Shiralee Cruise 2011 #29

Sunday 18th September

About 3½ miles away from Market Bosworth, on the way back to the Coventry Canal, is Sutton Wharf, which has 48 hour moorings, a café and an Elsan disposal unit. The weather just now, at almost 7 am, is calm and sunny. Well, it will be when the sun comes up, so that is where we will head for after breakfast.

About 2½ miles further on is Stoke Golding, a small village that boasts three pubs. So, if we are unable to moor up at the café, we’ll move on to S.G. and enjoy our usual Sunday drink there.

Alternatively of course, we could simply stay here for another day and move on tomorrow, when there is much more likelihood of us finding moorings at Stoke Golding. Who knows? Baffled? Me too!

Saturday, apart from Wifey taking a walk into town and me having my monthly strip wash, nothing exciting occurred. However, we were set upon by some really heavy rain and hail stones later in the afternoon. Hopefully that’s all over now and we’ll be able to enjoy a much warmer day.

Monday 19th September

Yesterday we actually cruised through to Stoke Golding after stopping at off at Sutton Wharf, where we would have stayed overnight had there been any space. As it turned out though, the cruise to Stoke Golding was the right choice, since there was more than enough space to accommodate us.

On our last visit here 4 years ago the White Swan wasn’t open at lunchtime but, with it being a Sunday this time around, it was and so we spent a very pleasant hour there. Looking across at the table next to ours we were surprised to see the size of the meals they were enjoying. The price for their two-course Sunday lunch was just £5.95. Sadly I am currently unable to devour such a meal these days, more’s the pity. Indeed, we rarely eat more than a snack on Sundays now, simply because we don’t have the capacity for full blown roasts any more.

We took the bus into Nuneaton this morning and were surprised at the range of shops there. Unlike many other towns of similar size, not all of the supermarkets were out of town, the Asda store here is pretty big and we will try to pay it a visit within the next few days. Hopefully we’ll be moored at Lime Kilns soon and should be able to catch a bus into town again from there.

Tuesday 20th September

Judging by the weather we won’t be going very far. Although it isn’t raining yet, there is a pretty strong wind, which is not conducive to pleasant cruising. It may be just a case of Wifey trotting off for the paper and cruising to the next available mooring spot. We will see and you will be informed of our progress, or lack of.

Wednesday 21st September.

Yesterday, having spent two days at Stoke Golding, and despite the strong wind and threat of rain, we decided to make our way towards Lime Kilns. Sadly the threatened rain did more than threaten, so we pulled in and moored up at bridge 23, about a mile away and a total of 30 minutes cruising. With no prospect of the day brightening up, we decided to stay put for the day.

This morning is calm with a thick cloud cover, but there are signs that the clouds are now breaking up, so we should be on our way later.

Thursday 22nd September.

We took ourselves for a stroll to the nearest garage for the paper this morning but, sadly, no bus stops in sight, so no trip into Nuneaton today. Instead we’ll top up with water and make our way to Bulkington and the Corner House pub, which we called into on our way through. At the time we weren’t really up for a pub lunch, but this time we’ll give them a try. The moorings there are pretty sparse, with room for only three boats and it’s really a case of timing the arrival at such places. Get there too early, say, between 9 and 10 am, and those lazy holidaymakers will probably still be eating breakfast, any time after 10 and we might just be lucky.

17.00 same day.

We finally made it to Bulkington at about 10.45 this morning and found, much to our surprise and delight, that there was plenty of room to moor up. Just as well really, because the wind was building up and becoming decidedly chilly.

Soon after arriving here Wifey took a walk up to the main road to find the bust stop. We were so impressed with Nuneaton that we thought we might pay it another visit tomorrow. Fortunately the buses run about every half hour, so we’ll be able to go tomorrow morning.

Lunchtime was spent in The Corner House, where we enjoyed fish and chips; mine with mushy peas and Sheila’s with garden peas. For some odd reason she doesn’t particularly like the mushy ones, despite the fact that they were just made for fish and chips.

Now, although we took advantage of their ‘two for one’ offer; where you buy two meals and only pay for one of them; I’m pleased to say that the meals were not too big. So many pubs pile the plates up these days and, as I have mentioned before, neither of us has the capacity for big meals any more. This is probably because we have tended towards snacks on this trip, rather than full blown meals, such as Sunday roasts and big fry-ups, and our stomachs have shrunk. Even though the meal was of medium size, I still struggled with my second pint and have come to the conclusion that if I am to enjoy my two or three pints in future, I must refrain from food until I have put away at least one of them.

Friday 23rd September.

Well, after the gut-bashing yesterday; not just the fish and chips but the ‘eyes too big for the belly’ cheese sarni in the evening; my tummy is not happy this morning. Yesterday evening, after scoffing the aforementioned sarni, and already having taken a reading for blood glucose, which was quite high, unsurprisingly, I upped the insulin slightly and for my sins I suffered one of those rare hypos. This called for somewhat drastic action, which took the form of three Jelly Babies and a couple of Glucose Tablets.

What I hadn’t given much consideration to, was the fact that the bread used in the sarni was brown and, therefore, slow release as far as carbs go, so I really didn’t need to step up the insulin. We live and learn but, if we don’t learn, we die, which we all do eventually. Charming thought, eh?

