There was time for MIck to whip up a cooked breakfast before the Geraghty zoom this morning, it did mean that we’d be eating it whilst we chatted to everyone. Subjects covered, canvasing, folk, endive and sparkling ash leaves.
Zooming breakfast
Late morning we pushed Oleanna back over to the other side of the little notch as we were expecting little legs again this afternoon. It was hard to move across as the wind was pinning us to the side. I managed to get a rope around a bollard at the bow, then we used the Andy method (springing off) to force the stern across against Kathleens best efforts. We soon discovered that on the east side of the notch we’d managed to get ourselves tied up so as not to be buffeted about so much, the west side we’d not been so sucessful!
I think it’s stopped raining
We pottered away the morning and by mid afternoon squally showers were whisking around. Mick confired with our prospective visitors who’d planned on a visit before we all headed out for Sunday lunch. Instead we’d meet a car at the next road bridge and get a lift.
Soggy sponsored walk
Full water proofs didn’t manage to keep us dry for the five minute walk to meet Anne, sorry for leaving you with soggy seats! The Moorcock would have only been a 20 minute walk according to Google, although it would all have been uphill, glad we’d not done that in the rain!
A large table had been reserved for us at the end of the pub and we were soon joined by Ruth, James, Penelope and Daphne. There was Vocation beer on tap, so for the second Sunday in a row I had a pint of Heart and Soul a nice GF brew. Roast pork, beef, sausage and chips plus a chicken nuggets and chips were ordered.
Nice pint
The pork almost certainly didn’t come off a joint, most probably steaks roasted in the oven. Crackling had been mentioned on the menu and this was brough on a seperate plate. I suspect this had been cooked in an air fryer. It looked like it should be good, but I have to say it was a chewy disappointment. However we were there to enjoy being with family which made for a lovely late lunch.
Disappointed Ruth
James offered to do bathtime and leave us to chat for longer. This meant that some of us, Mick and myself could have pudding away from younger eyes who’d already had some chilled medictaion at lunchtime. A huge slab of chocolate fudge cake each. Ruth ordered an expresso martini for her treat, but they were out of these! She was very disappointed.
Mick, Ruth, Anne, Pip
There was a little lull in the rain, just long enough for a Sunday selfie before we climbed back in the car and made it back to the canal. Goodbyes and hopefuly it won’t be so long before we see everyone again.
Rain set in on our walk back to Oleanna. We decided to push back over the notch and whilst doing so we got another very good soaking! The stove was lit, coats and jeans hung up to drip dry.
Earlier in the day a message had been put on one of the facebook groups, a boat was looking for someone else to share the journey into Manchester. I made contact, a second boat with crew would make it a lot easier even though we may have extra crew for the final push. They have yet to cross the summit and our current schedule will mean we are still ahead of them. But with the current weather forecast, we may not be moving very far due to another storm. If they’ve any sense they won’t move either.
I wonder who will win this time?
Today marks the seventh anniversary of moving on board Oleanna in Sheffield. Oleanna was very shiny and new then, she’s showing her age now, still in desperate need of a wash and polish, the rain isn’t helping this. Time for a toast to mark the occasion.
0 locks, 2 pushes across the notch, 2 car rides, 2 very soggy walks, 1 last bag of coal, 4 pork, 1 beef, 1 sausage and chips, 1 chicken nuggets and chips, 2 slabs of chocolate fudge cake, 2.5 pints, 1 lovely meal with family, pair 14 finished, 50 years since Abba, 7 years onboard Oleanna.
After breakfast and writing the blog, on what feels like the smallest keyboard ever, we headed into town to do a bit of shopping, find a newspaper and have a look round.
They are rather fine
Two fine front doors stood out, one house for sale. You get quite a bit of house for your money in these parts. We’ve been spotting a lot of places named Royd recently. Old Royd Lock, Royd Street. Looking the name up it turns out that Royd is local dialect for ‘cleared land’ especially in a wood.
The centre of Littleborough has a mix of shops, not many unoccupied. Some smart clothes shops, a couple of butchers, a discount hardware shop and a knickers shop! Just who had the money for the fancy grave?
Who was so important to have such a grand grave
We got a newspaper, some thick cut bacon, a disappoinitng pork pie and a few bits and bobs fom Sainsburys before heading to the Co-op to see if their cat food was cheaper. It was, especially with a members card which we applied for whilst stood in the pet food isle.
As we headed towards the canal we spotted signs in the station window for a museum. Well that needed looking at, so we made our way up onto the platform where a chap asked if we knew there were no trains today. Yes, but we were looking for the museum. ‘Round the corner, there’s three chaps in there’.
No trains today
The main waiting room/old ticket office is now a museum for Littleborough Historical and Archaeologocal Society. We were welcomed in by a chap who immediatley mentioned about their flint collection and Roman coins. Flint is not found in the area, so was imported from other parts of the country. He also appologised that their main computer was broken so he wouldn’t be able to show us much from their archieve. This however didn’t stop him from chatting away to his hearts content.
An interesting man. He covered the railway, when the canals were built and how they had originally been planned for a different route. The feeder reservoirs for the canal, originally seven were created, Hollingworth Lake was by far the biggest. This was lower than the summit pound and required a steam engine to pump the water into a channel high enough to supply the summit of the canal. Hollingworth became a resort in the early C20th, numerous pubs, steamers, one pub boasted that with prior arrangement they could host 1000 people at a time.
