No trains now until next weekend, so no point in hanging around and anyway we needed to find a mooring where Tilly would be allowed shore leave. We don’t trust her on pontoons especially on rivers where one wrong pounce into the friendly cover could have her swept away.
Water Newton
Another lovely morning as we wound our way round towards Peterborough. What a pretty lock Water Newton is. Church just there, converted mill over there, mown lawns, swans and three chaps smoking weed and dangling their feet over the edge of the lock landing! Not quite the place you’d imagine them to hang out, but the view was worth seeing.
By now we’d been caught up by a chap on a cruiser. I walked ahead to drop the guillotine and set the lock. He was happy to join us if we went into the lock first, he then bow hauled his boat in alongside us having to manipulate his ropes around a twiggy tree. He then went on ahead to set the next lock.
Nosy cows
To think we have travelled along the A1 so many times and not realised that the river lay just so close. Zooming along you’d miss most of the little glimpses towards the river between trees and buildings, but on the water the noise follows you.
Moorings on both sides
At Alwalton Lock our locking partner was just opening the gates for us to enter, perfect timing. I took over from him at the controls where a strategic stick had been used to hold the ‘lower gate’ button in. The gates needed a touch of adjusting so that the white light came on on the panel, then I could lift the guillotine.
Alongside the lock there is an EA mooring and on the other side of the weir cut is a FOTRN mooring, quite pretty but a touch noisy with the A1 so close.
We managed to swap with an uphill boat below the lock, our partner zooming off ahead, if he found somewhere suitable he’d moor up, if not we might see him at the next lock.
Milton Ferry Bridge
Park land draws you in towards Peterborough. The fancy Milton Ferry Bridge and Ferry Meadows. We considered mooring in the Meadows, there’s a 24hrs mooring there, but this would be too far out for our needs in the next couple of days. After an hour of cruising we arrived at Orton Lock the last none tidal lock on the River Nene.
Last lock
Here big sluices line up alongside the lock. Our partner had waited for us and another boat was coming up in the lock, helping to set it for us. Down we came with Charlotte Rose our partner, he pulled in to make use of a nearby Co-op whilst we carried on in towards the city.
Peterborough has several moorings we could use, plenty on the embankment, but we had one in our sights, tucked away off the main river, but would there be space for us?
Rowing lake
The entrance in towards the rowing course isn’t advertised, it brings you alongside the course and then opens out into a large pond, a private basin further along past The Boathouse. As we turned in we could see there was a narrowboat already there, but would there be space for us too? Yes, plenty of room alongside the decking. This will do nicely!
Space!
The decking has seen better days and reminded me of walking on scenic flats, knowing where the structure lay behind a wise thing so as not to put your feet through! With trees alongside and friendly cover Tilly was gone for some time.
Bye!
This evening I have had a photo sent to me on facebook taken yesterday at Wansford. A friend I used to work with uses the tea rooms at Wansford as a pit stop when he’s on the A1. Yesterday he’d stopped for a break and a cuppa, sat at the picnic benches above the moorings and got a photo of the train coming into the station a couple of hours earlier than the one we saw, we’d missed him by an hour and a half!
Waking up in the shadow of a castle isn’t a thing we do frequently, Newark is the only other place we can think of. Windsor is too far away as is Beeston Castle. Fotheringhay made for a good view this morning, sheep now grazing where Tilly had explored last night.
Oor morning view
As we had breakfast a group of people sat on the top of the mound, their three dogs following the trails around it of Tilly’s scent.
The church dominates the sky line for miles
What a glorious day, one for sun cream, maybe I’ll be swapping our wardrobes from winter to summer soon. But then again it may just snow next week! Pulling away we decided that this might be a good place to meet up with the London Leckenbys on our return. If they could get one of the river side pitches and us a mooring alongside that would be ideal for a weekend. Behind us for quite some miles the tower of St Mary and All Saints remained in view, I’m looking forward to have a look round it in a couple of months time.
Calm before the stampede
At Warmington Lock we had great views all around, the sheep in the field next to us were very friendly, coming up to the fence to watch we were doing things right. As Mick brought Oleanna into the lock there was a sudden stampede from the far side of the field. Were the Mums and lambs being rounded up by the farmer?
It soon became very obvious that there was a dog in the field, but not a sheep dog. As two small dogs sprinted across the field I could see a chap running towards a gate from the next field, the dogs already way ahead! We watched, nothing we could do, only hope that the sheep could manage to get away before any harm was done.
Thankfully the sheep slowed down and the two dogs could be seen returning to their owner, one was picked up the other carried on to the other people before being put back on a lead. The path they followed came past the lock, through two gates. All three dogs were now on leads, but their owners didn’t seem to have the ability to close gates behind them! So much for the Countryside Code and keeping their dogs under control!
Mick walking back to get Oleanna
The route to Elton Lock is a little convoluted from the lock landing due to the route the weirs take. Once Oleanna was all tied up Mick came to help. Boats above polished their brasses in the shade of some trees whilst a Dad pumped up a paddleboard below ready to take his little lad for a ride.
Today the sky was filled with sky divers. Planes were taking off and dropping people way up high. As one group neared the ground another could be seen as tiny specks pulling their parachute cords. The views up there must have been amazing today.
Above Yarwell Lock we made use of the water point to top up. The pressure was good so after fifteen or so minutes we went to set the lock, just as we opened the top gates Oleanna’s water tank started to over flow, perfect timing.
A new looking executive estate sits around a basin. Inside I spied a dusty looking narrowboat. Most of the houses facing the river were making the most of their views with two story windows, views from the master bedrooms.
We managed to keep our distance despite the flow of the river
Soon we were following a couple in an inflatable canoe. They had no idea that there was 20 tonnes of boat gradually getting closer to them, Oleanna just about in tick over. They dabbled their paddles in the water occasionally, pointing things out. If the next lock hadn’t been round the corner we’d have given them a ‘Bip’ on the horn. We managed to stay at a safe distance but the wise words we’d been given before doing the Tideway cruise last year came to mind, ‘Keep looking behind you’.
At last they pull away
The lock landing was full, two cruiser having just come up. We were spotted and stared at. Eventually the penny dropped that we might be wanting to use the lock and not just tread water for an hour or so admiring the view with nowhere to moor up! The crew dithered. ‘YES’ we did want the lock. The control cabinet was closed, the guillotine left down, one lady went to lift a paddle to fill the lock but changed her mind. What they actually needed to do was get back on their boats and move out of the way. This all took time as there had to be a discussion as they climbed back on board, but in the end they finally moved off. Good job the lady hadn’t lifted a paddle as the bottom gate hadn’t been closed fully, easily solved and the gate being almost down did save a lot of finger ache.
A swans nest full of eggs
Now the river winds it’s way towards Wansford where the Great North Road crosses. First the original bridge, Old North Road Bridge, most of what is seen today was built in the 1600s but had improvement works done through the centuries, the main arch has a date stone of 1795. Just before the bridge are wonderful buildings, a coaching house from when this was the main north south route.
Old North Road Bridge
In 1929 the Great North Road moved to a new bypass with a bridge to the east. This bridge boasts that it spans into two counties and halfway across still sits the boundary post, even though the boundary changed in 1965, the two counties becoming one.