Today. What to do! We are a little low on coal but, as the weather is still fairly mild, we can allow the fire to die down a little. This means we could still take the bus into Nuneaton as planned this morning and go on to the boatyard at Wood Bridge, which is the other side of Nuneaton on the Coventry Canal, tomorrow. We could even go on this afternoon if the weather is kind to us. The decision lies in the lap of the gods, or Wifey, whichever comes first.

We are now about three weeks away from Mercia and winter moorings and, since yesterday was the first day of winter, we will have spent three weeks cruising in icy, cold weather, wouldn’t we?

Oh, I forgot to mention, on our way here yesterday we passed our friends Dave and Jackie who were once moored at Pillings Lock. Lucky old them, they finally found moorings on the Ashby Canal, the area from which they originate, Good for them I say.

Saturday 24th September.
Hopefully we’ll be off to Wood Bridge Boatyard, which is about five miles away on the Coventry Canal. There are very good moorings there and we’ll be able to dispose of rubbish and such.

Monday 26th September.

Having spent Saturday night at Wood Bridge, we tootled along to the top of Atherstone locks on Sunday morning. Our original plan was to go down the first five locks, which would have brought us to the same stretch of moorings we had used in the past. However, after checking the First Mate book, we realised that the doctor’s surgery would be nearer from up top, and here we are.

We’ve heard reports from other boaters along the cut that, due to the persistently dry weather during the summer months, BW have applied restrictions to some locks around the system, with the Atherstone flight being one of them. Sheila was fortunate enough to find a BW man locking up the lock gates when she took Rusty out at 4 pm yesterday, and he confirmed closure of these locks between 08.30 and 16.00.

The problem with reduced water levels has been ongoing almost since we left Mercia in April, with some boaters having problems with grounding on some stretches of canals. Even the rivers Avon and Severn were noticeably low when we passed through them.

So, once we have seen the doctor for our prescriptions, and once we have picked up a few victuals from the local Co-op, we will probably take in all 11 locks in the flight and avoid any further hold-ups. This would take us about 4½ miles, to Polesworth. After that we’ll have another five miles and two locks to the end of the Coventry Canal and Fazely Junction.

Turning south onto the Birmingham and Fazely Canal would take us to Drayton Manor Theme Park and the lakes, which is where a couple of boaters Sheila spoke to yesterday, were heading. Alternatively, heading north-west on the same canal; although it has always been subsumed as the Coventry; would see us through to Fradley Junction and the Trent and Mersey.

The theme park is only about three miles out of our way and would take care of another couple of days and besides, we haven’t navigated that stretch of canal yet, so it would be new territory for us. Why not?

Tuesday 27th September.

After four weeks without having to pass through any locks, yesterday was lots of fun, but first we had to take a walk into Atherstone. Our initial intention was to pay a visit to the local surgery for a prescription but, with Atherstone being quite a big town, and remembering our experiences in Coventry, we opted for a visit to the Co-op only, after which we would set sail for some of those 11 locks.

This was not a sensible choice as it turned out, mainly because we had now given some of those late starters the opportunity to get ahead of us and, just as we were about to untie the boat, along came one heading for the first lock. After that it was really slow progress, even more so when we discovered that another boat was ahead of the first one, if you get my meaning.

Sheila would have gone through all 11 locks, what with it being such a beautiful, sunny day, but I wanted to moor up after the ninth one, which still left only about three miles to do in the morning, taking us to Polesworth. We could then enjoy the silence of open fields and the warmth of a late return of summer. That trip would have taken us a little over two hours had we been on our own, instead it took over three.

Now, if I’m remembering correctly, Internet access is not very strong at Polesworth. Having been reminded of the moorings by my good wife, we will be pretty low down compared to the rest of the village, so I’d best post this blog now. So saying, he plugs in his trusty dongle and waits for it to fire up. Although we are miles from any town here, the connection is very strong so, without more ado, here goes.

Cheers to all and have a good week.

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee Cruise 2011 #28

Sunday 11th September.

I’m sure that, like us on Shiralee, you will have given some thought to all those who suffered, and are still suffering, from the devastation cause by 9/11.

Yesterday was quite ordinary in terms of cruising, with just 5½ miles to go to Market Bosworth and no locks. The trip took about two hours and, since the Ashby must me just about the dirtiest canal on the system, we picked up a load of rubbish on the bow, which Wifey finally removed with the boat hook.

Sadly the town is quite a distance away from our moorings and, with the buses only running every hour – typical! – we decided it would be more expedient for Sheila to walk in for groceries.

Today, if the weather continues as it is, with blue skies and a following wind, we’ll probably move on to the Leicestershire village of Congerstone, which is only two miles away and boasts a pub called The Horse and Jockey that is only a short walk from the canal. If we don’t move on today, and if the forecasters are correct in their predictions of severe storms, we won’t be moving on tomorrow either, which means I’ll miss my Sunday drink, and that would be a devastating state of affairs.

10.45 am from Congerstone and, as expected, the local pub is no longer trading. However, since I’m not busting for a drink and moorings are pretty scarce at Shackerstone, we’re staying here for today and, if the expected storm hits tomorrow, we’ll still be here and move on on Tuesday.
Monday 12th September.

The wind is winding and I have to get the dog out before the rain starts raining.

O.K. That’s that little job jobbed, poochy is watered and pooped.

Yesterday, despite what we feared, stayed dry but windy. Today however, having seen the Countryfile programme last night, should be mostly dry. It seems that the heavy rain and storms previously predicted for this part of the UK, will now be felt, in all their glory, much further north. So, you nice folks who have just returned from a very pleasant cruise, will now have to batten down the hatches.