As it says on the door
The chap chatted on for ages, he could have carried on for hours. Don’t get me wrong he was interesting, possibly being shown images and maps would have been even more interesting, but when someone wanted to show him a recent find that was almost certainly Roman we were quick in heading for the door. More a place for serious research on the local area than just a browse around.
Back at Oleanna we had lunch and enjoyed the last Hot Paw Bun of the year. These were the best I’ve made by far and Mick doesn’t see why they should just be for Easter!
Tilly came and went, then as the winds increased into the afternoon she was grounded. Kathleen was showing her force. Thankfully our mooring means Oleanna’s bow faces into the wind and with a few extra fenders out we are held into the side, so no bumping about.
Plans for the next few days were discussed. How long it will take us to get down into Manchester, which moorings to stop at, will the wind have died down sufficiently to make this all possible?
Tilly slept the afternoon away. The yellow water tank was emptied, Tilly’s pooh box refreshed and quite a bit of knitting done. I should just about finish pair 14 by the end of Sunday, Hooray!
Our evening meal was accompanied by growing winds and torrential rain. Really! Surely there can’t be anymore rain!!
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 windy walk, 1 puzzled baker, 9 rashers bacon, 1 pie, 1 paper, 0 knickers bought, 1 very knowledgable man, 0 wedding ring, 1 very blustery afternoon, 2 salmon steaks with red pepper sauce, 13.5 pairs of socks knitted so far.
The towpath was a touch quieter this morning, were people still in bed having not put their clocks forward? We got cuppas ready and settled down for the Geraghty zoom. At 10:05 no-one had showed apart from us, 10:10 still no-one else. Were we the only ones to have sprung forward? No last week when we’d only bobbed into the zoom they had decided that as so many people would be away doing other things today there was little point, they’d just omitted to tell us. Oh well!
Easter breakfast
Before Mick was allowed to get the bacon and eggs out I needed certain things from the galley. Time to make some Hot Paw Buns. I tried a bit of an experiment and added a couple of extra grams of yeast and a teaspoon of Psyllium husk to see what effect that would have. The gooey mixture was left on the top shelf to rise for an hour whilst we had breakfast.
Tilly had another go at liking Hebden Bridge, but it didn’t last long and she resigned herself to sleeping for much of the day.
With a duck race on Monday …
I also decided to take one lot of rising out of the process of making Hot Paw Buns. So I mixed the fruit and spices into the gooey mass. Prepared the marzipan balls for inside and then rolled out a long sticky sausage to cut into twelve which in turn had their centres added and were rolled up into balls. All popped on a baking tray to rise again. Sadly the top shelf isn’t big enough for the tray so they took up space on the table.
Yesterday we’d omitted to buy some potatoes to go with our duck this evening and a visit to the cheese shop had to be made. Mick stayed onboard to hang up some washing. The Co-op was closed, the bakers open (however no queue today), Nisa and One Stop shops were both open and so was the cheese shop!
Cheese cheese cheese!
Now what on earth to buy? I chose a couple and then a third as the lady started to serve me. The third wedge of cheese I required a bit of assistance with. I wanted some proper Wensleydale cheese. In the 70’s Mum used to buy whole Stilton and Wensleydale cheeses, wrapped in their muslin. The top would be sliced off and kept to act as a lid and WO betide anyone who went in for a scoup! Slices cut into wedges were the only way cheese was consumed from these huge beasts of cheese. They kept exceptionally well. For a few years Father Christmas used to give me a small version wrapped in muslin, creamy but rather crumbly, my favourite cheese long before Wallace and Gromit were even a glint in Nick Parks’ eye.
…there’s a duck window display competition
This last Christmas I bought a small muslin wrapped cheese from Hawes dairy, sadly it was the modern version of Wensleydale, a disappointment to be honest. Today I wanted some of the good proper stuff! Yes they had Hawes, then there two more to choose from. I asked which was the better one. The mature one was wrapped in plastic, not a good sign so I opted for the other (when I get them out to eat I’ll let you know which one it is). This one had dark muslin, it’s been aged and turned and turned. The lady offered me a taste, but there was no need I could see this is what I was after. She agreed with me and commented about how so many people thought that Hawes Wensleydale was the true cheese, ‘but that means there’s more of the good stuff left for those who know!’
Back at Oleanna, marzipan paw prints were cut out and added to the buns. Mick was sent off for a bottle of cider to make gravy for the duck and some red cabbage had cinnamon, cloves, balsamic vinegar and sugar added to it to slowly cook on the stove top. The buns went in the oven with a tray of boiling water on the shelf below for the first ten minutes, covered in foil for the last ten minutes, then were left to cool having a sticky glaze added. The smell far better than the previous buns I’d made. Once cool enough we both enjoyed one with some butter melting into them.
Hot Paw Buns cooling just enough to eat
A much better bun, even Mick said they were better than the Bakery bought ones. My tweaks to my recipe had improved them and omitting a third rise I think had helped also. I’ll have to find time to amend the recipe page.
Late afternoon we had someone to meet. Alexandra Mathie is an actress I’ve know since the mid 90’s and she was one of the first people to be a lodger in our house in 2021, she lives here in Hebden Bridge. She has just returned from Sheffield having played Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible (review here). We sat and caught up on news of mutual friends and future plans over a pint at The White Lion for an hour. I’m not sure how long she and Angie have lived here, but she says that it simply isn’t the same. The town has become a destination for hen and stag does and on summer evenings the town isn’t somewhere they’d choose to go anymore. We’ve certainly heard the rowdy lads heading to the station over the weekend. It was so lovely to see her and there was an added bonus of gluten free beer on tap!
