something green to accompany it, frozen peas filled the gap.

Is Autumn here already?

3 locks, 11.1 miles, £1,150,000, 4 goats, 6 chickens, 3 miles between locks, 2 familiar boats, 1 hot chocolate without marshmallows, 95 brisk minutes, 16 to the station.

https://what3words.com/test.stand.draw

‘S’ Approach. 17th August

Hazelford Lock to Stoke Lock pontoon

Thank you for the tea, thank you for my mug Tilly

Paracetamol has been doing it’s job and Mick woke this morning not feeling the need to take more. We enjoyed a leisurely tea in bed (TIBED) and joined the Geraghty zoom to catch up with Mick’s siblings. There was conversation about our trip to Mansfield Emergency Department (when did they stop being A&E?), sibling ambulance rivalry, the RNLI, Barbara Windsor, Proms and Torches.

How had Mick strained his chest muscles? On tidal waters we keep the well deck clear so should we need to deploy the anchor there is nothing in the way. So spare poo buckets, fenders, ash pan, hose etc all get moved into the shower. The spare poo buckets tend to hold mooring spikes, nappy pins etc and with such contents they are a heavy cumbersome lift, especially when they need to be lifted over the bed and put into the shower out of the way. I’ve injured my back when stooping to pick them up in the past and they may well have been the culprit this time.

So we need to amend how we do some things to avoid injuries. Empty the contents from poo buckets before lifting them, unless it happens to be poo! Emptying the yellow water can be amended too, less lifting of the heavy container by using our long yellow water hose in places like our current mooring which is awkward. This method worked today, it did mean shouting louder to each other. The container was then tucked away in the welldeck where it wouldn’t be in the way until there is easy access to empty it.

Mick radioed up to the lock, there were cruisers coming down so we’d have a bit of a wait. We opted to push out from the bank and hold back on the river ready to enter the lock. Cromwell isn’t the only lock on the Trent that has a problematic sandbank below it. Here there is one about 20 yards below the lock, you can see it quite clearly from above. Yesterday when we returned from the hospital there was a Dutch Barge stuck on it. They’d approached the lock as normal and got stuck, luckily for them the volunteer lock keepers managed to flush them off when they next emptied the lock. The way to approach the locks is to stay well over, at Hazelford to the starboard side of the river then at the last minute turn almost 90 degrees towards the lock then another 90 degrees into the lock a sort of S route. It worked for us and would be handy later in the day at Stoke Lock.

We were joined by a small cruiser who clung onto the lock ladder with boat hooks as we rose, then they vanished off into the distance. The Lock Keeper told us that there wouldn’t be a Lock Keeper at Gunthorpe Lock, my favourite (not) lock on the network!

A lovely stretch of the river, trees just starting to show their autumn colours. We pootled on admiring the boats on the moorings, plenty of people out for a Sunday stroll on the river bank. Just a shame it was a grey day, but that didn’t really matter it was good to be moving, the two of us boating together, just how it should be.

Crews at the lock landing at Gunthorpe

Up ahead I could see a narrowboat being overtaken by the little cruiser. That would be the single hander that had been moored in front of us yesterday. Approaching the lock he pulled in onto the pontoon, crew from the cruiser were heading up the ramp. What would I like to do? Stay on Oleanna let them work the lock, rope round a blue riser, the location of our only other need for an ambulance ten years ago. Or should we offer to work the lock, me pressing buttons up top?

As we got close the single hander asked if we could work the lock, the cruiser crew didn’t know what to do and he was single handing. The cruiser crew suggested we went straight into the lock, his key of power in the panel. Well the very VERY last thing I want to do at Gunthorpe Lock is climb one of the long ladders. Mick put our bow in to the pontoon, far easier and safer for me to step off.

Plenty of keys with no means of retrieving them should they fall in the water

Another cruiser joined us making four boats in the lock. Most of the Trent Locks now just have two buttons at either end to operate them, Open and Close. You press the button when the green light is constant, then hold it to open or close the gates. But here at Gunthorpe it has to be different, you have control over near and far sluices and the gates. I hate this lock with a passion and had jelly legs anyway, now I had four boats to keep an eye on as they rose up. I raised the sluices gradually, all went as it should.

