Category Archives: River Wey

Four In The Lock, And The Little One Said.. 2nd August

Papercourt Meadows to Pyrford Marina

We woke with that sloaping feeling. The slight list we’d achieved when mooring yesterday had increased overnight, whether this was down to river levels changing we don’t know as things looked the same. Tilly was allowed out as we were in no rush to get anywhere today and we sat having breakfast thankfully our cereal staying in our bowls, but it is a touch unnerving sitting at an angle.

Time came to push off. Most times pushing the back out and engaging reverse does the job. However today Oleanna would move a touch but she always returned to where she’d started off, we seemed to have got behind a mound of silt that wasn’t going to let her free without a tussle. The barge pole was deployed, a push, then a bigger push, followed by an even bigger push, the stern was free and was pushed as far as the pole would reach out into the channel. A good blast of reverse got us clear and the bow out from where she’d settled and we could carry on downstream.

Last night Mick had spent ages trying to get Memory Map working on the new tablet for the stern, all that was left to do this morning was decide which case it should go in, red or blue. Red won of course. It’s nice to be able to see where we’re going again on a bigger screen than that of a phone. We just need a longer lead for it as the power socket is on the opposite side to the old one.

Not far to Newark Lock which sits close to the ruins of Newark Priory. There were plenty of people around the lock, as I walked up I could see why. There were four boats in the lock, two day boats and two short boats. The day boats were discussing that maybe the order to which they had entered the lock should be altered next time to afford a bit more space, the two longer boats were one in front of the other. This all suggested that it was a big group outing, maybe for someones birthday.

As the day boats pulled out from the lock it then became apparent that the other boats had just happened upon them. ‘Hold back! We’ll stay here for a while, let them get ahead. Don’t want to be with them all day!’ The last boat to leave the lock a sea otter had quite a crew, ten on board in total. Quiet now returned to the river and we carried on down by ourselves.

Entering the flood lock, turf on either side

There was more time to look at Walsham Flood Gates today, the telephone bells having been noted on our way upstream. This is the last of the turf locks on the River Wey. Stone ends to the lock where the gates are positioned, in between there is just earth and vegetation which slopes away, we’ll come across a few more of these this summer.

At Pryford Lock a boat was ascending and a group of young lads helped with the gates, they helped as we descended. It actually looked like they were set in for the day with a picnic blanket laid out alongside the lock.

The Anchor pub was heaving and the smell of chips was enticing but we held off, turning into Pryford Marina onto the service mooring.

A fill up of diesel before we hit the Thames and an opportunity to wash the port side windows, Tilly appreciated her better view. Then we reversed back out onto the river and found a suitable mooring so that Tilly could have the remainder of the day out and about in the trees. Here is just far enough away from the M25, tomorrow we’ll end up mooring almost alongside it, for a time anyway. The afternoon was spent listening to the test match and I baked Mick a loaf of bread, it’s the first time I’ve had to knead bread in quite sometime.

2 locks, 2.1 miles, 1 left, 1 pole, 1 roof on a boat, 1 pair of specs, 2 personless shoes, 4 in a lock, 10 on one boat, 0 space to swing a cat, 83.66 litres, 4 clean windows, 8 hours shore leave, 0 rude woofers, 1 multi seeded loaf.

https://goo.gl/maps/oBND1zoCZKx4xnw19

Down The Wey. 1st August

Dapdune Wharf to Papercourt Meadows

Earth, Wind, Fire and Water were the order of the day at Dapdune and young visitors arrived early for a day of fun. Around the site you could paddleboard, make mud pies, learn how to make a fire or partake in lots of fun activities all around the place. We opted to just look round the buildings we’d not seen yesterday.

The barge building shed has a great photo at one end of the structure that makes up a Wey Barge and the walls are decorated with Carpenters Porn. Planes of every size and use, drills and one of the biggest vices I’ve seen.

The paintwork was almost alive on the doors

Next the Gunpowder Store that last night was filled with paddle boards. Here we learnt that transporting gunpowder by water was the safest means and it continued until the 1920’s. The kegs of powder would be stored in this room until they set off for London. The paint on the doors was all bubbled and blistered, as though numerous fires had taken place in the room.

The main display was about ropes, knots and pulleys. Here you could spend hours learning how to tie all manner of knots and then forget them for when they are most needed.

Reliance was open to have a look around. The boarded over hold very low, necessitated bending over to reach the cabin at the stern. Here the cabin was laid out with a table set up flipped out from the cupboards, dishes on the long stove ready to cook a meal on. Panels which looked like doors made up the seat backs, these would hinge down and make up beds for the crew, far more space than on a narrowboat.

A wander around the island and a chance to taste our first Blackberries of the year, mine despite being picked easily was still face shrivellingly sour. Everywhere you looked there were games laid out. An orienteering course, archery and loads more and the site was filled with kids.

Mick had topped up the water before the Wharf had opened this morning so we were now good to go. Not far until we pulled in, a nearby B&Q called us on the hunt for a longer plank. They had none. but a nearby Argos provided Mick with a cheap tablet which he’s hoping to run Waterway Routes on at the stern as we cruise, replacing one that died a few months ago.

