Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS YEARS

SPRING & SUMMER 1980

Part 3 : Mid-season

Click on a picture to see a bigger version with a caption

This part of the story begins with the boat at Bridgewater Boats' base at Berkhamsted.

MAY HALF TERM CRUISE

Caligula was one of our cats, whom we brought with us for the first time because our cat-sitter told us that he was fighting with the other four when we weren't there.We came to the boat in the evening and Caligula explored the cabin for all possible caves, magic carpets to home etc. We had a barbecue with the Fosters & friends and rolled into bed late & shattered.

I did the last of the shopping, while Ian nobly went to a builders' merchants to change the Shell gas bottle. Wendy was clearing up from last night. Caligula was inclined to hide. We set off at 11:04 for what proved a fairly easy run up to the summit. We had a pub lunch at The Lock & Quay, Bulbourne, then shared locks down into Marsworth, afterwards running single. We stopped above Church lock at 19:34 and soon had to rescue someone who fell overboard from another boat. Later, electrical failure left us without water, which made it impossible to get water for cooking, so Wendy got some in cans etc from the people living in converted Church (with 4 Burmese cats). Couldn't find the cause of the problem. Caligula was getting more adventurous, but was still basically an indoor cat.

We had breakfast at the mooring, then traced the electrical fault to a dodgy contact at one end of the ammeter, which was easy to put right. This made redundant the huge breakfast Wendy had cooked in case we needed to be boat-horses. We set off at 10:55, with Caligula just about able to venture outside, but now wandering about the boat happily even when the engine was noisy. He looked out from time to time while we were moving. I cooked lunch on the move. We saw a blue-winged teal with 8 ducklings near Fenny. We used the sani station before Fenny Stratford lock then went on to arrive at The Black Horse, Linford, at 17:26. We had more struggles to get grease packed properly into the greaser : we must acquire a new washer for it. A couple of our Drama Club friends, Pat & Eileen Mills arrived in Autrant hire-boat Victoria & came for drinks. They noticed a minor flood by the back door which seemed to be the result of a blocked drain channel to the back bilge.

During the night, Caligula escaped. We stayed at the mooring for the morning doing various jobs on the boat between searches, but realised he'd be unlikely to return in the day with lots of people around. And we needed to find a loo point, so Ian & I took the boat to Cosgrove while Wendy stayed behind with the cat-basket, to no avail. We left at 14:05 and were back, mission completed, at 17:22. Wendy cooked dinner while I put up a notice in the pub about the cat. We decided that if he didn't come back the next day, we'd go up to Stoke Bruerne & back, then stay here until Wednesday afternoon, take Ian & me to Fenny to travel home, and Wendy would stay here until Friday.

We were still sure that Caligula was not at all likely to come back until night, so we'd cruise in the day. We had offers of help from friendly BW men and other boaters. We set off southwards at 09:54, winded at Linford Wharf and went ashore for some cat-searching between there and The Black Horse. We went on to Stoke Bruerne, where Ian made lunch on board. BW were taking boats through the tunnel, as parts of it were thought to be unsafe. We had some troubles with the tick-over of the engine before we winded and set off back, encountering some rain from a dramatic dark sky. Later there was an amazing sunset reflected in Willen Lake. We saw at least three herons in flight.

We were back at The Black Horse, at 20:58. I cooked dinner, after which we heard Caligula outside, and went into the woods to find him. Wendy & I sat on a slope among the bushes with his basket, calling him. We first saw, then were able to stroke him, but noises on the towpath panicked him. We finally enticed him to us & back on board around midnight. During the night there was obviously another cat he'd made friends with calling for him.

We told interested parties about Caligula and heard that nb Barnaby' s cat was lost at Fenny a few days ago. We set off southwards at 09:12. Ian cooked breakfast on the move. I painted the mop handle. We stopped at the Globe Inn, Linslade, for a pub lunch, then reversed direction and went back as far as Fenny Stratford lock, where we used the sani station before mooring below the lock a 17:47 and leaving for home.

Wendy came to charge up the batteries because everyone else was occupied or ill. She found a note from Barnaby to say their cat, Poppy, had turned up. She'd intended to go to The Black Horse to thank people for their concern about Caligula, but the sky inspired cowardice. She had a few air-lock problems when charging the batteries. The stern-gland grease seemed to be holding. There was good birdsong in the evening.

MORE WEEK-ENDING

Roger, Chris & Ian arrived in the evening to find a lot of water in bilge : pump or float-switch fault? They set off at 19:02 and commented in the log that Milton Keynes was breeding a young group of fishermen. They stopped at The Black Horse, Linford, at 21:04 and Chris cooked dinner.

Roger traced the bilge-pump fault to a broken wire to the float-switch and repaired it. They set off at 10:10 and Ian cooked breakfast on the move. They stopped before Blisworth tunnel, where the boat was taken through by BW staff because of shoring-up and the crew carried over the top by minibus. They had lunch on arrival the other side. And set off again, stopping at Stowe Hill. Chris cooked dinner, then Ian left for London. After dinner they put in another hour's cruising, to Whilton bottom lock, where they arrived at 21:35.

They set off up the locks at 08:30 and ran through to below Braunston bottom lock where they bought & fitted a new bilge-pump. The final session of the day brought thunder storms as they ran out to Shuckburgh, winded and came back to moor in Braunston at 18:00 and head for home.

