Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 27

Foxton Locks to Braunston

 Wednesday 28^th August

 Yesterday was interesting right from the start, but we were very fortunate in being only the second boat to climb the locks, so we made good time and stopped near bridge 56. After a much needed cup of coffee, we decided to move on to the top of the Welford Arm but, as the rings there were all taken up, we carried on to bridge 40 and, just for a change we were left alone for the rest of the day.

 The main event of the day occurred before we had even left our moorings, an event to which I dedicate the following poem:

 

Ode to a Pair of Lost Specs.

My spectacles fell of my face today,

They made a resounding splash,
As they hit the water below me,
And disappeared, in a flash.

I blame the missus for this you know,

Oh yes, it really was She,
Who put the stack on the rooftop
Where it wasn’t supposed to be.

She’d cleaned out the front of the boat, you see

And the chimney pot stood in her way,
And rather than stand it on t’ towpath
On top of the roof it did lay.

 So, prior to leaving our moorings

And whilst folding up cratch cover,
I spotted aforementioned chimney
And reached up for it, to recover.

‘Twas then that my specs met said cover

And flipped off into the air.
(‘Tis true what they say about women,
They do all to make us despair.)

So, now I must manage with old specs,

Ones that I found in the street.
They’ll do till Wifey finds readies,
For my new spectacles – her treat!

Today we’ll probably go on to Yelvertoft, assuming this fog lifts.

 Friday 30^th August

 On Wednesday, as I thought, we went on to Yelvertoft and after a quick coffee and a walk for Rusty, we walked into the village. Actually, right by the entrance to the roadway from the towpath there’s a sign extolling the virtues of the local PO/Village Stores, but it closes at 1pm on Wednesdays and this was at 12.45, so we didn’t have a lot of time. Thankfully it was all downhill and we arrived just as the owner was parcelling up his newspapers for return.

 So, after a quick whip round for our bits and pieces, we walked a bit further into the village, looking for the butcher’s which, as the Nicholson Guide points out, makes very good sausages, and we do love butcher’s home-made sausages.

 But first we came to the local pub and, with the sun being well past the yardarm, we popped in for a quickie. We sat outside and a few minutes later our neighbours from the boat in front, came walking by heading for said butchers. Well, rather than follow their example, we waited until they returned and, unsurprisingly, the shop had closed due to retirement. That’s another one gone!

 Yesterday morning we cruised the two miles to Crick Marina, where we needed to buy a gas bottle and ask about winter moorings. The first item was taken care of and, after the bottle was loaded into the front locker, we returned to the office to discuss the moorings, and having seen what we liked about the marina, decided to part with a deposit. I have to say that we went away quite pleased with the place.

 Crick Marina, for those of you that are unfamiliar with the waterways system, lies on the Leicester Arm of the Grand Union Canal and is just a short distance from the M1, which makes life very easy for me when driving down to Harlow, and it’s only 100 miles from that town. The manager of Crick has a son living in Billericay and, when he visits him it takes about 1½ hours. (I don’t know what car he drives, but he must have the throttle wide open!)

 So, we’ll be at Crick this year, probably from November to March inclusive.

 Now, having moored up at about the same place as we did when passing through in the other direction, we walked to the Co-op in Crick and did a whole lot more shopping, for which Wifey forgot to bring her trolley. No matter, we got all we needed, and then some, including the Daily Mail.

 The Daily Mail; a newspaper that some folks sneer at, for whatever reason; has a readers letter page in which people can spout off about some news item or other. Yesterday’s page was all about Syria. Now, like many people in this green and pleasant land, I have come to accept that we are no longer a world power and should not be clapping the American president on the back and saying, “ Gung-ho old chap, let’s go to war”, you know, shoulder to shoulder and all that baloney. I’m pleased to note that all those letters agreed with my thoughts on the matter. But one person summed it all up most succinctly and said, “Can you just imagine it. Cameron to ministers, ‘Let’s downsize the army, scrap most of our warships and reduce the air force. OK? What shall we do next, eh? Let’s go to war!’”

 Magic, sheer magic!! You gotta love em!

 Sunday 1^st September

 Methinks autumn is on its way, this morning is cold and misty and we had to light the fire last night. However, those nice weather people do say that it will warm up again over the next few days.

 Yesterday we left Welton Hythe at about 8.15, not early enough to beat the traffic coming through Braunston tunnel though. We managed to race through for about ¾ of its length before meeting another boat, so there’s something to be said for that.

 Almost immediately after the tunnel there are six locks to go down, which was when our problems started. Right at the bottom of said locks there’s a boat hire company and, immediately after that is Braunston marina. One boat was about to go through the top lock and, since these locks are double size, we went down the first lock with them.

