Day Eleven - Kilby Bridge to Market Harborough

We had a lovely day and a complete contrast to yesterday. We woke to a heavy mist on the water and it soon became a wonderfully warm sunny day. After breakfast at seven thirty we steered “Carli” over to the other side of the canal and filled up with water and set off at eight o’clock. After two and a half hours and seven locks we moored near Bridge 78 near Wistow. We walked about fifteen minutes to get to the Wistow Rural Centre which has a miniature model village. We were getting famished and found a lovely tea room at the centre to have morning tea. We did this before we went and saw the village. We have to get our priorities right! The little village is part of a plant nursery and we walked passed some beautiful flowering plants in a conservatory before emerging to find the village. It was very quaint and obviously quite old.
We then crossed the road to the Wistow Maze which is a “maize maze” of eight acres of maize crop with three miles of paths. Each year the pattern is different and this year the maze is designed in the shape of a “Spitfire” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the ‘Battle of Britain’. There was a quiz trail which had a military theme. Thankfully, they gave us a map before we entered and Henk navigated and found our way out in about twenty minutes. It was fun doing it. We then completed a circuit of walking leaving Wistow and going back through Newton Harcourt to get back to the boat. We both remarked how good it was to get out into the beautiful countryside again and do some walking. We do miss it.
At Newton Harcourt we came across a very old village church, St Luke’s Church which was described in the pamphlet as a small 13th century building with three areas - Chancel, Nave and Tower. Messrs Taylors, the Bell Founderers based at Loughborough think the bell was cast during the 14th century and was not obviously melted down by Cromwell.
After Wistow we did a further five locks and it was getting quite hot. We went through a 880 yard tunnel on the way. It was pitch dark except for the little light at the front of the boat.
The rest of the afternoon was beautiful with the sun still high in the sky when we arrived at Market Harborough at six fifteen. We quickly moored and threw on our day packs to have a quick look around and have dinner. It is an impressive town and looks quite classy. But it does have a Witherspoon pub (our favourite pub chain from last year) where we sat and uploaded our blog and did our emails.
It was a long day but a great day.
Photos: The little village at Wistow; Henk in the Wistow Maze; Climbing a stile at Wistow; Early morning mist.

Day Ten - Leicester to Kilby Bridge

We had a frustrating day all due to our own mistakes. We have learned! We are still doing double locks which take two boats side by side. These take some time to fill up or empty but we have time and it can be dangerous to rush things around the locks. Our guide book says, “The widebeam locks seem infuriatingly slow in equating their levels. Just when you think the gates are ready to be opened, a few more minutes have to pass.“ We came across locked locks today to ward off vandals and this meant turning off the engine and Henk passing me the master key to unlock the paddles. Later, we took the key off the bundle of keys and we didn’t have to turn off the engine! Lesson No. 1!
We came to King’s Lock and I unlocked both sides of the paddles and the water slowly poured into the deep lock. A cruise boat owner had moored overnight and he was waiting for someone to come along to share the lock. I tried to open the two bottom paddles but these had an iron bar across them. It took about thirty-five long minutes to fill the lock. It then took Henk and the two other boatmen to push open the lock gate. It was an infuriating lock.
When we came to the next lock it too was locked. We went through the same routine again. And then I found that the second lot of locks which I couldn’t move at the last lock also used a key. The lock was on the other side of the post! Once I unlocked and opened these bottom paddles we were in business. So the cruise boat guys didn’t know about the use of the key for the bottom paddles either.
Then I got grease on my one jacket I have brought with me. All the paddles have grease on them to ease their movement. I was not happy as I’ve been so careful. Then I did it again on the next lock. I was furious! So I spent some time washing my fibre pile sleeve in hot water and detergent in the sink. After a lot of detergent and rubbing I managed to get the grease out. I don’t care how cold it is outside I’m not wearing my jacket when I do the locks anymore!
And then somewhere along the way we lost a windlass which is not good because a boat really needs two windlasses to do the locks. We’ll have to see if we can buy one from one of the marine shops.
So after all of the above we were feeling a little jaded by the time we reached Kilby Bridge. Our next door boat neighbour on the “Rugged Roy II” was very welcoming, helped us moor and gave us some tips for further up the canal.
We had a late lunch and felt saner. There is very little at Kilby Bridge apart from a pub called “The Navigation” and British Waterway Services including water, pump out, toilets and showers. We need to fill up with water before we leave tomorrow.
We had a great three course dinner at “The Navigation” for eight pounds each and came back to the boat to watch this year’s Edinburgh Tattoo.
We have now moved off the River Soar and back onto a canal.
Photos: Trying to push open the lock gate at King’s Lock; The Navigation pub at Kilby Bridge; Henk getting the boat ready for departure at Leicester.

