Lyra's Adventures

Nearly there

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:07:00 +0000

Woke up on Sunday morning to solid ice across the canal again, so delayed leaving in the hope that another boat would pass and dothe icebreaking. Eventually one did pass, but on walking Lyra before leaving I found it on the water point, though not taking on water. Left it a while longer but it was still there happily moored. I wasn’t too surprised as it’s a boat I have seen a couple of times before using facilities as convenient moorings. So it was down to me to break the ice.

It was only about a quarter inch thick so not too bad to get through. I eventually met an oncoming boat, at the site of the delightfully rickety footbridge which has now been replaced with a new bridge of similar design but lacking the character of the old one. That boat must have been moored near the mast as I was soon icebreaking again. Towards the end of the summit I was into broken ice again so was following someone, which made boating easier but meant I would have all the locks set against me.

After another long day I moored above the bottom lock. I suppose it was probably due to a few long days out in the cold but I felt exhausted and unwell once I had stopped. Apart from giving Lyra her walks and food, I just snoozed all evening, waking about midnight with the fire almost burnt out.

I didn’t feel up to moving at all yesterday so had a quiet day. Shortly after 9pm I realised that a boat was coming alongside. It was Gosty Hill, so I again have a good supply of coal.

I didn’t expect to see Gosty Hill again today as they were planning on an early start, but as I left the bottom lock they were just finishing delivries below the lock. The ice was thick enough that, at the big bend outside Napton, Gosty was taken to the edge. I passed to have a go as getting round is easier with a shorter boat but also got stopped. Breakiing a path with my pole meant that Gosty could ger round and we were on our way again. I passed just before the Bridge Inn and continued to Braunston in much easier conditions as the ice was now patchy and thin.

After a stop to dry out as it had been raining all morning, I have made my way to the top of Hillmorton locks, so should have a short day tomorrow to get back to the marina.

It’s all downhill from here

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:03:00 +0000

The weather yesterday would normally have put me off boating as there was a strong wind blowing, and as it turned out it was in my face the whole day, but having had so many days of not moving I wanted to press on. The first lock of the day was Somerton Deep, which I don’t really like as I don’t like heights and it’s deep enough for me to want to avoid the ladder if at all possible. The good thing about this lock is that the bollards are (in my opinion) on the correct (towpath) side. This meant that once set I could let the boat drift into the lock and use the bollards to stop her when she got to the top gate and then hold her against the gate whilst filling the lock. It all worked really well.

Apart from that the only excitement was at one of the lift bridges, or silly bridges as I have come to refer to them. Having got through, the wind pinned the boat across the canal making getting away impossible. I ended up having to throw the front mooring rope across to the towpath and haul the bow across.

I finished for the day at the recently improved moorings at bridge 168. This was as I wanted to do some shopping and didn’t want to go into the town centre on a Friday evening. I did wonder if I had made a bad choice when I felt someone climbing onto my roof, but when I asked them not to it turned out that they wanted a photo of themselves. From their accents I think they must have been foreign students.

For no particular reason, I woke at a ridiculously early hour so made an early start. It had been a cold night and throughout the day I encountered patches of ice, but none of it was very thick. This spurred me on to make as much progress as possible today and make it onto the summit pound. I decided as I approached the Claydon flight that if I was out by 1 I wouldn’t stop for lunch and try to get across to Marston Doles.

I didn’t manage it so stopped for a while at the top of the flight and made my way to Fenny Compton. Still a fairly long day (for me) but with clear skies and little wind it was a wonderful day’s boating.

It’s another clear night, already down to –2 and a layer of ice has already formed, but hopefully it won’t be too thick in the morning.

Moving again

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:48:00 +0000

I moved on to the centre of Oxford last Friday, spending the day there but not doing very much as the rain was persistant and quite heavy. There was no option of going any further as the Thames was on red boards, and flowing very fast.

Friday’s rain also meant that when I got back to Thrupp on Sunday, the Cherwell had risen again and so further progress wasn’t possible. This did mean that I was able to meet up with Bones and Maffi and of course Boots and Molly. This meant that I had various visits to Annie’s Tea Room and the Boat Inn to make my stay more enjoyable. Thrupp is a pretty good place to find yourself stuck as there is a great community of boaters there, and a good variety of walks for dogs.

