Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS II YEARS

TO THE FENS AND BIRMINGHAM,
Summer & Autumn 1991

PART 3 : The run home

We resume the story at Powke Bridge, near Windmill End, on the Dudley no.2 Canal. No photos in this section, I'm afraid.

The Festival over, we all set off for our various homes. We started at 06:49, glad to be on the move again, and joined a close procession through the tunnel, following Caldon Witch. We disposed of rubbish en passant at Tividale, joined the main line and went into central Birmingham, to Sherborne Street wharf for pump-out & water. Visitor moorings were more numerous now in central Brum & we tied up by St Vincent Street Bridge, as the nearest access point to Tesco at Fiveways, where Wendy shopped while I painted.

When we ready to resume our travels, we found that there was only just enough width to wind where we were. Then we headed for Old Turn, Worcester Bar and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The Gas Street area seemed to us to be mellowing again, despite some "no mooring" notices, one of them on a building called The Wharf! On the Worcester & B'ham we found better depth than last time we were here & now a good towpath. At King's Norton junction we turned into the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, where again the depth was better & towpath repairs had started but weren't yet complete. Near Dickens Heath at 17:30 we found a mooring that was good for the mogs & a barbecue.

Arlecchino threatened to delay us by sitting for a long time up a willow tree grooming himself, but came on board as soon as we started doing engine checks etc. We set off at 08:55 and went down Lapworth locks in procession, slowed by Copperkins ahead of us, whose crew weren't used to narrow locks and were worrying like mad about their new boat's paintwork. But we were helped by Mithril behind us. We stopped at The Boot, Lapworth, to let them get ahead of us, and I went to the pub for lunch. Copperkins also stopped, and we managed to start ahead of them. It was too late to think of doing Hatton that day. At Kingswood we joined the GU (Warwick & B'ham section), passed Mithril again before Shrewley tunnel, and moored for the night (at 17:19) by Hatton winding hole with the plank out. The towpath was too narrow and well-used for a barbecue to be safe, so we ate on board then played Scrabble. Dido was first cat ashore!

We were not surprised to find a queue for Hatton when we started at 08:54. We locked down with another 2-handed boat, breasted for much of the time with me steering and Ken (from the other boat) lock-wheeling, which alleviated being just behind the slow Copperkins and Onward (whose owner, Roger, we were to get to know in later years). We were also helped by a lock-wheeler from the following quartet of small boats from Dunstable & District Boat Club.

At Budbrooke junction we turned into the Saltisford Arm (the original terminus of the Warwick & Birmingham Canal), where we were made very welcome on the visitor moorings. We took on water. They also had elsan & pump-out facilities plus a domestic-style laundry room. We had so much washing that we took a taxi to a launderette in the town centre, and had a pub lunch while the washing was cooking. There was a Sainsbury's fairly near the mooring.

We set off again down Cape locks with Gideon. Past Leamington there were strings of bungaloid growths, and we found a suburban mooring by bridge 37A where we tied up at 18:58 opposite The Fusilier, with giant bollards presumably supplied by the pub. I went to the pub for a drink (it was pretty ordinary) before barbecuing. There was a launderette two doors from the pub, which we noted in the log and have used on subsequent visits.

Arlecchino was too busy exploring suburban gardens to come back to the boat, so I spent the day painting roses and castles and Wendy caught up with reading and sleep. Eventually Arlecchino was persuaded back (bribed with food) and we put in a few hours cruising with a very short boat called Merlin, who was just out for an evening's spin. We were rather unnerved by the way Merlin habitually clung to the forward ladder or chain in each lock. Only two of their crew knew what they were doing, but the other pair insisted on helping.

When we decided to moor at 20:12 above Welsh Road lock, Merlin turned to go back in the dark. Arlecchino jumped ashore as soon as we stopped. I suspected that Arlecchino had made a friend at the last mooring, and we hoped he wouldn't go back and search ......

….. which he didn't, and came in as soon as we wanted. We started at 07:08 and stopped for a late breakfast above Stockton top lock. It was lovely cruising all day, even with a bad road up the first part of the Stockton flight. After breakfast we continued through Napton Junction and Braunston (using the sani station there).

We locked up Braunston locks slowly with two small narrowboats : Carla Lea & Lizzie: the latter with two large dogs, three cats and engine problems. We followed Lizzie through the tunnel, slowly, with our fingers crossed for her engine, which lasted until after the tunnel, whence we towed her to Buckby. Just after the tunnel a woman on Gideon recognised Wendy - "Look, it's THAT WOMAN, the one who steered down Cape Locks." We locked down the top lock (with another boat) as there wasn't room to moor above it, and we knew the first pound was a long one. We moored at 19:18. Dido and Arlecchino were on and off the boat a lot at the mooring, despite quite a few walkers in the early evening, including a couple from the Rally who recognised the boat by its cats. Barbecue again.