Day Nine - Loughborough to Leicester

We set out at seven forty-five under a very grey sky and a cool wind. There was very little boat traffic all day and the boats we did encounter were coming towards us and had set up the locks for us. This meant we didn’t have to drain the lock before entering it.
The wind grew very strong by the middle of the day and Henk had trouble controlling the boat coming in and out of the locks because of the crosswinds. He held onto the centre rope with his dear life. At lunchtime we reached Thurmaston and decided to have a break. Just as we were mooring and tying the ropes the rain came down in buckets. We could do nothing but keep tying the ropes as the wind was strong and there was also a strong current coming from the flooded weir. By the time we got inside our jeans were soaked. Thankfully, we had our rain jackets on. We had lunch and waited for the weather to clear and then we had sunshine for the rest of the afternoon. It certainly is changeable weather.
We arrived at Leicester at three forty-five and got the last mooring at the locked moors. Lucky! We quickly packed our daypacks with our valuables and headed into Leicester to have a look around. We emerged from the canal up a set of stairs to beautiful gardens known as Castle Gardens. It was quite a contrast to the first impressions of Leicester as we came along the canal. There were constant police sirens, loud music and a lot of floating litter. We are pleased we are at a locked mooring.
The centre of Leicester was very busy along its very long pedestrian mall. At Marks and Spencers we had coffee and a Victorian Sponge which was a favourite of mine from last year when we were on the walk. It’s basically a sponge cake with raspberry jam and cream in the middle. Yummy! We did a little more grocery shopping and set off to Leicester Cathedral which is away from the busyness of the shops.
Dinner was on the boat again and sitting and relaxing reading the newspaper. At eight o’clock we watched the final episode of “The Last of the Summer Wine” which has ended after thirty-three series. It is set in Holmfirth where we stayed two nights last year at the Blue Door B&B.
Photos: Ducks making the most of flooded reeds; Castle Gardens, Leicester; Henk entering a deep lock.

Day Eight - Shardlow to Loughborough

We got off to an early start again at seven thirty and the sky was clear and the river was quiet. We came across a sign that said the River Soar was in flood and to proceed with caution. Then we became worried that it wasn’t quiet because we were early but we were the only ones to be approaching a flooded river! We passed the Derwent River on our left which has not been navigable since the late eighteenth century and proceeded to the manned Sawley Locks. The lockmaster was just starting work at eight o’clock and had rung ahead to see how the floods were going and he said we should be OK but to follow the British Waterway signs along the way. We didn’t have any trouble with the River Soar but we did come across other boaties at the locks who were proceeding north and were held up yesterday whilst waiting for the water to go down.
For the first time since we departed seven days ago last Saturday we are now going up in the locks. This means that Henk steers the boat into the empty canal and I fill the lock with water rather than letting out the water. I like going up the locks as we don’t have to worry about getting the boat caught on the cill as we come down.
We came off the River Trent at Trent Lock and took a sharp right turn into the River Soar and met with three fast flowing weirs which we navigated through. The Ratcliffe Power Station and the accompanying electricity pylons which were on our left dominated the landscape for some considerable time whilst on the right there were lovely farming scenes.
As expected for the last bank holiday weekend of the year the boat traffic was heavy with most of the traffic coming our way. We even came across rowing boats from the Loughborough Boat Club.
We were going to moor at the Loughborough Basin but when we arrived at one thirty it was full as it was much smaller than expected. There was no place to turn the boat. Henk had to reverse the boat for about 250 metres until we reached the dog-leg turn at the Leicester and Soar navigations. It was very tricky and made even trickier as the boat rudder does not cooperate in reverse which is a mystery to us. At one stage I had to use the large pole from the roof to push us off the side of the canal. It was very frustrating but we eventually found a good mooring spot further down the canal.
After lunch we ventured into Loughborough to the laundrette and caught up with some washing. My jeans nearly walked there all by themselves as I’ve been wearing them since I left Australia. We also caught up with some grocery shopping and decided to “eat in” on the boat. We had some very tasty Wensleydale cheese from Hawes which is a place we stayed on the Pennine Way last year.
Photos: Ratcliffe Power Station; Farms along the way; Sharp right turn into the River Soar.