The lovely Alex
This evening we’ve enjoyed our Lidl duck. Not as good as those we buy for Christmas, but that was to be expected. A very full plate of food followed by a few chunks of Easter Egg. Tomorrow we’d best start working off the calories and carry on climbing up the valley.
Trent Junction to Beeston, Nottingham and Beeston Canal
We winded and headed along Cranfleet Cut. There would be few trains today due to a train strike, the sign marking where HS2 was planned to cross now looks a touch forgotten about.
What were the holes for?
The stone work along the bank has lots of holes in it. What were these for? Did there used to be a wooden structure that was supported by the holes? Is it to aid drainage from the land behind? If anyone knows please tell us.
Up ahead we could see volunteers at the lock. As we approached they all stood up and walked over to close the paddles and open the gates. Four chaps in blue with life jackets. Well I’d be superfluous if I hopped off so I stayed on board, allowing them to operate one of the few remaining manual locks for us this year.
Check your quarter wave
Now down on the river we zoomed our way towards Beeston. The level seemed to be a touch low, we could see where walls lerk below the surface ready to catch you out should you stray over to the eastern bank. We passed Barton Island where recently a boat sank, a problem with it’s weedhatch. They came past us yesterday being towed to a boat yard on the Soar somewhere.
The wooden houses by the river. Various styles. I like the slightly quirkier ones which look like they’ve been cobbled together from bits and bobs. A new one going up, a lot of sterling board being used, wonder what it’ll be clad in?
We pulled up on the long pontoon before Beeston Lock, a chap pulled his boat almost to the end, but not quite. A pause for us to empty the yellow water ready for disposal at the elsan, no notice that the services have been vandalised recently.
Flower!
Up at the lock boats were coming from everywhere, well from Nottingham. I checked to see what people were doing, all stopping for water, just what we were after too. The lock was sorted to being in our favour, we dropped down to the canal level, only about a foot today, then pulled over to wait in line for the water point to become free.
5 miles to get back on the river again
The tap took it’s time to fill everyones tanks and bottles, you would think a place like Nottingham would have more than two taps!
Now to find ourselves a mooring. At first it didn’t look hopeful, but then I spied two gaps either side of a dutch barge. The second one looked like it might just be long enough for us, the chap from the dutch barge came out to help pull us in sideways, a couple of inches spare front and back, brilliant.
QUICK!!! I got on the internet, time to see if I could book a table for this evening, even Tilly didn’t know what was going on, Why wasn’t she giving me the rules and writing down the magic numbers?! 5:45 or 8pm. I opted for 8, my request had been received, but would it be accepted? An hour went by before I got confirmation of our booking. Hooray! We could go to the Victoria Hotel.
The Victoria Hotel
Apparently I am grounded. As there is no ground inside I really don’t know what it means. She says I’ve broken rule number 1 four times in the last 3 days. Only one thing to do, sulk!
Tonights menu
Our table sat waiting for us at the Victoria Hotel in the Middle Room, every other table packed. People stood at the bar to order drinks and food whilst others stood in front of the blackboard menu, also available on their website. What a choice, what a popular place. We’ve eaten here once before in 2016, but not managed to either get a mooring or a table since.
We made our selections, drank our wine and watched other peoples meals come out from the kitchen. Not one chip could be smelt, not one burger on the menu. One sausage or two with your mash though.
I’d chosen a Moroccan Lamb Tagine which came with rice and some slices of bread instead of couscous and a nan bread. Mick had a chicken skewer with pitta bread and a salad. Puddings were also partaken, Pistachio Chocolate Brownie for me and Bakewell Tart for Mick. All very very tasty. So glad we got a table.
As we finished our meal people lurked in doorways, waiting for tables to clear or for no shows. The kitchen stays open, so if you are lucky and get somewhere to sit they will serve you. Then the drinkers gradually take over, some sitting reading the newspapers with a pint, one chap inhaling some rather good looking cheese on toast.
On our return to Oleanna I counted six maybe seven campervans pulled up, thankfully noone would be opening their curtains in the morning to see us staring back at them. Tilly wasn’t interested in us at all, no knee sitting, just one very big sulk!
2 locks, 5.1 miles, 1 empty wee tank, 1 full water tank, 2 troughs of strawberries tidied up, 1 table booked, 1 sulky cat, 1 very good meal, 1 pub definitely worth visiting, 0 chips seen or smelt.
NB Cleddau was ready for the off before us this morning, they’d originally planned on being out for a few days, but due to a last minute appointment they would now have to head back to the marina. They pushed off in shirt sleeves and once winded at Elkington Bridge they returned with coats on a touch chilly in the breeze. Good to see you both, until somewhere next year.
It wasn’t until 11:30 before we pushed off and soon we were making plans for our next boat rendez vous. Plenty of boats on the move, many we’d seen in the last couple of days, everyone making the most of the drier weather and pootling up and down the summit pound.
Harvested
As we’d sat out last night we could hear the combines busy harvesting in the fields, today we got to see where they’d been, bales lined up in the fields. A constant drone from more fields followed us.
A pause for lunch, a quick chat about the wind and if it would affect plans. No plan A was still on the cards, no need to abort as yet, if we could find a suitable mooring for two boats.
Right please
Another half hour and we’d reached Welford Junction. We made note of plenty of room along the hard edge before the junction, enough for at least three boats on rings. Oleanna turned right towards Welford, we’ve not been up here for an absolute age.
Busy lock
We passed one boat coming towards us, would we be lucky in finding a mooring? As we approached the lock two boats were waiting to go up, fingers were crossed. I walked up to help. A boat came towards the lock to come down, there was space to moor before you reached the end, still fingers crossed.