As the days passed the lakes that had appeared gradually turned back into fields and finally, this morning, the river had dropped just into the yellow. I would have prefered it to have been a bit lower and did wonder whether to wait longer but the forecast is a bit unsettled, so I decided to leave.

As I want to get back to my moring as soon as possible I had a longer day than usual and got north of Upper Heyford today. The river in Upper Heyford was much lower than when I came down the canal, so I’m fairly confident that the next river section will not cause a problen.

Oxford……..At Last

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:33:00 +0000

The snow/rain turned out to be fairly heavy rain, which was strangely pleasing as it helped to melt the remaining ice. For weather forecasts I am using Accuweather more than any other now as they do seem to get closest to what actually happens. A workboat had moved up to Thrupp from the south so the ice after Thrupp was all nicely broken, but there was still a lot along the moorings and out near where I was moored, but it was much thinner and I felt it wouldn’t be too bad to get through. Even so I decided to leave it another day as I didn’t see any point in getting drenched.

I ended up regretting my decision when I took Lyra for a walk down to Thrupp as I saw Dusty, the fuel boat, pointing back towards Oxford. I had run out of gas, and didn’t have a huge amount of coal or diesel so was hoping that he would come past me.

It was foggy this morning but I decided to leave anyway. The remaining ice wasn’t too bad to get through and I was soon on the service point. I have been quite frugal with water and it would have lasted a while longer, but it is good to have a full tank again. I also pumped out the holding tank, which was very close to being full.

There was quite a lot of broken ice still about until after the first lock, so most of the day has been in clear water. As I had hoped I did catch up with Dusty and was able to get gas and fill with diesel, but unfortunately all the coal he had was already spoken for. I have enough for a few days and know where I can get some more fairly easily so it’s not a huge problem.

So finally I have (almost) reached my destination. It’s taken me 5 weeks to get from Rugby to Oxford. I stopped a short way from the end at a place I have used before and will do the last mile or so in the morning and spend a bit of time in the city. After being stuck for so long it’s been great to be moving again.

Then it’ll be the trip back, which I hope won’t take as long as there is stuff I need to do when I get back.

Snow has gone, Ice is going

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:07:00 +0000

Still stuck here below the lock. The snow got washed away by heavy rain on Friday(?) by the heavy rain. Since then the ice has been receding but it’s still pretty thick.

With the thaw, the river level did rise as I was expecting, but it hadn’t got too high by yesterday evening, only just touching the red sector of the indicator. Waking up this morning I could hear a lot more running water, which seemed to mainly be behind the hedge in the field. The river had risen considerably overnight. The indicator gauge was virtually underwater this morning.

The fields between the river and canal are now underwater.

Lyra is confused by all the water as she’s got really used to being able to play in the fields that are now underwater.

The weather forecast seems to be for more snow on Wednesday, or perhaps rain, depending on which one you look at, but at least the temperature is meant to stay above freezing so hopefully the ice will continue to thin and it will be possible to move on soon.

As places to get iced in go, this is quite a pleasant one and did have plenty of places to walk Lyra, but I’m getting

Deserted village

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:16:00 +0000

After another very cold night, the ice has an even firmer grip on the boat.

Some time ago, idly looking at my Nicholson’s guide, I spotted the entry for Hampton Gay which is a deserted village near where I am moored. It looked interesting and I thought I would have a look if I had time whilst passing, not realising quite how much spare time I would end up with.

It isn’t far from the canal, in fact I can see the Manor from my front door,but the route to it from here is rather longer as the Cherwell is in the way. The footpath seems to have been rerouted since my guide was printed the railway is now crossed on a walkway alongside the river under the rail bridge.

The first building that you come to is the church which is still in use.

The Manor House burnt down in 1887 and has been left as a ruin since then. It seems that there is a local legend that links the destruction of the manor house with the failure of the lord to provide assistance to the casualties of the rail crash some years earlier when carriages fell into the frozen canal.

Down by the river, near the manor is what I believe is the remains of the water mill that once was part of the estate.

More Pictures

Lots of snow

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:50:00 +0000

No further progress has been possible, the canal is still well frozen.

It started snowing about 3 yesterday, by this morning the landscape had been transformed.

I have posted more photos to Facebook at this location.

The skies seem to have cleared this evening so I’m not expecting to be moving any time soon, At least it is only a couple of miles to the nearest shop.