Approaching Stoke Lock we could see people milling about. The gates were open, but they proceeded to close them. A stripey person looked at us, turned away from the gate then did a Frank Matthews double take at us , then continued to walk down to the bottom gates. We could see that the lock was being emptied, Oh well! Good job we weren’t in a rush.

We pulled in and I walked down, normally I’d offer a helping hand, but everything was being taken care of, so instead I said Good morning to see what was said back. Nothing other than a ‘morning’. I took the opportunity to walk over the footbridge and take a photo of the lock cottage with the hire boat in front of it.

Plenty of crew taking it in turns to do things, one at a time

The lock emptied, the gates opened and they took their time. A jumper needed rearranging around someones middle then the boat was tied to tightly so couldn’t be undone. With at least five crew everything took time, a lot of it. I suggested that maybe we should have some lunch whilst we waited, there’d almost have been enough time.

Eventually they made their way up and the lock was now ours. I was just about to close a gate when I saw a boat following us, so we waited to be joined, a nice couple on a Sea Otter (a small aluminium narrowboat). We had a short pause for lunch before carrying on to Bowers Lock. Ahead we could see a boat had just entered the lock to go down, we tooted our horn, someone looked but the gates still closed. We tooted again, another look, maybe they didn’t know that they could share locks on this stretch. Oh well we’d be doing this one on our own too.

At the moment there is work being done on the weir, there’s lots of noise. Due to this the lock landing is a temporary pontoon quite a distance away, so by the time I reached the lock they were halfway down. I asked how much further they planned on going today, they weren’t sure. One chap stayed and helped me close the very low bottom gates which was the bit I’d not been looking forward to as my back has just about sorted itself from when we came up this lock.

We passed them a while later, they’d almost pulled in at a mooring we’d tried to get into on our way up, glasses of wine were already being consumed, it was the last night of their holiday. We offered to share the next lock, but they must have settled for the evening.

Triggs Lock has way more than it’s fare share of paddles on the bottom gates, three each. The top gates can be chained back and then the lock used as a sluice/weir when the river is in flood. I only got to wind the outer set of paddles today. Winding them back down could be done from land, but anyone a touch shorter than me would have difficulty in reaching with a long handled windlass.

By the pub two cruisers were mooring up. The full length of mooring and they chose to take the easy option of tying to a bollard each, leaving only enough space for one narrowboat and two big git gaps! Good job we didn’t want to stop.

Papercourt Lock wasn’t quite so picturesque today the blue sky hiding by now behind clouds. From here I could see that there was only one boat moored up on the meadows below, so there should be somewhere for us to pull up too.

Standing at the bow keeping a watch out we tried one spot. No hard or straight edge here, would it be deep enough for us? The bow came in well, we pulled forward so that Mick didn’t have to jump off into nettles. Goose pooh hop scotch was needed as we tied up, we were on a slight list but this would do nicely. Tilly on the other hand wasn’t too sure, most probably due to the lack of trees.

During the evening we’ve watched reports of the Toddbrook Reservoir that feeds the Peak Forest at Whaley Bridge. I so hope the spillway can be made safe to allow people to go home, the repair will take some time. Boaters have been told to take ‘every precaution’. I think we’d try to get as far away as possible, past Marple towards Poynton in a different valley.

4 locks, 7.23 miles, 1 full water tank, 0 rubbish, 1 clean pooh box, 1 lock stolen, 1 shared, 6 pairs of deaf ears, 2 very low lock beams, 6 paddles, 1 snake, 1 meadow mooring, 19.75 digits and 4 paws crossed for Whaley Bridge.

https://goo.gl/maps/Md1gKSEmXJbpEND18

Dapdune 31st July

Guildford Willow Meadows to Dapdune Wharf

Having put off till tomorrow, due to the rain, we needed to go into town. There was the bank to visit, the new security measures being brought in for online banking had meant that I’d managed to lock myself out of my account! We also needed new vacuum bags to store things in under the bed. In the past we’ve had various types and gradually they have all failed, so this time we’ve gone for robust and protected ones with their own tote bags. We couldn’t remember off hand how big the storage area is under the bed and they don’t come in ‘about this by that and that’ sizes! So we will have to have a measure before we open any of the packaging up and I have a note of the different sized bags that are available.

A top up on food and we headed back to Oleanna, hopping over the ropes from a day boat, we know they are given spikes as yesterdays boaters gave up hammering them in to also use the trees!

As we’d had a good breakfast today no lunch was required. We pushed off and made our way back into town, dropped down Millmead Lock with two swans who were quite impatient for the gates to open and then wound our way under all the roads.

Our hope had been to get a mooring at Dapdune Wharf so that we could have a look around before carrying on our way. Coming round the last bend the wharf lay empty, not one boat moored there, just a mass of paddle boarders. Instructions were shouted to all the wobbly people and space was made for us to come into the side.