One in , one out
The boat in front of us was a hire boat, I chatted to the lady. I asked if she would like some help, she checked she knew what to do. ‘Red before White’, they’d come up Foxton. I explained the difference with normal locks rather than staircases and checked she’d know what to do on their way back down tomorrow.
Our turn!
Another downhill boat, then it was our turn and time to find a big mooring! We were in luck, our preferred mooring was available and there was room for two Oleannas, we pulled in and tucked ourselves up to the boat in front. Mick then noticed a woofer with this boat and went for a chat with the owner, always best to make them aware we have a cat. We pulled Oleanna back to leave a safety gap between feline and canine. The chap sat down had a hold of his dog, when we got the thumbs up Tilly was allowed out. The dog was interested, but soon it was obvious that they’d both do their own thing.
Trees!
A while later Tilly and I wondered back to the lock with a windlass. A woofer coming towards us meant avoidance tactics and a return to the boat for Tilly. A boat was ascending and my arrival with a windlass confused them a touch, especially when I closed the top gate behind them.
There she is!
I kept a keen eye open down the cut and as soon as I saw the bow of NB Panda I lifted the paddles to empty the lock for her. Lizzie has had other things keeping her away from boating for a while and today Welford would be Panda’s first lock in a couple of years!
A perfect fit
Thankfully Panda fitted in the gap in front of us. Drinks on the terrace for a second night in a row. Then we walked down to The Wharf where thankfully we’d booked a table. Blimey it was busy, a band playing outside and just about every table taken inside.
Steaks all round
The menu was pretty good, although the gluten free options were limited to the normal suspects. We all opted for a steak and glasses of wine, very nice. Mick persuaded us all to have a pudding, these filled us all up to the brim!
Mick, Pip and Lizzie!
A good evening had by all and a nice catch up with Lizzie.
If you’d like to show support to The Fund Britains Waterways then please sign the petition Link here
1 lock, 2 nebo voyages, 6.7 miles,1 right, 2 days of rendez vousing with boats, 6 boats assisted through the lock, 2 hours, 1 big woofer, 1 G&T, 2 Pimms, 3 steaks, 6 glasses wine, 2 sundaes, 2 scoops chilled medication, 3 very full boaters.
Our mooring here in Banbury meant that picking up a hire car from Enterprise was a lot easier than it would have been from Cropredy. Hiring a car from Friday instead of Saturday morning was also a lot cheaper for the weekend. So this morning we packed up things we’d need for a couple of nights away, filled up Tilly’s biscuit bowl and got the magic food bowl out. Tilly would be left in charge, Mick’s Christmas present of a webcam focused on her food so we could check it opened on time.
24 hours apart!
It was grey in Banbury when we left, as we worked our way up and across the country it brightened up. By the time we reached Scarborough it was positively sunny and only t-shirts were required. Back at the house we unloaded our things, working out which room we’d be sleeping in for the night as Olivia our lodger for the last few weeks had family staying.
To the NORTH
The garden had had a field day. The wildflower bed was certainly past its best, some very droopy Oxeye Daisies and one stem with teasels stood out from the masses of grass. I spent an hour pulling out long grasses and Mick added our deposits into the compost bin. Then it was time to put on smarter clothes for us to head to the theatre for the evening.
A beer each
Eat Me had a beer and burger deal on if you had a ticket for that days show. The beers didn’t include the gluten free one that they do but the person who served us said it wouldn’t be a problem. We ordered our burgers which we knew would be the best we’ve had for quite sometime. Our bill turned out to have a third off because of the deal, well worth it.
A burger each
The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow was guaranteed to be very silly. Four actors play all the parts, at times costumes are abandoned on stage for an actor to run elsewhere to play another part. Wigs, references to Hitchcock films, physical comedy including a chase on the Flying Scotsman, an escape at height on the Forth Bridge, quick changes, certainly kept us on our toes. Olivia Onyehara (our lodger) played all the romantic ladies, Dave Hearn played Richard Hannay and then Niall Ransome and Lucy Keirl played everyone else, I have no idea how many parts. One character made Mick and myself turn to look at each other. In a big huus (said with a Scottish accent) Hannay is confronted by a black gloved man holding a smoking cigarette in a long holder, Professor Jordan. This man, a German Spy with the top of his little finger missing! Thankfully Mick didn’t need convincing that I wasn’t a German spy.
If you happen to be in Keswick in the next month get yourself a ticket.
Dodgy perspective atThe Trafalgar
A drink with our friends Steve and Frank after the show kept us out late, on returning to the house Olivia and her partner Herb were still up. It was really nice to have chance to meet Olivia and congratulate her on her performance.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 car, 2 buckets, 2 pouches of food, 1 Tilly in charge, 1 hour weeding, 2 burgers, 2 beers, 2 hours 40 minutes of silliness, 2 mates, forgot to ask you Frank, how are your beans doing?
Off not quite as early as planned, there was the yellow water tank to empty and the view to enjoy for just a short while longer before pushing off. We then got to enjoy the view this way and that for a while before the hawthorn blossom took over.
The Cross Keys
East Marton Double Bridge, The Cross Keys Pub high above sadly closed.
East Marton Double Bridge
Rolling hillocks of fields, all lumpy and bright green. The farmers were busy cutting the grass in the sunshine, up and down.
It took us a while to reach Greenberfield Locks which would take us up onto the summit pound of the Leeds Liverpool Canal. A chap was busy at the bottom lock, he waved us on as he opened the bottom gates for a big widebeam. He’d been helping his mate down the flight a single hander with the use of only one arm, so a true single hander.