The lesser of two evils?

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:40:00 +0000

I moved on a bit today, which I think was the right thing to do but I suppose time will tell.

Much of yesterday was spent keeping an eye on the level of the river, it fell quite a lot overnight but was still well in the red. Rather than have to go all the way to the lock each time I had a sophisticated level monitoring system in place near the winding hole. Well a series of sticks stuck in the bank at water level. By mid afternoon it looked as if it was worth having another look at the indicator and whilst still red it looked as if it was on the verge of lowering into the yellow. The flow in the river was also obviously much more gentle. Lyra and I wandered down the river section and the indicator at the bottom end was already just in the yellow.

I did consider moving the boat to the top of the lock yesterday afternoon, which with hindsight would have been a good move.

It was cold last night, about –6, and the canal was frozen over, but the river level near me had dropped at least another inch. A walk to the lock showed that the river was now passable. The ice also didn’t look too bad, so it was time to decide whether to go or not.

My reasoning was that it was forecast to be cold again tonight which would thicken the ice further, and if the forecast snow does arrive would mean that I would be stuck until the canal thawed again. The thaw would also probably result in high river levels again, making progress impossible for longer.

Moving therefore seemed to be the best plan. The ice wasn’t too bad at first, but got worse in the more exposed part just before the lock. This wasn’t too easy to navigate along as it is lined with moored boats and also on a bend. Trying to keep the boat away from the moored boats whilst keeping engine revs to a minimum meant wasn’t easy.

After coming down the river section, I could see more ice ahead. This rapidly got thicker to the point that I ground to a halt. I suppose I could have continued by reversing and heading into the ice at high revs, but it would have been hard work and done a lot of damage to my blacking, and I didn’t know how long the thick ice would last. I didn’t want to find myself further along with no hope of progress and no way of getting to the edge, so reversed to the clear water below the lock and tied up.

I expect to be here for a while, but think that I have everything I need to last until I can move again.

Wonderful cruising weather

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:49:00 +0000

The spot I chose to spend New Year’s Eve was just right for me. I don’t know if there were many fireworks during the night, if there were they were far enough away not to disturb my sleep or, more importantly, Lyra.

It had been quite a cold night but it dawned clear and bright and the canal was clear of ice. It was cold but that is easily dealt with by wrapping up well. The first challenge of the day was the first of the many lift bridges on this canal, (I’m not counting the one in Banbury which has convenient offside mooring bollards and is hydraulically operated), which turned out to be little problem as it has a convenient ring to secure it open. I tried a different arrangement of ropes to what i have used before (basically a very long centre line) which was not a complete success. Next came Somerton Deep Lock, which is one that I am happier to take a line off with me and haul out of the lock so that I can avoid the ladder.

I ended the day below Allen’s Lock in Upper Heyford. Lyra and I walked down to the next lift bridge as last time I came down this canal there were enough people around that I didn’t get to operate the bridge but remembered that I thought it might be quite difficult as the offside has quite high walls, but once I had seen it I was happy that I would be able to get though alone if necessary.

The river runs alongside the canal on this stretch, and was high enough to be spilling over the towpath.

This morning was again clear and cold, and there had been a very light fall of snow overnight. There was ice on the canal, but it looked to be very thin. The river had also dropped a bit, a bridge crosses it next to the lock and an additional course of blocks was visible this morning.

I broke the ice as far as the lift bridge, which wasn’t a problem to get through. Once through there was a clear path through the ice which must have been made by a boat ahead of me that had been moored near the lift bridge. It has been another lovely day for cruising in bright sunshine, at times too bright when moving directly into the sun when I could hardly make out where the oncoming boat was.

I have stopped just short of Enslow. Lyra and I went down to see what state the river section is in, and it is up in the red. I’m hopeful that the level will reduce further overnight and we will be able to proceed, but if not can either sit it out until the level does drop or turn back towards home. I am adequately supplied to be able to wait for the right moment to continue, and if things were to get desperate I suppose I could always force myself to move on a little and tie up outside the pub.

And RED means ……..

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:35:00 +0000

Well, I’ll start with the end of the day, and then go back.