The moorings at Congerstone are so quiet and isolated, and we really have no immediate need to move on, so we’ll probably stay another day and go on to Shackerstone or Snarestone tomorrow. Snarestone is the end of the navigable stretch of the Ashby Canal. There are plans to have it extended all the way to Ashby-de-la-Zouche, but I doubt it wall happen in my lifetime, it took 38 years to complete the restoration of the Droitwich canals, what chance the Ashby?

Tuesday 13th September.

The early mornings are getting cooler, which I especially notice when I am obliged to walk Rusty at 05.30, when it is still dark. Still, she only pesters that early if she’s really busting for a pee. After yesterdays high winds this morning is relatively calm, so we’ll be off to Shackerstone or Snarestone, depending upon which of them we can find moorings at. Shackerstone will probably be OK, since all the boats attending last weekends jaunt have now departed.

If we stop at Shackerstone we’ll probably give The Rising Sun a look in at lunchtime. If we have to go on to Snarestone it will be The Globe, but that will be after a bus trip into Measham, to which this will be our first visit. That assumes of course that buses actually run from anywhere near the moorings, you can never tell when out cruising.

My dear brother Alan recently informed me that our Alfa 147 is playing up. He’s having problems starting the thing because, in the first instance, the battery had gone flat from lack of use and, in the most recent instance, because the computer wouldn’t recognise the Key Code.

The reasons for these problems could be either of at least two things; a/ the Code has been lost from the key or, b/ the computer didn’t like the fact that he used jump-leads in order to try starting it. Either way it looks like more expense on our part. Yesterday Alan phoned to tell me he was going to try charging our battery up overnight and see if that does the trick. If that doesn’t work, he’ll take the key to have it checked out and re-coded. If those two don’t work it will mean a new battery for the car and the services of an expert in these matters.

I tell you, I only have to turn my back on a car and it will go wrong. These things rarely happen while I’m around. I simply do not have problems with cars, except the usual flat tyres and such. A few weeks after I sold the RAV4 the timing belt snapped, and you all know the problems we had with the Alfa before this one, and that was soon after getting it back after cruising. Still, looking on the positive side, Alan has several weeks yet to get the darned thing fixed.

Same Day 15.15.
We arrived at Snarestone at about 10.15 this morning, after a great deal of struggle against strong winds. It wasn’t that way when we left Congerstone, but developed after we had passed through Shackerstone. Anyway, after passing through the 250 yard tunnel, topping up with water and disposing of rubbish, we turned around and moored up.

We were hoping to visit The Globe for lunch but, as seems to be happening more and more these days, we found that the place only opens in the evenings. We then decided to take a bus into Measham, but Sheila was unable to discover exactly where the bus stop was.

Just opposite the water point is a cabin, which holds all kinds of info about the Ashby canal and what is being done to restore it. This is cared for by a gentleman who lives on his boat nearby. Upon asking him about bus times, he suggested we ask the pub landlord. We’re not making much progress here so far!!

Eventually I did what I should have done in the first place, I went online and found the phone number of the bus company who run services through here, and I gave them a call, which resulted in times for tomorrow morning. So, around 10.30 tomorrow morning we’ll take the bus into Measham and be back for about half past one. Sorted!

Wednesday 14th September and, at 06.30 the sky is clear and that wind has dropped. Hopefully it will stay that way for our trip into Measham.

I spoke to a couple yesterday who had walked along the towpath as far as Moira, which is about a mile or so the other side of Measham. It seems that the Ashby Canal Society are making good progress restoring that end of the canal, whilst this end has already been improved, with a slipway and concrete edges to the canal. Unfortunately these restoration projects rely on volunteers for the most part, so I don’t see it being completed any time soon. It really is a shame that government is so blinkered and can’t see the benefits to local communities of these derelict canals being opened. Environment ministers are always keen to appear in public, spouting rhetoric about how they are improving small businesses in small communities, but that’s all it is, rhetoric! No actual financial assistance is ever forthcoming.

Thursday 15th September.

Yesterday we took a trip into Measham by bus for some shopping. Having found almost all that we needed in Tesco, the local butcher and a card shop, we then had about 1 ½ hours to kill before catching the return bus, and it wasn’t even midday. So, we popped into a local coffee shop for coffee and tea cakes.

At about 11.10, whilst we were sitting there enjoying our snack, along came a bus that looked suspiciously like the one we came up on. After coffee we strolled along to the bus stop and discovered that we really didn’t have to wait for the 13.10 for our lift home, because there was another one due at 11.40, only 10 minutes away. However, having waited until 11.50 without said bus arriving, I telephoned the bus company, only to discover that the timetable attached to the bus stop was wrong and we did, indeed, have to wait until 13.10, over an hour away. It seems that the locals have been complaining about this for quite a while with the County Council, because it is they who should be installing the correct timetable.

Fortunately, just across the road from the stop there sits a Community Office, where Wifey gleaned the number of a local cabby and, at the cost of a fiver, we were home safely before 12.30, the walk from the drop off point being of longer duration than the cab ride. With hindsight we should have gone on to Ashby, only another 10 minutes or so longer, where we would have found much more to do to while awaiting the time until our return bus was due.

If our chats with other boaters is anything to go by, the vast majority of Brits can find very little of entertainment value on TV these days, and we count ourselves among them. Yesterday evening, after scanning the Sunday Supplement list of progs, we settled on the new Dinosaur thingy on BBC1, followed by Who Do You Think You Are?, with Alan ‘Chatty Man’ Carr.