The middle lock was emptied for us by a volunteer and then we were urged to catch up another narrowboat who was waiting in the top lock. These guys were out for a week from Skipton, they’d be going as far as Foulridge before returning.
We were now at the highest and wound our way round Barnoldswick, Barlick if you are local. No time today to head into town for a pork pie, we wanted diesel and gas.
Cobweb and Oleanna together
Pulling in at Lower Park Marina, Oleanna was stern to stern with NB Cobweb. We’d been hoping to meet somewhere, maybe share the Wigan flight. NB Cobweb is owned by Vicky and her husband David, years ago Vicky used to work front of house at the SJT in Scarborough. Earlier this year we’d just missed each other at Bramwith Lock, a comment on a post on facebook made me realise we knew each other. Sadly no-one was onboard today, their plans have changed so we won’t be sharing locks with them, maybe another time.
A fill up of diesel and a new bottle of gas and we were on the move again. We paused at Salterforth Bridge to dispose of rubbish and recycling. The Anchor pub here is also closed. Such a shame that these once thriving pubs are no more.
No longer the border
Now we discussed the border between Yorkshire and Lancashire. Two houses in Barlick flew rose flags of different colours. Was the sign further along the canal in the correct place? It was once upon a time, but today according to the OS map, we’d crossed the border below Greenberfield Locks.
Gongoozling on high
Approaching Foulridge memories came back of a conversation I’d had with my brother nine years ago, Jac his wife had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully today Jac was busy celebrating her 60th birthday in London, maybe the festivities weren’t quite what they’d had in mind as Andrew tested positive for covid at the weekend. Happy Birthday Jac!
Waiting for the green light
Mick checked the times for Foulridge Tunnel. On the hour to ten past heading westwards, we’d be stopping for lunch then. One boat came through eastbound, then we pushed off as the lights turned green. The mile long tunnel was damp in places, we’re out of practice as I nearly missed the three air shafts or mysterons.
Now most definitely in Lancashire we pootled on to the visitor moorings. Here we settled in and debated whether it would be too breezy for a barbecue again. The asparagus wouldn’t last much longer.
Tilly burrowing her way through the grass
Tilly was a touch miffed with the amount of footfall until she found the wooded area with fantastic friendly cover. Here she kept herself very busy for a couple of hours, which required being called back to the boat. I got to do my mad cat woman performance to a passing crowd.
We decided to brave the breeze and set ourselves up in a line along the mooring for a barbecue. Maybe we should have stopped a touch further on where the bank was flatter. It was still a very pleasing evening sitting out as the sun fell behind the hill opposite our mooring, just a shame the asparagus went black almost as soon as it went on the grill! The pork and veg kebabs were very tasty.
3 locks, 10 miles, 1640 yrds of tunnel, 3 mysterons, 73.6 litres diesel, 13kg gas, 11 fronds of asparagus, 4 veg haloumi kebabs, 2 pork steaks, 1 jolly good wood, 1 near meeting, 60!!!
Time for the annual round, a long post so sit back, put your feet up and enjoy.
The New Year kicked off with winter maintenance in the house. Having two hallways proved time consuming refreshing the woodwork and patching up the worst of the wallpaper. But this was broken up with weekly walks to see the sea. I resumed work on the development showing of #unit21 for Dark Horse and a Christmas present of a cheese making kit proved very tasty in creating my first ever Yorkshire Curd Cheese Cake from scratch. I plan on having a second go at this soon!
In February work progressed in Huddersfield towards opening night, the floor painted, final costume fittings and then the set and lighting added. All while Mick serviced our life jackets and Tilly grew more and more bored of life in the house.
Once the show was opened we had a trip down to London to catch up with the London Leckenbys for a belated Christmas, on our way back we visited Oleanna. When ever we could we visited Blue Water Marina to do jobs and have a pack up lunch. The stove was reblacked, walls washed down and cupboards sorted through.
Then at the end of February, Mick and I left Tilly in charge of the house, we packed enough clothes and food for a couple of days boating and headed to Thorne to move Oleanna through Thorne Lock before a winter stoppage began. Blimey it was chilly out there, but wonderful to be back afloat and moving Oleanna to Goole. Now we were all set to move back onboard and have a few weeks of pootling about in Yorkshire.
Back at the house we made it ready for the first of this years lodgers. Our boat Christmas tree was retired into the back garden where we hoped it would thrive, this of course was before we knew a drought was on it’s way! Tilly said goodbye to the dragon that lives up the chimney, left Seville and Valencia to look after the house before having to endure the car trip back to boat life.
After a few days sorting ourselves, including having one of Joan’s gluten free Chinese takeaways, we unplugged Oleanna and backed out from our mooring at Goole Marina (Boat House). We spent the next three weeks bobbing about between Pollington Lock, Doncaster and Goole. Maintenance jobs were ticked off the list.
Alistair did engine and weedhatch jobs, Frank joined us a couple of times to do carpentry jobs, our galley drawers no longer have a life of their own, the covers had a good scrub and a spray of Wet and Forget to help them keep clean.
In March I’d set myself a charity challenge, to knit as many pairs of socks in the month as I could. Nine pairs knitted for people in return for sponsorship, I also got a very generous donation of yarn from Lisa on NB Summer Wind.