I’d met a boat at King’s Sutton lock, and passed a couple of boats mooring up not far from Nell Bridge lock, and none of them had mentioned anything about conditions on the river section. Arriving at Nell Bridge lock I looked for the indicator to see what conditions were, but it wasn’t there. I crossed the road to have a look at the other side of the bridge and it wasn’t there either. Looking down towards the weir lock I saw a boat that must have just descended and was preparing to go through. Other boats had left Banbury this morning and must have gone down. Added to all this there is a headroom gauge as Nell Bridge is quite low and the water level was well down on the scale.

From all of this I assumed that the river section was ok to use though, given the flooded fields I had passed on the way, not in the green. So I dropped down the lock and headed downstream.

Whilst preparing the weir lock I noticed the level indicator at that end.

Well into the red section. I was pretty much committed by that point, the alternative to proceeding would be to reverse (or more likely haul) back to the lock and ascend backwards. On this section the flow only crosses the navigation rather than boats joining the river for a longer period, so it was only a matter of keeping control for a short period and I got into the lock although a bit untidily.

Had I actually checked the conditions rather than assuming all was ok because other boats had been through I wouldn’t have come down but moored above the lock and waited for conditions to improve. There is another river section further along the canal, but one where you join the flow, and I’ll definitely make sure that is safe to use.

Up until that excitement it had been an uneventful day. I had planned to stop just before bridge 168 to do some shopping, but when I arrived I saw that this section is in the process of being improved, which is good as it use to be a matter of mooring on pins somewhere near the edge.

At the moment it wouldn’t be easy to get off the boat, but luckily the section just after the bridge has already been completed, but is still a bit muddy.

Improving conditions

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:54:00 +0000

It hadn’t been too cold overnight when I woke yesterday and I was still moored in clear water which was a pleasant surprise. As I was feeding Lyra the hire boat that had been icebreaking the day before passed heading back towards base. This prompted me to make an earlier than usual start as I expected to have to do my own icebreaking all day which would make for slower progress.

Conditions were much better than expected with mainly clear water with only patches of ice that had reformed and nothing that impeded progress significantly. As Lyra hadn’t had a good run first thing, as it was a bit busy to let her off her lead, I pulled in above the Claydon flight. Whilst moored a couple of boats passed so I was no longer clearing the path, but now all the locks were against me. With so much broken ice above each lock I had to do a lot of clearing both to be able to open the top gates fully and to avoid getting hung up, which made for quite slow progress through the locks.

The weather wasn’t particularly pleasant with a constant drizzle throughout the day but I wanted to make progress, partly as the batteries needed a good charge after days of being moored. It got cold as I was working through Slat Mill lock so I moored just below the lock. This is quite a nice spot as there is an easily accessible field for Lyra to play in. Luckily she didn’t remember that the river runs through it otherwise she’d have been off for a swim.

It had been quite along day but I resisted the urge to got to bed really early and settled down to watch a DVD as the TV offerings were pretty uninspiring. It was sleeting a bit when I took Lyra for her last walk so went to bed hoping for the forecast heavy snow.

It was grey and drizzly this morning, with no snow at all. I wanted to move on a bit despite the weather. The patches of ice were even less frequent than yesterday and it hadn’t been cold enough to refreeze so progress was easy. There was still enough ice at the entrance to the locks to mean that I needed to clear between the boat and the walls but conditions had definitely improved a lot.

Moored alongside the park in Banbury as I had an important task to perform. Lyra only had about another weeks supply of food and Banbury is the last convenient place that I could get some. She is now supplied for another month or so, I was slightly concerned when we were iced in, and should have made sure I had more food with me.

As it was cold and wet today, I couldn’t be bothered to move any further, but will have to move tomorrow whatever the weather as I want to be somewhere fairly remote tomorrow night.

Onto the summit

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:37:00 +0000

A boat came down through the lock last night after dark. It seemed to take a long time but I just put that down to it being cold and dark and the crew taking extra care.

On Lyra’s first walk I realised that they had encountered a problem that Keith of nb Hadar had warned me about on Facebook a few days ago. Locks tend to be narrower at the bottom compared with the top. In narrow locks this means that if there is ice between the boat and the walls of the lock it is possible to get the boat hung up, so clearing any ice from alongside is necessary.

I had woken to the sound of the boat rubbing against ice, in what had been a completely clear bit of canal the day before, so was concerned that I had swapped being stuck within easy reach of facilities, I was now stuck somewhere remote. Luckily the new ice was very thin.