The view one way was good, lots of people admiring me. But on the other side I wasn’t impressed! A high wall which gave tantalising views of people walking past and what looked like an interesting roof line. She said I wouldn’t like it, so instead of letting me out they went off and had a look round.

Dapdune Wharf was used for goods transshipment and latterly for barge building and maintenance. The site is now the National Trusts administrative offices for the navigation along with a visitor centre. After we’d had a cuppa watching the next batch of novice paddle boarders getting their confidence (or just getting wet!) we had our membership cards scanned and started to have a look round.

For over 150 years the Stevens family played an important role in the development of the navigation, first as Lock Keepers then onto management of a substantial transport business along the navigation. By 1902 the Stevens brothers gained full ownership of the navigation. The Edwards family was brought in and Wey Barges were built at Dapdune. The boats kept transporting goods into the 60’s and the navigation was finally handed over to the National Trust in 1964.

Here you can see the smithy, originally the nail store, given away by there not being a chimney. Repair sheds (now used to house the electric trip boats). A gunpowder store, building shed, a carpenters shed, a steam chest (where timber was steam so that it could be bent into shape for the hulls). And Reliance an original Wey Barge built in 1931-32 which is no longer water tight so sits on a frame above the graving dock.

There are displays with 3D maps and Mick spent quite a bit of time playing with a model that demonstrates how locks work. Well if the water pressure had been enough he wouldn’t have been able to level the two pounds and the lock meaning both ends of the lock could be opened at the same time!

Around the site there were a few pieces of art from Farnham College of Art. A couple made from fabric and paper were vaguely interesting, one a sheet and some rope was just taking up space, but the best one was a giant cottage teapot on a trolley, the smithy had been filled with such teapots also. My photo makes the trolley look like it’s been made in miniature.

Still with a few more sheds to check out as they were closing, we decided to stay for the night. A nice mooring apart from the trains going over the bridge close by, they are so noisy! But as the sun vanished out of sight numerous bats swooped, ducked and dived past Oleanna enjoying a major feast. They were so busy Mick decided to close the hatch in case they decided to swoop in.

1 lock, 1.25 miles, 4 digits changed, 1 pointless phone call, 3 nights food, 2 big bags, 5 veg bags, 2 trip hazards, 1 Liza, 2 swans, 8 boards, 1 nervous lad blossoming into a smiley goon, 2 chilled medications, 1 resigned cat, 3 hyperactive bats at least, 01:15 the last noisy train tonight!

https://goo.gl/maps/8uArXzZ47pF9zBio6

The mystery plant I believe is Dipsacus fullonum, more commonly known as a Teasle. Coming across one on the path made it very obvious. Thank you Debby for your suggestion.

Dripping. 30th July

Guildford Big Willows Meadow

I’d had chance to explore this outside yesterday evening in the lovely sunshine. Fantastic willow trees with long sideways branches, brilliant for running along, I made sure that they were all mine.

Today the outside turned wet, then wetter still. It didn’t put off the people in the long zoomy boats or me. She and Tom were quite happy for me to be outside, out of the way, they were trying to put things away. She says they’ve got too much stuff again and need to get rid of things, I thought it best to keep out of arms reach just in case I was classed as stuff.

Rain never really bothers me, I quite like how it makes my fur glisten but today it played a trick on me. There I was wanting to gain some height for a better vantage point. I did my calculations and prepared my potential energy, converted it to kinetic energy leaping up. All had gone well and my landing position was looking suitable, no split second alterations of trajectory for landing. Paws set for landing only to discover the grab rail, named for it’s normal grabability, was the slipperiest thing in the world!

Instead of landing with grace, I all of a sudden, had to dig more kinetic energy out of my back legs and launch myself back onto dry land! ‘Tilly’s gone in!’ But I was out already! Tom opened the back door for me. My then chosen position on the sofa to dry off not a popular one. ‘Good job you’ve got lots of towels Tilly’ as I was She handled into the bathroom and unceremoniously rubbed down whilst trying to get back under the bathroom door.

By the time I had stopped dripping everywhere it was someone elses turn. There was a knock on the slippy roof, it was Tom Adam. He wasn’t quite as soaked as I’d been but he’d made a good go of it, maybe he was too big to fall down the gap between Oleanna and this outside.

Tom Adam sometimes lives on a boat called NB Briar Rose and sometimes lives in a house, he also works for the BBC in that there busy London outside. I let them all sit around for ages chatting boats before I came through to say hello. How come he wasn’t told off for making the dinette soggy, wrapped in a towel and then dragged into the bathroom?!

Tom Adam was the reason I got on the cover of Canal Boat Magazine. Once he’d dried off too I was given lots of Pocket Pillows, three different flavours! Was this my fee for the cover? Or just a present? I don’t mind which, he can visit us again.

The rain stopped for a while so we all went outside to say goodbye, I made sure I showed him the best branches to climb should he and Tom Adrian tie up this outside in future. Really hope he got back to his car before it started to rain again. What a drippy day!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 tidy boat, 1 soggy moggy, 1 soaked sofa, 1 cat towel, 1 hour drying, 1 damp Adam, 2 hours drying, 3 cups of tea, 1 packet biscuits, 3 packets pocket pillows, 4 chin rubs, 1 nice Tom, 1 sprint up the willows, 1 sour dough pizza, 1 head mended, 2 pockets ( not edible) added to my cardigan.