Day Seven - Willington to Shardlow

I had heartburn in the night so I guess Mrs Harris’s cold pork pies can pack a punch! We woke to a beautiful, sunny morning and it was such a contrast to yesterday’s bleak weather. We decided to leave early at seven fifteen to make the most of it and have breakfast on the way. It was very quiet on the canal and not even the swans were awake.
Today was the first day we have come across double locks which are a bit trickier to operate than the single ones. These locks were built for commercial use by barges with their bigger loads. It’s usual practice to put two canal boats in one of these locks to save water but we had no-one to share with so we went it alone. They do take more time to fill and empty even though they have two sets of paddles - one right at the bottom and one half way up. I didn’t read the little sign on the lock which said open the bottom paddles first and when the water reached the second paddles to open them. I opened the top paddles and innocently watched the water gushing in. Henk tied the boat to the side of the canal and came and watched and read the sign. We quickly opened the bottom paddles. Thankfully no-one was around to watch and I got it right at the next three double locks.
We motored through wild farmland today before reaching Shardlow at twelve fifteen. Shardlow is a small community with no village to speak of. We walked two kilometres to the local post office to pick up some supplies including the paper. We returned to have lunch and decided to have a little nap. The slight rocking of the boat can put us to sleep very quickly.
It was a lovely sunny afternoon. Today is the start of a long weekend and all talk on the television is about the weather. It looks like it will be mostly OK and we are expecting some heavy traffic on the canal.
Pictures: Swans still asleep on the canal; steering the boat; the double lock with the top paddles open.

Day Six - Branston to Willington

We woke at eight o’clock to rain and low lying cloud. It was also quite cold outside but our boat is very cosy. As we weren’t travelling far today we had a late breakfast and set out at nine o’clock. We haven’t been able to find a mobile network so we moored just outside Burton-on-Trent an hour further along the canal and managed to get online. We loaded the last three days of blogs onto our site, emailed and Skyped our parents. It was good to catch up with our parents and hear the news of the election.
As the weather looked so bleak we decided to have morning tea before setting off again. As the day has progressed the rain has eased to periodic sprinkles and the BBC weatherman tells us that it is clearing tomorrow.
We motored a further half hour to get to Hornington Wharf where we moored to fill up with water. We were surrounded by very friendly geese and we couldn’t resist feeding them some bread. The mooring at the wharf was difficult due to a cross breeze but Henk had it all under control. It takes some time to fill the water tank of 120 gallons with a garden hose.
We crossed the River Dove on a low aqueduct. We last came across this river last year whilst walking through the Peak District and the very beautiful Dovedale.
We arrived at Willington at three o’clock and had a late lunch. Henk bravely steered through the cool winds and passing showers whilst I stayed warm and dry underneath getting lunch prepared and watching the news on television.
Later in the afternoon we ventured out into the cold and onto Willington and found a friendly, warm café which sold home-made cakes. Henk had a cherry, chocolate and coconut slice which he said tasted like Cherry Ripe.
We walked onto the nearby historical village of Repton fifteen minutes from Willington. This well-kept village was once the capital of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia which at one time covered the area from the Thames to the Humber Rivers. It is now a well-kept small village with many historical sites to see and includes the prestigious Repton school.
When we returned to our marina we passed a woman cutting another woman’s hair alongside their boat. Henk lined up for a trim and we had to take a photo.
For dinner we had “Mrs King’s Homemade Melton Mowbray Pie” which we bought from the café. Mrs King lives in the district. It was very yummy.
Photos: Repton Village with the parish church begun by the Anglo Saxons;
Waiting for a haircut at Mercia Basin, Wellington; Geese waiting to be fed at Hornington Wharf.