Now, our wee doggy seldom watches telly, preferring instead to while away the time left before bedtime in sleeping. Just for a change, and just as the Dinosaur prog started, she jumped up onto Sheila’s chair, lay her head on her knee and stared at the screen, utterly enthralled by the actions of these big beasts. We haven’t seen her do that since the last time we watched one of those vet rescue shows, but that didn’t hold her attention quite like the dinosaurs did. Could this be racial memory, or weren’t canines around 80 million years ago?

And, how about Alan Carr’s great-great-grandfather, a deserter no less, with 12 children. Just how did he pull that one off without being discovered? Of course he changed his name, but it still should not have been difficult for the authorities to find him!

Today we’re off the Shackerstone and a pub lunch, and about time too since I missed out on Sunday, again!!

11.15 am at Shackerstone.

I forgot to mention earlier, that the problem with the Alfa was all down to the battery being low on charge. Once Alan charged it up for 24 hours all was tickety boo. So, panic over. I can now look forward to a relaxing pint or three at the Rising Sun this afternoon.

Saturday 17th September.

We set off from Shackerstone yesterday at 8 am and passed under bridge 52, which is when Sheila saw a lightning flash followed by a roll of thunder. Needless to say these were followed rather rapidly by a sudden shower, which obliged us to pull in and shelter. The rain stopped almost as soon as it started, so we continued on our way to Market Bosworth, where we arrived at about 9.15.

I was well aware that the walk into town was mostly uphill but, what the heck, this also meant it was mostly downhill on the way back. So, after fortifying ourselves with a cuppa, we set off on our uphill trek. A couple of hundred yards or so up the steepest part of the hill is a bus stop, where Sheila suggested we might wait for a bus, seeing as how it was now 09.35 and the bus was due at 09.40. Well, we waited until 09.50 and, with no sign of the bus, started walking again. My reaction to the darned thing passing us a few minutes later is not printable.

I have, as I have mentioned in previous blogs – I think! – a pretty lousy memory, especially what certain towns look like, and Market Bosworth is no exception. However, once the walk came back to me, so did much of what the town looks like. As small towns go MB has everything it needs by way of shops, including butcher, baker and greengrocer, not to mention several pubs. It was not until we had completed our shopping and were on the way back, that we realised that the pub we had used on our previous visit, was now being turned into a block of flats. Another one has fallen into the hands of developers.

It’s true to say that I do need the exercise, but I’m afraid Wifey will be doing the walking this morning and, despite it being Sunday tomorrow, I will do without my Sunday pint, unless we decide to move on to Stoke Golding, that is.

Meanwhile, with eight pages already under my belt, I’ll wish you all a pleasant weekend and leave you with this thought, I need a new battery for the car because, having tried starting it yesterday and been faced with another refusal by the recalcitrant lump of metal, Alan will be fitting a new one soon. More expense!!

Cheers everybody.

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee Cruise 2011 #27

Friday 2nd September 3 pm.

This morning we took a walk in across the bridge to the local shop for the paper and a bottle of milk. Sadly, although the papers were in, the milk wasn’t, so Wifey took another walk later. Where we intend mooring up tomorrow, which is in the middle of nowhere in particular, it’s unlikely we’ll find a shop.

At lunchtime we spent a very pleasant hour or so sitting outside The Greyhound pub with drinks and snacks. The pub is situated at a spot called Sutton Stop, right at the junction of the Coventry and North Oxford canals. The place is named after the man who took the tolls at the stop-lock many years ago, whose name, unsurprisingly, was Sutton.

Looking towards the front of the pub from the Coventry canal towpath, you would see mooring bollards directly outside the pub, which are for the likes of daily trip boats. To the left of the pub is the aforementioned stop-lock, which is at the top of the North Oxford canal.

This lock opens into the small basin in front of the pub and, in order to access the Coventry canal, boaters pass under a bridge, turning left for Coventry and right for moorings and onward to the other end of the Coventry at Fradley Junction and the Trent and Mersey Canal, which is where we will be heading once we have taken a two c week run up the Ashby canal and back.

Our next mooring stop will be between Bedworth and Hinkley, but in a quiet area without much by way of habitation, except a pub called the Corner House Hotel at Bulkington, after two days of which we’ll be spending three nights at Trinity Marina on the Ashby Canal. After our disappointment with the Barby Marina we really do need a couple of days on a landline to charge our batteries. Happily the gentleman at Barby has forwarded the disc that Alan sent there for us to collect.

Saturday 3rd September.

We took our time leaving Hawkesbury Junction this morning, partly because Wifey wanted to walk to the shop for the paper, and partly because she also wanted to get some washing done. The fact that I also wanted to catch up on some much needed shuteye was also part of the equation.

We eventually set off at about 9.30 and, after just three miles, arrived at bridge 5 on the Ashby Canal. This bridge leads into the village of Bulkington and is one of those places we stopped at on our first cruise in 2007. In fact, looking back on Sheila’s diary for that year, we spent 12 days on this canal, much of the time passed away in pubs. Since we plan on being here for about two weeks this time, we could well surpass our record of seven pubs in total, with The George and Dragon at Stoke Golding being honoured with our presence twice. Although, as we’ve already covered The George and Dragon, we may well walk through to the village of Dadlington and The Dog and Hedgehog.