 This boat was a holiday hire returning to Braunston and, waiting to go through the next one was another holiday hire boat, which meant that the one in the top lock, joined the next one, leaving us to go it alone, thank goodness.

 Whilst I was sitting between locks another boater walked by and told me that there were at least eight other boats waiting to come up. Of course there were, it was Saturday and it was bright and it was the last weekend of the school holidays, what else were we to expect?

 The long and the short of all this was that, although it only took half an hour to reach the tunnel, it took us another two hours to get through the locks and moor up.

 Today is somewhat overcast, but I’m hoping it will warm up a little. If it does so, then we’ll let the fire go out, if not then it stays alight, so there!

 For some strange reason our position here, right outside the marina, does not give us a mobile signal, but we are able to get online, so, without more ado I’ll get this thing posted.

 Cheers all and have a great week.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 26

Market Harborough to Foxton Locks

 Saturday 24^th August

 I’m still a little concerned about the drop in overnight battery power. Even after adding the Alternator to Battery Charger, I still find that our Power Panel is only showing 12.1 or 12.2 volts. There are only two items that could be draining all that voltage out overnight, the fridge and the TV, which we only watch for a couple of hours in the evening, and the power consumption from that is quite low. The best thing to do about this is to have a chat with Andy sometime.

 My main problem with the power loss is using the laptop in the early morning. I charge it up every day, either while we’re cruising or, if I forget that, I do so while the engine is running in the evening. But, since the laptop battery drains away within about 1 ½ hours, I either have to shut it down early, or plug the laptop in and switch the Inverter/Charger on, thus draining the batteries even further. You see my dilemma!

 Now, a complete change of subject. On this Sony Vaio laptop I have Office 2010 installed, all courtesy of the nice man I purchased it from. Of course it’s not an official installation and, consequently I don’t have the Installation disc. So, when problems crop up; like the one I’m about to describe; I have no way of correcting them, short of returning the laptop to Dave, the man I bought it from.

 The Problem!

 I use MS Word quite a lot, in fact I’m using it now in typing this blog. But there are times, becoming more and more frequent, when the programme misbehaves.

 Imagine the scene, you’re sitting there typing and, as the script reaches the end of a line and scrolls down for the next one, all of a sudden some of the line that you have just typed, or are about to type, jumps to a different place on the page, sometimes embedding itself into a sentence a few lines up the page. At these times I have to find the line of type, cut it out and paste it to where it should be. Short of going out a buying MS Word 2010, I’m stuck with this problem.

 Sunday 25^th August

 We had a big think yesterday about Debdale Wharf marina and there’s one serious no-no about the place, and that’s the remoteness of the marina, which is at the end of a narrow lane that looks to be miles from anywhere. This could cause serious problems in heavy, snowy weather, making it difficult to go shopping and/or visiting a doctor.

 I misremember the other problems but, suffice it to say we have been busy looking at other marinas and have approached Crick and Brinklow marinas for prices. Crick is on the Leicester Arm of the GUC and we’ll be returning that way soon, so will be able to call in. Brinklow is on the North Oxford, and we’ll be passing that on our way to meeting up with Alan and Chris. We had planned on meeting them in early October, but we think we’ll have to make that late September so as to allow time for getting to our winter moorings, wherever they may be.

 Today, however, we’ll be heading back to Foxton, with a view to sampling the delights of the Black Horse pub then it will be a return to the locks on Monday.

 Yesterday we walked into Market Harborough again, this time for our main shopping, and we found a very good butcher’s on our walk around, where we bought far more goodies than we had planned. We also found the Co-op and Wifey cleared their shelf of doggie pouches. Well, you never know when we will find a Co-op that sells them as they do seem to be a rarity these days, especially in some of the smaller stores.

 Later…..

 We left Market Harborough at about 8am and moored up just past bridge 3, which is where the two other Foxton pubs are. Before taking our usual lunchtime break at one of the pubs, we decided to take a walk up to the Black Horse, just to see what it was like. Well, it looked OK and so we thought we’d give it a try and strolled up there just after midday.

 As we sat there supping our drinks and munching on our snacks, I suggested to Wifey that it wasn’t long since the place had been renovated and decorated, it really did look good, although we were somewhat surprised at the lack of customers, only three local chaps at the bar. Of course, the fact that I had just paid £7.15p for a pint of Guinness, half a pint of cider, a packet of crisps and a packet of Bacon Fries, should have given me a clue.