1929 bridge in the back ground, 1975 foreground
Increasing traffic necessitated a second bypass in 1975 running parallel to the first, this became the southbound carriageway the 1929 bridge the northbound.
Model railway where the scales have gone a little awry
The river now heads back southwards, we had our fingers crossed that there would be space on the EA mooring at Wansford Station. As we came under the railway bridge we managed to join a hire boat already moored up, mooring with our centre and stern lines was the way forward, adding another rope from one of the fender eyes to hold the bow closer to the pontoon, the flow of water wanting to push this out.
We timed that right!
We settled down for a late lunch and had a look at the time table for the Nene Valley Railway. Currently trains only run on Saturdays and Sundays, the last one due back into the station at 15:45, twenty minutes time. When we heard the bell ring we made sure we were outside ready to see the engine coming back across the bridge into the station. Very well timed, 34081, 92 Squadron pulled the carriages in to the station.
We had a wander about later, the station closed, but enough for us to see. A check on the website for our return, we won’t be joining the whiskey train £100 for two, anyhow I’m not in the slightest bit partial to whiskey. Even a fish and chip trip would cost us a touch too much, maybe we’ll just save up for an All Day Railcar Rover at £12 a head.
Glad he got the right door
4 locks, 9.19 miles, 2 dogs not in control, 1 field of worried sheep, 2 dithering ladies, 2 too relaxed canoeists, 3 bridges, 1 great road, 0 shore leave, 1 boat just in time, 1 Sunday roast chicken.
We may now be on exploration mode, but there are other things more important that will dictate what we do for the next week or so. Hopefully we’ll get to spend a bit more time on the River Nene on our return. Today however Tilly and I would be staying put whilst Mick had a day away at the seaside.
Last night he spent time purchasing five day returns, finding the cheapest route via split tickets to Scarborough, totalling £54. Mick gets to do such journeys as he has an old gits rail card. To get a couple of hours in Scarborough it meant him getting on a train at 06:59 from Northampton. He changed at Rugby, Tamworth, Derby, York and arrived in Scarborough at 12:08. His tickets were even more complicated!
A Thank you
The house needed checking over for a change of lodgers, the boiler we’d had problems with needed checking too, but most importantly Mick had gone to pick up our postal votes. Getting them sent on by our lodgers wouldn’t guarantee them arriving in the right place at the right time, but going to collect them from the house a few days before the council election should.
Final mosaic near the lock
When we first moved onboard fulltime Mick had a long conversation with a lady at Scarborough Council about how we could vote from our boat. The lady was very helpful. Every year we had to declare ourselves homeless and register an interest in Scarborough. We then appointed a proxy voter, our friends Dawn and Duncan obliged for us and visited our Polling Station, European Referendum, General Elections, Council Elections. This all worked, we were on the list of special people at the back of the list and our names got crossed off each time. On one occasion Mick headed back to Scarborough from Manchester to vote in person, my vote sadly lost that time.
Today when Mick arrived back at the house however there were NO postal votes waiting for him! It worked for the Police Commissioner last year, why not now! We’d received our Postal Poll Cards weeks ago. All that way and no means of voting. He tried calling the Council, but it being a Bank Holiday Monday the phone remained unanswered.
The bluebells are out
House chores were quickly done, things checked over and he was back on a train at 15:34 to change at the same stations on his return journey arriving back in Northampton at 20:21, empty handed.
The River Nene
Meanwhile Tilly and I had done a bit of cleaning. Meowed at the back door! I’d been out to do some shopping. Eight years ago we’d visited Morrisons, today I first headed to Aldi which is nearer, but very quickly realised the things I wanted they wouldn’t have, so I aborted and headed to Morrisons instead.
There had been a possibility that Mick wouldn’t get back until 9 or 10pm, depending on how the house had been left. So I’d taken the opportunity to purchase some King Prawns, Mick doesn’t like things that eat poo, so they are a solitary treat for me once in a blue moon.
Stirring risotto and prawns
On the offside of the final Northampton Arm lock a family was enjoying a barbeque. Thank goodness there was the lock in between us as their dog seemed to not want passers-by, it came and made that very obvious.
Please move the outside!
Tilly tried persuading me to move the outside to a better one. But all She said was that we couldn’t do that while Tom was in the outside, he wouldn’t like it! I suppose She was right I get all hurumphy when they move the outside a little bit whilst I’m in it and by the looks of things the outside would have had to move a long way to make it any better!
MOVE IT! Tom won’t mind
To while away the afternoon I used up a couple of wonky lemons that I had left over and had a go at a Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil recipe for Lemon Drizzle Traybake. It needed amending to be gluten free and the fact that the suitable tray I have seems to be in Scarborough! The recipe uses rapeseed oil instead of butter so was very easy to make, but the quantity of oil seemed to be a lot and our supplies are a bit short right now. I cut down on the oil, popped it in a cake tin and hoped for the best. After 35 minutes it was cooked, drizzled over with sugar and lemon juice. I just had to wait for Mick to return to sample it.
Lemon Drizzle, click photo for recipe
Tomorrow we’ll ring the Council to see if there is any way we can get a proxy vote at such a late date. We don’t hold out much hope, but it’s worth a try.
0 locks, 0 miles, 5 return tickets, 10 trains, 1 pump still running, 1 dying dishwasher, 1 mini bottle of bubbles, 0 postal votes, 0 boxes wine, 150grams king prawns all for ME, 1 unimpressed cat, 1 slightly cleaner boat.
The chaps on the other boat were out and about this morning as we pushed off. One chap was measuring their cabin, he wasn’t sure they’d fit through Standedge Tunnel. There are strict maximum dimensions that your boat must fit due to the dimensions of the tunnel, yes it does get tight in places. Maximum height above the water 6ft 2″, maximum draught 3ft 3″, width 6ft 10″, length 70ft.
Roach Lock moorings
Then there is the height of your cabin corners above the water compared with the width across the top. There is a handy chart here. When we were on the River Wey we measured Oleanna at a bridge where we knew the height. Oleanna measured 1.87m or there abouts to the top of her horns, so just under the maximum height for Standedge, we can always remove the horns if we need to.
Blue skies and hills!
The chap with the tape measure said they had discovered that their booking wasn’t until a week on Friday, not this Friday. They are heading back to their mooring and with the Rochdale and Leeds Liverpool both closed it was the Narrow or the Trent to get home and there is a matter of flying away on holiday in a couple of weeks time too.
We left them to it and turned to face the hills ahead.
What a sky
What a stunning day!
Beautiful
I could just leave it at that, because it really was glorious. The sun shone, bright blue skies, views across the valley, trees on the cusp of autumn. Yesterdays dampness just evaporated away. Wonderful.
Bridge 85 is called Division Bridge. This used to mark the boundary between Yorkshire and Lancashire, the name suggesting the counties rivalry with each other in times gone by. Oleanna crossed the old boundary, the next lock in Old Yorkshire was the first to not have locks on the paddle gear! This of course didn’t last long as they were reintroduced at the next lock.
And breath
Views through the trees across the valley, the peaty water and the sunshine. I soon had to make a change to my leg attire and layers came off from walking and paddle winding.
Royal George Mills sits by Lock 19W which shares it’s name. Built in 1786, by 1870 it specialised in the production of felt and the manufacture of flags. During the 20th C they specialised in two forms of felt, Technical felt used in machinery and Taper Hammer Felt used on the hammers on pianos, the mill was renowned for it throughout the world.
