Mid Warks YC to Hockley Heath Wharf

We had to leave the wonderful hospitality of MWYC at 0900 in the morning. This was the arranged time even though it was raining we had to leave. We said a grateful goodbye and The Best Mate took the tiller with Suepercrew and navigated to Kingswood Junction

where I waited under an oak tree and met them with a bike. 

We moored up in the space vacated by 118 year old M .58 ft out and 57 foot in! We had a cup of tea. 

The sky brightened up and we decided to ascend Lapworth Locks.

The rain started again after the first lock, lock 21. A Bottom paddle is broken and has been since April. Apparently they have no stop planks and cannot drain the pound because of moorings. 

By lock 17 the sun broke through and we had the company of two CRT Vlockies, Roger and Judy.

They stayed with us until lock 6 where we stopped for lunch.

The rain had started again and we did not get going for quite a while after the meal on board.

In sunshine, The Best Mate and Suepercrew continued through the two lift bridges to a mooring at Hocley Heath. I cycled back to the car and drove to the Wharf to meet them.

8 miles,  19 locks, 2 lift bridges, 5.1/2 hours

Toward Birmingham, Summer 2023

After the climb up Hatton Flight Sonflower rested for a week at the very hospitable Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club. Our friends on nb Faithfull were out cruising and their mooring was available. We thank Ellen for the time and trouble she spent with regard to opening and closing the site for us and giving us a lift to the station. On return to collect Sonflower and take her forward we took the car and bicycle. 

Monday 24 July 2023 Crew, Best Mate and Suepercrew

Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club to The Wharf Inn, Hockley Heath

. The Best Mate and Suepercrew navigated to Kingswood Junction ion the rain while I drove to Lapworth and parked the car at the top of the flight andf cycled down to Kingswood Junction. The towpath is steep at the locks and treaturous in the wet going down! I waited sheltering under a large chestnut tree for Sonflower to arrive. We moored in the oinly vacant spot for a well deserved cup of tea. 

There wer a few hindrances on the flight but in the main we made good progress. We had the assistance of a pair of volunteer lockies for some of the way and three boats coming the down the locks assisted our passage up them. 

There always appears to be a paddle or two out of order in any flight of locks these days. This one had no date to tell when it became defective or the rain had washed the writing off because it was so long ago. I asked a vlockie why the repairs had not been carried out and he told me it was because there was no way of draining the pound to give access to the paddle wiothout putting many moored boats on the mud. It is therefore left until a full stoppage can be arranged. What hapoened to coffer dams and stop planks?

 

 

Here is a vlockie assisting with the top gate on a lock. Their assistance is always welcome. They also are a wealth of information. These particular volunteers would have given us the whole history of the Stratford Canal if we had wanted it!

Onwards and upwards. Sonflower disappears through a bridge into  lock 3. 

Once at teh top of the locks I once more go on my bike and returned to the car to drive to our expected destination of The Wharf Tavern at Hockley Heath.

The Best Mate and Suepercrew were happy to helm SOnflower there and we moored on the visitor moorings. 

THe car oark at The Wharf Tavern is camera controlled but customers get parking for 24 hours by registering inside the pub. Good value for a half of fine ale! Infact we decided to eat here for our main meal before driving back home

7 miles, 19 locks, 7 hours

 

Monday 7 August 2023  Crew: Eeyore and Piglet 

We returned to the boat at The Wharf Tavern via Wedges Bakery for a breakfast bap. The sausage and egg or bacon sausage and egg baps were delivcious and the sun shone as we ate on the tables outside the bakery. The bakery shop has developed quite a bit since we were last here. Wedges Bakery must be on every itinery on the Stratford Canal. It is so well worth it. We purchased a pork pie and scotch eggs to eat for lunch on hte boat as we navigate. 

Navigation was  uneventful until we got to The Shirley drawbridge. Our target was the moorings jsut past the drawbridge but the drawbridge was defective. Fortunately a hire crew had persuaded the cintractors who were in site to open the bridge manually for them and we tailgated them to get through on the same opening. We spoke to the contractors who were leaving site as they had to await spares fro the repair. We were just in time. 

The moorings were full and we moored on four pins in paired springs about eight boats from the drawbridge and just before the aqueduct. 

We walked to the A3400 and caught a bus back to The Wharf Tavern where we had a dinner, got back in the car and returned to base.

5.1/2 miles, 0 locks, 1 lift Bridge          3 hours

Wenesday 9 August 2923   I got a message on social mnedia that Sonflower was loose and had to be re-tied. I visited and moved her onto rings nearer to the Drawbridge Inn. I spoke to the contractors who were still ion site fixing the lift bridge. The whole mechanism and barriers were obsolete and spares are hard to come by. 

Saturday 11 August 2023  Crew: Eeyore, The Best Mate, Suepercrew

We took the train to Solihull and then a taxi to The Drawbridge Inn. We let go at about 1100 and headed toward Birmingham. We stopped atYardley wood moorings for a pump out and at a boatyard for gas. 