Day Five - Whittington to Branston

Tomas was the first out of bed this morning and Henk was pleased to see he had, at last, trained Tomas to get out of bed early at seven o’clock! Tomas and Liz efficiently packed and we set off to a local café for breakfast. This was recommended by a walker along the tow path yesterday afternoon whilst we were trying to kill the ducks! We had a hearty breakfast and then returned to the Bell Inn where Liz and Tomas caught the bus to Lichfield. Henk and I will miss their bright company and it was good to have them along and help with the steering and the locks.
Whilst waiting for the bus a ninety year old gentleman came along also catching the bus to Lichfield so he could place bets on the horses. He was amazing for his age and as he was a long-time resident of Whittington he filled us in with the history of surrounding buildings. We enjoy meeting locals as we do pick up quite a bit of information.
The weather was overcast all day with late, light rain. We did ten locks and we managed well without Tomas and Liz. However, it’s a lot slower with only two but when another boat is coming up the lock as we go down we help each other with the opening and closing of the lock doors and the lowering and raising of the paddles. It’s a good opportunity to pick up tips of good places to stay and eat.
I walked between a number of locks on the tow path rather than having Henk steer the boat to the side of the canal. It was good exercise and good to be walking out in the countryside again.
We seem to be passing more owner/occupied boats and far less hired boats than when we have been previously seen on the canals. Maybe it’s just the canal circuit we are on at present.
We passed through the very busy and good-looking Fradley Junction which took us from the Birmingham and Faseley Canal onto the Trent and Mersey Canal. We had to wait for a while to get through the locks because of the number of boats at the junction. Today’s canals edges were wilder with lots of wild berry bushes.
At three thirty we found we were motoring towards a Little Chef on the canal and we couldn’t resist mooring next to it and slipping in and having afternoon tea. We love Little Chef! It was a good break as we had been going since ten o’clock without stopping.
When we started again the rain was getting heavier and we took the suggestion of a boat owner at the next lock and moored next to The Bridge Inn at Branston (home of the pickles!). We arrived at five thirty and we were ready for another cuppa and a rest. We didn’t venture to the pub until seven thirty and by this time it was heaving with people. We got the last table in the corner and enjoyed a huge pizza.
Overnight it rained and the temperature has dropped a bit but we were snug in the boat. We have decided not to include Nottingham on our itinerary as it is an off-branch from the canal and it would take seven hours return. We were also going to have a rest day there. This gives us extra time to look around at other places on the way.
Pictures: Fradley Junction; Liz, Tomas and I waiting for the bus outside the Bell Inn; Henk motoring along the canal whilst I walked long the tow path.

Day Four - Atherstone to Whittington

We woke to fine weather again but as the day progressed we had passing showers and cloud. The weather is very changeable and it seems a cool change has come in today. As we “do the locks” I talk to the other canal boat people and I came across a couple this morning who were returning from up north near the Anderton Lift and they had five weeks of rain and three days of sunshine. They weren’t happy.
Before we set off for the day Henk, Tomas and Liz motored our boat along the Atherstone Marina to fill up with water and I walked back into Atherstone to have a look at their Tuesday markets. I was too early as they were just setting up at eight o’clock. I did buy some Dutch and Belgium liquorice from one of the stalls and we have managed to eat through these during the day.
We progressed north along the canal again today completing eleven locks before we moored the boat at lunchtime. The stretch of water north of Atherstone is very pretty with well kept locks. There were a number of boats proceeding north with us and we all became efficient in helping each other along the way.
After lunch the weather became cooler with a blustery wind which, on occasions, affected the steering of the boat. Thankfully, Henk and Tomas braved the weather whilst Liz and I stayed indoors and provided regular tea and cakes. We had sunshine in the last hour before reaching the delightful little village of Withington.
Whilst mooring the boat we nearly crushed two ducks which became caught between the boat and the canal bank. Only Liz noticed this and we quickly had to push the boat away at one end to let them out. The ducks are used to being fed and they stay close to the boats with anticipation.
We walked into Whittington to find a place for dinner and came across “The Bell Inn”. They weren’t serving dinner but the female publican was very service orientated offering Chinese or Indian take-aways from nearby Lichfield or she was prepared to make us dinner as it was a quiet evening. We opted for the latter and Henk and I enjoyed Henk bangers and mash and Liz and Tomas had chicken tika masala. The meals were great and we would highly recommend this very welcoming pub.
Whittington is about a mile from Lichfield where we had a rest day last year on our long walk. This is our last day with Liz and Tomas as they return on the local bus to Lichfield and then onto Napton to pick up the Tomas’s car from the marina. This will leave me doing the locks by myself and Henk steering the boat. I did have a go steering the boat today and I seem to remember the tricks of the trade from last time.
Pictures: Liz opening the lock to allow the boat in; Last night together at the Bell Inn, Whittington; Farms along the way

Day Three - Coventry to Atherstone

We had heavy rain overnight and we woke to very grey skies over Coventry. Thankfully it wasn’t raining and the weather continued to be mild. After breakfast Liz and I ventured off to Sainsbury’s to stock up on groceries for the next couple of days. Given the size of the kitchen and the fridge there is a limit on how much we could buy. We had to resist on a number of occasions the “Buy Two” offers to get the bargain knowing we would not have space to store the items.
At nine-thirty the four of us walked back into the centre of Coventry. The city which is the ninth largest in England was looking a lot brighter on this Monday morning. It would be unfair to judge Coventry on what we saw on a very quiet, overcast Sunday afternoon. We walked to the old cathedral which was bombed in 1940. Only the shell remains of what would have been a magnificent cathedral. A very modern cathedral built in the early sixties sits alongside the old ruins. Also near the cathedral was a well-preserved Guild Hall in which we saw a very large 500 year old tapestry which has hung in the same place since it was installed. There was a fine tribute to the firemen of Coventry which was amusingly penned by a Sir Firebrace! We also came across a statue of Lady Go diva a past resident of Coventry.
We couldn’t resist a morning tea at the city centre’s shopping centre before moving on to one of England’s largest covered market places. Liz and Tomas bought a cold pork pie for lunch and it was delicious.
As the weather bureau predicted there were showers late in the morning just after we set off back along the Coventry Canal. We didn’t need to do any locks today. Poor Tomas and Henk donned their wet gear and braved the rain whilst Liz and I read the paper and caught up on our emails etc. It was very cosy inside. We made lunch and Tomas and Henk had to eat it whilst steering the boat with each of them coming down below eating and returning to the deck. Liz and I had a little crisp white wine with our pork pie and salad.
By mid afternoon the rain had gone and we had sunshine again. Motoring along in the late afternoon light was very pleasant. We moored the boat at Atherstone at five thirty having covered about twenty-four kilometres and we took the last mooring place on the edge of the town. We walked the brief walk into town and had a look around. Atherstone was an ancient market town and is now a small town with a large square for a market place and many small shops. Up until the twentieth century the town was known for its felt hatmaking and mining.
We had dinner on the boat having spaghetti bolognaise followed by self-saucing chocolate pudding for Tomas and Henk. I am amazed at the range of foods which can be purchased at the supermarket. They have packaged apple crumble topping and “Mar Made” which is a kilogram tin of cut oranges which can be made into jam.
Photos: Tomas and Henk enjoying a break in the weather; Liz and I feeding the ducks behind our boat at Atherstone; the market square at Atherstone; Henk and Tomas steering and braving the weather.

Day Two - Rugby to Coventry

What a difference a day makes and yesterday‘s rain and storms had disappeared. We woke to a wonderfully sunny warm day. We had our breakfast and set out at eight o’clock on the Oxford Canal again with our evening destination being Coventry.
The first two hours along the canal were exquisitely peaceful and we passed beautiful English scenery including many wealthy-looking farms. Many of the plants have abundant berries and we passed a few people with bags over their shoulders picking the fruit. It was difficult to appreciate that we were steering through some very industrialised parts of England.
As the day progressed the on-coming boats increased. We had no stops along the way except for four locks. Liz and I had no trouble remembering how to do the locks and we felt it was a bit like riding a bike.
The canal was still narrow in parts and Henk had to manoeuvre through one very tight situation around a corner with on-coming boats, overhanging willow trees and boats moored alongside the canal. I couldn’t resist taking photos whilst Henk was intense on the task.
We went through the Newbold Tunnel which was 250 yards long. Unlike other tunnels we have been through which are very dark and leaking this one had a light display with different coloured lights along the way. The lights are switched off at sunset so as not to disturb the bats!
Our final and very small lock was at Hawkesbury Junction where we turned off the Oxford Canal onto the Coventry Canal to make our way to Coventry. This canal is not a pretty one and shows more of the underbelly of Coventry with its graffiti and litter. We also went under the very busy M6. However, when we arrived at the Coventry Basin at four-thirty to moor “Carli” we steered through an entry arch and it was like venturing into the Secret Garden. It is a well-designed modern secure marina close to the city centre.
We made Henk and Tomas a well-deserved cup of tea and we ventured into town via a footbridge over the Ringway to have a quick look around. Our canal boat book says that “..nobody gets excited at the prospect of being sent to Coventry.”
We found a great Indian restaurant called “MYO” and had an Indian buffet. We were hungry and it hit the spot. Tomorrow we need to buy groceries and before heading off we will have a further look around Coventry and visit the cathedral.
Photos: Henk manoeuvring the boat; Swans leading the way; horses on the side of the canal.

Day One - Napton to Rugby

Liz, Tomas, Henk and I left Hereford at noon in Tomas’s packed car and drove through some heavy rain arriving at the Black Prince Canal Boat Mariner at Napton two hours later. Our canal boat, “Carli” was waiting for us, stocked with food that we had ordered from Australia and we were efficiently given a quick tour of the boat before setting off. They asked us if had he driven a canal boat before and as the answer was positive then it seemed not necessary to go into any details. We left the mariner at two forty-five motoring past the large number of moored boats and we were soon heading north along the very pretty Grand Union Canal.
“Carli” is a fifty-eight foot four-berth boat and is about ten feet longer than the previous boats we have hired. The extra ten feet does make a difference with the inside space but it also makes a difference manoeuvring the boat along the canal.
When we moved out of Wigrams Turn Mariner onto the canal we were met with a constant stream of on-coming canal boats. Henk and Tomas took to the situation likes ducks to water and showed their proficient boating skills. The canal is not wide and this is made a tad more tricky with boats moored along the side of the canal. Liz and I will be doing the locks but as there weren’t any on this stretch of the canal this afternoon we were able to relax and take in the beautiful English countryside. Later in the afternoon whilst Henk and Tomas were sharing the steering Liz and I sitting at the front of the boat managed to eat our way through a large, soft brie cheese poured down with a very nice Australian red wine whilst taking in the views. It was very pleasant indeed.
There were heavy storm clouds all around us and there was one heavy bout of rain which meant that Henk and Tomas had to don their wet weather gear. Henk has new Wellington boots which were purchased in Hereford and they have proven their worth already. Unfortunately, Tomas got soaked through and his clothes are now hanging over the radiators.
We turned off the Grand Union Canal at Brauntston Junction and continued to motor along the North Oxford Canal for three hours until we moored the boat for the evening. We secured the boat and walked down to the next bridge only to find that the pub, the “Old Royal Oak” wasn’t where we thought it was. When we returned to the boat Liz rang their phone number which was in our canal map book and we found we had moored “Carli” one bridge too soon. We motored down to the pub and were lucky to moor right along side it. When we ventured into the pub for dinner we found that we had walked into a Hawaiian evening with lashings of leis and grass skirts in abundance.
Photos: “Carli” outside the “Old Royal Oak” outside Rugby; Swans and boat approaching us along the canal.