A couple of community raised beds sit alongside the lock, it looks like strawberries, tomatoes and mint were the main crops. Only green tomatoes today, all the strawberries long gone.
Spire and mast
The spire of Christchurch Friezland reminded Mick of a wedding he’d once attended there.
Frenches Wharf
Next Frenches Wharf Marina. Here six years ago we’d wondered if the grey box was a pump out machine, it turned out not to be. We also wanted a Saturday newspaper so paused to head to Tescos behind, there being no rings handy Mick was left holding Lillian whilst the shopping was done.
Hmm! No chimneys
Beside the marina there is a big new development, houses and flats all built/clad with stone that has been given a black tint presumably to meld in with other buildings in the area. I wonder whether this coating weathers in time and will be self cleaning returning to a natural stone look rather than the grimy mill look?
We now started to get gongoozlers, the area around Uppermill and Dobcross a magnet for tourists. Oleanna ducked under the new High Street Bridge and I walked up to open the lock, the off side gate windlass operated as there’s not enough space for a full length beam.
Only one boat on the visitor moorings here which was a bit of a surprise, but then the road is close by and there is a lot of tree coverage for solar to be any good. One day we will stop and have a bit more of an explore, the Saddleworth Museum going on the ‘next time’ list.
A couple sat with their two dogs and watched us come up Dungebooth Lock. As Oleanna started to appear from below the side of the lock one of the dogs was not happy! He barked and barked at this growing thing from the deep. When the chap decided to tap Oleanna’s gunnel I suggested he should watch out as Tilly might make an appearance!
Saddleworth Viaduct
Then Lime Kiln Lock, the sun being out gave me plenty of photo opportunities. Saddleworth Viaduct towers high above the canal. The arch that spans the cut adjusted to make everything work. The pillars are all square on until you get to the canal, here the down hill face is narrower and angles towards the lock, the curved arch above set on a skew.
15th August 2015
This is where I took my favourite photo of our last trip up here with Kath (Mick’s sister) and Sean walking up to the lock. Mick says he’s glad we don’t have a 70ft boat as it was hard enough to line Oleanna up to get in the lock.
Think this is my favourite photo from today
Here I met my first angled paddle gear, there is most probably a better name for them but angled will do for me. Normally paddles are lifted straight up. The deeper the water the more pressure on them. These paddles lift at an angle. This increases the water pressure on them, making them that bit harder to lift (my theory). Repositioning the windlass was needed to get more purchase, but with patience you can avoid getting a hernia.
Will the tunnel be able to stop this tag?
Gongoozlers stood and watched, asked questions, but no-one had that glint in their eye wanting to open the gate for me. Ah well! A chap warned us that a boat was coming down the locks above. Time to claim a mooring.
There was one boat moored by the car park opposite Wool Road Service Block, we pulled in behind doing our best not to annoy a fisherman. This would do us for the day, the last nine locks reserved for tomorrow. Sadly being almost part of a car park Tilly had to just sit and look at the sideways trees.
A downhill boat
As we had lunch the downhill boat came past, the only boat through the tunnel, east to west today and Shire Cruiser Hire boat, the first on coming boat we’ve seen since being on the narrow. After lunch we headed off for a walk, well we couldn’t waste the sunshine! We walked up Standedge Road then veered off onto Huddersfield Road taking the lower route through Diggle. Diggle Chippy looked inviting, but as there was no mention of gluten free fish we refrained.
Warth Mill was built in 1919 and in 1929 it started to produce tyre fabric for the growing automotive industry. In it’s heyday it was producing nearly 50 tons a week. Thankfully when production ceased the Mill was made available for a collection of small businesses which still use it today.
We walked up to the tunnel entrance where the railway thunders alongside. All calm on our side of the fence.
Mick peeked through the gate and said ‘Hello!’ Either nobody was at the other end to respond or we didn’t wait long enough for their greeting to come back to us.
Space in front for us
Returning to the boat we followed the canal and locks downhill. Plenty of room for us to moor up away from the tunnel entrance. Then Grandpa Greens Chilled Medication Emporium, we’ll be visiting there tomorrow!
Summit pound
We took note of any low pounds, the same as they were six years ago between 27W and 26W. Maybe overnight the levels would improve, maybe they’d get worse, we’ll see. A quick measure of our cabin corners from the water level just incase. 5ft 3″ then 5ft across the cabin top, well within the limits. Phew!
What a day
9 locks, 97ft 3″ climbed, 2.66 miles, 1 downhill boat, 1 shadow boat, 0 shore leave, 1 glorious day boating, now you don’t get views like that on the Ashby
Damson Parkway Bridge 78A to Cast Iron Roving Bridge, Birmingham
Now yesterday I said we’d be starting our ascent into Birmingham this morning, well before we could start the climb there was a matter of cruising almost 6.5 miles before we actually dropped down 12.92 m, then we could start our ascent.
Birdies
An alarm was set and there were no cuppas in bed this morning, tea was had with breakfast. Surprisingly a boat came past a little before 8am, but it was a C&RT tug parting the water as it went, hopefully it wouldn’t be going as far as Camp Hill Locks.
Back in 2015 this route out of Birmingham seemed to take forever, we’d come down and up the locks and then cruised for what felt like an absolute age before we reached Catherine De Barnes all the time wondering if there’d be any space for us. Heading the other way still took time but today there was plenty to look at as C&RT work boats numbered many.
Diddy paddle power
On a floating pontoon sat a generator and attached to it were some little paddle motors. We thought that maybe these could be used where the depth is very shallow on the off side, they almost looked like they were a new section for Mouse Trap. A tug was moving more of these along to a new site.
Dredging was happening at two sites, well one chap was engrossed with his phone, another had a tug with it that had to be moved out of the way to let us pass. All very busy.
Two bridges becoming one
Soon we started to see red gates and panels on the bridges, these are so that the fire brigade can drop their hoses into the canal should they need to. At Bridge 82 there are actually two Bridge 82s. Once they have crossed the canal they join together. One the far side of the bridge someone has painted Kingfishers and Herons.
I’d just been remarking about graffiti artists and what a shame it was that they didn’t start off with their masterpieces and had to practice their tag so many times. Back in February 2019 we got to see the evolution of Ghost from scrawled tag to multicoloured art work around the northern parts of the BCN, then there was one of his, an intermediate tag quite close to Top Cat.
Tyseley Waste Bridge 88A
Passing through Tyseley all you can see is the large incineration plant and the bridge that leads to it. Once the area was known for it’s tube works which attracted numerous bicycle and motorcycle manufacturers. I used to have a Dawes Bicycle which was made here.
Camp Hill Service block
Up ahead modern tall buildings appeared as we passed old factories and warehouses, all showing blocked up windows and archways from decades of change and decline. Then our first lock came into view, the top of the Camp Hill flight. Alongside the top lock is a service block with all facilities, we pulled in to top up on water, empty the yellow water, dispose of rubbish and give Tilly’s pooh box a refresh as she’s likely to be using it more than she has been recently.