I suggested to the little cruiser to come out of the lock to where there’s a lower wall and I could pass them down their keys. No float on the key ring, No phone number, two big sets of car keys on it too! Stupid testosterone man, ‘Go on chuck them down! Go on!!!’ I refused, why would he risk loosing car keys! Once the keys were safely in the ladies hand they shot off.

All three boats pulled in at Gunthorpe pontoon, well the little cruiser pulled in on the private jetty by the pub. We carried on, Gunthorpe left behind us.

Egyptian Geese really should learn to wash their faces better

Approaching Stoke Lock Mick radioed ahead, time to do the ‘S’ manoeuvre into the lock. We’ve seen a narrowboat stuck on the sandbar here before! We waited for another boat to join us then were penned up by the volunteer. The sandbar below the lock makes Stoke lock just about impossible to work by boaters as it blocks the low side landing.

Stoke Lock

Damn, the low wall mooring was already occupied, the pontoon had two boats, but we could squeeze on the end, over hanging. We took our time, knowing that the usual current here wants to pull you away from the pontoon, not too much evidence of that now though. A late lunch and no shore leave for Tilly, she wasn’t impressed with all those trees around us.

The new mooring when we passed earlier

A walk down the river bank to the pub at Stoke Bardolph, dropping off rubbish on my way and checking to see if I could find the 9km mark hidden amongst the trees, no sign of it. There is a new IWA mooring outside the pub. The wooden fixed pontoon has been there for years, we can only assume the river has been dredged to give enough depth and maybe a few more mooring rings added. Three narrow boats were making the most of it.

St Luke’s

I turned to walk along the fast flowing outflow from the sewage works and then followed roads back towards the river. The small church of St Luke’s was locked, but the doors have glazing in them so I could have a peek inside. The next footpath was looking like it would cross a maize field, I’ve not been lucky with such paths recently, but thankfully here the farmer had left a good 8ft free for walkers. Back on the river bank a small child whizzed up and down the tarmac track on an electric scooter, over taken by a smaller child on an electric motorbike.

Someone’s been enjoying the corn

Back at Oleanna it was close to 6pm, dingding time. The two boats that had been moored on the low mooring had just moved off, a perfect Tilly shore leave mooring. I kept quiet about it as she tucked into some Salmon in Jelly.

A Magpie feather?

Low water levels at Derwent Mouth Lock on the Trent and Mersey have closed the lock today. This is on our current route. We’re hoping it’s from many people using the lock to return to home bases. The stretch of canal is fed from the River Trent so hopefully with CRT opening up a sluice at Wychnor Lock the problem will soon be rectified, even if it’s 25 miles away, we’ve our fingers and paws crossed.

3 locks, including THAT lock, 9.8 miles, 2 cuppas in bed, 2 car keys handed over, 2 ‘S’ approaches, 2 jelly legs, 0 shore leave, 59 minutes brisk walking, 2 snoozy boaters glad to be boating.

https://what3words.com/isolating.solid.icebergs

Phoebe Anna Traquair. 27th July

Retford and Worksop Boat Club

Cricket, the last Tour on free TV, end of the world haircuts, unicorn/uniform, and Alasdair’s under croft were this mornings subjects. Everyone was present and the screen was rather full as Mick is still in Scarborough ready to do a turn around.

St Peter’s

Dave had mentioned that there were some murals in the church his wife said were worth looking at and that there was a nice walk up to that woody bit on the hill, so today after the Geraghty zoom I set off to see if she was right.

A good door handle

There are two pubs in the village of Clayworth, The Brewers Arms and The Blacksmiths. The former is a homely pub with generous portions, the latter a gastro pub where you can get a Chateaubriand for two at £85, certainly the aromas in the village smelt good!

The east window

St Peter’s Church dates from the 12th C, added to in the 13th 14th and 15th Centuries and underwent a serious renovation in the 1870s. A mesh door covers the thick oak door, aimed to stop birds from getting trapped inside the church, they were doing a good job of trying when I came to leave, swooping in.