A WEEKEND TO BIRMINGHAM

It was a very wet night and we didn't get up until the rain stopped. We stared at 06:37 on the Warwick & Napton section of the G.U. At Birdingbury wharf Wendy served breakfast, then we set off again. At the top of Stockton locks we noticed a Calcutt hire-boat, Wild Sorrel, coming behind us and waited for them to share the locks. They had an energetic crew from a rowing club, the steerer experienced the other 3 crew not, but learning fast.

At Leamington, both boats stopped by bridge 39 for a pub & some shopping (good shopping close to the cut). We had a slow run up Hatton (with same partner as in the morning) because of a slow boat ahead, several of whose crew stayed in the cabin watching Wimbledon on TV. We took on water at Hatton yard and later enjoyed that beautiful stretch between Hatton and Shrewley. We moored overnight at our regular spot before Shrewley tunnel at 20:37 and went to The Durham Ox with the other crew before Wendy cooked.

We started at 07:48 amongst good birdsong. Shrewley Tunnel was less wet than usual. There were lots of anglers (at least one match) and rabbits. I cooked breakfast on the move. At Kingswood junction we went through the branch onto the Stratford-on-Avon Canal, used the sani station and headed north for Birmingham. Lapworth locks were very pretty, with foxgloves, including white one, lots of wild roses, vetch, ducklings, geese etc.

These pictures are all in the Lapworth flight of locks, one of my favourites.

Above the locks we stopped at bridge 19 and Wendy cooked lunch. In the afternoon we noticed that there appeared to have been some spot-dredging around the lift-bridges. We saw lots of honeysuckle. At King's Norton junction we joined the Worcester & Birmingham Canal which we followed to Gas St Basin, Brum, where we moored at 20:11 and travelled home.

ACROSS THE B.C.N.

They came up from London after work to find everything in good order, including dry bilges. The Night Club was very noisy.

Shopping for the weekend was delayed by difficulty of finding an off-licence, so they weren't able to start until 11:53. Heading down the BCN Main Line they commented that there were more trolleys in the cut than in the supermarket. At Smethwick they locked up to the Old Main Line, finding Smethwick locks very filthy with a thick film of oil on the water, lockside, balance beams and arms that go down the weed-hatch. They passed Factory junction and stopped north of Coseley tunnel for a very late lunch. They though that the spot would make good overnight mooring, much quieter than Wolverhampton itself. Soon after starting again they saw Ray Dunford in his new boat Albion that he'd hoped to keep a secret until he got it back to London. They moored for the night before Wolverhampton top lock at 19:45.

They started at 09:03, slowed by a bad road and a large parcel of weed, polythene bag and nylon mesh on the blade. They noticed a sign announcing the imminent creation of a rubbish point below lock 9. By now they were running much faster in a convoy, with a BW man lockwheeling. They passed through Aldersley and Autherley junctions and onto the "Shroppie", where they left the boat just past the water-point, having used the facilities. From there they set off for home.

A WEEKEND ON THE STAFFS & WORCS

We arrived mid-afternoon via taxi from Wolverhampton to find the weather good, the bilges dry, and the engine good-tempered. We set off at 16:08 and had to queue for the stop-lock. We joined the Staffs & Worcs and headed towards Haywood. We thought it a pretty canal, but narrow and busy which meant we had to keep climbing trees to let other boats past (lots of nervous new hirers). And waiting at various narrows. We saw foxgloves, campions of both colours, forget-me-nots. Birds were less colourful than earlier in the year. We stopped at Gailey wharf at 19:22.

LAST WEEKEND BEFORE THE MAIN CRUISE

Term had finished, so we were able to travel up rather earlier than on a normal Friday. We found that while we were away the boat had come adrift and been re-moored. We set off at 15:36, through Tixall Wide in shimmering heat. We stopped at Haywood junction to use the facilities at Anglo Welsh - nice people there - then set off eastwards, finding the boat a better fit in the locks on the Trent & Mersey. We stopped past Brindley's Bank, Rugeley, at 18:45 and Wendy cooked dinner which we ate outside.

We made a late start (08:43) because of rain, then stopped in Rugeley wharf for shopping (mixed quality). When we continued it was cloudy but mainly dry, and we were accompanied for much of the way by a rather fine dog following us along the towpath, which was worrying as it seemed possible he may have wandered from a holiday boat. He turned at the first lock and followed another boat the other way. We saw a swallows' nest on the underside of a bottom gate of Middle Lock and had an amazingly close view of both parents and babies.

We reached Fradley junction mid-afternoon, just in time for "last orders" at The Swan. That broke a jinx as we'd never been there in opening hours before. Then we passed onto the Coventry Canal (detached section), which we found pretty but mostly rainy. We stopped to have dinner by Stepping Stones bridge, then went on to Huddlesford junction for some beer at The Plough, before Ian went off home via Lichfield BR. Wendy & I went on to Whittington, where we moored at 20:40. The Calor gas cylinder was empty at the end of the day and we had to switch to the spare cylinder of Shell.

We started at 06:55 in pleasant weather which lasted all day, and saw several herons. We were now on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal's bit of the Coventry and had breakfast on the move. Some pleasant anglers approved of our speed. We use the facilities at Fazeley BW yard and were soon on the Coventry Canal proper.

We locked up Atherstone with nb Phoebe (short enough to fit in the locks behind us) with a crew of 3 people + 2 kittens. There was lots of traffic both ways.

I did lunch on the move after the locks. We stopped at Hawkesbury junction at 18:46 and stayed on board overnight & got an early taxi next morning to catch the milk train