Home to Aston

Arrived back at Aston this afternoon.

 Alas we attempted to moor on our jetty only to find a visitor on it! Grrrrr!!! This has happened before and we were not amused as we had rung them a few days ago and warned them of our return. As it turned out the message left by Nicki was not acted on and we had to moor on a different jetty that appeared to be empty. Not good enough Aston!
After speaking to Nicki she informed us that the person on our jetty had a broken leg and had come in for a month, this we do not mind but why our jetty when there are loads of others available, it seems to always happen to us.
Anyway the jetty we pulled in on V20 (sorry Ray and Di, you can't get away from us!) turned out to be vacant as George and his wife had left to go to another marina nearer their home, so we can have this one permanently. We are now nearer to the gate, so will have less walking on icy jetties in the winter, so alls well that ends well.
The evening before we left Shugborough a hot air balloon inflated and took off, enjoy the photos

 

 

 

We are in the marina for a few weeks so will continue the blog in the Autumn. Bye, Bye!!

Locks 291    Total  Miles 499    Tunnels (7) 10,965 yds

Shugborough - Nearly Home!

Arrived Shugborough after a cold start to Rugely, where we stopped for a snack at Morrisons after a boat pulled out of one of the last moorings in town, which we handily took. Little did we know that while we were shopping the rest of the boats on the canal system would get moving! We found ourselves stuck in very slow boating traffic and a queue of 6 boats at Colwich lock that took an age to get through.
Sun is out now and we have been for a walk around Great Hayward including a look at the river and Shugborough Hall. We really like it here, although this stretch of  canal seems to be attracting some rather unsavoury permanently moored tramp boats.
Below is a picture I took when we went through Armitage earlier this morning. It must be the home of the famous Armitage-Shanks!

Anyone need the loo!

Will be our last blog tomorrow as we will be returning to the marina for a few weeks mains electric!!
We may well continue with the blogging in October - watch this space.

Weston On Trent to Fradley

Left Weston early, 6.00 a.m. on a sunny, warm day. We left early to do the deep locks 10'11 and 12' 4 before the rush started. On our way we passed  Ray and Di, nb. Ferndale, moored near Swarkestone. They were just about to set off on their trip to Shardlow for some work to Ferndale. Nice to bump into you both, will catch up properly  in the Autumn. 

After passing the time of day with Ray and Di we headed along to do Stenson lock, a whole 12' 4", one of the deepest broad locks we had done for a long time. Two boats were in the lock when we approached. I went and helped with the paddles and to open the gates. When it came to opening the gates neither gate would open fully! In effect both boats were stuck inside the lock as neither could get around the other to get out the gap between the gates. Eventually with a lot of manoeuvring one of the boats managed to get out, thus allowing the other one to leave. Luckily for us we had no other boat with us, so Andy brought Jojo in and we proceeded to do the lock without further trouble.
After leaving the lock we moored up for breakfast!

Stenson Lock

It's lonely in here!

About a couple of miles further along the canal we were going along quite nicely when a narrowboat approaching us suddenly veered into our bow and forced us into the trees on the right bank, thus causing the stern to swing around and allowing the same narrowboat to hit our stern! Andy was not amused and he let the other boat know so!! Apparently the lady steering had 'turned the tiller the wrong way' we were told by her husband! They did not alter speed or attempt to steer away from Jojo. We realised it was a time share boat from our marina called Black Watch. I can remember everything going in slow motion, thinking they are going to ram us and just waiting for the collision. We thought from the force of the crash that they had done a lot of damage. On closer examination there is only some minor damage to the paintwork. Inside the boat I found all the cupboard doors open, a drawer front had popped off the frame in the galley and everything was thrown on the floor. Luckily most fragile things I had put on the floor before we set off as I know that the incoming water in the broad locks can sometimes throw the boat around. In  the end all we found broken was one wine glass that had fallen out of the cupboard when the doors had been flung open.
This event did nothing to endear us to the 'time share boater'. They were not our favourite boater and remain so!
Having calmed down we carried on our way and came across another Josephine. She was moored by Barton's Turn lock, so we took a picture!


Josephine No 5 on her moorings

No1  meets No5

Whilst doing the lock another boat approached and I realised I knew the people on board and it turned out to be nb. Obsession who used to moor at Aquaduct with us and their son James worked part time in the office. They left Aquaduct soon after us and moved to Overwater, near Audlum. Whilst chatting to them they mentioned seeing Martin and Jackie's boat Headway leaving on it's first cruise around the Four Counties Ring with it's new owners.
We arrived Alrewas on late Monday afternoon. It is a very popular spot and we thought we would have trouble mooring but luck was on our side and we took the last space in the village!
Having achieved this and had an eventful day we decided to teat ourselves to dinner up the pub. We walked to the George and Dragon where we had lunched before a few years ago. The landlady was quite sharp with us when we asked if the specials board was the only menu. She proceeded to say yes and rushed us out of the dining room until she had sorted the reserve tables out. We went to sit out in the bar area and checked out the board again. Nothing really grab us but we thought we would give it a whirl after the day we had had. Andy went to the bar to order food (which was expensive, nothing below £9.50) and was told that someone will come to the table and take our order. The landlady then arrived with place mats etc and asked us if we had dined here before. I said yes a few years ago and she sharply said that they do not take credit cards! To which I replied but you do take debit cards? Only to be told no - cash only. We had cash but her attitude after a long a tiring day was the final straw. We checked out the second pub in the village and they were not doing food! What a way to end the day. But all was not lost as we found a Cantonese takeaway and it was the best we had had for a long time and certainly was half the price of the pub! So if you are ever in Alrewas do not go to the George and Dragon else you might meet the dragon! Next time we plan to try out the William the Fourth pub which we found on Tuesday morning when going to the Co-op.!
Did some shopping in the village and arrived at Fradley this afternoon. We plan to try out the Mucky Duck this evening. Andy has a fancy for Scampi and Chips!!