Pink And Yellow. 28th, 29th July

Godalming Wharf to Quarry Hill Footbridge Meadows

Being close to a water point meant a day of chores before we pushed off. Oleanna hasn’t had a wash down in months, so it was about time. Mick even used the word ‘we’ in relation to the job. On NB Winding Down, our share boat, we would have to leave her spotless after each trip, which meant a grumpy last day on board. I enjoy returning the roof to it’s original colour, where as Mick follows instructions and any suggestion that he’s not quite doing it right is followed by his cloth being slapped back into the bucket. As you can understand we don’t spend our lives washing Oleanna down as some boat owners do.

A boat had beaten us to the water point, so the washing machine went on instead. Once they had moved away we pushed over. The hose was set to refill our tank, then a couple of buckets were made ready. Everything was removed from the roof, it was swept down and we set to work. This of course coincided with another boat pulling up! They breasted up and headed off to do some shopping whilst our tank filled and we washed the roof. Blimey it was filthy!

On their return our tank had not long since filled, a boat tucked into the corner had left, so we suggested that we slip out and take that space. They could do their necessaries and when the time came for them to wind we would return back to the service mooring leaving the winding hole totally clear.

The tap is a slow one! As they filled their tank a horse box arrived with Alizee, the packet boat was made ready for a trip out, a coach arrived, passengers climbed onboard Iona, Alizee was walked around to the towpath, the health and safety talk was given, Alizee was toggled up to the rope and off the trip boat went, all the time we washed Oleanna, moving down to the starboard cabin side. At last their tank was full so we swapped positions so that they could wind with ease.

As we returned all the poles and brushes to the roof a friendly Australian couple came for a chat. There was lots to talk about with them and we were glad, Mick more than me, for a break from the washing! I’d wanted to get the stern and well deck looking nice today too before we headed back towards Guildford, but it wasn’t to be. Not the Australians fault but a blank spot in my vision, the start of another migraine!

So we returned to the mooring by the winding hole and Mick tucked us in tightly whilst I retired below with some pills. No more washing and no going anywhere.

Monday morning and I certainly wasn’t going to be rushing around for anyone. We took our time, ran the washing machine again and then moved back to the water point to top the tank up. With this done we slowly made our way down stream. Catteshall Lock needed resetting, the two of us operating paddles and gates as plenty of gongoozlers looked on.

Trowers Footbridge was busy, two lads jumping into the river, had they seen us coming? A short toot of our horns and they knew we were there. We pulled in at the pub mooring for some food and then decided to carry on.

The sun was out and so was everyone. Approaching Unstead Lock we could see that we were following someone who was already on their way down. A dozen or so young people stood around the lock, music in the back ground, all a touch damp around the edges. As we approached, the bottom gates were being closed by them, brilliant we could fill the lock. They helped with the gates and watched patiently as we dropped down the lock. As soon as we were out of the way the gates were closed again and a figure at the top gates could be seen winding the paddles up. They’d been waiting to get their swimming pool back again. Each of them harmless, wanting to have fun, we just hope they understand the dangers of locks.

At Broadford Bridge I waited in the bow with tape measure in hand. Mick slowed Oleanna right down so that the gap between our horns and the underside of the bridge could be measured. The gap was between 5 and 6 inches from this and the height board from the bridge I could work out our height above the water. We’ve had a height given to us before, but today with a full water tank and a half diesel tank we could do our own maths. 6ft 2ish, give or take half an inch, well if the river level board was correct.

6ft 2inches is the maximum height of Standedge Tunnel. Before the chimney was trimmed it sat at a similar height to the top of the horns, it being off centre had always worried us, hence it having been trimmed. We now know that when the time comes we’ll need to remove the horns from their bracket, giving us around 4 to 5 inches leeway.

St Catherines Lock basked in the sunshine again and then we were down in the reach of the river we planned on mooring in. My head and I could now take it easy. More swimmers and bridge jumpers were expected and they didn’t disappoint.

We pulled in opposite the big posh houses/flats on the off side by the meadows. Further to walk into town from here but far more pleasant for Tilly, just so long as she keepst her tail down away from the electric fence!

3 locks, 600ft back and forth, 3.57 miles, 1 clean roof and side, 1 left, 2 pink pills, 4 none yellow yellow pills, 2nd horse, 14 swimmers, 6ft 2, 1 clean kettle, 1 sour dough woken up, 250 grams mince in the bin, 1 head on the mend.

https://goo.gl/maps/KqKJXxo6QLj1A4uL8

Yesterdays Property

£379,000 for two bedrooms with painted floorboards and wonky walls.

https://www.hamptons.co.uk/buy/property/2-bedroom-semi-detached-house-in-surrey,gu7-ref-4822884/

Edwin and Gertrude. 27th July

Godalming

Godalming Museum is small but crammed full of information. Quite often such places are all about face, information here and there all jumbled up. Others consist of someones collection of bits and bobs and not much else, these range from mildly interesting to far far too much eagerly collected information that over powers you and to appreciate them fully you’d need a year or two of concerted effort. Godalming Museum is very well thought out, packed with information should you choose to look it up.