It was dark inside, maybe I could turn some lights on. A notice said where to turn the chancel lights on, I just needed to find the card machine to then find the switches. Job done I could see more especially in the chancel.

The north wall

Phoebe Anna Traquair was an Irish born artist who married a Scottish Palaeontologist and moved to Edinburgh were she achieved international recognition for her role in the Arts and Crafts movement. She was an illustrator, painter and embroiderer. Here in St Peter’s is one of her two English murals.

On the south side

Commissioned by Lady D’Arcy Godolhin Osborne to commemorate the safe return of her son Captain Joseph Laycock from the second Boer War. The paintings cover the chancel walls, high up over arches and around the east window, gold glints around faces. On the northern side angels trumpet as the three kings hand over their gifts to Jesus and Mary. A lady looks on could this be Lady D’Arcy? She stands in front of what looks like a viaduct painted into the background.

On the southern side is a depiction of the last supper. More faces stand out from the 1900 style, are these more portraits of locals or members of the family? Very much of their time, finished in 1905. In 1996 the murals were restored to their original splendour by Elizabeth Hirst, sadly now they seem to be deteriorating a touch.

The paintings are very worth visiting, Dave’s wife was right.

A clear path

I now chose to walk up the road alongside the church passing the cemetery and a big house where classical music filled the air. The road turned into a footpath, I was glad of my jeans today as nettles and thistles lined the edges. I joined paths between high hedges, then cut across a field ripe for harvest, today’s path far easier to see than the one a few days ago.

Views!

Skirting round fields the views stretched away into the distance, if only the sun was shining. I passed the wood and started to make my way down hill. A field of white flowering Buckwheat and purple Fiddleneck. Oleanna hid behind a farm house below, other boats tagged on to the end of the moorings visible. Dave’s wife was also right about the walk. I wonder if she’s any more suggestions for tomorrow?

Another archway of trees

Back at Oleanna I got the big vacuum cleaner out, being plugged in I could work my way through the boat which in recent times has become a little unkempt. One more step to being a clean boat again.

Another Gateway

Over in Scarborough Mick had waved goodbye to two lodgers this morning. Initially they had scored a 6 maybe 7. But they were soon demoted to a 5 when a roasting tin was found unwashed along with the juicer! One side of the house was sorted ready for a new lodger to move in mid afternoon.

Lolling on the grass

0 locks, 0 miles, 0 buses they don’t run on Sundays, 5 hours shore leave, 5! plus reminders about rent, 1 muralled church, 1 wood on a hill, 75 minutes brisk walking, 1 boat hoovered top to bottom, 1 busy washing line in Scarborough.

Fish Finger Nerds. 25th July

Retford and Worksop Boat Club

Mick was up early, early enough to catch the 07:21 bus from the village into Retford, then onto a train to Doncaster, swapping trains (to save a few pounds), then on to York. The moorings in York looked busy as his train headed on to Scarborough. A bus to the hospital for an appointment, he was early which didn’t mean he got seen any sooner. Then he opted for an afternoon at the cricket, Yorkshire were playing Surrey at North Marine Road. Mick is a life member of Scarborough Cricket Club, not that he often gets chance to go.

North Marine Road Scarborough

Back on the boat I got ready to head out for the morning. There aren’t so many buses to and from Retford, would there be enough to keep me occupied in the town until my return?

A good wander around the numerous charity shops. A hunt for a new collapsible bucket and possibly a little bowl proved fruitless. A couple of years ago collapsible buckets were everywhere, but none to be seen today, maybe it’s because when they fail they split big time!

A couple of murals, I suspect painted by the same artist, one about the sheep markets that used to be held until 1980 and the other about narrowboats, not that you could tell as there’s a great big motor home in front of it!

In the market square there was bric-a-brac for sale along with antiques and three very shiny Rovers on display. I found the mileage sign to London and York then walked round some of the back streets.

The Majestic

The Majestic Theatre is really rather lovely, from the outside. It’s façade screams out that it was built in 1927. It has enjoyed boom times and bad times, managing to escape demolition, been divided up into two cinema screens. In 1993 it was bought by locals and has been restored back to its former glory.