Camp Hill Lock 1
With a handcuff key in my back pocket and windlasses at the ready we could start on the locks. The top lock was empty which meant unless top gates leaked most of the flight would be empty too. I lifted a paddle and then walked down to lift a paddle at the next lock so that it could be filling as we made our way down. We soon got into our stride, me setting the next lock ahead as Mick lifted a paddle on the lock with Oleanna. I then walked back to open and close gates. Most locks had handrails on the bottom gates enabling me to kick them open, then Mick helped to close the offside gate with a pole, saving a lot of walking round.
No escape from scrawl
Walking ahead at Lock 3 there is a big pool as the canal curves round under road bridges. There was the bow of a boat ahead, was it moving or just moored up? It was moving, an Aqua Hire boat, so I walked back to set Mick free the next three locks now in our favour.
Big chunks of steel sit alongside gates on these locks and boast their age, still going since 1891.
Around Lock 6 is surrounded by graffiti. Some good, some not so. Having time to read some of it I realised a lot was in memory of Jason. Was Jason a graffiti writer or a local lad who died at the locks?
Straight on
Straight on for us at Bordesley Junction.
Looking back, to the left still uncharted water to us
The canal to our right, the continuation of the Grand Union Canal, is still one to tick off the list on the BCN. We cruised on to Digbeth Junction now on the GU Digbeth Branch.
By Warwick Bar there is building work ongoing. Most of the area is listed, so buildings are being refurbished for new uses. Residential and food outlets will dominate, the area being transformed due to the proximity of HS2. Through the bar itself with double gates at each end, then a right at Digbeth Junction leaving the Typoo Basin behind us and now on the Birmingham and Fazeley Digbeth Branch.
All of a sudden we were greeted with floating rubbish, earlier in the morning we’d seen a lady litter picking whilst feeding the ducks, it looks like the entrance to Curzon Street Tunnel could do with several like minded people.
HS2 works going on behind
Old and new infront
Building work surrounds you as you come out of the other side of the tunnel. Six years ago it was Birmingham City University buildings going up, now added into the mix is HS2 which will cross the canal over the bottom lock of the Ashted Flight.
Mid flight
The locks were all full, so now we started with our uphill routine, the locks however were mostly close enough together for me to come back and close the top gate instead of Mick stopping to close it. The bottom gates are now also single gates, so no kicking to open them or walking round required, just a little bit more umph!
Between Locks 1 and 2 there is a tunnel, a renowned tunnel! Six years ago Lillian lost a nav light here having come down the lock and being a touch too close to the offside, it really was a horrible grating crunching noise. Today I wished Mick luck and left him to close up at Lock 2 as I walked through the tunnel to lock 1 to empty it and then sit and wait.
Waiting
Below Mick had a passing thought, maybe he should drop the level of the pound a bit to increase the air draught in the tunnel. The top of the chimney was removed and a bucket of toilet solids was moved into the well deck, just in case! The tunnel light went on along with the nav lights, from the far end I could at last see Oleanna making slow progress through the tunnel.
Mind the bump
The handrail along the towpath is beefy wood and mentally pushes you towards the offside wall. But today Mick blocked that out. I could hear the bowthruster nudging the bow away from the wall, from my position it almost looked as if Oleanna was crabbing her way through the tunnel, there isn’t enough width for this to have happened. Slowly they made progress a bulge in the wall very obvious to me towards the northern end. Out came Oleanna’s bow, both nav lights still in tact, hooray!
A scuff or two
Up she rose in the lock, Mick giving the pram cover a checking over. Had the tunnel struck again and damaged the fabric? As Oleanna came up to the top the damage could be seen more clearly. The fabric had a few scuffs from the tunnel wall/roof, but more to the point was a scratch along the grab rail. Then we noticed another and another, some of them right down to bare steel! Mick should have listened to that little voice in his head and dropped the level of the pound. Ashted Tunnel had struck again!
Bu**er!
A pause for lunch on the bollards just through the next bridge was finished with a slice of chocolate banana loaf to help us up the last flight of the day, Farmers Bridge.
At Ashton Junction we turned left onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, a right would have us descending locks again heading towards Spaghetti Junction. Left however meant thirteen locks and arriving into the heart of the canal system of Birmingham at Cambrian Wharf and Old Turn Junction.
Farmers Bridge Bottom lock
The bottom two locks are slightly set apart from the others, so I wouldn’t be returning to close gates behind Oleanna. Just after I’d lifted the paddles on Lock 12 we could see a volunteer walking towards us, he’d come to tell us to leave the gates open as a boat was heading down. We swapped with them in the next pound and the volunteer continued on downhill.
Beam on the off side
Lock 11 has it’s bottom gate beam on the off side and as I stood there waiting for Mick to bring Oleanna into the lock a man walked up, climbed over a low wall on the off side and then walked down the steps below the lock. It was fairly obvious that he was looking for somewhere a touch out of view, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a rizla packet. I closed the gate to the lock and was about to walk up to the top paddles to fill it when the chap came back up the steps.
Bywash at Lock 11
‘Are you going to fill down there?’ he said in a slightly alarmed voice pointing to the pound below the lock. ‘No just where my boat is’. I could see the relief on his face ‘I thought I was going to drown!’ He returned down the steps now knowing he’d stay dry to smoke his spliff in peace.
Now we were in the thick of the flight and the locks ahead empty or just about. So it was easy to start filling a lock and walk up to open the gate on the one above, then return to close the gate behind Mick. The volunteer walked back up the flight, not stopping to help us directly, but instead he opened up the locks ahead of us as he climbed back up the hill, a great help. Thank you.
Gate open and waiting
We were on a roll now up the flight, each lock waiting for us.
The locks under buildings are quite atmospheric, modern architecture meeting old transport. The lock under a bridge even more so. Above here masses of scaffolding engulfs the buildings, cladding work going on. Extra supports over the canal have had to be fixed to pillars on the existing building to hold the scaffolding up. In a weeks time the towpath down the flight will be shut for even more scaffolding to be erected.
At lock 6 we were greeted with the bottom gate shut. Maybe the volunteer didn’t want to set too far ahead of us. But as I emptied it the reason became clear quite quickly, the top gates leaked a lot, so in the time we’d take to get there the pound above would have emptied itself. The lock above was also full for a similar reason.
A touch of a leak
Then I spied a downhill boat coming out of lock 2. We could now leave gates open for them, we rose up lock 4 and waited for them. Plenty of crew on hand to work NB Kew down the flight, but it being a full length boat time was taken to position her in the lock, the tiller pulled right across and tied in position the arm removed so as not to snag on the lock walls. We wondered how far they would get before dark and which way they were heading.
Up the last of todays locks, we’d reached Birmingham, now we had to find a space. Back in February 2020 this had not really been a problem, but today spaces were few. One space in the corner of Cambrian Wharf, it can be shallow in that corner and awkward to get into.
Top of Farmers Bridge Locks
Oozells Street Loop was chocka. There was one space left towards Sheepcote Bridge, but would it be big enough for us.
One space left
We pulled in, a chap from NB Chyandour came out to take our centre rope. We touched both at the bow and stern, slightly overlapping to be truthful, but neither of our neighbours minded.
Oh Blimey! BUMingham again! At least the small sideways trees have a touch more cover to them this time!
BUMingham bricks!