Arlecchino came in, exhausted, at 06:30, leaving most of a mouse on the doormat. Dido was scornful. I walked to the top lock to see if anyone was about to come down, and found a boat, on its way back from the Rally ,waiting for a partner, so they came down the top lock and we set off at 08:54 with them for the rest of the flight. They were the Russell family from Chingford (Alan & Cathy with son James & daughter Sarah), on nb Auntie Barb from Tottenham. We were to get to know them very well indeed over the coming years, both as boaters and as IWA activists, and we became excellent friends. Tragically, Alan died in 1999 at the age of 50. On this occasion Cathy steered while Alan worked the locks, accompanied by James (then aged 6) and Sarah (a few years older).

We'd hoped for a pump-out at either Concoform or Stowe Hill and planned to ask about local mooring restrictions, but both yards were closed so we went on for a pump-out at Blisworth Tunnel Boats, and further chat with the Russells. Then we went back across to the other side & moored by Owen & Iris Bryce's garden at 14:02 before setting off for home.

A WEEKEND WITH A PROBLEM

We had difficulties getting away from home, but finally arrived at Blisworth around mid-day, after a pleasant train journey and a hair-raising taxi ride. We chatted with Iris Bryce before starting. We saw a Blue Persian Cat, which is called Toby and is a neighbour of Owen & Iris.

We set off at 13:57 and found the tunnel much less opaque than last time we were through it. We locked down Stoke Bruerne with Tryst, which at first sight appeared mob-handed, but some of its people were elderly, so in terms of able-bodied crew they were 2-handed like us.. We were also helped by some pleasant and useful gongoozlers, so Wendy was able to lock-wheel. We originally hoped to get to the Black Horse at Great Linford, but decided to stop earlier as we were tired. We went as far as the Barley Mow, at Cosgrove, where we arrived at 18:02

The engine wouldn't start. A man on Osprey recommended us to seek help from "John at the Marina", but all there was closed. We phoned Yardley Gobion wharf but they were fully occupied with work on four other boats. They also spoke highly of Cosgrove Marina. Then we met two of yesterday's helpful gongoozlers who were staying with friends whose garden backs onto the towpath, so we arranged to leave a set of keys with said friend (Janet Gillespie) to pass on to whoever we got to sort out the problem. Then we went home.

PROBLEM CURED – SOUTHWARDS AGAIN

We had problems getting up in the morning, so once again didn't reach the boat until mid-day. In the intervening period we had arranged by phone for John Maloney (Cosgrove Services) to look at the problem and he'd towed the boat to his base. The problem was caused by a worn timing chain which had slipped. John had put all to rights and was very pleasant, but scathing about whoever had "reconditioned" the engine. We paid John and set off at 14:52.

It was very windy & there were lots of anglers. The hedges were all red with hips & haws. As we came through Wolverton, there were a lot of people picking blackberries, elderberries and rosehips. We boated to The Plough at Simpson tying up there at 17:54. We went to the pub before dinner and found that the old landlord had retired to Inverness and the place is now run by a young couple. It was too chilly to barbecue, and we were glad of the cabin stove. It rained heavily during the night.

It was dry by breakfast time and there was pleasant birdsong. We had a leisurely breakfast with armies of Wyverns chugging past us as we lazed around We set off at 09:37, once more meeting lots of anglers. At Willowbridge boatyard we bought gas, coal etc., then stopped above Soulbury locks for a good lunch at the Three Locks: good quality, plentiful and not over-expensive. It seems that over the past four years the Globe and the Three Locks have swapped positions in the food market, as the Globe is now more up-market and expensive than it used to be. We lounged a bit while waiting for the fire to die before leaving the boat at Leighton Buzzard at 15:42 to await our next trip.

ANOTHER WEEKEND HEADING SOUTH

Wendy came up from London in time to do shopping & the launderette and had a long chat with Tim Clarkson (Isis) about London moorings & Canalway Cavalcade. I joined her in the evening.

We decided to have breakfast before starting because of the weather and the sequence of locks. We left the Leighton Buzzard mooring at 08:55, paused to use the sani station and set off southwards, with a bad road most of the way, broken by Slapton lock being open for us. We met a woman boater with two dogs who remembered our old boat, Felis Catus and Caligula, one of our former cats who did some boating with us. We shared Ivinghoe locks but the other boat stopped before Peter's Two because of rain.

