Sutton Stop and back - a Sunday outing

All week long I have been opening up the Met site for Church Warden and looking at the five day forecast to see what Sunday would bring. Each day it promised sunshine all day and lovely spring temperatures. Come Saturday this had changed to cloudy with sunny periods with a max of 14.

So we decided to go ahead with our plan for a barbecue at Sutton's Stop (Hawkesbury Junction in Nicholson's and Pearson's guides). This should entail a two or two and half hour trip - although one pessimistic loony here told us it would be four hours each way.

Six thirty on Sunday brought the predicted sunrise in a clear sky and things certainly looked good, so after a hearty breakfast, I set off to St.John the Baptist church to ring in ther 09:00 Palm Sunday service. Brinklow was bathed in morning sunlight and primroses speckled the grass in front of the church - very spring.

Didn't stop for the service - bellringers are renowned for sneaking out of the tower and heading to the pub instead, but not at 9 o'clock! So down to the shop for tom sauce and bottle of wine for the barbecue. But wait! not allowed to purchase from the off licence until 10:00am on Sabbath, so back to the boat.

A trip to the garage at Newbold reveals that this rule doesn't seem to apply to 24 hour garages with an offie attached so, fill the tank and shopping bag and back to the boat.

This is going to be quite a long day. The next job is a pump-out, the details of which I am sure can be left out: suffice to say that the mission was accomplished by 11:00 when our visitor and fellow traveller for the day was due to arrive.

With Emily through the gate and having moored her La ndrover at pier 17w, We headed out of the marina and turned left (for a change) on our way to hawksbury junction. Emily proved to have a wealth of local knowledge as we motored down Cathiron straight and past Brinklow before reaching Rose Narrowboats (http://www.rose-narrowboats.co.uk/) where we let Mr Mercury through the pedestrian swing bridge before continuing on our way.

There was a forty mile orienteering event this Sunday, which meant that on the towpath, adjoing footpaths and bridlways were throngs of walking and jogging competitors with whom the crew had frequent conversations from the stern. There were also many farm animals about, some drinking from the canal.

Wildlife was in abundance and in particular birds in the hedgerows. The wild birds kept up a lively conversation with the fluffy toy ones that we bought at Wyvale nursery - which goes to show that the makers claim the these stuffed toys have bona fide calls for 'educational purposes' is true. A blackbird and a robin to wit(sic). Audrone kep[t them chirping by pressing their buttons.

The sun was well over the yard-arm by the time we reached Ansty, so wet rations were broken out and we cruised onward and closer to Hawkesbury junction, passing a garden full of dead 'classic' and 'super' cars and a few other unidentifiable pieces of motoring has beens.

When we arrived at the junction, the Greyhound was teeming with Sunday afternoon revellers and their families - at least outside was, we didn't see inside. Gongoozlers thronged the towpath and lock side, even leaning over the towpath bridge. Unfortunately for them we didn't touch anything or run aground before negating the stop lock again and heading out to find a mooring for our barbecue.



We found a great spot not far back down the cut from the junction nice deep earth to sink the pins into. So we moored up and fired up the barbecue. The wind was up a bit, but the sun still shone and conversation flowed freely between passing boaters and towpath walkers.

The district was of course the heart of the warwickshire coalfields and has a very rich industrial history - there is still a huge power installation alongside the canal not far from where we were moored; but the scene was rural and very tranquil from where we were moored.

Well this time the barbecue worked perfectly, though for those who think is going to start cooking things in 7-10 minutes, it doesn't. But properly loaded with charcoal, does an magnificent job and could easily cook enough to feed eight people three times over if you planned it right. The plates keep up a cooking temperature for a long time after you have done your first lot, you could use it for another two or three rounds!

This has another advantage in that the whole unit can also be then closed and kept burning slowly while the steerer straddles it to keep warm as the afternoon chill creeps in on the way back to the marina. Not a patio heater, but a counter heater - most efficatious for semi trad boats.

A foxton trip

But not by boat - we decided to drive up to Market Harborough to do a bit of shopping and slumming in the estate agent windows, with a thought to purchasing a property in the district.

It certainly is an attractive town; bustling and looking well heeled. The old Jacobean market building which has also been a grammar school was originally constructed in 1618, and now the schoolroom has been converted to a function room for nefarious purposes. St Dionysius Church is also a splendid architectural feature in the town centre. Anyway, lovely pub lunch at the Three Swans, one of John Fothergills establishments that he has written about in his book Three inns. It was also known to Robert Aikman and LTC Rolt, since the arm was one of the earliest re-opening accomplishments of the IWA.

Since we intend to take Gleemaiden into these waters early this year, we thought that it might be an idea to visit the Foxton Locks. And so we did arriving mid-afternoon.



If BW are going to charge £2.00 for a parking ticket in their pay and display, that is fine, and probably good for revenue, but when the machine refused me a ticket and still took my £2.00 coin, I left a note in the windscreen rather that waste more money - it certainly did not give the coin back again.

Another £2.50 would have admitted us to the museum/shop half way up the flight between the inclined plane and the lock reservoirs. But we continued up the path to the lock keepers cottage the top lock. Why didn't we bring our BW key - there is a box there which dispenses free information brochures to passing boaters.