Time to dig out the sand paper and primer, get something on the grab rails before the rain brings with it rust and makes the job a bigger one. I chipped off loose paint, sanded back the gouges and applied a coat of primer. I’d intended repainting the grabrails this year, but time is now running out both weather wise and before panto starts. So a patch up will have to suffice for this winter. Hopefully in the next few days there won’t be constant rain so I can get undercoat and top coat on it too.
A photo heavy post! If you click on a photo it should enlarge.
Limehouse Basin to Ontario Bridge 205A Grand Union Canal
Not much of view this morning!
Tilly seemed keen to be out this morning despite the not so inviting view from our bedroom window. Today we’d be heading out onto the Tidal Thames so no shore leave for cats, no matter how much they shout!
One of the last jobs to do today was put Tilly’s escape pod back together ready should there be any necessity to abandon ship. She also quite likes to sit in there anyway.
Final briefing
At 10:30 all crews congregated in the car park for our final briefing. An extra sheet of paper was passed round which detailed the distances between bridges on our cruise upstream. We were reminded to keep looking behind us as that is where the danger can lie, make sure our anchors were actually attached to our boats and just to hold our course and not to turn into waves as they can come from any and every direction. VHF radios were handed to crew who didn’t have their own, ship to ship being on channel 8.
Simon watching the lock open up
St Pancras Leader, Simon, would radio VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) when they left the lock and the third lock leader would do the same when the last and final boat entered the tide way, Tail end Charlie would be Oleanna today. There wouldn’t be much commercial traffic on the river, but plenty of Clippers and speed boats. The weather forecast wasn’t so good, everyone prepared for rain which was just trying to start.
Moving into position
The first locking of four boats was at 11:15. Limehouse Lock can hold three narrowboats abreast and as two boats were short they could sit one behind the other. We watched as the boats pulled into the lock, each passing ropes round the risers on the lock walls, these are positioned directly under the bollards above.
Waiting for NB Chance to take her position in the lock
The pull as the lock starts to empty, radial gates not paddles, is strong necessitating ropes needing to be passed round a T stud to help you keep hold.
We watched as the lock emptied and then the boats departed. NB Thermopylae led the way followed by NB Chance, NB Misty Blue and NB Mobius brought up the rear. Each boat motoring out of the lock and turning right onto the Thames keeping a distance between each other.
Next lock full
The next boats were ready and waiting for the lock to be refilled, we headed back to Oleanna for a final briefing with our second mate, move the towline to the bow and untie ourselves from the mooring.
Oleanna looking forward to her trip up the Thames
Tilly was warned that that the outside we’d be moving today was likely to be quite lumpy bumpy for a while, she retired to her escape pod and waited to see what happened.
NB Coracle was lead boat, followed by NB Small World then us at the very back. As the lock gates fully opened Andrew on NB Coracle said ‘Let’s go boating!’ It was 11:48 we were 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Leaving Limehouse Lock, the river was big but not as big as leaving Goole
I closed the cratch cover up and moved through Oleanna to the stern. I was soon pleased that I’d thought to move bottles from the galley shelves and counter tops as the river was most certainly lumpy. We turned into the flow of the tide heading upstream.
Speed boats zipped past their wakes moving across the river. They were towards the south bank, we were towards the north bank, the waves kept coming and coming, first this way then that.You said it was going to be lumpy! You didn’t say that we would be looping the loop!!!!
Tilly wasn’t happy, she was shouting at the back doors! I have to admit that I wasn’t too happy either as Oleanna rose and fell with the waves. Please excuse the out of focusness of this footage as my camera had no idea what it should focus on! This is by far the lumpiest water we’ve encountered. As a child I used to be seasick every time I even stood near to a boat, so today I did my best to keep calm and looked round at everything to keep my mind off the swell.
We fell in line behind the lead boat and NB Small World, one yellow buoy coming a touch close to us. The river was moving us along, at one point I couldn’t hear the engine, Mick had put Oleanna into tickover as we had been gaining on the boat ahead.
Behind us Canary Wharf, ahead old warehouses, the River Police jetty.
Shard ahead
The Shard came into view, then as we rounded the bend at Wapping the view opened out.
Quite a view!
The Walkie Talkie, St Pauls, BT Tower, City Hall and of course Tower Bridge. Wow!
Dora May just off centre with a blue and cream wheelhouse
At Tower Moorings we tried to spot Dora May that used to belong to my friend Kathy. She is still moored there, wheelhouse positioned with a great view over to Tower Bridge.
Just look at that! Tower Bridge built between 1886 and 1894
We managed to line ourselves up briefly for a photo we’ve been dreaming of for years, under the central span of Tower Bridge.
Then we got back in line with the two boats ahead and headed for span 1 to the north side. It is quite an impressive bridge to walk over, but more so to pass under.
We waved to the south bank of the river where Mick’s sister Christine had positioned herself.
Christine’s over there somewhere!
No chance of spotting her, but thankfully she spotted us.
There we are
Past the clipper terminal
Tower of London
I especially like the one in front of the Tower of London.
HMS Belfast and The Shard
The bridges now come thick and fast as did the swell.
Bridges lining up ahead
Trying to take photos clinging on, trying to stay upright at times was quite hard.
London Bridge Hospital looks like a new coat of white paint has been added, keeping it crisply clean, soon followed by Hays Wharf. This wonderful deco building once a wharf now contains consulting rooms and the cardiology department for the hospital.
Follow my leader under the correct spans of the bridges as waves buffeted themselves against Oleanna.
Tate Modern (opened 2000) and the wibbly wobbly Millennium Bridge (opened 2000, reopened 2002).
The Samuel Pepys pub is where Mick used to drink when he worked almost next door for BT in the red brick building.
More bridges, more sights, more big trip boats.
Pillars where old railway bridges used to be. The Oxo tower (originally a power station supplying the Post Office, built at the end of the 19th Century) more shiny tower blocks.
Waterloo Bridge (opened 1942, fully opened 1945), The National Theatre (opened 1976). Have to say I was a touch disappointed that the National hadn’t brought the horses out from War Horse onto the terrace to see us pass as they did for the Queen!
Not much traffic behind
Frequent glances behind brought different views as well as checking if we were being followed.
Hungerford Bridge (opened 1864) and the Golden Jubilee Bridges (completed 2002)
Then Hungerford Bridge and the Golden Jubilee Bridges. Were we early? We looked up as we came under the bridge.
A pair of shoes, legs, a radio 2 news presenter stood phone in hand ready to capture us as we passed below.
The London Eye (opened 2000), County Hall (1922), Tattershall Castle (a steamer built in 1934 and was used as a Humber Ferry) and onwards to the Houses of Parliament (finished in 1860) and Westminster Bridge (opened 1862).
Heading up stream
Such a shame Big Ben is still swathed in scaffolding, maybe we’ll just have to come and do the trip again in the latter part of 2022!
As we passed the exclusion zone in front of the Houses of Parliament I shouted out a few comments to those who run our country. I so hope they heard and will take heed of my words!
Under Lambeth Bridge ( 1932) with the MI5 offices (1929) with it’s gold roof.
Tamesis Dock
A boat sat out of the water a structure held it upright. I wonder if those eating and drinking at Tamesis Dock knew they weren’t afloat.
Mick tried pointing out another building he used to work in. ‘That one with all the windows’! It turns out Mick used to work next door to the MI6 building on the south bank, well before it was built.