I had been joined by another hire boat the evening before which set off before I was ready to move, my roof, which I tend to walk on a lot when locking, still having a thick layer of frost on it. So they rebroke the ice for me. I did walk up to the top lock to have a look at conditions, and was able to work the hire boat through the top lock, so I didn’t feel quite so guilty at letting them do all the hard work.

The ice on the summit was slightly less thick than it had been lower down, and the further along we went the thinner it got, with clear patches becoming more frequent as we approached Fenny Compton, where I stopped for a very late lunch and decided to stop for the night.

The Wharf Inn now has a small shop with a range of groceries, so I now have some milk again. Of course I had to have a pint whilst I was in there. They also now have a Laundrette which I’m sure I’ll find useful sometime in the future.

The canal looks fairly clear after the marina, so the “tunnel” which was somewhere that I was concerned about should be passable.

Escape from Napton

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:31:00 +0000

It’s not dropped below freezing for the past few days, but the ice was still thick around the boat. As most of Lyra’s walks were up the flight, it was clear that the ice was receding a bit as the clear water below each lock was slowly expanding.

It was still too thick for me to want to move today but as we made our way up the flight we met a couple setting locks for an ascending boat. They were not on their boat as they couldn’t get out of their marina up on the summit but were meeting friends on a hire boat that was making it’s way towards Napton. It took a while to appear, and was clearly not making easy progress, having to take run ups to break the ice, but eventually it did pass me, freeing me to follow up the flight.

Before starting I refilled the water tank as it was getting very low. My plan was then to do the first few locks and then visit the village shop for supplies. It all went well until I got to the shop to find that it had been open today as I thought, but had closed some 5 minutes before I got there. Not a huge problem really, lack of milk just means black coffee, I can survive without fresh fruit and I don’t really need wine.

Moved up through another couple of locks and am now moored below Adkins. Will check the weather ~~guesses~~ forecast in the morning, and have a walk up to the summit and then decide whether to carry on or retreat.

8 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:53:00 +0000

That’s not a prediction of how long I’ll be iced in.

Lyra came to live with me 8 months ago today, it’s a significant length of time as it means she has now lived with me for over half of her life. I knew from the moment I first saw her at the Dog’s Trust kennel that she was the right dog for me and she has lived up to my expectations.

As a present for today she got a new toy, which wasn’t over successful, the squeak was gone within five minutes, by the end of the first walk with it the ball part is virtually detached from the tail and the stitching between sections of the tail is giving way. She has always been quite rough with her toys and I wasn’t expecting this one to last too long but she picked it out at the shop so I got it for her.

The thaw didn’t materialise, Tuesday night was again very cold, –5 when I woke on Wednesday, which meant that new ice was firmly holding all the broken ice. It was thick enough that I was unable to break the ice next to the boat. Last night was less cold but the canal is still impassable, but at least the boat rocks when I move about rather than being held solidly by the ice.

Hopefully it won’t be too much longer until I can move again.

Little progress

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Sunday morning was again cold, but the Ecofan had lived up to it’s promise and had kept the back end of the boat at a much better temperature. I delayed moving again in the hope that someone would break the ice up and it wasn’t until 1.30 that anyone moved along the Oxford. There was time to move for a while and heating the water would be useful so I set off. By 3pm it was getting really cold so I moored just before Napton Junction.

After another really cold night the canal was completely frozen again, even in places that had been totally clear the previous day so moving didn’t seem to be a priority. Eventually a few boats did pass me and having realised that I was likely to run out of coal at the end of the week, when everywhere is likely to be closed, I considered making the epic voyage of about 100 yards to the marina. Just as I was about to get ready to move, Gosty Hill appeared, which meant that I could stock up with coal and not have to move.

Last night was much less cold than of late so the new ice was only very thin, and there had been a light dusting of snow. In the comparatively balmy conditions, it was actually above freezing, I set off again and moved on to the moorings below Napton Locks. A boat came down the locks, which meant that there would be a clear path, but, having walked up as far as the old arm, decided it wasn’t worth going up as the lock sides were so slippery and there’s no point in risking an accident.

The weather forecast I looked at earlier suggests that the thaw will come soon which will make boating easier.

Icy weather

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:20:00 +0000

It was a very cold night, my outdoor temperature sensor was saying –9 when I got up, so I was glad that I had wrapped up warmly for the night. With the canal iced over completely I decided to put off moving until later in the day, in the hope that someone else would go through first as I don’t really want to remove all of the blacking I put on too soon.