Anyway there was plenty of information about the lock keeper's house and the inclined plane (or boat lift as they put it) as well as about the locks themselves - we got some pictures, but they are not as good as those in the canal books and magazines. So, I don't suppose we really needed them. I have to say that the visitor facilities, plaques and look-out points do give a spectacular aspect to this famous piece of industrial archaeology; the view of the rolling countryside is also absolutely smashing.

Can't wait to take the boat up there. Have to get everything right though, it really is a gongoozler magnet!!

Over under and through in one day

This was supposed to have been written yesterday, but by the end of it all I was so knackered I fell asleep after mooring up at Newbold. What a glorious day it was!

Forecast by the Met at Church Lawford to be sunny if a little bit chilly, we set off at 11:00 heading for Easenhall crossing bridge 38 and heading north according to OS map 222. Anyway, we missed the footpath to Easenhall and saw it on our port side as we passed on the bridleway. So a revision of the route had us passing through Harborough Magna and striking across the fields toward Cosford Hall Farm.

It was after we crossed a style making a turn to the south that we decided to stop in have a bit of a rest on the edge of a ploughed field. Very pleasant it was too, the sun was shining and birds chirruping in the hedge. But what were those chaps doing on the other side of the field? Were they farmers? Hmm. Then Audrone said:

'Here comes farmer Joe' and sure enough a quad bike was puttering toward us. When level he stopped and I said:

'Lovely day'
'Yes it is, but this is not a good place to sit and enjoy it given that this is a clay pigeon firing range.'
'Oh' said Audrone, 'I thought it was a public footpath'.
'It is, but you are sitting in the fall-out area and likely to be showered with spent pellets - but they have stopped shooting since you have been here, but would you please carry on with your walk so that the club members can carry on with their shooting?'

Of course we did! Then past the hedge to the next field was a warning sign saying that shooter would stop while walkers passed through - not knowing this, we passed ourselves off as sitting ducks.


Following the path along and veering off to the north, we walked over the Newbold Tunnel - the eastern entrance being clearly defined where the twin line of trees ends. Then finding ourselves on Rugby road, we retired to the Crown for a cider and got out the OS map for the route home.


The choice was the towpath, being the most direct and hopefully not muddy. Moored next to bridge 50 and washing his boat while taking on water was Andrew Denning with Granny Buttons who had quite a bit to say about the new BW water points - here is Andy Denning's site:

http://www.grannybuttons.com/granny_buttons/

Just before entering Newbold Tunnel (and not for the last time this day), the sound of a single cylinder diesel made itself heard popping along the cut under the bridge coming up behind us. 'I'll bet that is a Bolinder' said I in know-all fashion. And as the boat Pelican entered the tunnel, this was confirmed by the steerer, who told me that it was an eleven horsepower single. I must say, it sounded very distinctive in the echoing chamber of the tunnel and indeed accompanied us all the way back to bridge 38 where we left the towpath to get back to the marina.

Very sore feet after such a long walk, but no rest, for exercise builds the appetite and we were longing to try out the new barbecue (see blogs passim). This we did very successfully in the evening sunshine, even though it was chilly enough to warrant a scarf as well as a windproof jacket. Still it was very enjoyable and the barbecue worked perfectly sitting on the stern locker.


The day was not yet finished - still plenty of sunshine so we decided on the spur of the moment to take the boat for a run up to Newbold, tying up just as the sun was setting. Just the way to end the first day of summer time.



So we went over under and through the Newbold Tunnel all in one day!

A new gadget for the summer

Last week Summer seemed to be just around the corner, so I started thinking of towpath barbecues and other summer delights when out cruising. However I also realised that the missing item for this sort of entertainment was the barbecue itself.

So thumbing through last year's Canal Boat magazines I found the review on different types that were considered suitable for boating - not all of them looked that good to me, however, last summer we had almost decided on one of them called improbably; Son of Hibachi Grilletto.

Having found a suitable supplier on the Internet (I want one of Those.com), placed the order and presto, the courier delivered it to our doorstop (I mean gate) today. Now having assembled all the bits, I would dearly love to try it out, but the instructions are very clear about it not being suitable for indoor use!!

The Iceman Cometh

This is probably rather a strange way to start a blog which is devoted to life on a narrowboat, but the fact that it is supposed to be freezing again tonight, reminds me that time is running out for taking a trip to Tromso with the promise of viewing the northern lights and staying in the Ice Hotel.

The latter will no doubt thaw shortly, given that the birds here are starting to get into their frisky spring antics. There are still some cabins available for a 14 day cruise according to a travel website. But this also means that we can make an early start to the cruising season in the Midlands here at any rate and save ourselves a few thousand pounds. . . hmmm, anyone for Stratford in February?

I have been strictly ordered not to discuss laundrette visits, shopping or cups of tea on this forum, so I will only bring up disgusting subjects like pump-outs and black water bilge cleanouts instead.

On the subject of shopping though, does anyone know where one can obtain a wine rack that coulld fit neatly under the gunwale next to the dinette table? Our present solution is a carry box provide by TESCO. Somebody also suggested that a built in one in the engine bay is a top idea for keeping your reds at room termperature.