We went on to the Ship Stores, Marsworth, where we moored at 13:46. This was too late for lunch at the Red Lion so we had a makeshift lunch on board. It was still raining, so we did the Guardian alphabetical jigsaw crossword, by which time it was not only still raining but also 17:00 and we decided to stay the night. For dinner we enjoyed an excellent free-range guinea fowl we'd bought from Safeway.

We got up early, but then came heavy rain. That over, we set off at 07:28, ready for more of it. It was very hot in full waterproofs, but Wendy found that a waterproof top looped through the balance-beam grip gave a lot of purchase for opening the gates. We had a bad road up the first 4 locks, then crossed Bridgewater Boats' Griddlebone, followed by another of the same fleet at the top lock. We stopped for breakfast on the Tring summit in the lay-by opposite the buffer depot, in a gap in the anglers, then continued, still with lots of anglers. We lent our magnet to a boat which had dropped its keys in the water, but weren't able to retrieve them, We later saw one of their crew walking grimly along the towpath carrying a screwdriver. Another cloudburst hit us at King's Road (a.k.a.. Broadwater) lock, Berkhamsted, after Wendy had been lulled into leaving her waterproofs on the boat, and we tied up at Bridgewater Boats at 14:35. I spent a long time with the Fosters, working on the BW Bill, and other things.

AUTUMN HALF TERM

Wendy & Ian came separately from London, but too late to shop. Ian found a good Chinese take-away. The Fosters were off to Falmouth the next morning, Mike F. to take a yacht masters' ticket. They wouldn't accept payment for a pump-out.

The day started with shopping. Waitrose didn't open until 08:30, Tesco at 08:00. The market was good. I phoned to say I was bogged down with casework letters and Arlecchino is out on walkabout, so I & the cats would meet the others at Boxmoor later. They set off at 11:00, locked down to Hemel with a boat with a very pleasant crew and reached Fishery lock about five minutes before the cats & I arrived by train.

We had lunch there and set off once more. We stopped again at the old lime-juice wharf at Boxmoor and discovered that B&Q doesn't sell coal but a garage up the road does - quite a long way back when laden. We ended up at 17:37 before Nash Mills top lock, a very cattable mooring where Arlecchino hunted successfully and boastfully all night.

We started at 08:46, running single with the locks against us, but we crossed plenty of boats as the day went on. We stopped for breakfast before King's Langley lock, and again below Batchworth lock to use the sani station & rubbish point. We tried to stop below Widewater lock and found that if the moorings immediately by the pub are taken, one has to go a long way to find comfortable mooring depth - look for the start of the piled bank almost to the railway bridge. In future it might be better to go on and moor just above Denham lock. We tied up at 17:43. It looked as though it ought to have been a happy hunting ground, but either Arlecchino was too slow or the area was barren, as after a few forays he stayed in all night.

It was a misty start at 08:37. We went past our mooring at Cowley Peachey and turned into the Paddington Branch at Bull's Bridge. By now it was sunny but cold. We used the excellent moorings at Alperton Sainsbury's for a shopping stop, then went on to Little Venice, where we used the sani station and Wendy went off to a meeting. As we moved off again the engine was vibrating & there was smoke in the engine hole. By the time we reached Gloucester Avenue, Camden Town, it was getting worse, so we stopped and hoped to find an engineer next day. Wendy re-joined.. The cats went ashore but stayed close to the boat, probably because of dogs, joggers etc.

I went off to work. Ian & Wendy stayed to try to 'phone an engineer. No engineer was available until the next day, so they & the cats went home overnight..

Wendy met Kevin Bull from Adelaide Dock to look at the engine problem. He diagnosed it as exhaust manifold bolts working loose because they'd been fitted without washers. "A good engine that's suffered some bad engineering." He did a patch-up & advised us not to cruise much until it's had a proper going-over. Ian & I rejoined at around 14:00. We decided to set off in order to reduce the distance to cover tomorrow. We set off at 15:02, winded before Camden top lock and made our way back to Harlesden by 16:44, where I went to the Grand Junction Arms to 'phone the friend who'd been going to join us for the later part of the week to cancel the arrangement.

We had breakfast before an 08:57 start as it was a dark morning. It was chilly cruising, and slow because of rubbish in the water. At Bull's Bridge we joined the GU main line and needed two weed-hatch stops for strong, heavy polythene. We reached our home mooring at Cowley Peachey at 12:41, drained down the domestic water system for the winter and went home.