A big chapel

The Wesley Chapel is huge. John Wesley visited Retford in 1781, after which the first chapel was built by John Mackfarland with his own money. This proved to be too small and was replaced eight years later with a bigger building. In 1822 a Georgian chapel was built on a different site, then some 60 years later the present chapel was erected in it’s Victorian Gothic splendour able to seat 900. Sadly it wasn’t open today to have a look round.

An early lunch. I had somewhere in mind that I’d spotted on the map on Bridgegate. Table Top Cafe aka The Leaky Teacup a gluten free cafe with a difference. Thankfully I was aware of the sort of place it was, it’s not just a cafe!

Only a quarter of the board games on offer

The building is wonderful, built in 1900 and has several floors which house numerous rooms where board games and dungeons and dragons get played. The release of a new game would have the building filled with 30 enthusiastic nerds later today. But at midday there were only a couple of other people about. I ordered my fish finger butty, a tradition when in the house on a Friday, with some chips and a cuppa which came on legs!

The butty was good, chips maybe not so

I was given a guided tour and shown the room where it was likely to be the coolest. Here I sat accompanied by a wall of board games, another of spell books, I think I counted nine different Monopoly sets. There was a long wait for my food, the oven hadn’t been on so far today so it took some time to warm up, but so long as I didn’t miss my bus back I was content. I suspect the menu is tailored for those playing board games, pizza, sandwiches, cake were the offerings.

Retford Town Lock the first narrow lock on the canal

Now I had to brisk walk back into town for the bus and do some shopping on the way. A pork steak from the butchers and some veg from the stall outside, job done and I was on a bus on my way back to Oleanna.

Bay leaf time

Time to do a touch of cleaning and tidying onboard. I had thought I’d give Oleanna a quick clean and it would take an afternoon, but I suspect it’ll take longer. The galley tops and stove top got a good cleaning, Bar Keepers Friend used to get the edges of the work top clean, I don’t quite know how they get so grey, but they do. Since March we’ve had bay leaves drying, a gift from Frank. Today was the day they were finally going into the big jam jar for storage. I don’t remember the last time I bought bay leaves, Frank’s tree is very large and every now and then he turns up with a whole branch from it!

Madam lounging on the grass

Some blackberries were picked to go with cereal for breakfast and a frittata cooked, using up bits and bobs in the fridge. By the time I’d eaten I didn’t have the energy to head to the boat club bar for a drink, instead I chatted to Mick on Teams and then settled down with a glass of wine in front of the TV and got on with the next pair of socks whilst watching a series I’d started when Mick was in Scarborough before.

0 locks, 0 miles, 7 buses, 3 trains, 0 bucket, 2 murals, 1 pretty theatre, 4 fish fingers, 48 hours soak test for Mick, 1 afternoon of cricket, 0 lodgers met yet, 1 mad dash for the 2 hourly bus, 60 minutes brisk walking, 1 clean galley, 4 hours shore leave, 0.3 of a jar of bay leaves.

A Different Side To Thorne. 16th July

Thorne Visitor Moorings

Should we visit the Trolley Bus Museum? Should we visit the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum? Both would be a couple of bus rides to get there. Instead we pottered the day away, it’s odd not working every day.

Our morning view from bed

Mick headed out to do some shopping. He’s discovered that our new connector for the yellow water tank isn’t magnetic, neither is the jubilee clip on it. So armed with a magnet he walked up to Bargain Land to see what he could purchase that was magnetic that could be wrapped round the connector. We’ve only once dropped the old one in the canal, but without it we’d need to hand pump our tank empty and then get a new one made, so it’s best we can retrieve it should the need arise.

Jubilee clips and wire were bought along with some big hooks (useful for hanging things on) and adaptors for the bicycle pump so that the inflated fenders can be pumped up.

That’s smart

I packed up the amended bits of model to send off to Gemma the Production Manager, but then realised that I was more than likely to be with her when she delivers them to the set builders, so it doesn’t seem worth the risk of the postal service. I knitted and then headed out for a walk.