We made good progress and arrived atthe moorings  Sainsbury's at Selly Oak Junction to find Paws4Thought the Teddy boat on the moorings. We moored up and had a nice chat with these members of aour cruising club. They too were on their way to the Fund Britiain's Waterways Campaign gathering at the Mailbox.  We got provisions at Sainsbury's and settled in for the night.

7 miles, 0 locks, 3.1/2 hours 

 

 

 

Outward Bound - Car, Boat, Buses, Car

11 June 2018 We drove to Cape of Good Hope and parked in the side road there. There was now only one lonely boat on the Cape Visitor Moorings and at 1530ish we  reversed it to the water point to wash the "other" side of the boat. I was hoping that someone would ascend Cape locks and partner us up Hatton Flight. No such luck and we started the flight with hope in our hearts as the bottom lock was empty set for us. Sonflower eagerly entered and ascended. The second was full;  the third was empty and the fourth was full! How does that happen? After that the only assistance we had was crossing with an American hire crew from North Carolina with a baby in a pushchair. They wanted to leave two gates open as they were using the full width of the wide locks for their narrowboat! "Which gate do you want left open?" a crew member called across to me. "The one I'm standing beside", I said. Beside another lock an Australian grandfather was explaining to his granddaughter how the locks work. "How many turns of the windlass do you think we do on this flight?" I asked. She looked puzzled. I told her each paddle needed 21 or 22 turns to open and close it. That is over 1,800 turns on the flight. No wonder some boaters let the paddles drop on their own! Why are the last four locks of Hatton Flight so much harder than the others?

After the top lock the Best Mate was released from the tiller to get a meal prepared and I sought a mooring. We moored on pins, on the wrong sort of piling after White Bridge 61. Some hirers were enjoying a barbeque down the towpath and I tucked into a plate of Indian snacks  with Cumberland Pale Ale.    6 miles, 21 locks, 5.3/4hrs


12 June 2018 We pulled pins at 0630 after a good and peaceful night. No-one else was on the move but we saw a couple of dog walkers as we approached the Lapworth Junction.  Turning left toward Stratford was a completely new experience for us. We have passed Lapworth Junction numerous times and for various reasons refused the offer of  34 locks in 13miles. 

Now we were looking forward to it. A greyhound walker with much local knowledge told me about bottom gates that lean back and are hard to open, "like this one". I had no difficulty which left me full of confidence for the rest of the day.  With many locks close together and others not more than half a mile apart the biggest decision was whether to walk to the next one or get back on the boat. I walked most of the way and the Best Mate poodled along until we got to lock 33. Here a single handed continuously cruising journeyman was leaving the lock. He warned us that the pound after the akkiduck was very low and he with 24 inch draft was bumping along the bottom.

Sonflower stuck in the exit of the lock first and we let water down to flush her through. Then she stuck in the pound. No panic from the Best Mate. I let more water down until the pound above was about 6 inches below cill level on the bywash. I dare go no further as the akkiduck would have limited depth. We entered lock 35.

The next little problem was veg again.This time an uncleared fallen tree that blocked the towpath. Again, dog walkers to the rescue dragging it aside to allow some access to the next lock.

The real fun started at Lock 36 where there was a narrowboat stuck in the lock exit.

Here flushing through made no difference. Checking the bywash cill levels revealed plenty of water in the lower pound. The boat was a Tyler Wilson with a known 24inch draft. So what was the problem? We ummed and arhed and the following boat crew who are members of our cruising club joined in too.  Then it was decided that as the navigation was closed CRT should be informed.We were told a team was on its way and another was adjusting the levels I had reported amiss at lock 34/35! I got out the beer, glasses and waited.  Keith and two heavies arrived and they leaned knowledgeably on the gate and asked the skipper to reverse as we pulled the gate in the opposite direction. NB Escapologist immediately released. Keith then part closed the gate and went in with a large scoop on a long handle, scooping up shells and fresh water mussels. These accumulate behind the gate and prevent the bottom opening enough to let the boat through. The pinch was well below the water line and invisible to us.

The remainder of the cruise was uneventful and we arrived at a lovely mooring above Wootton Wowen Bridge to have a relaxing afternoon. I went for a short walk to the local farm shop while the Best Mate rested  her leg on the daybed and read a book.

We went to the  Navigation Inn on the recommendation of a local long term moorer. This is a really good value for money pub. Only 200 years of experience. I had a pint of Old Goat Ale, a CAMRA champion ale for 2017. It was nice and fruity. Other ales on offer were Eagle (available at my home local) and the ubiquitous Old Speckled Hen which is a bit strong for an evening meal accompaniment.