Being in Braunston meant that it would be easy to go and spend money on things for the boat. I’ve been considering ways to distribute heat from the stove more evenly through the boat and noticed just how bad it was yesterday evening. I’ve seen Ecofans spinning away on boats but haven’t bought one before simply because my stove isn’t really suitable for one. Looking at them again I decided that I would probably get away with it.

Yes it does sit precariously over the edge, that’s the problem I knew I would have. I’ve got a safety wire to catch it when it inevitably falls off, and now there is another thing to remember to do before moving.

It’s only been there for a while but it does seem to be making a difference with the back end of the boat being warmer and the living room being more comfortable even with the fire lower than usual.

I could do with finding a way of making a platform for it to sit on so that it’s more stable, funnily enough a Sea Searcher magnet would be there right size and wouldn’t need to be attached to the stove, but I don’t know how a magnet would cope with high temperatures so haven’t risked it.

It wasn’t until mid afternoon that any boats came along the Oxford when a convoy of 3 arrived, the first pulling in at the first opportunity, with the following two doing the same. As this was behind me I was still surrounded by ice. It was getting dark when a boat did pass me, which was too late for me to consider moving.

The rest of the day was spent walking Lyra and being amused by the antics of the ducks on the ice.

A rude awakening

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:16:00 +0000

The weather forecast I saw before I went to bed promised snow showers through the night so I was hoping for some snow this morning as I went to sleep.

At about midnight, my smoke alarm decided that I should wake up again, which was a bit of a shock. Checking the stove, nothing seemed to be any different from normal,and there were no other possible sources of smoke. I am at a bit of a loss as to the reason for the alarm, the only thing I can think is that with the strong wind blowing across the cut, smoke was concentrated in the space between my boat and the hedge and then found it’s way in through the open window. All a bit frightening but I suppose it’s better to have a slightly overcautious alarm, and at least I know it will wake me.

I looked outside whilst I was awake and rather than snow, the sky was full of stars. It took a while to get back off to sleep, probably worrying about whether there really was a problem. I woke again at about 4 as the temperature inside the boat had dropped so much. A bit of extra insulation and I was soon off to sleep again.

There wasn’t any snow when I got up, but by the time I had had a coffee there had been a brief snow shower so there was a dusting for Lyra to play in. The skies were much clearer by the time I was ready to do the locks, so it appeared that the forecast of sunny periods would come true. By the time I was in the middle lock it was snowing pretty heavily.

With the locksides slippery due to the snow, extra care was needed when working the locks so stepping across an open lower gate wasn’t a good idea today.

Stopped to warm up at the top of the locks which meant Lyra could have a play in the snow. She does seem to like it.

It isn’t that often that it’s possible to cruise when it’s snowing so I made my way down to Braunston though further showers.

Flying South for Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Well, not actually flying, that is a mode of transport that has become increasingly unpleasant over the years to the point that it would need to be something very special for me to consider subjecting myself to it. I am heading southwards though, but at the gentle pace of the canal. I’m not sure why, but I feel that another winter visit to Oxford is called for.

The weather this morning was quite pleasant, clear skies though a little chilly so leaving seemed like a good idea. By the time I had reached Brownsover I realised that it was more than just a little chilly but I needed to stop for provisions, and yet more toys for Lyra, so managed to thaw out a little. Moved on a little further to moor for the night below Hillmorton Locks. There have been a few flurries of snow but nothing significant. Lyra’s first reaction to falling snow was to disappear inside, but she was soon back out with me. She must have experienced snow earlier this year but I didn’t know her then so I’m wondering how she will react if her world does turn white. Hopefully the forecast of heavy snow is more than scaremongering.

Kingfisher

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:54:00 +0000

The trip home was fairly unremarkable. I did spend Thursday at the top of Hillmorton Locks as the weather was particularly unpleasant.

On Friday, approaching Newbold, I saw the unmistakable flash of blue that usually means that I have just missed being able to try to get a photograph of a Kingfisher. This one was a particularly accommodating little chap and kept waiting for me to catch up and so I did actually manage a few pictures. I wish that I’d had a different lens on the camera though.

Back at the marina for a few days and then I should be heading off for a proper winter cruise.