St Nicholas’ church

A different side of Thorne today. Up beyond the shops towards Peel Hill. St Nicholas church drew me in, but the gates were very firmly locked by the front door. But as I leaned through them to take a photo of the door a chap behind me said, ‘There’s someone else wanting to go in’. This turned out to be a parishioner and the vicar who I later found out was called Tim, he was about to open up and yes I could have a look inside.

Really quite pretty inside

The church sits on a sandy ridge which in Saxon times was an island surrounded by water and marshland. The original church was only a chapel of ease, funerals had to take place in Hatfield. In the 1320’s a funeral was crossing the mere to Hatfield when a storm blew up, the boats were wrecked and dozens of mourners were drowned. This led to some rebuilding of the church and it was made into a Parish church.

The rood screen

The oldest part of the church is the chancel dating back to the 6th Century. The rood screen is striking with its figures on the top, made of cast iron by a local miner.

Beautiful

My eye was immediately caught by one of the windows, it had to be by a Pre-Raphaelite artist, but which one? As I stood and studied it, Tim handed me a couple of pamphlets about the church, sadly I didn’t spot there was another regarding the stained glass windows at the time. But researching when back on the boat I discovered it was designed by Sir Henry Holiday a Victorian Painter who was greatly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. In 1861 he accepted the position of stained glass window designer for Powell’s Glass Works taking over from Burne- Jones, during his time there he fulfilled over 300 commissions most of which are in the USA. After 30 years he left to set up his own business in Hampstead.

Peel Hill

I now walked across the road to look at Peel Hill. Only the Motte still stands with the usual worn tracks from the top where people have run up and down it. At first I couldn’t find a way in, entrances at the far ends of the area. In the 12th Century the castle was used as a hunting lodge and the tower was still standing in the 16th Century. By the 1820’s the foundations of the motte top were partly destroyed by its then owner. More information can be found here LINK

Artists impression

Next a windmill pulled me off my planned route. No sails and some boarded up windows, quite an unloved sight really, but quite atmospheric. I now wound my way through a housing estate, all the houses semi-detached, the fronts boasting red brick but 18 inches to the back cheaper bricks have been used. The houses stretched on for ages.

Unloved

Across towards the railway line. Quite a few houses were surrounded by railings, some totally filled in, keeping the view or viewers out. I’d spotted a path parallel to the railway that I wanted to take, but it seemed to be below the track I was on and to keep going with purpose felt like a sensible move.

I crossed the railway line, straight and clear in both directions, then joined a fast moving road alongside the M18. I had gone from the ancient part of Thorne, through possibly the dodgy part of town, managing not to score from the blacked out windowed car, to the motorway and now distribution centre for BMW and Mini!

Oleanna at the services

Back at Oleanna I finished putting together a quinoa crust quiche with turkey steak, green beans, a naughty bit of bacon and feta cheese. Very yummy and smaller portions today means we’ll be enjoying it for another couple of meals.

Yum!

Sadly todays rendezvous with Della was called off late afternoon, so it looks like we won’t get to meet this time, hopefully next time we pass through Thorne things will align better.

0 locks, 0 miles, 0hh please move the outside! 1 sock finished, just need to redo the first one to match, 1 friendly vicar, 1 inaccessible motte, 1 unloved windmill, 0 skunk, 1 walk with purpose, 1 very tasty quiche.

It Did Say Litter Only. 25th June

New Walk to Museum Gardens, River Ouse

Skeldergate Bridge

A cuppa in bed then we made ready to move, we needed to fill with water.

The Lowther putting out their chairs on King’s Staithe

Services for boats in York have always been pretty poor, since the Star in the City took over the building by Lendal Bridge the elsan and rubbish bins have gone, we remember them from our first visit by boat back in 2014. However, there is still a water point, if you pull up when the trip boats aren’t running!

Ouse Bridge

We untied and made our way into the city at 8:30 a load of washing sitting waiting in the machine for when we arrived at the tap. The distance down the bank required us to bring out our extra hose pipe. The tank started to fill, washing machine turned on, Tilly’s pooh box got a refresh, we stay dirty until later. The final rinse of the quick wash coincided with the tank being full. The bin at the top of the ramp said Litter Only, handy! A lady from the trip boats appeared as Mick was winding the hose back up, as long as we were clear by 10am we were fine.