Lutyens with his T square and Jekyll with spade and cat

There is a room dedicated to two locals, Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. Lutyens was a famous architect who adapted traditional architectural styles to the needs of his times, designing numerous country houses in the Arts and Crafts style, the Cenotaph in London and much of New Dehli, India.

He was commissioned by Gertrude Jekyll to design Munstead Wood, a house for her and this was a start of their professional partnership. Gertrude would design the gardens that went long with Edwin’s houses, quite a package, if you could afford them.

A model of a statue of Gertrude sadly never made

The room is filled with sketches, cartoons and a scale model of what would have been a wonderful statue of Gertrude had it been made.

Maybe some of this would help with my back

Upstairs are rooms about the history of Godalming. Shallow places on the River Wey encouraged the Saxons to settle in the area. The river also became a natural barrier for King Alfred holding back the Vikings and in WW2 pill boxes were built along it’s length. Mills played a large part in Godalmings history, with corn, fulling, paper, gunpowder mills and tanneries. In 1881 the River Wey powered the worlds first public electricity supply, but sadly due to flooding and technical difficulties the town returned to gas lighting three years later.

From the 17th Century Godalming became the centre of the framework knitting industry. Framework knitters worked long hours producing stockings in wool, silk and by the 1760’s cotton. Several framework machines are on display far more complicated than my knitting machine back in Scarborough. How I would love a sock knitting machine, giant french knitting for grown ups!

A wall of magnetised photographs of local people ‘The Peoples Gallery’, all collated as Artists, Heroes, Writers, Booksellers etc caught our eye. Just browsing through the photos you want to know why they were important. A computer and large lever arch files hold a lot of information about everyone. From Jack Philips the junior wireless operator on the Titanic, who learnt his skills at Godalming Post Office. To Galton and Simpson who wrote Hancocks Half Hour and Steptoe and Son. To Chennell and Chalcraft who were hung on 14th August 1818, on the Lammas Lands for murder and parricide. To Mary Tofts who gave birth to rabbits!

Mick managed to find details of Charterhouse School, where his Great Uncle Norman taught mathematics from 1909 to 1945. Sadly he wasn’t famous enough to manage to get on the People’s Gallery.

At 15:58 we stopped what we were doing and waited and watched as the clock mechanism from the old Town Hall wound itself up to chime 4 pm. Chains, whirling things and of course a bell sounded the hour.

A large map adorned a wall of one of the archive rooms. This showed the layout of the town with illustrations of the buildings to be found there. On leaving the museum we decided to have a look at a couple of the streets that had looked interesting, so we walked down Mill Lane towards the station.

Pretty house after pretty house. The roses on the house at the end of Mint Street such a picture.

Different textures, angles nothing at 90 degrees

Further down one skewed property made me want to get a sketch book out to record it’s uniqueness, my photograph doesn’t do it justice, the lense removing the gingerbread quality it had.

Property Game

A semi, it possibly floods every now and then.

An old mill sits by a mill stream, maybe this was where electricity was generated. The station sits proudly on the other side of the narrow valley, a KX telephone box from the 80’s spoiling the view along with modern ticket machines outside.

Plenty more properties delighted our eyes as we made our way back into the main shopping area. A sweet shop with chilled medication naturally drew us inside. Over the last few hot days we have had a distinct lack of chilled medication, so it was time to make up for it. Both opting for Salted Caramel cones, mine a gluten free one, the first I’ve tried. Despite the usual shrinking factor that tends to come with the lack of gluten and an extra 50p (!) it was just as crispy and tasty as a standard waffle cone.

Gosh mine looks bigger than Mick’s in the photo

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trips into town, 2 hours at the museum, 8p short! 2 many knitting needles to count, 1 caseless clock, 15th century buildings, 2 many famous people, 1 very pretty town, 1 museum well worth a visit, 3rd shore leave in one day, 1 packet boat back on it’s mooring, 1 pram cover re-erected.

Buddy. 27th July

Godalming

Tilly was given freedom of the towpath for an hour or so as the weather sorted itself out. A bit of a damp morning which gradually improved. Once Tilly was back on board we locked up and headed off into town.

Considering we were moored so close to Sainsburys we had quite a walk round to Town Bridge, which meant in the end we were closer to Waitrose. I’d already prepared a short list of things we’d not bought yesterday hoping it would amount to £10 to be able to get a free newspaper. With our list complete we then spent a good five minutes trying to find something for 20p or more to get us over the threshold. Marmite came to the rescue.

The Godalming Art Shop provided me with a new sketch book for work. This was followed by a walk up through the town to see what we could see, just so happening to coincide with a Farmers Market! Oh dear!! Fortunately it was by no means the largest market we’ve seen with only about 8 stalls.