Our plans had had to change as Thorne Lock still hadn’t closed, but was about to! Plans to visit York and West Yorkshire were abandoned, we’d bought ourselves a Gold Licence for the year so wanted to make the most of it. So on March 24th with all the jobs done we turned our backs on Goole and set off into the sunset to see where 2022 would take us, all three of us grinning from ear to ear.
We made our way to Keadby ready for our booked passage on the tidal River Trent, the fast route south. A phone call from a boating friend in need of support meant we’d be doing our best to make use of the spring tide to reach Cromwell in one go despite the weather forecast. We spent a couple of days doing what we could to help in Newark before we needed to be on the move again.
On upstream to The Trent and Mersey keeping up our cruising hours and Tilly hoping we’d stop with enough time for her to explore each day before cat curfew.
Up to Fradley then onto the Coventry Canal, we played leapfrog with NB Free Spirit for a couple of days.
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, up the Curdworth Flight then a turn left onto a section of the Grand Union we’d not been on before at Star City. Up Garrison Locks, Typhoo Basin and then the Ashted Locks where we now have the measure of that Tunnel! A mooring space at the top of Farmers Bridge had our name on it. This was handy for a road trip to swap lodgers and for visits to the dentist. It also meant we were in shot when a group came to jump the top lock!
Fast forward to 6:15
Our route out of Buminghamsaw us through Edgbaston Tunnel, down Lapworth followed by Hatton. A pause was needed for Tilly’s annual visit to a new vet, the one here the closest to the canal we’ve visited so far, also handy for The Cape of Good Hope!
At Napton we joined the Oxford Canal and headed for Braunston, pausing to stock up on goodies from the butcher. On the Grand Union we made our way up over the hill and started our descent down The Long Buckby flight back towards tidal waters.
On the 1st of May we turned left at Gayton Junction onto the Northampton Arm dropping down the flight to the River Nene. We’d only been this way once before and that was when we’d just bought Lillian (NB Lillyanne) back in 2014. We bought ourselves a second Abloy key, showed our Gold Licence to the chap at Northampton Marina and started our journey down stream, time to explore.
A decision was made to head down to Peterborough taking note of places we’d want to visit on our return journey. We worked our way through the guillotine locks, many button operated and others with the wheel of cardiovascular overload.
Tilly loved many of the moorings apart from those in Peterborough where crowds surrounded the boat and meant returning from shore leave was impossible for several hours.
In two weeks we reached the end of the river at the Dog in a Doublet Lock. Here the river becomes tidal, we’d save that trip for another time and turned back upstream to head for the Middle Level.
Here we wanted to explore all the drainage channels, but decided we’d do that on our return too. So we took the direct route and crossed the low lying waters in three days arriving at Salters Lode on Mick’s birthday. The levels out on the tidal stretch of the Great Ouse needing to be just right to get through the lock, turn and head upstream to Denver Sluice.
A lovely GOBA mooring was found on the River Wissey and eventually the sun came out for a birthday barbeque, we’d made it to the Great Ouse.
The remainder of May was spent exploring the River Wissey, Ely and The Little Ouse. Brandon Lock sits at the most easterly point on the connected navigable network for boats Oleanna’s size. Sadly a build up of silt stopped us from getting her bow into the lock, but we did get her as far east as was possible, ticking off the fourth point of the compass.
There was a trip to Hull Truck to meet old friends at a gala evening followed by a meet up with Micks family back in the Fens. At the end of the month we got to know Neil the seal at Ten Mile Bank moorings as he basked in the sun and took sunset dips in the river.
The Jubilee was seen in at Denver, we lit our guiding lights as a Lancaster Bomber flew overhead heading to see the Queen. The Relief Channel gave us a good mooring to be able to have a trip away to celebrate Dawn and Lee’s 50th Birthdays in Scarborough, we went as Wallace and Gromit and won an Oscar!
Another visit to Ely to see the Cathedral, Farmers market and meet up with Heather from NB Bleasdale, the first of many this summer. The River Lark was explored, the end of navigation reached with a handy mooring outside a pub.
We headed for the Cam, our paths crossing for the first time with Ken and Sue from NB Cleddau. Then onwards in to Cambridge where we visited colleges, ate chilled medication and had a day trip to Duxford so that Mick could sit in the pilots seat of a Trident 2, a seat his Dad had sat in on many a flight.
Oleanna squeezed along each of the three Lodes, Wicken, Burwell and Reach. Wicken Lode a magical place and a day visit to Anglesey Abbey with it’s wonderful gardens.
Then we headed onto the Old West a river with a very different feel than the Ely Ouse. A pause was needed when we reached Earith for us to have a tour of Heathers new to her boat GT. Once off the tidal water we were on a different Great Ouse again. Here St Ives, St Neots and Hemingford gave us sunsets, D shaped locks, huge meadows and wonderful towns and villages to explore.
As the temperatures started to rise I needed to do some work. Cruising happened in the mornings, my Panto script and sketches were done in the shade of what trees we could find. White sheets were bought and we hoped for a mooring with shade for the really hot days that were to come. Tilly took to lying on the floor and we took to wearing wet t-shirts to help us to keep cool. Thankfully the hot blast only lasted a couple of days then the temperature dropped and we could continue to head upstream.
July 21st we reached the navigable limit of the River Great Ouse, having to reverse some distance to be able to turn round and return to Bedford for the River Festival.
Here we met up with Ken and Sue, Jennie and Chris from NB Tentatrice and Heather again. Plenty of things to see, do and hear. The boat parades, raft races, vintage cars, all sorts kept us busy for the two days.
Now at the end of July we alternated the days between cruising and my work. More beautiful days cruising and more wonderful sunsets, one day off to visit Cambridge for some more chilled medication and to see the Hockney exhibition.
