2025 Cruising begins Banbury to Birmingham

Sunday 22 June 2025 

We hadn't been put in the boat this year yet. We need to be in Birmingham in early July as we have booked ourselves into another BCNS Explorer Cruise. 

WIth Alex aboard we set off for  Cropredy. The weather was hot and we left in the late afternoon when it had cooled down a bit. We crossed over with Caroline (the saw lady) who was paddle boarding toward Banbury where she had her boat. The pound above Boughton Lock was very low and we had to navigate with great care past the curlew meadow. Te curhlew was not presenting him self today.  This pound has been a problem and later in the month it was closed for a couple of days becasue of low water. 

We arrived at Cropredy Mill 14 day moorings just about dinner time and settled in for the night. We had a salad meal and went to bed.                                                                                                           3.3/4 miles, 3 locks           3 hours

Monday 23 June 2025.

We were up early and The Best Mate opened her birthday cards.   We set off on or way coming up behind a workboat and hopper just after Cropredy Bridge. The workman were kind enought to let us through ahead of them. The trip to Claydon Locks was uneventful and the levels in the pounds were on the weir. However the levels in teh flight were not. Two pounds wer very low. At the middle lock we met a vlockie who set off to the top to let some water doen form the summit level. We achieved Fenny Compton Wharfe at about noon and settled on the first mooring by the pub. After taking on water we reversed back ont this mooring and waited for Supercrew to join us. It was an entertaining afternoon as we washed the boat and watched the boats interchanging at the water point and some attempting to turn. A couple made it! 

We went to the Wharfe Inn for dinner and were pleasantly surprised that this has improved considerably since we last ate there about two years ago.  It was so good that our son wrote a glowing review.

Suepercrew arrived at about 8.00 pm, settled into the boat quickly and  suggested that we use the remining hours of daylight to make up for the waiting time.

We cruised on until sunset and moored for the night just short of The Wedding Bridge. 

                                                                                                                                   8.3/4miles, 9 locks, 5.1/2 hours 

 

Tuesday 24 June 2025

We wer uo early and set off straight away to  navigate the summit level. We arrived at Marston Doles at about 8 am and found that we were not the first boat to go down. The day was heating up fast and hats and suncream were in order. There were no problems with the flight and we had a good road down. The pound between the two Marsotn Doles locks was low but otherwise everythig seemed in good order. We were through the flight by 1030 am and so dropped the small amount of rubbish we had and  continued on to turn at Wigrams onto the Warwick and Birmingham Canal (GUC). Passing through CAlcutt Locks we went on to Stockton Marfina, the hime of Kate Boats. Here we found they were closed! The manageress was very understanding of our need for a pump out and diverted one of her staff to attend to us. Well worth the £25.00. 

We crossed the canal to the Stockton visotor moorings and at lunch inder the shade of the trees. 

Then we navigated the Stockton flight and stopped for Ice Cream at The Two Boats. After a crew conference we decided to go on to work the locks to the bottom level at Radford Semele. 

The next locks were the Bascote Staircase. On arriving here we found that a hire boat had managed to ground between the two locks. "The top lock was full when we started" the shore crew pleaded.  Oh yeah! Lettting down a bit more water floated the boat and they rose up without a problem.  We then navigated the locks without a problem. At the botttom was another hire boat whose skipper was displeased that we had not let it come in to the bottom so that we changed over in the middle. I pointed out the instruction signs where CRT now forbid this practice.

The crew took the remaining locks in their stride and we moored at Radford Bottom Lock No 23 for an on board chicken curry and rice.    

A quick review of teh birdlife seen included the ubiquitous red kite, grey heron, reed and sedge warblers, reed bunting and grey wagtail. Ther is a notable dearth of swallows martins and swifts.        

                                                                                                                   18 miles, 31 locks,    13 bours 

 Wednesday 25th June 2025

We let go at about 6.00am and were soon at Cape Locks to take on WATER.  Having filled we then went on to Hatton Bottom lock. Bottom Lock Dave was not around. No one was around so we set off on our own. At the third lock two volunteer lock keepers appeared and we were assisted until we stopped at Middle Lock for lunch. It was a relaxed ascent and ALex had time to photograph a bush cricket on a lock gate. 

My friend who used to be a taxonomical entymologist  with the British Museum of Natural History comments, "Roesel's Bush-cricket - nice find"

 After lunch we were absolutely surrounded with volunteers. There must have been eight of them and we had more help than we needed. There was an intake of new volunteers training that day!  We deposited what little rubbish had accumulated sonce Napton and contiued on our way to moor at Tom o' the Woods for the nioght. We decided to stop here because we did not have time to finish the Lapworth flight that day. We were glad we did as the pub porovided very good food and we really enjoyed dinner with a bottle of Prosecco that they had on offer. 