The first on this pub crawl will be at the Corner House Hotel right here in Bulkington tomorrow lunch time. On Monday we will be in Trinity Marina, where we plan on staying for three nights to charge our batteries on a landline. Believe it or not the marina has a pub, so we’ll be well on our way towards beating the previous record, and we’ll be only six miles into the 22 mile canal. No problem there then! Naturally I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Sunday 4th September

Nasty, drizzly rain this morning and our wee pooch is unwell again. When her tummy is upset, she tends to hang her head and look really sorry for herself. Happily she soon gets over it and, by the time we got back from the Corner House here in Bulkington she was almost back to normal.

The Corner House is, as is usual in this part of the world, a big pub with a good sized car park. Unusually the place started filling up pretty early, no doubt because the meals are very reasonably priced, as are the drinks. Guinness is only £3.15p per pint, a nice change from some of the pubs we’ve been in recently. Unfortunately the cold pump wasn’t working and, as I suspected, since both pumps usually run off the same barrel, the normal temperature pump also gave up the ghost and I had to settle for a Guinness and Mild for the second one.

Actually that’s how I was first introduced to Guinness many years ago, by my ex-wife’s grandfather who lived in Surrey and made his own mild. In those days Guinness came in bottles, there was no such thing as draught. Like most young people at the time, I turned my nose up at the mere idea of allowing that mucky stuff into my mouth, much less my stomach. However, granddad insisted that I give it a try, but mixed with more mild than Guinness. Eventually, after many such visits, I was drinking 100% Guinness and haven’t looked back. So, that second pint, that had mild added, was a memory jogger.

Thus far, over the five months we have been cruising, we have spent a pleasant hour or so in 38 pubs. This equates to one visit every four days. Hopefully we’ll improve on that during the time remaining to us and get it up to two per week, or even better. We’ll certainly have ample opportunity along the Ashby.

Tomorrow morning we’ll be off to Trinity Marina which, if the price is right, might be a good alternative for winter 2012/13, since it will be about the same distance from Harlow as Barby which, as you all know, is not finished yet and didn’t look likely to be any time soon. We shall see!

Monday 5th September and I am sitting here, at 05.45, freezing cold in this tin tomb. Why? Because, as I have said in the past, our nice, new batteries are not fit for purpose. I have been running our engine for at least four hours every day, sometimes five hours and, on most mornings I am at least able to run the heater. This morning, with the batteries reading only 11.7 volts, the heater refused to start up.

Yesterday evening we watched just 2½ hours of television, that’s all, and our batteries have slumped to next to nothing. I won’t even be able to switch the Inverter/Charger on to plug the laptop in, because that would deplete them even more. In fact, when I do turn on the I/C it isn’t long before the lights begin to flicker, which is a sure sign that the I/C is going off and on and I have to turn it off.

With other boats moored nearby I can’t run the engine until 08.00, so we are unable to do anything electrical until then. It seems we are going to have to return to having six batteries instead of the current four. It’s just as well we’re spending three days and night at Trinity Marina from today, otherwise I doubt we would get back to Mercia without some serious problems. If I don’t see a marked improvement after that time we’ll be going back sooner than we would like. I am now wasting gas by having the cooker on to keep warm.

Well, that’s it for this entry, I’m too annoyed to write anything sensible for now. It’s just as well I charged the laptop yesterday while engine was running, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to treat you all to a moan.

It is now 06.45 and I have just come back from walking the dog. The batteries are now reading just 10.5 volts. Wifey will be lucky if she can run the taps in the bathroom at this rate, and I am sitting here in a darkened boat because I daren’t turn any lights on. Nope, these batteries are not fit for purpose, at least, four of them aren’t. It seems we will definitely have to increase to six before we leave Mercia next year. At least then we should have enough overnight charge to run the heater.

Tuesday 6th September and I’m pleased to say I’m in a much better mood today.

We decided to leave Bulkington a little later than usual yesterday, to allow the big, working boats that had attended the festival at Shackerstone over the weekend, to pass us on their way out of the Ashby Canal. Leaving at 9 am, as we did, we hoped to reduce the amount of these bigger boats, at least by a few.

We were headed for Trinity Marina, which is just past bridge 17 and, even though we did come across a few returning boats, we didn’t experience any real problems with them. Trouble can arise when faced with one of these older, working boats, especially when they are towing a ‘butty’. This engineless boat can be as long as the one towing it and, if they are both 70 feet long and you meet on a bend, great care must be taken. The towing boat is unable to slow down and the man in control has to rely on the skill of the boater approaching. Almost all of these boats are of timber construction, so a collision with a steel hulled boat could cause serious damage.

After a five mile trip we arrived at Trinity at about 11.00, just in time to miss the rain and higher winds, which really rocked us later in the evening and during the night. Happily it had stopped raining by the time I took Rusty out a short while ago.

We are staying at the marina until Thursday morning, giving us 72 hours on the mains electrickery, which should be plenty of time to charge the batteries and, hopefully, see us back to Mercia without further problems. If not then, well, you know the rest. It really is great to be able to run the television and lights, along with the heating, without having to worry about being able to turn the heating on in the morning and charging the laptop.

When we arrived here we collected an info sheet regarding mooring fees because we are considering coming here for winter 2012. Alas, whilst their fees are similar to those of Mercia, they also demand a huge bonding fee on top of everything else being paid. On the example we found on the reverse of the info sheet this bond amounted to over £400. What we are asking ourselves is, why? It’s not as if we would be hiring a cottage or caravan with a whole bunch of stuff entrusted to our care. We are simply mooring up for the winter, what can we possibly do that requires a financial bond?