August saw more hot days. Trips to London to celebrate birthdays, panto meetings, catch up with best friends and travellers over from Australia.
On the 15th August we crossed back from Denver Sluice to the Middle Level having really enjoyed our three months on the Great Ouse. Now water levels were a worry along with having enough time to reach Oxford for me to go to work in October. We made the decision to come back and explore the Middle Level another year, maybe we’ll cross The Wash to get there!
By the end of August our progress up stream on the River Nene slowed to a halt. First one lock broke then another two ahead of us. We’d recently been accepted to join the Reflections Flotilla on the Thames to mark the Queens Jubilee in a few weeks time, now that time was ticking away.
When we did get moving again we had to make up our cruising hours. With the news of the passing of the Queen we didn’t know if the flotilla would still be going ahead, we carried on at pace waiting for news. Back up the River Nene, turning onto the Grand Union, working our way southwards. The news came through that the flotilla would go ahead, but now in remembrance of the Queen.
With a couple of days to spare we squeezed into the Eco-Moorings by Islington Tunnel. Two days of catching up with family and more friends over from Australia before we joined boats heading along the Regents Canal towards Limehouse Basin. An afternoon of activity saw numerous narrowboats festooned with white lights.
On the 24th of September the Thames barrier was closed and we all headed out of Limehouse Lock up stream to Chelsea where we clung onto buoys until the early evening when the flotilla started to muster.
Getting on for 150 boats all displaying white lights got into formation and headed down stream. Crowds stood on the illuminated bridges and Tower Bridge opened up in a royal salute as we passed underneath. What a truly amazing day.
Now we had to head towards Banbury, back round the Regents Canal as a leak in the engine bay needed testing on the calm waters of the canal rather than the tideway. By the time we reached Brentford we were confident with Oleanna’s engine again. On the Thames Tilly got a birthday present of a night on a Cliveden Island. Sadly we got an unexpected present on our arrival in Oxford, a second red line on a covid test! Panto painting couldn’t be put off so we made our way gradually up the Oxford Canal keeping our distance from people at locks and taking maximum doses of paracetamol.
A week of painting in Banbury before I moved to Chipping Norton to stack up the hours over the next four weeks getting the 50th anniversary panto ready. Rendez Vousing with Oleanna at weekends in Banbury and Coventry kept me sane. Mick had to single hand across the summit of the Oxford Canal to avoid the first of the winter stoppages.
All three of us were back onboard by mid November, covid free and vaccinated. We took things slowly now, time to rest up, meet friends, gather family and pootle towards Christmas. Our 20th Anniversary was celebrated with a Chinese takeaway at Alvecote Marina, a planned stop which ended up being extended due to plummeting temperatures. The canal froze, there’d be no moving the outside for Tilly!
Temperatures lifted dramatically and the ice just about vanished in a couple of days, we could now be on our way to Christmas. Alrewas was a good place to spend the festive days, a very good butchers and a village with lots of character and humour.
Bookings in the New Year had been made for passage on the tidal River Trent for us to reach Yorkshire, but this would not be. The Trent had risen before Christmas, Cranfleet Flood Gates were shut ahead of us, so no New Year at Hazelford Lock. Instead our alternator played up and we sought out a mooring to hook up to and see in 2023.
This year we’d been wanting to explore again. This year we cruised miles of new water, made new friends, got too hot, got iced in, got stuck, got to be in the first illuminated flotilla on the Thames for 300 years. What a great year it has been.
So our vital statistics for 2022 according to Canalplan are
Total distance is 1249 miles, 6½ furlong and 555 locks . There were 88 moveable bridges of which 29 are usually left open; 156 small aqueducts or underbridges and 18 tunnels, a total of 7 miles 2 ¼ furlongs underground and 8 major aqueducts.
This was made up of 227 miles, 1 1/2furlongs of narrow canals; 363 miles, 2 furlongs of broad canals; 85 miles, 5 furlongs of commercial waterways; 269 miles, 1 furlong of small rivers; 234 miles, 7 1/4 furlongs of large rivers; 69 miles, 6 furlongs of tidal rivers; 176 narrow locks; 232 broad locks; 54 large locks; 2 locks on major waterways.
731.7 engine hours
1156.1 litres diesel, 5 (although we’ve got 1 empty now) gas bottles (used for central heating as well as cooking), 28.5 litres oil, 3 oil filters, 1 fuel filter, 2 air filters, 1 water pump, 2 new belts, 690kg coal, 1 overnight guest twice, 6 packs Dreamies (not enough!), 56 friends, a record breaking 41 Mrs Tilly stamps of approval (4 in one day!), 15 pairs socks, 2 shows designed, 9 lodgers, 2 lots gluten free puff pastry, 9 supermarket deliveries, 30 boxes of wine delivered, 2 lost unicorns.
Thank you all for joining us on our journey. Wonder where we’ll get to in 2023?
A Saturday newspaper was picked up this morning along with some chesty cough mixture, Mick is having difficulty brushing off the cold I gave him.
Watching the lock empty
One boat came past before we pushed off, hopefully the first lock of the day would be in our favour. Mick walked on ahead after giving Oleanna’s bow a push out for me, I tootled on behind waiting for the top gate to open.
Nebo notes were easier to make on entering the locks today as we were without a volunteer, so there was more time to note our position before the lock started to empty. Have no idea why my Nebo recorded 1.5 miles further than Mick’s as our phones were sat next to each other for most of the trip!
One coming up!