Lendal Bridge

There were a couple of spaces close by, further away from the trains crossing Scarborough Bridge. We pulled into the first gap, plenty of length, but concrete sandbags not that far below the surface. It took a little while for us to find a suitable length we could fit in and not be too far out from the bank. Across the way at the rowing club we can see four steps, when we’ve been here before it’s been two at most, the river is low!

Long hoses required

We decided to let Tilly see how rubbish this new outside was and opened the doors, giving her five minutes of shore leave. After a while she managed to scale the stone bank and could be seen checking out the big trees. Then her tail disapeared between the railings of the Museum Gardens. Maybe our plan had back fired? No she was soon back, too many people.

We had breakfast and then settled down for the day. A message from Frank came through suggesting his current stay in hospital may soon be over and him heading home, a big surprise to him and us.

Lots of walls today

I pulled put all the wall bits of my model and got them all painted along with swirling railings. These will all need a lot of greenery adding later, a job for another day. Mick made himself useful wandering around town trying to find me some green card or paper for the greenery, sadly not being sucessful. He was more sucessful in purchasing Oleanna a present, a new water hose, our current one having lasted us 11 years and exploding on us last year on the Caldon.

Cheers to Franks continued recovery

To celebrate Franks news we decided to pay a visit to Pizza Express, well there was also a deal of a second pizza for just £1 and some time away from the boat was needed. We left Tilly in charge and enjoyed our cheap meal for two.

The Minster beautifully lit by nature

It was a lovely evening, so we walked up to the Minster which was being perfectly lit by the lowering sun, through Bootham Bar which was hardly recognisable due to the amount of scaffolding on it, then down Marygate back to the river and Oleanna.

The river wasn’t bad either

One day I’m going to manage to sort out yarn for the next pair of socks!

0 locks, 1 mile, 1 full water tank, 1 clean pooh box, 2 flip flops, 1 sniff of gardens, 1 dormant cat, 3 walls and railings, 48 hours left, 2 pizzas, 2 glasses wine, 5 doughballs, 10am, 0 green card, 25m of new hose.

Improvements. 11th June

A lurking boat down on the river

Back to model making today and listening to Tilly who would like to go out, her throne not an option on our current mooring due to cat health and safety legislation imposed on Oleanna. Meanies!!!!

Old and new versions

Today Mick had to relinquish the far end of the dinette table. I can confine myself to a small area, but that just means it takes a lot longer to do what I’m needing to do. Arches were remade, slight alterations to dimensions and a translucent layer added to them. For this I needed the model box out of the box and on view to see what worked best. The one scene took me most of the day, but it should now be ready for painting and explain more to those looking at the model how I would like the scenery to be built.

Now in the model box

Mick made himself scarce during the afternoon. A walk into town to look at the cathedral, Leeds Museum and the Art Gallery. The museum didn’t take long, an old fashioned informative place. The Cathedral even less time if any! Then the art gallery which held him for a while.

It could be a lily?

By the end of the day I’d finished off my model notes for panto. Time for a stretch of my legs. I decided to walk downstream along the river, then back through town. However not that far into my walk my calf hit back at me, a slower hobble required to get anywhere. This is now tedious as I want to be striding out as I was doing, but that is simply far too painful. I cut my walk short still managing to see some sights.

A giant multicoloured flower. A donkey. Some very good street art and some lovely old back streets.

Open wide!

Back to Oleanna for some chicken pasta, using things up and to finish off sock 199!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 gallery, 1 museum, 0 catholic cathedral, 3 new arches, 1 rose table,1 bench extension, 2 chandeliers, 1.45 miles walked, 21 minutes briskly, 1 calf needing a rest, 2000+ likes for a cat sat on a throne photo, 1 cat needing some shore leave! I’m sure my 2000+ fans on facebook would agree you should let me out!