                                                                                                                    12 miles, 24 locks       9 hours

Thursady 26th June 2025

An early start again to take the flight by storm. Almost imediately after leaving our overnight mooring I saw a kingfisher. It flew by, did a quick circle, and disappeared over the hedgferow. We like  Lapworth  flight but some of the twists and turns to get into locks are interesting. We did not have to make any complicated change overs with other boats. The top level was shallow and some boaters had difficulty staying afloat when passing moored craft, basically taking too wide a course was hazardous.  Not far past Hockley Heath Drawbridge one boat that grounded refused all offers of assistance. Why? We left him struggling. 

Apparently the environment and habitat is improved by the installation of reed beds. These allegedly provide shelter for birds and voles. Boating visibility certainly isn't high on CRT's agenda.  

We achieved our aim and moored opposite Gas Street Basin. We went to Miller and Carter for a lovely dinner. The staff served us well.

                                                                                                                    18.1/2 miles. 19 locks      9 hours

Friday 27th June 2025.

This morning we took on water at Cambrian Wharf and then moved to a 14 day mooring at Sheepcote Street Visitor Moorings turning at Icknield Loop junction.   The 14 day mooring outside the Roundhouse is prebooked for "historic boats" from March to September on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This was Firiday and it was empty. A complete waste of space.

                                                                                                                      1.1/2 miles,    0 locks,    1  hour 

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

BCN EXPLORING

26 June 2024 Refueling 

We had returned to the Quay to refuel Sonflower. I had 240 litres of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) delivered to the Quays and Alex helped me to put 160litres into the tanks. 80 litres are stored in the boat for adding later.

This fuel is hailed as the agreed future of diesel propulsion as the fuel comes form regeneratable sources such as olive and rapeseed oils.  There are no "nasty" additives and this is definitely not the first generation biofuel with its diesel bug problems.

2 July 2024 Heading South.

We have never been through the Netherton Tunnel before. After the excitement of the BCNS Explorer Cruise in company we were back on our own with Alex as the muscle in the crew.

We left Tividale Quays  heading east then turned north through the Brade Hall Staircase No 3 and 2 and Brade Hall Lock No 3. At the end of the Gower branch we turned west to Dudley Port Junction and turned south on the Netherton Branch. The tunnel was nothing to be feared and we came out into full sunlight to find an overnight mooring on the Bumble Hole visitor moorings. We did try to get neat to Griffin Bridge but the verge is not deep enough to get a pin more than six inches into the soil. We backed up to the moorings.

From here we had easy acces to walk the kilometer to the Old Swan Inn, known locally as "Ma Pardoes". Here we had good food and drink. The dinners were very good. I dined on a plate of faggots and mash, a real treat.

We got a taxi back.

 4 miles 1 tunnel 3 hours/

3 July 2024

Dudley No  2 and Dudley No 1 Canals and Stourbridge Canal to Stourbridge.

We waited for the fine rain to stop before setting off down the Dudley No 2 Canal to Parkhead Junction. Here a very friendly Volunteer Lock Keeper told us the way to go and assisted us through the first of the Delph locks.  

We had to fill every lock on oour way down and were happy to arrive in Merry Hill Waterside for a well earned bacon and egg brunch. There are certainly plenty of moorings here. The guides tell us that it is also noisy until about midnight. 

We decided to go on and targeted Stourbridge, another six hours and 16 locks further on. We really enjoyed the trip. The Best Mate flagged a little after eight locks and went down for a rest but Alex and I carried on. We had the company of some school children who took "How do locks work leaflets" and were likably interested. We must find ways to interest the next generation. These kids were really interested in the boat (40 years old: that's almost as old as my gran!), the locks and the history pointing out the date of construction on the lock keystones: 1865.

We moored up on 7 day moorings and went to the Old Wharfe Inn for our evening meal.

11 miles, 25 locks,  9 hours

 

After a pleasant night I retrieved the car from Tividale Quays (2 buses, approx 1.1/2 hours) and we went home to vote.

BCNS Explorer cruise Day 7

Saturday 22 June 2024

Yesterday we visited the Black Country Living Museum an finished the long day with dinber at Mad o'Rourkes pie  factory. It was a very noisy venue.

As we had no  boating yesterday we ran the engine for 1/2 hr for hot water.

This morning we  boated to the Dudley tunnel branch for a pump out and water.