The first stall caught our attention. Large posters for Binary Botanical, ‘Tangy like prosecco, refreshing like beer’. Samples were being handed out, so it would have been rude not to try it especially as it was gluten free. Very tasty, we ended up with three bottles. A sausage roll stall also received some of our money in return for a pork and black pudding roll for Mick. Now with a heavy bag we headed back to Oleanna for some lunch.

Second shore leave had Tilly coming and going, Tesco Pillow Pockets seem to be going down a treat. A chap came past and asked how easy it would be to lower our pram cover, no problem at all, we’d been expecting to have to do it. At around 1:30 the doors were closed, no more shore leave and Mick flattened the pram cover, then checked for anything on the roof that might cause a problem.

Back at the wharf preparations were being made. Iona’s hold was now full of passengers and there was just one thing missing, Buddy a 22 year old Clydesdale cross gelding. The white band on his nose just visible inside the wharf building.

Two ladies donned high vis and brought him out to walk him round to Town Bridge and back down along the towpath to opposite Iona’s mooring.

Winding with no power other than that from the river and a pole

After an introduction talk to the passengers, the chap at the helm walked up to the bow and gave it a push, then the stern was pulled back into the winding hole, the flow of water keeping the bow moving to wind her. He then walked along the roof to the bow which needed a little help at the bend, so a few pushes from the barge pole.

By now Buddy was chomping his way through the undergrowth on the towpath, having a snack before his work commenced.

The tow line was thrown to the bank, attached to the boat’s roof at one end and with a large toggle on the other which was then passed through Buddys harness. He had his eye on a tasty branch which he swept down as he moved forward to start pulling the load. This wasn’t a popular choice of his with the ladies, it was soon confiscated and thrown back into the hedgerow.

With Iona now winded, Buddy took on the work and started to pull her downstream. Once she was moving they had Oleanna to contend with.

Buddy was slowed to a stop whilst the other lady gathered the tow rope on the ground to give her enough slack to hold the line above our roof. Iona had enough momentum to keep moving by herself.

Our pram cover would have been quite a problem had it been left up. We checked how long it would be before they returned, a couple of hours, as it wasn’t raining our hood stayed down and we headed back into town.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 trips to town, 1 free newspaper, 1 sketchbook, 3 bottles beer/wine, 1 horse, 46 passengers, 1 giant toggle, 1 dry day, 2 loads washing.

The Most Southerly South Winding Pole. 26th July

Broadford Pipe Bridge ish to Godalming Wharf to just a bit back

Thunder and lightening over night meant we had a roof covered in tree bits this morning. It took a while for the temperature to start to drop but it did and made for a grey but pleasant day.

Is this the lowest we can get everything?

Time to prepare for cruising. First the top of the chimney was removed. Our plan of having a full tank of water to get under the low bridge had been thwarted by the weather, we how had half a tank. We’d see if anything else needed removing from the roof when we got to the bridge.

Our shady yet awkward mooring took a while to leave. The front rope first and then the stern, Mick gingerly returning to the boat along the plank as Oleanna was wanting to drift outwards.

Soon the low bridge came into view, I’d been posted to the bow to assess the situation, although Mick most probably got a better idea of clearance from the stern.

It looked like we’d be fine, by a few inches. The horns our highest point missing by about four inches, phew!!

At Unstead Lock both sets of gates were closed and a sign warning of works above the lock. Some grubby highvis clad chaps stood by the lock, a pump pipe and tube suspended into the chamber. We pulled into the lock on the opposite side so as not to disturb their set up. However filling the lock caused things to twist, a split in their pipe sprayed over extension leads, but none of them seemed too bothered.

Hire boats at Cattershall Bridge were having a spruce up for the next guests. As I walked up to work the lock Mick enquired of their diesel price, £1.30 something, he stopped listening half way through, our tank isn’t that desperate for filling. Hopefully Pyrford will be cheaper.

Once up the lock ( we think the most southerly), which has a very long walk round, we pootled our way along past the meadows towards Godalming Wharf. Here the service mooring was free so we rolled out our hose, dealt with rubbish and the yellow water. A boat moved off leaving a space for us to moor up.

This gap a 150ft ahead of us was next to the winding hole which marks the most southerly point on the main network, the navigation continues for a short distance but in a north westerly direction. The very corner of the bend is marked to be kept clear, but either side are moorings, one for a horse drawn trip boat the other for visitors. Mick put Oleanna’s stern into the corner and with the help of the flow she turned and we pulled in to tie up in the most Southerly South point of the network. That is three points of the compass visited, there is only the most Eastern point left to do, which may have to wait a couple more years.

Our mooring backed onto a roundabout which handily leads into a Sainsburys car park, so after lunch we headed that way for a big shop. We had a five times nectar points voucher and if we spent over £40 on wine we’d get another 800! Could we manage this? Well it wasn’t much of a challenge!

Then we headed to Homebase, we knew that they wouldn’t have a scaff plank, but it was worth a look round. A tube of translucent shower sealant and a mat for the roof were purchased. Time to move off to a more cat friendly mooring.