Nope, don’t think we’ll be coming here, this extra fee strikes me as a simple money maker, levied on unfortunate boaters to give the owners of the site a bit of positive cash flow. Needless to say, I won’t be posting this blog until we have left, just in case someone does a Paul from Pillings Lock and takes umbrage at reading it.

Today we’ll be taking the bus into Hinkley for shopping.

Cheers for now. More tomorrow.

Wednesday 7th September and, I’m pleased to say, that the wind has dropped and the rain has stopped. It’s now 07.00 and I’ve just returned from walking Rusty, who seems to be unwell again. She’ll be hanging her head again for a few hours and will refuse her food.

Yesterday we took a bus ride into Hinkley and the rain finally hit us, just as we were walking up the high street. Happily it didn’t last long and we managed the return trip without a soaking. The shopping area is quite spread and doesn’t have a supermarket anywhere that we could see. However, when the bus we came in on pulled away, his destination blind said ’Morrisson’s’, so even Hinkley is not free of the giants.

Today we’ll enjoy another pub lunch at the nearby Brewer’s Fayre.

Thursday 8th September.

Well, it’s still a bit blustery out there and we have to leave Trinity today, probably for Stoke Golding, which is about three miles away. But, if the weather turns really nasty, we’ll stop along the cut just as soon as we can.

We enjoyed a pub lunch at The Marina, the Brewer’s Fayre pub next to the marina and also next to a Premier Inn. It was one of their establishments that helped us out many years ago, when we drove into a severe blizzard crossing the Pennines. After seeing the lights glimmering through the snow storm, we pulled in and booked in for one night. By morning however, the snow was so deep as to be impossible to drive, and also impossible for snow ploughs to reach us. The management of the place kindly put us up and fed and watered us for a second night, absolutely free of charge. So, it’s always a pleasure to pay one of their outlets a visit when we can.

We’ll probably leave a bit later than normal, say about 10 am or so. This will give us time to dispose of rubbish, top up with water and get today’s Mail.

Friday 9th September.

We left Trinity at about 09.30 yesterday, after spending some time talking to a couple of other boaters, who agreed that this particular marina is not the friendliest of moorings. The financial bond was new to them, as was the £50 deposit for the access key to the steel gates.

At Mercia and Pillings Lock marinas we were struck by how friendly the other boaters were, nobody would dream of walking past you without a cheery ‘hello’. What a difference at Trinity, where quite a few people ignore you completely. What a shame too, because it casts a sad reflection on management of the place. After all, if your customers are happy it shows in their attitude towards others. It’s very much like being back in Harlow, where you only have to stray a few hundred yards from home, and you’ll be looked upon as a complete stranger. Sad!

Another boater, we heard, had already left for Barby Marina, what was he thinking? He’ll probably find himself waiting a couple of months for his pontoon to be built, much like the other half dozen boats we saw clustered together. The advert for that place has been running for at least a couple of months, with pretty artist’s impressions of what it will look like. Any port in a storm, or so they say, but it’s doubtful we’ll even consider the place for next year now.


I had hoped to post this entry this morning, alas the Internet signal is a wee bit weak and I only just managed to download my emails, and that took two attempts.

Yesterday, after only an hours cruising, we arrived at out current moorings, which are between bridges 22 and 23 on the Ashby. According to the forecast today should be fairly calm with a few showers, so we’ll probably move along to Stoke Golding and, if we can’t get in there, we’ll carry on until we can find a reasonable spot.

And that’s it for this morning.

Friday 4.30 pm and we’ve had a beautiful late morning and early afternoon. Alas, the wind is now strengthening and the clouds have blotted out the sun, so I suppose we are now in for some rain.

This morning must have been one of the shortest cruises we have taken since leaving Mercia, the trip to Stoke Golding being only a mile in length and half an hour duration. Since about 10.30 this morning we have simply chilled out, our normal routine whatever the distance or duration of trip.

I am of the opinion that it will rain in the morning also, in which case we’ll stay here. For now though I’ll attempt to post this offering and wish you all well for the weekend.

All abreast from Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee Cruise 2011 #26

Saturday 27th August.

Due to the heavy rain yesterday we decided to stay at Bridge 75 on the North Oxford. I do believe I called it the Grand Union in my last blog! See, this is what happens as you get old and wrinkly, the memory fades, and my dear wife knows all about my memory fading, poor wee thing.

So, what did we do with ourselves during our enforced stay, well, not a lot actually, we must have decided a dozen times or more to get the boat ready and move along, but each time we had a lull in the weather and started to make ready, down came the rain again. We set a deadline of 2 pm and, once that had passed, gave up on the idea.

Today however, regardless of the weather, we really must get ourselves to Rugby for shopping. Even more important is the need to top up with water and dispose of our rubbish. This I fear will be another drinkless Sunday, simply because after Rugby there’s nowhere to stop at or near a pub until we get to Hawkesbury Junction, where there’s a place called The Greyhound, the name of which engenders fond memories of my early Harlow days and the ‘Inn on the Park’, as we called it. The small Jazz band on Sundays was a true delight. Ah, memories, what would we be without them?

Sunday 28th August.