Then we went the 1 mile to Tividale Quays. We are the only boat here again! This time we were welcomed with an offer of water!

After lunch on  board we are packing up to go to Titford Pumphouse for a chinese takeaway with the other cruise participants.

1.1/4 miles  O locks, 3/4 hr.

BCNS EXPLORER CRUISE DAY 6

We started the day with a tour of Canal and River Trust's Bradley Workshop. Here they have the capacity to produce 150 leaves of lock gates a yesr. CRT do have another lock gate building workshop. We saw the machines amd yechniques that go into making these heritage items. Oak is still the material of preference although some other woods have been tried over the years. African hardwoods, although strong amd long lasting cannot be verifies as sustainable.

We had lunch on the move again as we cruised to Tipton Owen Street Bridge moorings.

Birds of note today was a family of little grebes..

4 miles 0 locks 2 hours

BCNS EXPLORER CRUISE DAY5

A shorter cruise today. Horsley Fields junction, turn east on the Main Line and left again at Deepfields Junction onto the Bradley Arm. We were following Robbie Cummings footsteps (series 5 I think) but had just one major patch of weed. A trip down the weed hatch after mooring in the Bradley workshop basin revealed the usual collection of poly and rope.

We are here for 24 hours with a visit to the lock gate workshops at noon tomorrow.

This evening was a 'everybody doing their own thing' Barbeque.

4 miles, 0 locks, 3 hours

BCNS EXPLORER CRUISE DAY 4

When we got up we discovered we were well hemmed in. Nb Horned Lark with its Dutch crew has come alongside Stella by Starlighr whose mooring lines were across our bows.

We all extricated ourselves at about 9 am and lefy the basin to join the queue for Walsall Locks. We started the flight at about 10.30 and were through by midday. 

We had lunch on the cruiser stern as we moved. 

I saw a pair of kingfishers today, a few herons and a little grebe. We passed the egg laden coot's nest again so it must have been abandoned.

On arrival at our destination, The Nicklodeon in Wednesfield, we found a mooring next to the bridge. It was shallow where we were intended to moor. We were lent a plank to make getting off safer for the Best Mate after an initial stumble caused by dropping down from the boat onto the grass.

7 miles, 8 locks, 6 hours

BCNS EXPLORER CRUISE DAY 3

We were almost at the back of the pack with only Stella by Starlight with their crew of four and two dogs behind us  BCNS provided help. Peter Fisher cycled from Bradley to be there and got the combination for the bottom paddle padlock which limited it to opening only '3 clicks'. We could do nothing about the top paddle restriction.

We had trouble at Rushall lock 3 where one top paddle was defective and the other very slow, probably choked.

We got through the locks by 12.30 and gently cruised to Ocker Hill Junction for a pump out and lunch stop. Stella passed us. 

We passed them again near Walsall as they cleared their prop. 

We arrived and moored next to the Brewers Fayre. A barrista came out and asked whether her children could loook inside. It amazes  me that folk are so fascinated by our living space.

We could not find a good restaurant in the town centre. I have had enough 'pub grub' and yearned for a curry. No curry house in town so we took a taxi to Ghurka 1816 in Wednesford and were richly rewarded with a wonderful banquet. 

A taxi back and off to bed. 

A restless night with music til late. C'est la vie.

11.1/2 miles 9 locks  8 hours.

BCNS EXPLORER CRUISE DAY 1

When we set off at 0817 the sky had greyed over and the UK was under a yellow weather warning for rain. We had a target. 7 hours cruising on the winding Wyrley and Essington canal to The Fingerpost at Pelsall. We had do this same cruise last August to the IWA Festival of Water and contrast was startling. I persevered at the tiller as the rain  started. Gentle and deceiving at first then turning into a very heavy squall. The Met Office predicted 10-16mm of rain per hour. I am sure they were not wrong. Our whatsapp interboat communications indicated that some boats were having trouble with submerged obstructions and rubbish on the prop. Sonflower's draft is fairly shallow and we avoided the obstructions and it took 5 hours before we needed go down the weed hatch.to clear a life preserver from the blades.

As we got nearer our destination the sky cleared and that change in the reed beds was evident. These have established thenselves and leave room for a boat width in places as in the photo. The reeds make great places for coots to nest and also trap the floating drink cans.

There were a large number of coots and moorhens with chicks in various stages of development.  We also saw goslings and cygnets along the way.

All in all a succesful cruise. Since mooring we have had one thundery shower and bright sunshine. Such is June.

14 miles 0 locks, 6.5 hours.