Slow boat to Braunston

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:33:00 +0000

An epic journey of 10 miles and 3 locks that I managed to make last for 3 days.

I had to move over to the pump out on Sunday, up until then the wind blowing across the marina put me off. Once suitably empty, I headed to the south end of Newbold tunnel for the night as I wanted to do some shopping on the way through Rugby which meant waiting until Monday. Shortly after dark Gosty Hill passed me and Ian stopped to see if I needed any coal. I have enough, and as they were trying to catch up as they have been delayed by engine trouble, I didn’t want to delay them.

It went a bit wrong when I was mooring up at Browsover on Monday morning as I didn’t spot the dog mess by the ring and got one of my ropes smeared in it, I wasn’t happy about that. One thing I needed to get was a replacement “Tuggy” for Lyra as her birthday present one was looking very tired. 3 months for a toy isn’t bad for her. “Tuggy” is an outdoor toy so is only played with on walks, she had several rope toys for chewing when inside.

Old & New

Then it was on to Clifton Cruisers to get Lyra some more Arden Grange food. By the time I had tied the boat, I had ordered and had delivered the food I wanted, so only had to go into pay. Lyra enjoyed meeting up with Ben & Heidi again, and behaved very well, staying onboard even though there were two big Shepherds there that she would have liked to play with. We then moved on to the top of Hillmorton Locks.

When my alarm went off this morning, I was very tempted to stay in bed as it was quite chilly. I hadn’t expected it to get quite so cold overnight. Waited a while for it to warm up slightly but was still ready for a stop by the time we got to bridge 80, where we happened on a boater and his Shepherd who we had met in the summer at Branston Water Park, so Lyra was happy.

Now moored on the outskirts of Braunston as I want to do a bit of shopping for boat bits tomorrow.

Will probably then head back to the marina again as I have a vague plan for a winter cruise but can’t do it just yet due to stoppages.

Not a lot to report

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:01:00 +0000

I did eventually get back from the last trip, it took a couple of days as it suddenly got very cold about an hour away from the marina so I decided to stop. It was pleasant but uneventful. Since then I was just at the marina which pleased Lyra as she could play with all her friends and have plenty of swims in her ponds.

On Tuesday I had to move the boat, a pump out was necessary which meant that I had to come out again. Stopped off at Sutton Stop on Tuesday and then went down the 5½ into Coventry yesterday. I do really like the trip down into the city, but it seems to be changing every time I go down there with another building having been demolished, or a new one having sprung up. As usual there was very little rubbish evident, possibly due to the City Council now using the work boat “Fazeley” in addition to the regular clean ups that the Coventry Canal Society do.

Had a friend, and one of her Shepherds, over to visit us in the basin, so Lyra and Ben had a good run on the towpath, although Lyra was a bit confused when Ben launched himself into the canal, it being too deep for her.

After two days of lovely boating weather, this morning was a bit of a disappointment as it was cold and drizzly, but it did seem to be clearing up. That was just to trick me and as soon as I cast off it started raining, lightly but persistently. Made a quick stop at Tesco, using the piling on the towpath side for a change. It seemed to be as good as the old wharf as it wasn’t much further to walk and it’s deep enough to get to the side easily.

Have moored just past the junction, still on the Coventry, so I’m not sure where I will be headed next. It’s very much dependant on the weather, but a trip up the Ashby may be in order. if I decide against that it’s not far to the winding hole to allow a return up the Oxford.

Took Lyra round to the wide grassy area on the Oxford side for her evening walk, to find Eric from the marina moored there. This meant that Lyra and Rocky could have a good run together and tire themselves out.

Summer’s over

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:32:00 +0000

I did end up moving on Saturday morning as it would have been a very long day of doing very little if I hadn’t. Moored for the rest of the weekend just above Lock 10 of the Atherstone flight. As usual the race on Sunday was pretty unexciting, I’m beginning to wonder why I bother to arrange my weekends round the races.

Woke very late this morning so by the time I had done the next 4 locks it was time to stop for lunch. This had the advantage that, as a boat came down whilst I was stopped, the last 5 locks were all in my favour. Continued for a while after getting to the top and am moored close to Nuneaton.

It felt a bit chilly as the sun set this evening so I have lit the fire, so I suppose that that means that summer is now officially over.

back in familiar territory

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Stopped off at Peel’s Wharf to dispose of some rubbish, and more importantly the significant amount of recycling that has built up whilst I’ve been out. Once past the junction I was very much back on the water that I know best.