Beastly Brain Ache. 14th May

Aire and Calder Navigation

The roofers delivered various ladders to the house today. Their van was still not mended, but they promised to arrive early tomorrow. Mick happened to be out buying a visor so that he could trim away the undergrowth that is taking over the garden again. If only the gardener who’d come round in February had actually come good! If only the roofers would get started with the roof!

My assistant having a lazy morning!

On Oleanna I got on with trying to sort out just where abouts things should be positioned on stage. Shapes and the overall look of everything put on the back burner for a while until I’d worked out the formula for the hanging plot (which flying bars scenery gets hung on).

Sticky!

As Tilly went out I noticed she walked around the edge of the stern. As she lifted each paw she gave it a flick as she does when things are wet or muddy. Gosh the stern was looking very shiny. Later on I stepped on it myself and I think I managed to lift some of the paint, it sticking to the soles of my shoes! I gave it a good wash down with canal water to stop it being SO sticky. Shade is one thing, not that it does much on the mooring, but we’re going to need a drive through boat wash very soon, otherwise we’ll all be like flies stuck to fly paper!!

My walk today was up to Woodlesford Station, to see how long it would take me to hobble there, the timing factored into tomorrows schedule, an early start required. I didn’t go much further just a look at the pub and the church next door which turned out to look more like a private residence with curtains swagged in the windows and a big gate baring entry.

Sketch groundplans

The afternoon I sketched out some groundplans, translating the hanging plot onto a groundplan is always a brain ache for panto. If you nudge that bit upstage then there will be big holes visible into the wings. But reducing gaps can mean there’s not enough room to get things on and off stage. This is a big problem in such a small theatre as Chippy, the audience sit right up to the proscenium arch, so they can see all the way into the wings, but not see anything on their side of the stage. If you ever go, don’t be tempted by these seats, not unless all you want to do is be seen by the audience!

Woodlesford wooden crow

Then there’s the problem of where to put the musicians! I really preffered it when they were in the auditorium, but for some reason they have to be on stage again this year. They either take up acting area or storage room for scenery and props.

I did get to the point of doing some sketches of how things might look, there’s still plenty more of that to come.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 story hanging plot, 10 ground plans, 15 storyboard blanks, 4 drawn up, 1 sticky stern, 4 flicks of paws, 2nd helping of Yaxni, 2 hours knitting.

Nothing To See Here, Or Here, Or There. 17th April

Whitley Lock to West Haddlesey, Selby Canal

Sunshine!!! Not much wind, a much better day for cruising.

We pushed over to the other side to fill with water and empty the wee tank. Jobs done I headed to the lock with the key of power to empty it ready for Oleanna. Today no glitches in the system, last year there had been a power cut so the panel hadn’t worked for quite sometime and the lock had been temperamental too.

Whitley Lock

A little chat with Richard from NB Isabella who were now moored above the lock. I wonder where we’ll see them next?

L&L short boat

Today we wanted to make up for not moving yesterday, so at least 2 hours cruising required. We passed quite a few familiar boats from these parts. A pylon caught our eye as it has three sets of arms. Then a Leeds Liverpool Short Boat Mersey, looked like it had recently been blacked.

One for the appreciation society?

Past the huge slag heap to the south, a new distribution centre to the north, the solar farm and then the rubble which is still Kellingley Colliery, one day it will show signs of progress, one day.

Slag to the left

At Bank Dole Junction we turned the tight right towards the lock. It’s been five years since we’ve cruised this way, would Bank Dole Lock work without problem. In the past it’s been an extreamly slow filler, in fact we once had to go away and come back the following day after C&RT had to remove silt from around the bottom gates so that the lock could make a level.

Another pretty boat

As I started to fill the lock a car drove up, a gongoozler ready to lend a hand with the gates. He’d never seen a boat come through the lock before and because there were a few weeds in the top gates he’s assumed it wasn’t used anymore. If he saw some lock gates around the system with their fully grown gardens he’d have quite a shock!

An interesting level marker, possibly EA

The gates are heavy, the paddles endlessly turn, but it all worked fine and we were down onto the River Aire with it’s twists and turns.