Weston On Trent

Arrived at Shardlow on Friday, after a long day cruising from Birstall and visiting Kegworth Marine on the way. We decided to do another long day as the weather forecast was for thunder storms at the weekend and we did not want to be on The Soar or The Trent in heavy rain.As it turned out the thunder storms have not materialised and we have only had the odd spot of drizzle.

We stopped at Kegworth Marine to chat to Pau,l who amongst other things, reconditions old Francis lights. For those not in the know, these are the old spotlights that used to be on fire engines and green goddesses and also some naval ships. We decided we might treat ourselves to one but they do not come cheap!( hHe has just sold one to Michael Parkinson for his cruiser on The Thames)
Having chatted to Paul we have decided we may go back and purchase a brass one in September when he is back from his hols. They do look nice and we thought we would give Jojo a treat. The headlight we have (much inferior) is getting cracks appearing on the caseing so we do not think it will last many more seasons.

When we arrived at Shardlow late afternoon Friday, we found it very busy and limited mooring, so we proceeded another mile and moored not far from a very busy noisy road. This was not ideal but we were so tired having started out  from Birstall at six oclock, that we could not face another lock!

As our body clocks were used to early starts these last few days we got up Saturday and decided to move another couple of miles and two locks to Weston On Trent, to get away from the noisy road. We got up at 6.00 and went for it! We were moored up by 8.30 a.m much to the surprise of the other moorers who had wondered if we had come late the night before! We had breakfast and wandered off to find a local shop for papers.

This became a mile and a half walk into the next village as there no longer was a shop in Weston. We walked back to the village of Aston which had papers and other nice village shops. Cheese rolls were particularly tasty for tea!

Today we have stayed put and are both doing the 'housework'. The rain has not materialised but it is overcast and quite sticky. Lots of boats on the move as it is Bank Holiday weekend.
We will probably move off tomorrow and head for Burton On Trent, before heading for Alrewas which will be familiar territory to us!

BIRSTALL

There were very few boats moored last night at Kilby Bridge, and the few that were there and heading our way were already paired up for doing locks. So finding that we would be on our own to do 15 wide locks and 12 miles to reach the safe mooring of Birstall, and knowing that most of them were anticipating an 07:00 start, we decided to get up 05:30, have quick breakfast and get under way by 06;00hr in order to get a good head start.

What a great decision, not only was it lovely weather conditions at this early hour, but the first 6 locks that we arrived at were already set for us, we only had to open a gate, get the boat in and lock down. By 07:05 we had already completed 3 locks and a couple of miles.

The route through Leicester City was not the dreadful experience we had been led to believe. The water was deep, hardly any rubbish floating, a lot of straggly weed but nothing to tangle in the prop, no anti-social types throwing bricks or obscenities, just lots of cheerful people waving and saying hello.



Leicester City Football Ground by Freemans Lock

Think this is part of the Space Centre

Belgrave lock and Space Centre

Slacking1 - Can't get the staff!

There was a useful BW secure visitor mooring available right in the middle of town, {offside from towpath} enough room for about six narrowboats to moor on a floating jetty that is secured from inappropriate access by fence and a gate locked by use of regular BW watermate key.

This has to be one of the least used waterways on the system, the first boat we saw moving was not until 4 hours after we had set off, and by the time we had arrived at Birstall 13:20hr, we had only seen 5 boats in total.

Nicely relaxed now after having a shower, and supping a nice glass of chilled Pino Grigio, we are going to treat ourselves to a pub meal tonight to celebrate a good day of cruising.

Plan to get up same time again tomorrow and head for Kegworth Marine where we hope to look at a new tunnel light ( Francis Light ) for Josephine as ours is no longer watertight, and has become untrustworthy in use.

Kilby Bridge

Arrived here lunchtime today, having set off about 9.30. from a lovely mooring at Wistow.The seven double width locks were quite hard work as the lock gates would not stay closed and I had to keep going back or approaching an empty lock and closing gates first. This involved a lot of extra walking around the locks! I am sorry to say in the end I gave up and left the gates open that refused to stay shut.
As we approached Kilby a lady jogger went past us, thought nothing of it as we often see these keep fit types. As we came around the bend she was running back towards us looking a bit distressed. She hailed us over to the bank and asked for a lift! There was a swan around the bend with 6 signets who was naturally protecting them and the jogger could not get around the 'mum'.(Hen?)
She hopped on and we took her twenty yards around the bend and put her back on dry land. She said we had saved her a six mile run back around the way she had come! This must have the shortest trip we have ever given anyone!
Now moored up for the day. Weather lovely, hardly any rain forecast in the next few days. We hope to do Leicester tomorrow, but have been advised by several boaters that it is not safe to moor overnight in Leicester (apart from a gated section in the centre, but as we are not sure how many boats it takes). So we are planning a long day, starting about 6.00 a.m and hopefully we will have done the 20 locks and 10 miles by late afternoon. Watch this space!

Wistow

Yesterday we had a visit from Mo and Johnny, (Jojo's creators and previous owners). We went for a short cruise up the Leicester Arm and returned for lunch at the Foxton Inn. Lovely to see them both and it was a pleasure to take them on a cruise for old times sake. We also met Jojo 2 out cruising and it was nice for Mo and Johnny to meet up with her new owners as well.

Today we cruised further up the arm to Wistow. There is a small garden centre here with various other out buildings, a farm shop, a maize maze, a small model village and a café bistro. Enjoyed a cuppa and a cake before walking over the fields back to the boat.

Various shots of the model village. Afraid it is looking a bit tired and in need of some tlc.