We passed an up hill cruiser and then on a longer pound I could see someone setting the next lock, it had been half empty so the chap set it in their favour, we were a long way off.
Crossing the bottom gate
Mick worked the locks, at some he adopted my method of opening the bottom gates. Standing in the middle and pushing them apart, kicking one into it’s recess and then fully opening the other gate. Neither of us are willing to step over from one open gate to a closed gate as others do. Mick says he’s not sure if my method saves any time, he also isn’t too happy doing it. To which I say, if he’s not happy doing it then he shouldn’t. I know that new or metal gates are harder to move, but that comes with experience.
I had a go at closing the bottom gate using a boat hook. I’m not tall enough to do this, so gave up after the third attempt. I felt a touch of a fraud at one lock as I waited for Mick to return from setting the next lock to close the top gate.
Boat hook replacement
Moving gates is the reason I’ve been told not to work locks until my calf is better, but it really doesn’t feel right stood on the back of the boat alongside the beam and not closing it!
Sam and Mick chatting about trains
Second to last lock and the bottom gates were open, a boat just entering from below. We pulled in to wait our turn. Mick walked up to help with the bottom gates as I wondered if the chap climbing the ladder was Sam from NB Red Wharf. Our bows have crossed several times through the years normally just long enough for a quick chat. Today there was a touch longer as his boat rose in the slow filing lock. Sorry I didn’t walk down to chat too, I’d done too much walking yesterday. Tilly sadly didn’t sit in the window to say hello, well it was time for my mid morning snooze!
Bye Sam, see you again, somewhere, sometime
By now dark clouds were starting to take over from the blue sky we’d been treated to so far. The number of oak trees along this stretch gave us such wonderful views, if only the sun had been shining the orange trees would have glowed their glorious colours. They were still pretty good.
Orange oak leaves
The temperature was very chilly as we pootled our way along the five miles to todays destination, Alvecote Marina. We pulled in at the service point and Mick went to check in, whilst I did my best to rinse the bow rope that had landed in some dog shit residue! The chap came out to point us towards our mooring for the next few days. Some thought went into where to place us. In the end we were directed towards an old 70ft working boat Victoria. It turns out I’d taken a photo of the exact mooring as we’d come past.
Is that our spot?
We decided to go bow end in which made our mooring easy, this would make it easy to fill with water, hook up we can do from either end. The short thin green pontoons not ideal, but stepping off the bow will just require an amount of care. A nappy pin was needed to tie the bow, then we could head indoors to warm up.
Tilly was not pleased. No shore leave whilst we are here, she made her feelings known!
Some research over the last few days had been done on Chinese Takeaways in Tamworth with delivery. Once a year I risk Chinese food, avoiding battered dishes, but hoping not to regret pancakes and hoisin sauce with crispy aromatic duck or soy sauce hidden in most dishes (Joan’s Home Kitchen in Goole an exception as she’d cook especially without gluten). Eat Well was chosen, £3 delivery charge, ordered on line, cash required for payment. At first our delivery slot wasn’t possible, we’d have to wait 85 minutes, hopefully it would be worth it.
Here’s to us
Mick headed out to wait in the car park of the Samuel Barlow pub, not currently open. A phone call from the driver discovered that he was on the wrong side of the canal, torches were flashed and after a short walk the food was handed over.
The duck was good, followed by Crispy Beef and Kung Po Chicken. Very generous portions, I was quite surprised at the amount of meat we got in each dish and one large rice between us was just right. A very good takeaway. We even got two fortune cookies each, my fortunes more upbeat than Micks.
Don’t know what this means about the next twenty years!
What twenty years has done to us!
6 locks, WE 6.15 miles, Pip’s Nebo 6.3 miles, Mick’s Nebo 5 miles! 3 passed, 1 Sam, 2 chilly boaters, 1 dog doo rope, £10 not £18, 1 mardy cat, 1 Chinese, 20 years together, I’m not old enough to have been with him for 20 years, surely!
Contact with my friend Graham was needed today. Graham built the set for #unit21 and it was built with the hope that we could upgrade it should the show get funding to go on tour. Replacing green neon gaffa tape with LED neon or rope light was always the goal, hopefully we now have sufficient budget to do this.
I finally got round to stowing away items brought back from Chippy. I seem to have gained a few glue sticks, a longer tape measure than the one that broke. The best item was a large panto potato. This will be reused, being chopped up into chips for #unit21, a suitable use. Items from the model were edited down to a minimum, barrels and a favourite piece will be saved the rest went in the bin.
Daytime TV watching has moved on from episodes of Inspector Morse to the original series of Star Trek, Mick treated us to the gangster 1920s episode whilst I worked on making a large scale model of a door from panto. This will be sent to the director to fit into a sample of a cloth I was sent that’s about four times bigger than my 1:25 model. As her son gave us lots of inspiration for the cloth it seemed like the natural place for it go, it just needs a door to finish it off.
Atmospheric and chilly out tonight
Early evening we walked up to The Barley Mow, just 200yards away to meet up with our friend Lizzie. We always try to get to see her when in the area and we’d arranged a meet up after panto.
Mick, Lizzie and me
Very good to have a catch up. She’s had another very tough year, it’s about time things improved for her. We were impressed with the food in the pub. Two black and blue burgers and a rump steak. One improvement would have been warm plates, my steak nicely cooked just a touch cool when I got it.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 day back at work, 2 bags unpacked, 1 still to be stowed, 1 under dinette cupboard full, 1 big door, 2 boater reviews of panto, 2 burgers, 1 steak, 1 good friend.