After a good nights sleep we walked to the Parish Church of St Peter and enjoyed a visit there before we boarded the bus to Stratford on Avon, then another bus to Warwick bus station where our third bus was waiting to take us to the Cape. We then drove back to Banbury well in time for our regular Wednesday lunch date with our ASD son.  7.5 miles, 17 locks, 8 hours                                          

End of the Summer Cruise

Yes, today we ended the Summer cruise in grey wet August skies. The rain, so light that it hung in the air, persisted all morning but we managed our little saunter from the overnight mooring at Minworth Top Lock to a rendezvous at The Kingsley. Once a Beefeater Tavern and latterly styled Kingley Canalside, this pub appears to be no more. There certainly was no life there today at 12noon! There is a notice on the window about an application to the licensing authority to extend opening hours to 0800am to 0300am. Any opening hours would have been welcome on a cold wet August Thursday! Our lunch with friends here was cancelled and we loaded our things into their car, bid them bon voyage and drove away to find some dinner elsewhere. The Toby Carvery in Knowle was en route as we followed the way we had come: Lapworth, Hatton, Warwick/Leamington, and thence to Banbury.

We could have covered in 45 minutes what ot had taken us over a fortnight. But on the way back I did not see a kingfisher, its irredescent blue back glowing in the morning sunlight, alighting on a swaying branch and them swooping low, almost touching the water, as it considered discretion a better option and flew to the safety of an oak tree across a waving hay meadow. No, the Stratford Canal provided something special to remember.

The heart of the country

We had to stop at the Wedge's Bakery shop close to Bridge 20. It just drew us toward it for the elements of a delicious lunch. A cottage loaf, a pork pie and some cakes that didn't last until lunchtime.

After that a disappointment that Simon Goldsborough was not open for business at Warings Green Wharf it was great to Lyons Boatyard at Bridge 3, just before the Brand wood Tunnel. They had everything we needed, Diesel, Gas and a pump out. All efficiently served with a smile and a bit of banter. They gave the impression that they were boating people who really wanted to give a service to boaters. Freat customer service two days running!

We have arrived in the great city of Birmingham. One thing about having an ASD son is that you get to do a lot of the same things. Today we went to Pizza express. Each time we come we go there to watch the man make the pizza bases. I have no idea how he does it. A bit if swish swashing between his hands followed by some knuckle fisting and turning and then a bit of pressing into the edges of the plate and voila! a perfect pizza base that comes out of the oven as cripy on the edges and as soft as you like it in the middle. And not only that. He does it time and time again exactly the same way and with exactly the same result.

We love this excursion to Pizza Express. Two hours of entertainment and good food finished off with Italian Ice Cream or Tiramasu.

We had a wonderful evening and, no doubt, we will do it again next time we come to Brum.

It's Raining, it's. . .

Yesterday we made good process from our overnight mooring at Hatton Top Lock, patting ourselves ont eh back for our previous eveining's work. It was a nice morning and we soon got to Tom o' the Hill moorings water point. Here the condition of the side of our boat was noted. The flanks were caked with mud splattered up to mid window level by the heavy rain during the night impacting on the already muddy towpath. Nothing that a good hose down would not cure, however, and The Best Mate shut all the windows and handed me the nozzle for the hose.

After our ablutions we progressed to Kingswood Junction where we stopped for bacon butties before the ascent of Lapworth flight. The start was good although we were following a Canalclub (ressurrected Canaltime) boat that was slightly impeded by inexperience and low water. The helmsman insisted on leaving his lock before the previous one had let water into the pound above and had difficulty keeping afloat!

After three locks oit atarted to rain lightly. Thinking that the weather man's prediction, conveyed to us by a teacher in the boat behind, of "light Showers" was true we were unperterbed. However, the sky darkened and the rain became a deluge and The Best Mate wished that she had taken up the offer of a coat rather than 'enjoying the cooling sfffect'.

Lapworth flight is not the place to be when a rain storm comes on you. There is absolutely nowhere to hide and nowhere to moor to escape the wetting. After ten locks Tigger decided that inside the boat was the only place to be and reduced our crew by a gate opener/closer. I did not blame him as he could not understand that he could not get any wetter!

By the time we got to the second to last lock (No 3)we were glad to find the rain stopping and to find a very knowledgeable and customer orientated BW lengthsman who was adjusting the water levels in the flight. He had responded to the call of a previous boat and was working to help the boaters in spite of the terrible conditions. Well done Mr lengthsman. He also directed us to the nearest hostelry, The Wharf at Hockley Heath, where we moored to dry out, do a bit of shopping at the nearby One Stop and wait for service for dinner to commence.

We were patting ourselves on the back because of our second successful day having navigated 19 locks when nb Firefly joined us on the mooring. They had just completed 12 miles and 40 locks! They deserved their G & T!

We had a meal at The Wharf and were very pleased with what we received. We declined the offer of a carvery meal and selected meals from the Specials board or the main menu. Prices were good value and we also ordered puddings. Here is the Best Mate's Sundae to give some idea of the generosity of the portions!