Two hire boats were breasted up at the services whilst the crew went for some shopping, good job we’d not waited to fill our tank! We pushed over to the towpath side and just about managed to get into the first mown gap, the bow slightly out, but nowhere near as far out as our shady mooring had been.

2 locks, 2.64 miles, 1 full water tank, 0 rubbish, 1 empty wee tank, 5 boxes of wine, 1 full fridge, 3ft square mat, 3rd point ticked, 10 degrees lower, 3 most southernly south pigeons, 2 hours shore leave, 1 rude woofer!

https://goo.gl/maps/uci2tKbyiUXPG4tv6

Leafing Through History. 25th July

Still under our trees

It was warm when we woke and it was only going to get worse. Decision made we’d stay put for another day under our shady trees. We wouldn’t be moving for anyone.

Yesterday we’d not quite bought enough supplies to last us another day, so Mick hopped on a bike and returned to the shop with it’s aircon. I was quite jealous of this but then I didn’t have to endure the journey there in the sunshine.

Our mooring doesn’t totally miss out on the sun, for about an hour the sun bakes hard down on the cabin sides and roof before some shade creeps back over us. In that hour we all melted just a touch.

Tilly had an hour or so out first thing, but then retired to the shade for a morning snooze. Life in the shade still necessitated having the doors open for and aft so we kept our fingers crossed that Tilly’s friends would be adamant not to return home with her. We were fortunate.

I collated together information on the theatre in Vienna and then added up my expenses for Puss in Boots so far, printing off receipts I’d need from emails. I even considered doing our tax returns today, but quickly changed my mind.

A day for not doing very much. Mick watched the cycling, then listened to the cricket. Day boats headed out, most returning with their crews dangling their feet in the river. One such boat appeared from under the railway bridge behind us, we could hear them coming! As soon as the bridges had been cleared there were numerous people stood on the cabin roof, the person at the tiller zigzagging their way along.

A following day boat made a dash for it to overtake them. ‘RIGHT’ ‘No LEFT!!!’ more zigzagging as a collision was narrowly avoided. Would Oleanna end up being what stopped them? It was hard not to watch. Both of us realised that they appeared to be towing an inflatable boat, one not really big enough for the chaps in the river. The yellow inflatable and the two chaps were close to the stern, therefore very close to the turning prop!

We shouted and shouted to them. A couple walked past and said ‘We lived on one for two years, you can always tell the holiday makers!’ We weren’t bothered about that or getting biffed. We were far more concerned that we could be calling for an ambulance any minute if nobody turned the engine off!

Is that a chap right up against the stern!

It took what felt like ages for anyone to hear us. Eventually one chap in the water managed to get someone to stop the prop turning, we’re not sure if it was just in neutral or off OFF. They drifted into the offside bank. Far too many voices needing to be heard most likely fuelled by alcohol and the sun. One chap got back on board quite easily, the other finding it hard to hoik himself out all the time being very aware of the prop, thankfully not moving. I think he was the only one on board who had an inkling of what could have happened. Our phones stayed in our pockets and they managed to avoid us as they headed off into the distance our quiet, calm mafting mooring returning to just us.

Back to the quite hot afternoon for grumpy ears

I decided to look through a folder I’d brought from the house. This was full of things my Mum had kept in a ‘Happy memories folder’. 1948 exam results for her year at Leeds School of Architecture. A letter from her sister thanking her and Dad for the bridesmaid present and how wonderful their wedding had been. Menu’s (she was a cook in later life) from dinner dances, they always seemed to have Turtle soups for starters. 21st Birthday cards. A few letters from my Dad, he lived in York and she in Bradford.

There were programmes for Operas and plays in London collated in a ribbon. A note book listing things to do whilst in London. Then a letter from my Dad which predates her visit asking her if she’d like to see Carmen and visit the Tate when she is next in London. These all connected.

Then a small pocket sketchbook, another item passed from father to son. Granddads drawings, very boring architectural details, very Banister Fletcher. But every now and then there were sketches my Dad had done. One of Shibden Hall 1945, where Gentleman Jack was based.

The sketches coinciding with his second diary I’d scanned whilst in London.

My first illustrated connection to his diaries

16th September 1945, the day he and his mates took the train to Southampton where they boarded the ship that took them to India. This is the first connection in words and pictures, my Dad illustrating his own story.

The ship they sailed in to India (photo courtesy of the internet)

0 locks, 0 miles, 34 C in the pram cover (with the sides off today), 29.4 C inside, 20.1 C minimum inside, 1 very hot day, 1 shady spot saving us, 9 receipts, 12 pages of tech spec, 4 swimming woofers, 1 accident averted, 1 hot cat up in the canopy, 1 folder, 1948-51, 1 wonderful find of Fatso’s.

Tilly Bourne River. 24th July

Shore leave whilst they have their morning Ding Ding is good. I normally like it when that happens because if I come back inside the next time I go outside it has usually been changed. However today it just changed into a hotter version of the earlier outside. I stayed inside for much of the day.