Vauxhall Bridge Built in 1906
By now the river traffic was easing, the swell gone. Under Vauxhall Bridge, the four towers of Battersea Power Station (completed in 1955) rose from the redevelopment below.
Next week will see the return of the open-air cinema and theatre at The Coal Jetty. Apartments are being sold and retail and restaurants are already open. We do wonder what the residents will think of living next door to the Super Sewer though! I’m sure it will all be below ground.
Victoria Railway Bridge rebuilt and widened in the 1960’s
Chelsea, originally Victoria Bridge, rebuilt in 1937
Albert Bridge, built 1873, suspension bridge incorporated in 1884-7 and final alterations made in 1973
Victoria, Chelsea and Albert Bridges. The question is who was Chelsea? Did she have a bit of a fling with Albert getting between them!
Albert Bridge painted in pastel shades has a touch of a Wedgewood feel to it.
Battersea Road Bridge built 1885
Battersea Road Bridge was followed by numerous house boats.
House boats side by side
I wonder what it’s like living on one of those with the tides coming and going.
Lots Road Power Station, built in 1904
Lots Road Power Station which used to produce electricity for the underground is having a makeover. The internal structures have been removed and 800 tonnes of steel have been used to retain the exterior façade. Along with four new buildings the development will provide 420 residential units.
Hanging under Wandsworth Bridge ( built in 1940) is a dishevelled bail of straw. It’s an ancient bylaw of uncertain heritage that if a bridge arch is open to river traffic, but with restricted headroom, then a bundle of straw should be hung from the bridge as a warning. At night time it is replaced by a white light.
Fulham Railway Bridge (1889) and Putney Bridge (1886)
Down stream of Putney Bridge (1886) is where the Oxford Cambridge boat race starts, the course passes under Hammersmith Bridge, Barnes Bridge and finishes just before Chiswick Bridge a distance of four miles.
Fulham Football Club is having major works. The riverside stand at Craven Cottage was demolished and is being redeveloped into more than just a football stand. Floating pontoons are being used in the building work and an exclusion zone around these is in force on the river marked with yellow buoys.
Rowers
Now we started to encounter rowers as we approached Hammersmith Bridge (1887). An area along the southern bank has been marked out for the rowers to use, keeping normal river traffic away from the area.
Hammersmith Bridge currently closed
Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor traffic since August 2019 after cracks were discovered in the bridges pedestals. The closure was extended to pedestrians, cyclists and normal boat traffic last year. It is however open for pre-booked transits which are subject to a lot of conditions. One of which is that you have an abort plan should the bridge be closed in front of you. This would entail winding and stemming the tide in a predetermined section of the river, contact with VTS would be made and then we would wait for slack water before returning all the way to Limehouse Lock with the outgoing tide.
All three groups had to pass under the bridge in an hours window. Thankfully no abort signal was given and we as Tail end Charlie passed under the bridge at 13:38, well within the hour. Phew!
Under Barnes Railway Bridge ( built in the 1890’s), more rowers and paddleboarders.
Chiswick Bridge built 1933
We received a phone call from Simon checking our location at 14:00, we could confirm we were under Chiswick Bridge and all was fine at the back of the flotilla.
Boats ahead under Kew Railway Bridge
A zoom in on the camera to Kew Railway Bridge confirmed we were catching up the second group. NB Combs Lass and NB Galatea were just passing under the bridge, it was the first time we’d seen them since Limehouse.
Kew Bridge built in 1903
Kew Bridge a wide span bridge was to be the last we’d pass under, the Tower of Kew Bridge Pumping Station watching our approach towards Brentford Junction.
Liquidity ahead
Passing islands to our starboard side we could see the sculpture Liquidity by Simon Packard. This to boaters helps mark the entrance of Brentford Junction on the Thames, to locals it caused a big hoo-ha when it was first erected as it blocked the view from new flats and a local restaurant to the river.
This was where the flotilla would split. Three boats could be seen continuing on up stream towards Teddington. NB Thermopylae now at the back. The third locks worth of boats veered off at the Junction and headed for Thames Lock. Here NB Albert Victor was joined by NB Coracle our lead boat and we joined NB Small World in the second lock to rise up to the semi tidal stretch at the bottom of the Grand Union Canal.
It wasn’t me!
I had chance to check on everything below, half expecting Tilly to still be in a tizz and maybe for her to have suffered from seasickness. I was greeted by a cat who was trying to be quite cool about everything, even if she was a little bit shouty! There was also a bit of a puddle in the main cabin. Oh dear.
However it didn’t take me long to realise that this was just water and it must have come in through our hatch despite the outer doors being closed. There was water on the surround. In absolute torrential rain with howling gales we’ve had water come in having been forced up under the doors. This must have happened when we were in the really lumpy water.
Thames Lock which takes us onto semi-tidal water
Heading to the bow to open up the cratch I also noticed a very small amount of water had made it’s way up under the front doors. These are raised off the floor of the well deck and have a frame that sits quite a bit higher than the doors. Water will have come in through the well deck drains on the choppy sections of the river and some of that made it’s way inside!
Maybe if we plan to do more rough cruises we should look at adding extra protection to these areas, the amount of water wasn’t alarming, but it would have been better to have come in to a dry boat.
A lock keeper was also on duty at Brentford Gauging Locks bring us up off the tidal water and onto the canal proper. We were now bunched up and a queue had formed at Clitheroe’s Lock. I headed up to help , other crew walking on ahead to set Osterley Lock.
When we reached the final lock of the day NB Albert Victor was waiting for a partner, so NB Small World joined them, leaving us to lock up on our own. The off side bottom gate refused, despite a bit of a waggle back and forth, to open fully, so it was one boat in at a time. On leaving half a tree trunk floated above the lock gates. NB Small World pushed it out of the way, but by the time I’d refilled the lock it had drifted back down to be in the way again!
The first sign of a gap in the moorings we pulled in, close to the community gardens. Tilly’s paw was already clinging onto the bathroom porthole her nose sniffing the fresh air, the trees here already having been given feline approval. As soon as our location had been noted with co-ordinates and what3words the rules were recited to Tilly and she was given 2 hours shore leave.
Tideway Tilly back on dry land
Time for a well deserved cup of tea!
Graeme and David with everyone else behind them
This evening we joined everyone else who’d come off the river at Brentford along with Simon who’d made it over from Teddington for a meal at The Fox. This is a pub Mick knows well as he used to live about 200 yards away. I was famished, but had also forgotten about the portion sizes. A portion of chicken wings arrived as a starter, I’d been expecting 4 or 6, but 12! Mick and I should have shared them. Sadly they had run out of rainbow trout so I chose pork belly with mash, Mick had sausage and mash. All the food was very tasty as expected.
VHF and laminated sheets
A very good evening wrapping up an incredible day. The rain had held off, the planning had been spot on, the waves added extra adrenalin, advice was shared, lead boats knew the river, tail boats were VHF qualified. Thank you very much Simon for offering us the final space on the cruise. Thank you also to St Pancras Cruising Club, from start to finish we felt we were in safe hands.