I used to enjoy the river, meandering back and forth, three power stations to spot, Drax, Ferrybridge and Eggborough. The first of Eggborough’s cooling towers were demolished in August 2021. Ferrybridge started to be demolished in 2019, the last of the cooling towers detonated in March 2022. Now only the most distant power station still stands, Drax, only occasionally visible above the banks. So there’s nothing to see here, or here, or there! The river is now just brown, green banks and sky.

Approaching Beal Lock and weir

As we were getting close to Beal Lock Mick had a phone call from his friend Chris from The Pink Narrowboat. Chris is currently walking from Lands End to John O’Groats raising funds for Hope and Homes for Children. It’s his 70th birthday this year and he’s hoping to raise £70,000. But being Chris he’s not only walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats but back again too! He’s currently posting a video on his channel every day, today being Day 15 on the Somerset Levels and along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal.

The lock cut at Beal Lock

At Beal Lock we paused for lunch. This is where Houdini our first second mate discovered she could swim! Tilly wasn’t allowed shore leave, we wanted to carry on and we’re not too keen on her going out on pontoons. The lock cut has recently been given a tidy up, very little growth between the pontoon and the bank, I wonder if all the Himalayan Balsam will return later in the year?

The lock only has a small drop. Today I didn’t even bother checking the level boards as back at Bank Dole the river wasn’t even in the green! Below back on the river there was quite a bit of noise. This next stretch can sometimes have speed boats with water skiers in tow. Today however the boat that was speeding around was a touch too small to pull a skier along, it just went round and round in circles far quicker than Oleanna ever could! The chap came up to lend a hand with the heavy gates, he then said he’d race us to the next lock.

Only sheep in view today

Tighter twists and turns. One day, will a flood end up creating more Oxbow lakes or do we now manage water too much to allow such things to happen? Still no power stations, oh well!

We’d heard of a boat having been in trouble along this stretch in some floods this winter. Alistair from Goole had been called out to the boat, but there was nothing he could do to help in the conditions. We thought it had been a widebeam, but today the only boat out of the water was a narrowboat.

Through the flood lock that protects the Selby Canal

West Haddlesey Flood Lock was open to us, no need to operate paddles or the very big gates today, we just sailed straight through and pulled up on the mooring.

Our location noted, I took a quick look at the OS map, plotted a route to see the weir and back through some fields and headed off so that five minutes later Tilly could have her shore leave without following me.

Very pantoesque

Along the river bank, I kept my eyes open in case I could see a widebeam on the bank. Nothing to be seen. Then into Chapel Haddlesey with the hope of crossing the river on the A19 to then join a footpath to the weir. But there was no footpath along the road, it’s a busy road, so I wasn’t going to risk it. Instead I carried on walking towards St John’s The Baptist, it had caught my eye because of it’s Rapunzel like tower. Rebuilt completely in 1836 and extended a couple of times, with tower and spire erected in 1891. Sadly the door was locked, a quick check in the graveyard for any access to the river bank, none obvious but I did spot George Best’s grave stone, from 1934.

George, wonder if he was a good footballer

Back the way I’d come, then across fields towards Paper House Farm where a track crosses the canal. No footpath shown on my OS map and no towpath shown on Waterway Routes, I chose to carry on along the footpath, across fields of Rapeseed and down into the village. An interesting looking Indian Restaurant where there was once a pub. On reaching Tankards Bridge I noticed that there was a path alongside the canal towards Selby. When we come back I may investigate further.

Footpath through a hedge near Paperhouse Bridge

Tilly had had shore leave, but wasn’t impressed by the young lads fishing Can’t they read the signs! Even I’m not allowed to fish! A pot of chilli was put on to cook.

Fund Britain’s Waterways flotilla news. Some boats had a day exploring Bletchley Park, we can highly recommend it too. Others stocked up at Tesco and Aldi in Leighton Buzzard continuing on southwards. Link to petition

4 locks, 1 a flood lock, 10.6 miles, 3 waterways, 1 right, 1 left, 15th Day, 1 speeding boat, 2 donkeys, 1 tower, 4.49 miles walked, 63 minutes briskly, 2 outsides, 1 vat of chilli.

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