26 - 28 May 2024 Saltisford to Hockley Heath

Sunday 26 May  2024 

We arrrived back at the boat on Sunday evening after contemporary worship with our son at the local parish church. We were settling in for the evening when nb Castlecroft came up behind and asked if we were going up the Hatton Flight, We said that we were considering a few of the locks to give us a bit of a start and to make use of the good  weather window. So we joined them and worked through locks 26 to 30 before stopping for the evening. The weather promised overnight rain which started faily shortly after sunset.

1 mile 4 locks 1.1/2 hour 

Monday 27th May 2024

I was ready to go at 0700 but the crew of nb Castlecroft were not in evidence. I had a chat with B.L.D. (Bottom Lock Dave) a CRT volunteer lockie of many years standing. He asked whether we had done the flight before. Only about 20 times! As we spoke, the skipper of nb Castlecroft came along to tell me that his crew were having breakfast and would be ready soon. We went on and set Lock 31 and then entered and waited for them to join us. 

Ascending the flight with company makes a lot of difference. nb Castlecroft had three crew ashore and with our one we could set the locks ahead. We did have to cross over with one pair and  two single boats during the ascent. We were at the summit in time to take an early brunch.  

Things have changed. This flagship flight and tourist attraction needs a lick of paint. There are more volunteers here than most other flights so I would have thought this could be managed. There is also a large patch of himalayan balsam between locks 34 and 35 whihc needs managing before the seeds set.

There is an obvious "no mow May" on the lock landings:

We kept an eye on the weather. Heavy showers were forecast and we managed to miss them and make it to Lapworth flight in the dry. 

Turning into Lock 20 Stratford Canal

We did not complete the ascent to the summit and decided to stop at lock 5 when the rain began to get really heavy. We feasted on the remains of our food: meatball and pepper skewers with nachos.

8 miles 32 locks  9 hours

Tuesday 28 May 2024

We arose early but heavy rain persisted. We ate breakfast and waited for the weather to improve then started off up the remaining four locks. At lock 3 we were held up by CRT personnel who were looking at the nearside top paddle. The rack was missing. We lent them our sea searcher magnet and they went fishing for about half an hour but the rack was not found or retrieved so the paddle remains out of operation. I checked the magnet on the rack of another lock paddle and found that the casting was very lightly magnetic, My guess is that ist is cast from an alloy steel with high austenitic content. CRT will have to find another way of fishing to retrieve the lost rack. 

We were following nb Rosery so had to empty down every lock and we were being followed by a single hander so we left a paddle up for him too. The skipper of nb Rosery tripped over one of the superfluous bollards at one lock. Fortunately he stayed on the bank and reported that he was OK. He told us that he had told BW that these were a hazard when they put them in! We completed the flight and the rain started again as we arrived at the  Wharfe Tavern, Hockley Heath. Peter called a taxi and returned to collect the car before we settled in for a nice lunch in this welcoming hostelry.

2 miles, 4 locks  2 hours

Hatton Flight

Today, with Alex as crew, and with the BEST MATE On nonagenarian mother-in-law duties we returned to the Top Lock LT moorings and took SONFLOWER down.

Getting there meant a car journey and a two mile walk up the locks from the layby. On the walk up we saw a CRT volunteer lock keeper and pointed out to him that the pound between locks 29 and 30 was about two feet lower than usual. He was not at that time letting water down but assisting a boat going up. He said he would have a look.

 We set off and filled and emptied two locks before the volunteer popped his head over a gate beam and told me that he had let some water down and we would be fine now. He was on his own today. There were two other volunteers in the "Welcome Centre" but I could not see anyone for them to welcome at this point of the day.

At the start of the steep flight where the locks are close together and dead in line I noticed that the tower of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick is straight ahead.  You have to zoom in quite a bit to see it so I have done it for you:

I wondered whether the engineer had deliberately made it a focal point. The church has been there since 1128. We had done about 10 locks with Alex on the bank and me on the tiller when we came across nb Lilly May who was moored in a very short pound between Lock 37 and 36. The crew said that they were having a half time cuppa. They declined to join us in lock 36. Alex and I changed roles. We waited at the next lock for them. There was a boat coming up the next lock so we had nowhere to go anyway. By now they had taken on board more crew including two tiny children, one toddling and one babe in arms. I looked the other way when the toddler was toddling along the top beams of the gates and helping with paddle gear and gate opening! Alex was boating at age 3.1/2 but never without a life jacket.

They shared locks with us for five locks and then moored on a longer pound between Lock 31 and Lock 30 that has a length of armco in the centre. We continued down alone but had the assistance of two boats that came up.

We moored just short of Budbrooke Junction.

                                                         2. 1/4 miles, 21 locks, 4 hours

Fantastic Crew!

We arrived back at Satisford Arm thanks to our hosts for lunch today. Scrummy full roast chicken dinner with bread sauce and yorkshire puddings and fruits of the forsest marrangue for afters. Wow, thanks Andy, Becky and family.

We decided that the evening was too nice to miss so we paid our dues and slipped the mooring at 5.30 pm with the Hatton Flight before us. At sunset, 2016h, we had conquered it. 21 locks in 2.3/4 hours. Many were set for us but the last four had to be emptied and we met one boat on the way!

Well done crew!

We moored above lock 46 next to two adventure boats full of sea scouts who were coating foil with candle carbon to set track detectors for the night.

The Best Mate set about creating a past and two sauce (tomato and cheese) dinner wich was consumed with gusto and washed down with a Vin Fine de Langedoc.

End of a beautiful day. Only a game of UNO to go.