Waterway Routes under new improved rain shield which wasn’t required today
5 locks, 18.75 miles, 2 rights, 34 bridges, 3rd locking, 10th in line, 1st St Pancras cruising cat, 1 lumpy river, 1 shouty cat, 2 puddles, 1 sister-out-law, 1 fellow blogger, 1 boat in tickover much of the time, 4 rice crispie cakes, 0 flying pigs, 4 power stations, 3 lock keepers, 2 hours shore leave, 1 fox, 807 photos, 1 very nice meal, 1 fantastic day.
https://goo.gl/maps/kU1p4HBtsysYSh7c7
A fab photo of Group 1
For more photos of the trip from the front of the flotilla follow this link to Scholar Gypsy
Adam has also published a post with his photos this morning, showing the second group of boats as they headed for Westminster Bridge. A link to his blog Briar Rose
They think I don’t know what’s going on! They think I don’t realise that they are going off into the outside and leaving me all on my own. They don’t realise what a hard, exhausting job looking after the boat is. But I know I am more than capable. I quite look forward to days like this especially when She gets my magic food bowl out, it does mean though that there won’t be anyone to snuggle up to when it goes dark.
Kings Coss and St Pancras
Bags packed, Tilly in a sulk, we were ready to catch the train northwards to Scarborough for the weekend.
Our train north
With seats booked the train journey was fine, plenty of space for everyone. We swapped trains in York and arrived in Scarborough to meet Bridget and Storm, leaving our bags in their car for the afternoon. We were all heading to the Stephen Joseph Theatre to watch the matinée of The Girl Next Door the latest play from Alan Ayckbourn.
At Christmas the auditorium had been about a quarter full, but today it was just under half, couples sat in a checker board fashion across the rows helping to fill the space.
The Stephen Joseph Theatre
The play, Alan’s 85th is set in lockdown last year. Rob an actor who is famous for playing a fireman in a 1940s drama is stuck at home with his sister who works at the treasury and spends most of her days on zoom calls.
When a girl is seen through the garden hedge, hanging clothes out to dry, Robs life is about to have a hole new dimension added. Cheese souffles, brandy, blackouts, covid 19 all make for a time travelling love story.
Monty… my Monty …. oh and a frock
After the show we’d booked a table at Eat Me Cafe who have taken over the theatre restaurant and bar during the pandemic. We all enjoyed quality burgers and very fine chips.
Lovely to see Bridget and Storm
It was lovely to spend time with Bridget and Storm seeing the play, along with catching up with various people around the theatre it made for a great day.
Our arrival at the house was a noisy one, we’d been warned and a small bag of treats had been left in the hallway to appease Brodie and we soon made friends.
Brodie our lodger woofer, don’t tell Tilly!
It’s odd being in your own house, yet not quite being the occupiers of it. For the last 9 weeks Bill and Alex have been our lodgers whilst The Girl Next Door has been rehearsing and playing at the theatre. Tonight was the last night of their run, so it was safe for us to stay over.
The wild flower seeds have sprouted and gone bonkers. Does anyone know what this is please?
Last nights usually involve a drink with the director so our lodgers were quite late coming home to have a catch up and drink with us which was far more relaxed than when they had first arrived.
Sunday morning and it was time to say farewell to our lodgers. Bill was on an early train whilst Alex and Angie had breakfast with us as they packed. A few weeks ago they had kept our neighbours amused as they had done a run of the play in our house and garden. Our kitchen being two terraced houses knocked together and the rear gardens being still separate, it was an ideal location to rehearse the play.
Back on our own in the house, we had chores to do. The garden needed some taming, so our compost bin had a major boost of greenery.
My favourite rose
Once the bed linen had been washed and dried there was ironing to do, beds to make up for our next lodgers who would arrive on Monday after we’d left. So it was a very busy day.
The Great Escape was on TV
We’d asked Alex if there was anything that was missing from the house. A cafetiere (they bought one and gave it to the house), a ladle (I found 4 in storage) and a mirror in one of the bedrooms, this was easily rectified as we had one upstairs upstairs.
A spoon of laddles
Last thing to do was to hang the painting my Dad did in 1954 which was a scheme for our house in York. The design changed quite a lot over the next 8 years, but this is one of my prized possessions.
The house ended up being quite different
We ended the day with fish and chips from Capplemans and a glass or two of wine. One very good weekend.
Fish and chips
0 locks, 0 miles, 10 minutes walk to the station, 2 trains, 1 Sir, 1 Lady, 1 play, 2 times, 4 burgers, 1 Monty, 2 actors, 1 roadie, 1 Brodie, 1 back bedroom, 3 gardens tidyish, 2 hours ironing, 1 painting hung, 2 of each.
Our booked seven days at Rembrandt Gardens were up today. After a leisurely start we pushed off at 11am, waving our new neighbours goodbye. The moorings under the trees are not so good for solar, but in warmer weather the shade would be welcome. One thing however that I’m not going to miss is the almost constant smell of weed. It seems as if nobody smokes cigarettes anymore, they just roll joints and find a boat to smoke them by!
Maida Hill Tunnel all of 249m
We rounded the island and turned onto the Regents Canal. NB Muddy Waters a Finesse boat is still moored along the stretch before Maida Hill Tunnel, it looks like their tunnel light is as rusty as ours after four years. The tunnel was clear so no need to wait, popping out the other side where there are permanent moorings.
At the far end work is being done, it looks like new jetties are going in. Mick’s tug being put to work.
The stretch through Regents Park is always interesting. The big expensive houses with immaculate lawns, there will be a good crop of brambles on the other sides of their railings in a few weeks time! The towpath was busier than we’ve seen it before, so was the canal. Paddleboarders, trip boats and narrowboats all managing to be in the same place at once.
The Snowden Aviary at the Zoo is empty of birds, instead scaffolding was being erected and a chap stood on tip toes angle grinding another hole in the mesh. The aviary a Grade 2* listed building is being transformed by the architects Foster + Partners. It will become a walkthrough exhibit with colobus monkeys overhead, red duiker on the forest floor and African grey parrots will fly up to the top of the structure. More information can be found here.
Chocka block
As we rounded the bend by the Chinese floating restaurant we are still amazed that four years ago on Oleanna’s first trip to the capital we managed to get one of the 7 day moorings in Camden. Today it was crammed full, just like every other time we’ve been along this stretch. Good job we weren’t wanting a mooring today.
Just under the railway bridges we could see Christine walking towards us. She’d come to watch us go through Hampstead Road, Hawley and Kentish Town Locks as she only lives a few minutes walk away. Mick slowed Oleanna down and prepared to pick Christine up, however she decided to walk along the towpath.
A few minutes of us pootling along and chatting was brought to a very sudden stop!
How does time know when to slow down? It always manages it on such occasions.
I saw Christine put her right foot down, expecting there to be a solid surface below to meet it. Her foot just clipping the edge of the towpath, then there was nowhere else for it to go but into the canal, very closely followed by the rest of Christine!
Engine out of gear straight away. Oh blimey!!!
We still had momentum going forward getting further away from Christine. Mick shouted to a lady on the bank to help, ‘Please could you just hold her hand’. At least we hoped that would help until we could get off Oleanna to help her out.
The incident already evaporating away
In the meantime other people came running, we didn’t quite see what happened as we tried to get close to the bank without the prop becoming a danger. As soon as we looked again Christine had been helped up onto the towpath and was proceeding to empty her bag of water. Thank you’s all round and the samaritans who’d helped just seemed to vanish.