Mick rang the Basingstoke Canal this morning. Sadly the navigation will be closing on Friday as their water levels are so low. So our trip there will have to be added to the ‘Next Time’ list. So once we reach Godalming we’ll gradually make our way back to the Thames a bit earlier than originally planned.

Taking advantage of the second mate being on board we applied suncream and headed out with wide brimmed hats. A walk along the towpath back to St Catherines Lock. Here two of the electric launches from ~~Daphne~~ Dap Dune Wharf were coming up in the three foot deep lock, it was taking forever!

Standing on the bridge we watched as a day boat came towards the lock to wait it’s turn to go down. In the photo above there is something wrong, we spotted it and tried for a while to get the crews attention. A day boat got the blame for leaving the bottom paddles up, yes they should have closed them, but you’d have thought the crew would have spotted them, especially on a length of river predominantly used by day boats with novice crew.

We crossed over and carried on our walk through the meadows back down the off side of the river. The launches were being moored up at a landing a short distance along where the path heads across the fields and a dried up bog up to The Street. I guessed that the passengers were all heading to the same place as us, Shalford Mill.

The tour guides at the Mill were busy preparing for the trip boats. There was a choice. 1, we could wait for an hour and join in with one of the two tours around the mill, waiting would involve watching around 24 people tucking into a picnic lunch whilst we stood around with our bottle of water. Or 2, we could have a shorter tour than normal on our own ahead of the masses. We opted for the second option.

Tilling Bourne River runs down the valley fed by springs along it’s length. The river had around 24 mills along it’s fifteen miles, all working hard. A centre of industry between the 17th and 20th centuries. Gun powder, paper making for bank notes, iron and wire working, tanning and flour milling made the place less then idyllic. Today watercress and trout are farmed along with a gin distillery.

Shalford Mill was re-built as two water powered mills in the 1750’s fed by the river and a large mill pond which would be left to fill over night for use the following day. The mill continued milling through the Corn Laws, Swing Riots and plenty more. By the 1850’s Shalford Mill could still only deal with one ton of wheat a day where as steam driven mills were pushing through 300 tons. The mill continued, changing hands and being leased until 1907.

Around 1911 the water wheel became dislodged and ended up resting against one of the mill walls, no longer able to turn. Here it rested and still rests today.

In 1927 the mill was put up for sale, it eventually caught the eyes of Bill Stickers and Sister Agatha in 1931. The owner offered it to the ladies so long as they could maintain it. By the following year the ladies had raised funds for an endowment and the Mill was gifted to the National Trust. The east mill was converted into a home whilst the rest was open to visitors. The tenancy of the east mill is still in the same family, with the original tenants daughter, now 93, still living there with her daughter.

Period plastic chairs adding to the atmosphere

We were shown through the mill, where the sacks of grain were hoisted to the top floor, emptied down to be ground, full sacks of milled flour hoisted back up for storage. How the granite stones were cut for milling, how the flour and bran were separated.

Steep staircases take you to the top of the building where the air was heating up nicely amongst the rafters. We were very glad we weren’t up there with another twelve people!

Our guide John did his best to shoo others away so that we’d get the best tour time would allow before he was due to show the boat trip round. He certainly knew his stuff, only stopping when the string that controlled the amount of grain entering the stones broke in his hand. Nothing hard to mend, just a length of sisal string that would be replaced as soon as we left.

Finally we were shown the room that Bill Stickers and her gang kept for visits. Ferguson’s Gang was made up of five core members, all women with pseudonyms. They formed in 1927, their aim was to raise awareness of the need to protect rural areas and they supported the National Trust. The Gang raised huge sums to protect and preserve important buildings and land that could otherwise have been destroyed. They were eccentric ladies who made ‘swag’ donations to the trust, one time causing a bomb scare at an AGM when a metal pineapple was presented with a £100 note inside. The public loved them. The gang’s den a snap shot of 1930’s life.

Despite being on a quick tour John gave us his undivided attention and knowledge for 45 minutes before having to mend the string. The mill is only open two days a week and for £17 you can enjoy a boat trip there and back with a picnic. We saved our money and headed to Snooty’s Groceries for supplies where we enjoyed the air conditioning.

Low. Will we glad we chopped the chimney down?

Our walk back to Oleanna brought us over the very low bridge. A few squirts of WD40 have been applied to the screws holding Oleanna’s horns, should we need to remove them to get under.

The afternoon was spent watching people enjoying the river in the heat. Numerous people jumping in to swim.

I had a visit to the pill box a short distance behind us. Sat on an old railway embankment it has views over the river. I couldn’t see any invading force so the country is still safe.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 boats neither going up nor down, 1 mill just in time, 5 or 6 famous and secret ladies, 1 wheel, three floors, 2 mugs, 4 ciabatta rolls, 9 slices salami, 1 tub coleslaw, 1 low bridge, 1 lotus, 1 Tilly Bourne, 8 swimmers, 1 pill box, 2 scooters, 33ish C, 27.5 C inside, 17 C minimum, 3 crew managing to stay coolish.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna