When we set off at 7:45 (GMT) this morning the weather was sunny and a bit breezy - nothing worse. I was able to steer Densie into our mooring with just a minor bump. By 11:30 everything had been packed and loaded into the car and gas electricity and water all turned off so we headed home.
0.5 miles 30 minutes cruising/mooring
Total For Trip
90.84 miles, 8 locks, 2 movable bridges. 40.25 hours cruising in 10 days.
When we got up this morning there was no sign of strong winds or heavy rain so it seemed a good idea to get closer to our marina whilst we could. Dressed in our wet weather gear we set off at 9:45. Some light rain and a breeze but nothing to cause any discomfort. 2.5 hours later we had ascended the 3 Hilmorton Locks helped by volunteer lock keepers and moored up about a mile from the marina.
Our hope was to go into our marina in the late afternoon as the weather forecast indicated the weather would be calmer then. After lunch at the mooring we moved closer to the marina. However the weather quickly deteriorated with very strong winds driving the rain towards us, rocking the boat.
So the plan now is to keep to BST and move into the marina at around 8:30 our time or 7:30 everybody else's when we are hoping conditions will be better.
6.28 miles, 3 locks, 2 hours 55 mins
Another 5 hour/12 mile journey today to get to Rugby where we plan to stay until Sunday when we hope the weather conditions at our marina will be less windy.
After starting at 9am this morning the journey was pleasant with a few very light rain showers. The only stop was at the Rose hireboat centre at Sutton Stop where there is a small swing footbridge, otherwise we were continually moving until our arrival at Rugby soon after lunch. The most convenient moorings were all full but we found plenty of space further down the canal.
The mooring was still within easy walking distance of Tesco where we shopped in the afternoon for provisions to last us until we get home.
12.4 miles 1 bridge 5 hours 15 mins travelling
Our plans were to get back to our marina on Saturday, spend the night there and drive home on Sunday. However Saturday's weather forecast is showing 25mph winds gusting to 40 mph. In those conditions there is no way we can get Densie into her mooring without banging into the adjacent boat. Strong winds can easily push a narrowboat sideways across a canal or in this case across a marina as the side acts as a large sail. So we need to get as far as we can before Saturday, probably moor up for most of the day and go into the marina on Sunday morning.
We set out at 9:00 in pleasant sunny but cold weather. and, after a stop at Ashby Boat Company to empty our waste tank, carried on down the Ashby Canal. At Marston Junction where the Ashby meets the Coventry Canal we turned east back to Hawkesbury Junction and iand then through the stop lock onto the Oxford Canal where we have moored for the night.
12.18 miles, 1 lock, 6 hours including our stop at Ashby Boat Company
The weather forecast for today was terible - heavy rain all day. However we need to get back home on Sunday so had to make progress today to avoid very long days for the remainder of our journey.
We set off in the rain at 9:15. There are waterproof jackets, trousers, wellies and a large umbrella on board so we were able to keep dry each taking it in turns to drive whilst the other one held the umbrella. As the Ashby has no locks there was no need to get off the boat and we made fast progress as the water level was even higher thanon our journey out.
By lunchtime we were getting somewhat fed up with the weather so we moored for the day at 1pm near the village of Dadlington.
Sorry no photos!
8.78 miles, 0 locks, 3 hours 40 mins cruising.
We started early at 8:45 to reach Snarestone in time to meet friends for lunch.
Which is how it all worked out. 3 miles after leaving we passed through Shackerstone along perhaps the most delightful section of the Ashby Canal onto Snarestone. Here the canal goes under the village through the Snarestone Tunnel. Despite being very short at 250 yard it manages to include a pronounced S-bend.
Half a mile further on there is a winding hole suitable for turning the largest canal boats and a sanitary station where we filled up with water. We could have continued for a few hundred yards more to the end of navigation where work is in progress to re-open the canal for a further 5 miles but there is nowhere for a boat of Densie's length to turn around.
We returned through the tunnel to Snarestone and enjoyed a very good lunch at the Globe with our friends. There was then time in the afternoon to cruise back to Shackerstone to moor for the night. Tomorrows weather forecast is showing a lot of rain so we may have to stay here all day.
9.96 miles 0 locks 4.5 hrs travelling.
As we are due to meet friends in Snarestone at the end of the Ashby tomorrow lunchtime we needed get some miles covered. We had come concern that we would not be able to maintain the sort of speeds we managed on the Oxford. The Ashby is well known for being shallow and slow-going.
We left our mooring at 9am heading towards the industrial town of Hinckley. During much of the journey beyond Hinckley the canal is lined with trees which are begining to lose their leaves. The autumn colours add to the attractive scenary of woods, farmland and gentle hills. After continuously travelling for 14.5 lock-free miles we stopped at 3pm near Market Bosworth.
It was clear fom the start that we would not be slowed down very much as the canal was unusually deep, within an inch or two of the top of weirs that control the level. Over the whole journey we averaged 2.6mph, rather better than on the Oxford Canal where we were delayed at the stop lock at Hawkesbury Junction.
14.5 miles, 0 locks, 4 hours 55mins travelling.
With some wetter weather forecast for later in the week it seemed a good time for a fairly long journey. After leaving our Brinklow mooring at 9am we cruised further up the North Oxford Canal until its end at the 1foot stop lock at Hawkesbury Junction where it joins the Coventry Canal.
The purpose of the lock was to stop water being "stolen" from the older Coventry Canal by the Oxford Canal - 200 years ago each canal was owned by a different company. Despite its small size the lock is a bit of a bottleneck. We were 3rd in a queue waiting to go down. After passing through the lock there is a hairpin turn through a bridge to get onto the Coventry Canal. With a number of onlookers watching I was pleased to be able to negotiate the turn smoothly without stopping the boat or hitting the bank.
We only stayed on the Coventry Canal for about 3 miles to Marston Junction where we turned northwards on to the Ashby Canal, the main objective of our trip. The canal is 22 miles long currently ending just beyond the vilage of Snarestone. The final section to the coalfields for which it was built was closed because of mining subsidence. So it's a simple journey there and back, but we are hoping to see some of the canal's wildlife, in particular water voles.
We have moored about a mile beyond the start of the Ashby near the edge of Nuneaton
11.9 miles,
1 lock, i swing bridge,5 hours 10 mins cruising
We woke to a cold boat as the stove had gone out overnight. However the central heating soon warmed the saloon to a comfortable temperature. We set off at 9:40 in rather better conditions than yesterday with some sunshine and less wind.
First bit of excitement was the three Hilmorton locks each of which are paired. These are the only "real" locks on our trip, the only other being the 1 foot deep stop lock at Hawkesbury which we hope to do tomorrow. The descent of Hilmorton locks was quick and easy as there was a volunteer lock keeper at each of the bottom 2 locks. We cruised on to Rugby where we stopped just before lunchtime to visit the nearby Tesco.
After lunch at the mooring we set off again passing through the short Newbold tunnel and some lovely tree lined cuttings. We finally moored up for the neght at All Oak Wood near Brinklow at 15:45.
8.83 miles, 3 locks 4 hours 10 minutes.
At the start of this week on Monday we took Densie the 2.5 miles from our marina to the boatyard at Braunston Marina for some work. The metal pipes taking diesel from the fuel tank to the engine were starting to corrode and I had been warned at the last BSS (boat MOT) that it would fail next time. We took the opportunity to ask the boatyard to also change our 4 domestic batteries since we are less able now to manhandle them, each weighing about 26kg, into their very confined positions in the engine bay.
First thing this morning we loaded the car with basic provisions, clothes, laptops, e-readers and Ipads and drove to Braunston. The boat was ready for us so I checked the work which was excellent, paid the bill and then we loaded up the boat and filled the water tank. I drove Densie back up the North Oxford Canal towards our marina whilst Denise drove her car there and then walked back towards Braunston on the tow path where we met.
Then onwards in a generally northerly direction. The weather was cold though the cruising was pleasant as the countryside is quite attractive and the recent rains have filled the canal enabling us to travel without any strain on the engine at over 3mph. Just after 15:30 we moored up soon after passing below the M45 in very quiet countryside a few miles outside Rugby.
Once moored up we lit the stove and expect the boat will be snug in an hour or two. Hopefully we will be able to keep the fire alight til the morning.
5.5 miles, 0 locks, 2 hours 10 minutes travelling.