Bank Holiday is here again and, even on the cut, you get your inconsiderate people who just love waking their neighbours up in the early hours. Chatter, chatter, chatter at 3.30 am! And, as if that wasn’t enough, Rusty was sat by the back door at 4.45 am. So, having also woken up with a stiff neck, here am I, sitting at the laptop at 5.15 am thoroughly hacked off, and not just because of those two annoyances. I now have a warning that my battery is low and have had to switch the IC on, which I really didn’t want to do this early in the day. No! Going back to bed is not an option.

I avoided switching on the I/C yesterday morning and managed to do all I needed to do by the time Wifey got up, but I don’t think I actually used the laptop after arriving here at Newbold.

Yesterday, ah yes, yesterday, what a fun day that was. We left our moorings at 07.45 and headed for Rugby, which we arrived at by about 10.15, when we headed off to Tesco and such straight away. We first paid a visit to Homebase, where we found a great battery powered LED light to stick on the wall in the galley. We use up so many bulbs in the 12 volt system by leaving one on overnight – no, we’re not scared of the dark – that it’s becoming a wee bit expensive. It remains to be seen how long batteries last in this lamp before we revert to the previous system.

Tesco was a riot of fun because, it being a Saturday, everybody and his uncle were there for their Bank Holiday shopping. On top of which we were treated to the banshee screaming of a toddler whose parents simply let him scream. Talk about making a rod for your own back, will they be sorry later.

Having walked down the hill to Tesco without a coat, naturally the heavens opened up just as we were leaving the store. So, despite having taken the brolly with us, we waited for the shower to pass and headed off back to the boat. After a swift cuppa and more rain we headed off to pastures new, not knowing exactly where we would be pulling in for the rest of the weekend. In the event, and despite my fears that I would be denied my precious pint on Sunday, we found a spot at Newbold where there are no less than three pubs to choose from.

Yesterday afternoon Wifey took Rusty out for a walk and told me that the nearest pub had live music on. Hmmm! This does not bode well, I thought but, with the only disturbance being the one mentioned, we enjoyed more sleep than I expected.

My laptop battery is now up to 27% power and so, unless the heater turns itself off soon, I’ll have to switch the laptop off or make do with the 27%. When I turned on the I/C our batteries were down to 11.9 volts and this despite the engine being run for a total of 5 hours yesterday. Nope, these new batteries are not fit for purpose. Still, having missed out on Barby Marina for a full charge, we’ll try stopping at Limekiln on the Ashby Canal, but that won’t be until sometime next week. First we have to pay a visit to Coventry to top up our prescriptions.

Bank Holiday Monday 29th August.

Sunday was a joy. Aside from the odd shower here and there, this was a quiet and relaxing day with lots of boats tooing and froing, the drivers of some not seeming to care very much about moored boats. Still, we survived to see another day and have will be heading for Hawkesbury Junction this morning.

We had a choice of three pubs to visit yesterday and, in order to avoid those with Sky Sports on the big screen; we much prefer a peaceful Sunday lunchtime drink; we took a walk around to inspect all three. The first one we passed, The Newbold Crown, was the one we eventually settled for and is situated on the main road into the centre of town.

Guinness was about average in price at £2.40 a pint and from the menu we figured the meal prices to be pretty reasonable too. Had we been normal in our approach to food on a Sunday, we might well have ordered lunch there but, Sunday being our low food intake day, we had to decline the offer.

When we walked in at about 12.30 there was already a sizeable group of people in the Public Bar and just two eating lunch in the Saloon and, since the Saloon door was the one we entered by, that’s where we sat. The Newbold Crown is impressive in appearance from the outside and takes up the corner of the main road and a side street, with a very wide frontage and seating outside. Inside this pub is very clean and the owners are quite obviously very proud of their business. After half an hour or so other customers started drifting in and ordered food, so I have no doubt that this establishment will not fall by the wayside as so many others are doing of late.

This morning, what with the days becoming shorter as we head for the autumn, was another chilly start to the day, and I’m sure it won’t be long before we’ll be lighting our fire. With this in mind, just as soon as we get moored up we’ll be applying the finishing touches to the chimney, the tiling and grouting, and Sheila will be giving the fire and inner stack a coat of paint. In order to do this we’ll probably have to throw the windows, doors and hatch open to ensure we don’t suffocate from the fumes.

Hawkesbury Junction with the Coventry Canal is about 11 miles away, but there are no locks along the way. However, with it being a Bank Holiday, it is unlikely we would find moorings without some difficulty and so, instead of going all the way, we’ll try to find suitable moorings about half way there.

Tuesday 30th August
The weather wasn’t looking too clever when we left Neubold, so we decided to stop at Brinklow instead of going all the way to Hawkesbury Junction. We have spent a couple of days here before, but I’m sure there weren’t as many boats here on that occasion. It’s a bit like bridge 103 on the GUC, everybody and his brother now know about it and are taking advantage.

If I remember it right, the last time we were here we actually walked into the village, which looks to be about half a mile away. However, the road over the bridge ahead of us brings you to a T/Junction and, from there you have two choices for reaching the village. You either cross the fields and stiles, or you skirt the fields, which of course is the longer route. We chose the fields and stiles and almost got tangled up in overgrown thorny bushes for our trouble. This was all due to my determination to enjoy a pint or two.

This time though, since it was Bank Holiday Monday and I had already enjoyed my weekly allocation of Guinness, we decided against such a venture, which was just as well because I would never have made even half way.