It took a while to get through the Glascote locks as there were a few boats already waiting and the locks aren’t the fastest in the world. The top gate of the top lock is also very difficult to close so I stopped to help close it for the boat about to descend before moving on a bit and stopping for lunch.

I intended getting a bit further along the canal, but as my normal spot at Pooley Fields was empty I decided to stop. Couldn’t get in to the edge due to the level being a bit low at the moment so am moored slightly further along.

It’s another GP this weekend so I might end up staying here, but it can get a bit busy at the weekend so maybe it will be better to move to somewhere quieter.

The day started well…….

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:24:00 +0000

It was a lovely morning, it had been a bit overcast and chilly first thing for the last few days, but today it was warm and sunny. Being right next to the nature reserve meant that there was somewhere good to take Lyra for her morning walks, and tucked away behind the pool is this wonderful sculpture of a heron.

I was about ready to leave but I looked back along the canal and saw a working boat approaching the bottom lock, so had another coffee and waited for it to come up and pass me. It turned out to be nb Hadley.

Once she had continued on her way I left and that’s when it all started to go wrong. I have avoided ranting about the actions of other boaters on this blog as I’d rather not have the reminder of the less good parts of my trips when I look back, but today’s idiot needs a mention. I left my mooring and headed towards Junction Lock. There was a boat that had been using the water point and I could see him untying the boat, nothing wrong with that, in fact it’s the right thing to do as it would have meant that if I was planning to use the water point he could move off easily. He then got back onto the boat and seemed to be waiting for me to pass. Once I was virtually on top of him he decided to put his boat in gear and move into my path, without a single glance behind him. I had to put the boat in reverse at full revs to avoid a collision. Eventually he managed to get his boat alongside the lock mooring, but managed to be in a position that meant that there was no room for me to pull in behind him despite there being plenty of space for two boats, so I had to wait mid channel until the lock was prepared for him. He seemed to be totally oblivious to what he had done when I got to the lockside, I’m sure that he had no clue that I was there rather than wanting to beat me to the lock, and I couldn’t face having an argument so I just let them work the lock alone.

I wonder what the outcome would have been if he had tried the same thing in front of Hadley, with much more momentum, traditional engine controls and limited visibility over the bow of an unladen Large Woolwich.

Thankfully they headed on up the T&M so hopefully I won’t come across them again. I got through the lock and swing bridge and headed down the Coventry, deciding to stop fairly soon after. A play with Lyra meant things didn’t seem too bad.

The day improved after that, and I had a pleasant run and am now moored on the outskirts of Fazeley.

Fradley again

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Yesterday was another pretty short day. Not a lot happened except at Willington where there was much excitement, with a fuel boat breasted up doing trade and boats crossing between the visitor moorings and the water point. This all meant that I needed to try to keep my boat still in the middle of the cut in the stiff breeze that was blowing. Moored at Branston again as Lyra loves the pool so much.

it would have been wrong to have travelled through Burton without sampling it’s produce and as I am definitely in the “Hate It” camp an alternative had to be sought. This was found in the Bridge Inn in the form of a pint of Pedigree. It was so nice that it just had to be followed by another. This had it’s usual effect and I felt too sleepy to do anything once I got back to the boat. Lyra also seems to have great taste as she really enjoyed the small amount that she was allowed.

This morning the locks worked out pretty well, meeting boats at each one, and got to Alrewas, where there was plenty of space to moor, in time for lunch. I was expecting to meet nb Hadar sometime today, and thought that it would possibly be at Alrewas, sure enough they were moored further into the village so we stopped for another chat. Lyra was intrigued by Marmite as she hasn’t met cats before.

I almost stayed where I was as it was trying to rain, but decided to press on. I got into Common Lock, but the bottom gates wouldn’t close behind me. Flushing water through wouldn’t dislodge the “something” so I moved the boat back and had a poke around the cill with my boathook. Whatever was there obliged by moving out of the way and I was soon on my way. There do seem to be more “somethings” lurking in the depths this year as I haven’t encountered any before but that is now 3 this year.

Tied up below Junction lock tonight. Had to pay a quick visit to the Swan, but haven’t fallen asleep yet. Should be back on much more familiar waters tomorrow.