A sit down on Oleanna to assess any damage and to recover from the shock. Poor Christine, thankfully apart from a wet none functioning mobile she only seemed to have gained a grazed knee, which may have happened when she was pulled out of the water. We offered her a shower, but she decided as she was close to home she’d walk back an have one there. A short rather wet visit.
Canoes
Up at the lock two canoes were coming up, then we were waved in. I hopped off to help the volunteer and take photos.
Camden
With volunteers at the next two locks we were a touch mob handed. The help was welcome, but when one of them commented that I was doing his job, I just carried on doing mine, I at least wait for confirmation from the helm before I start emptying a lock!
Four years ago there were cranes overhead, the general area a big building site. Today the railway arches are being converted into a cinema, a screen for each arch by the sounds of it.
Old and new
I love that these two little blue houses have been allowed to keep an eye on the canal, with a gap between the modern boat like apartments.
Our next stop
Then as we ducked under the railway bridges and the repurposed gasometers came into view we knew we had reached our destination. St Pancras Cruising Club. We slowed and then started to back in towards NB Floradora who was to be our neighbour.
St Pancras Cruising Club
There had already been a discussion onboard as to whether it would be frowned upon to use our bow thruster to assist in mooring, but the amount of weed in the basin prohibited it’s use anyway. Terry from NB Floradora popped out to lend a hand, our centre rope passed over a t stud on the roof, this meant Oleanna could be brought into the gap almost sideways.
The weed made this a slow job, but after a while we were close enough for Mick to be able to catch the bow line and help pull her in to nestle up in the 60ft space below the HS1 line. Terry very kindly gave us a tour round, elsan, bins, garden, toilet etc, during which we met various people who all seemed to know who we were, well Marty did anyway!
Tucked in under the railway
We’d originally booked in for a few more days in Paddington Basin, but had been given the heads up by Heather Bleasdale that one of the longer boats at the cruising club was out at the moment, meaning that we might be able to use their mooring. We got in touch with the Harbour Master and booked our stay here instead, cancelling Paddington Basin as soon as we had confirmation.
Once we’d settled the first thing was to check if Christine was okay. She’d made it home safely, had a shower and was in the mobile phone shop trying to sort a replacement. Thank goodness she was okay.
The basin
Not long after we’d arrived there was a knock on the roof. Heather is down in London for a few days and staying on a boat in the basin. We made plans to meet later in the garden for food and then headed off to explore the area.
The new development around Kings Cross goes on for miles. It is a nice mixture of old warehouses mixed with modern architecture. Retail units, bars, restaurants, Central St Martins art college, plus exhibition spaces and gardens.
The gasometers now have flats built inside them, if you have a spare £825,000 you could buy one too! The old structure surrounds the new and gave a very vocal Blackbird a good perch to sing it’s heart out. Plenty to see and explore, we’ll have to come back to see more.
Once our evening meal was cooked, we loaded a bag with wine, crockery and cutlery and carried our two pans all the way round the basin to the garden. Heather joined us as did others to chat away the evening, a selection of gin and tonics spread across the table. It was dark by the time we decided to call it a day. After three glasses of wine each we made sure we walked carefully back round the basin to Oleanna with our dirty pots.
Gasholders at night
3 locks, 3.25 miles, 1 empty wee tank, 1 wind, 0 birds, 1 true none boating boater, 1 drip dry Christine, 1 reverse, 60ft under the railway lines, 1 visitation, 1 blackbird, 1 Tilly eyeing up the wall! 1 Tilly grounded, 2 spag bols in the garden, 3 glasses of wine, 4 gins, 1 very pleasant evening.
Rembrandt Gardens to Eastbourne to Rembrandt Gardens
Before our morning cuppa today it was time to do another test, you can’t eat or drink anything for 30 minutes before doing the swabs. Tests done they were left for the 30 minutes whilst we had our tea. One line each we were good to go.
More public transport to brave. We chose to take the bus to Victoria, more air flow and possibly more space than on a morning tube. There was plenty of time to collect tickets and buy a bottle of water to replace the one we’d filled and left onboard Oleanna!
Victoria Station
The new (to us) curved slatted wooden benches that are in the stations are rather nice. Behind the one here at Victoria is a large wall to separate the self service ticket machines from the concourse. These have a design at the top made from the sort of moss model makers use for trees and bushes. I suspect if bald patches start to appear then model railway sets may be found to be a touch more colourful in the London area.
That’s useful for models
There was plenty of space on the train to Eastbourne and it ran on time. John, Mick’s brother-in-law was there to meet us and give us a lift up to the house.
Marion and John were the last family we got to see in February last year, before the pandemic got going. A day at the Black Country Museum with fish and chips.
Marion and John and us
Today we enjoyed being in their company in the garden until the rain threatened to be a touch too heavy. Then we retired indoors for a lovely lunch of frittata followed by a cherry clafoutis, the cherrys from their own tree.
Orchid
An afternoon walk was called for. St Mary’s church yard has mostly been left to wild flowers, here orchids are now growing. Kids played in the Manor Gardens as we took our stroll, rather nice to chat, walk and see new places. This left us with enough time for a cuppa before being dropped back at the station for our train back to London.
St Mary’s
Another lovely day with family.
0 locks, 0 miles, 2 buses, 2 trains, 2nd sister, 2 hours work on the train, 1 family afternoon, 4 chaps, 1 bbq, 1 game missed.
New Years Eve and news from the marina, via Al and Lisa, was that water levels were good, maybe up a bit, but it was most definitely icy out there. It was good to hear that the bigger flow from the temporary fix at the breach site didn’t seem to be affecting the levels in Goole.
Mark Penn put up some frosty photos of the breach site. Water still coming through the temporary fix, but appearing to be flowing the right way. It’s a good job the Aire and Calder’s water is supplied from the river rather than a reservoir.
Mark also took his drone up to Pollington, taking photos of the north bank of the canal where we’d noticed the pilling relaxing into the canal. From his photos you can see there is another layer of pilling further back, more curved than that by the waters edge.
The post on facebook led to various comments regarding an old railway bridge across the canal at this point. This was a Bascule bridge, one of two high level moving bridges on the canal, the other was a swing bridge below Knostrop Lock. An act of parliament was drawn up saying that anything that crossed the Aire and Calder had to be either moveable or high enough for sea going ships to get under, intending the canal to be like the Manchester Ship Canal but this fell by the wayside. Thank you Alf Huckitt for this info.
The bridge
Then Phil Pritchard provided a photo of the bridge, built by John Butler Ltd of Stanningly, Leeds in 1884 to carry the Hull and Barnsley Railway over the canal. The mechanism to lift it was never fitted as it wasn’t required for the vessels that were using the canal. It was demolished in 1974.
The line just to the East of Pollington in 1947
Mick looked for evidence on maps of the route the railway had taken. Quite often tell tail signs of embankments and lines of trees give away an old route.
There’s the line of trees crossing the canal
Looking at old maps and then comparing them to Google satellite view we could trace out the route, joining the lines of trees and pale lines in fields.
Route just traceable
My wiggly line shows the route of the line through Gowdall to Drax.
An interesting bit of detective work to keep us busy.
Happy New Year
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 more day away from the boat, 1 new year, 3 of us in the house.