When we pulled in to moor up we did so just as another boat was passing. Not having time to put our hooks in and tie up, we had to take the weight of the boat until it had gone by. For some reason, and even though I had done this many times before, I must have put too much strain on my left knee, which left me with an agonising limp for the best part of the day. By the early evening though, I’m happy to say, the pain and discomfort had eased off and all is now well enough for us to continue on to Hawkesbury.

Now, since it is another eight miles to Hawkesbury, and not wishing to subject me to the paint fumes, Sheila is going to leave me all alone on the stern deck while she paints the fireplace. She really can be so considerate at times.

Well, that was the last Bank Holiday until Christmas and, with a little luck the little perishers will be back at school soon, thus easing the congestion on the canals. Since we purchased Shiralee in 2006 more than 5,000 addition boats have been registered with BW. Taking into account the small percentage that have been scrapped due to their poor condition, that still leaves a great many more boats looking for mooring spaces during holiday times. It also accounts for why new marinas are springing up all over the waterways, and thank goodness for that. It now means there is more competition and more marinas are now willing to take in residential boaters for winter moorings.

Wednesday 31st August and we’re off to Coventry for a couple of days. The first thing to do once we arrive is to find the surgery and arrange for some medication, after that a look around the shops. My most important item is a 12 volt lead and plug for the television, after that I’m sure we’ll have other shopping to do, such as a loaf of bread and some milk.

I have not been able to find a full picture of the basin at Coventry, but what I did find shows it as being pretty big. Unfortunately we are only allowed 48 hours there, but that should be enough to take in as much as we need. We can always visit again next year, assuming we come this way that is.

Yesterday we enjoyed a Shared Platter at the local watering hole, The Greyhound at Hawkesbury, and very good it was too and, at just £9.95p, a bargain. With Guinness being just £3.15p I was well satisfied. Perhaps we’ll stop off again when we return on our way to the Ashby Canal.

In an effort to reduce battery power first thing in the morning, I am now running the laptop without connection to the 240 volt supply. This means I eventually find myself reduced to about 30% of battery left, which is when I then switch on the Inverter/Charger, and the system is working well so far. I also make sure the engine is run for a full two hours in the evening and, instead of 5 am I now rise at 5.30 am. This is because, having finished a couple of projects I’ve been working on, I can afford to sacrifice 30 minutes of my valuable computer time.

On Friday we will be returning this way and then heading on to the Ashby Canal, where we hope to spend a couple of days on a landline in Lime Kiln Marina, which boasts, among other services, a pub. Now, how fortunate is that?

Wednesday 31st August 5 pm

After much faffing about at Hawkesbury Junction, spending about an hour finding the nearest winding hole and heading back to the junction to top up with water and dispose of rubbish, we eventually set off for Coventry at about 9.15. The run down the five miles to the basin gets progressively more industrialised and overgrown, reminding us of a couple of other canals we’ve navigated this year, but also of the Aylesbury Arm of the GUC.

After a lot of meandering around loops and turns we arrived at the basin at about 11.15 and settled in for a well deserved cuppa, after which Wifey walked the dog. We then set off to find the nearest surgery, which we found had relocated to the hospital.

On our arrival at reception we were told that, due to a shortage of doctors we should instead walk round to the Walk-In Centre, which was just a five minute walk away.

Having filled in the usual form we were then sent round to a waiting room where we met Roger Whittaker, a very nice man who was visiting relatives here on a visit from Australia and was due to go home on 14th of September. We had a real friendly chat with him and he told us he had lived in Adelaide for the past 50 odd years. He also said his brother had terminal lung cancer and his other brother was suffering from dementia. The next couple of weeks are going to be quite tough for him, so I suppose he’ll be glad to return to the beginning of spring in Oz.

We were called in to see a nurse for an assessment before deciding if I needed to see a doctor. Now, anybody else in our position, which is that of spending six or seven months of the year cruising, would do well to avoid Coventry like the plague. As if it wasn’t enough being sent away from the first surgery, I was then told that they could only issue sufficient medication to see me through the next five days. As a diabetic whose condition is controlled with Insulin, this is not damn good enough. “It’s all down to budgets”, says the nurse, which of course is no good to me at all.

Anyway, we eventually came away with much more than she said we would, simply because Insulin pens come in boxes of five, and I now have more than enough to see me back to Willington.

Travelling boaters, you have been warned! Make sure you have plenty of everything medical before you even consider visiting Coventry. What a dump! Instead of spending two days we will be leaving tomorrow morning, just as soon as we complete our shopping, and good riddance to the place. Its only saving grace is the Motor Museum and, from what we hear, that will be closing soon anyway.

Friday 2nd September and summer made a welcome return yesterday. The day dawned bright and cheerful and remained that way for the rest of the day.

The trip through to Hawkesbury Junction too about two hours but it was far from easy finding somewhere to moor up. Although we moan about being limited to 48 hours at most places we stop at, with Hawkesbury being so popular and having a seven day limit, planning your arrival time really doesn’t help much. We are now moored well out of sight of the junction itself and it will be quite a walk when we visit the shop across the bridge, and when we return to the pub later.

Despite the fact that the summer holidays are almost over; I do believe some kids go back to school later this week; there are still plenty of boats moving up and down the cut. I’ve been up for just about an hour and already three have passed by. Can’t these people sleep? Obviously I’m not the only boater who likes to see the sun rise.

Being low on power again I have had to switch on the I/C unit, so I think that it’s a good time to post, but first I’d better make a cuppa for Wifey.

Cheers folks and have a good weekend.

Dave, Sheila and pooch.