 So, we sat and chatted for a while and, after a while a family walked in and strolled off into the garden. Eventually I finished my drink and went up to the bar for a second helping, which was when I realised our mistake in coming to the place, £3.70p for a pint of Guinness!!! Ye gods and little fishes, this is the highest price I have ever paid and, I swear, if another pub, anywhere in the UK ever asks me to part with such a king’s ransom for a pint of beer, they will be wearing it!!

Anyway, having finished the most expensive Guinness anywhere north of Harlow, I suggested we take a walk down to the Shoulder of Mutton, which is when we were smacked in the gob again. This so-called pub presents itself as offering authentic Chinese cuisine whilst maintaining the usual offerings of an English pub. Well, nothing could be further from the truth because, when I noticed the Guinness pump on the pub and asked for a pint of the same, the nice, little Chinese girl said, “Oh, we only sell Guinness by the bottle”, and admitted that they do most of their trade in the evenings and, yeah, you’ve guessed, it’s really a Chinese Restaurant. No wonder both pubs were practically deserted. On the one hand the public are robbed blind, whilst on the other they are lied to.

 

Of course, this is only my personal opinion. Other people might consider this high price pretty much OK. Well, I don't. So there!

 Needless to say we won’t be mooring here any time in the near or far future.

 Monday 26^th August (Bank Holiday)

 More discussion about winter mooring yesterday led us to seriously consider Crick Marina. Looking at their figures again we’ll save £30 per month over Mercia, we’ll be close to big towns, such as Rugby and it’s only 100 miles to Harlow. So, as we’re going that way to meet up with Alan and Chris, and we need a new gas bottle, we’ll be calling in to speak with the manager.

 Talking of gas bottles, we changed ours yesterday, after only 13 days of use. Sheila has already said that she thought it was on its way out, she could smell the gas ever since we changed it last time. This is the second time this year that this has happened. Unfortunately, when we’re on the move all the time, it’s difficult to turn around and go back to where we bought the bottle, so we’re stuck with it.

 Now, this problem with MS Word, I’ve been trying different things in an attempt to replicate the problem and I have found that, if I brushed my hand across the mouse pad and left button at the same time, the cursor jumps and moves to a different spot. This was not always the case but, since it does do so on occasion, I’ve been extra careful this morning and, so far it’s behaved itself.

 One good thing has come of our visit to this part of Foxton, because, when we walked up to check out the Black Horse pub we found a small village store. Although it shares the same courtyard and car park as the pub, it doesn’t have anything to do with it. It seems that the young woman running the shop, now has planning permission to build one nearby, which will be good for the villagers.

 Of course, as with all things to do with snotty nosed Councils, she’s been given a rough ride where advertising is concerned. She had a poster printed and erected on a nearby farmer’s land, but was told she couldn’t do this for fear of distracting passing motorists. Still, she was kind enough to order a Daily Mail for us that we can collect this morning. We both hope her and her husband do well.

 Tuesday 27^th August

 We tried our heater yesterday morning, when there was just 12.1 volts showing, but it didn’t work, or, rather, it didn’t seem to work. It fired up OK but then, after a short while, is switched itself off. I switched it on again this morning, with 12.6 volts showing, and it’s been fine. I suspect that, either it got damp due to rain, or the voltage dropped whilst Wifey was running taps in the bathroom. Hopefully it will be OK from now on.

 We came down from the other end of Foxton yesterday morning and are hoping for an early start this morning. With it being Bank Holiday there were loads of people about, strolling along the towpath and, I have no doubt, making full use of the two pubs here. Thankfully we were out of sight and sound of those. We now have to hope that, when we turn around this morning, we’ll find a space below the locks.

 The lock keepers there tend to send a boat down from the top first, so it could be well after 9am before we start our way up. We’re only going a couple of miles, so it really doesn’t matter when we start.

 And, that, as they say, is that. I’ll sign off by wishing you all a very pleasant week.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 25

Bridge 45 Leicester Arm to Market Harborough

 Thursday 22^nd August

 After filling up with diesel at Kilworth Wharf, which was about 100 yards from our moorings, we carried on another six miles to the top of Foxton Locks. We were here on our first year of cruising, back in 2007 and, once we had arrived here I recognised the place.

 Wifey can sometimes explain to me until she’s blue in the face, but it doesn’t always sink in until we arrive, just what the place looks like.

 Somewhere, amongst all our photos, we have some of this popular tourist spot, but I’m hanged if I know where they are. It may well be that, since they were taken on Sheila’s old camera, they were lost when the card failed. Not to worry though, because we’ll be out taking more photos later today.

 Yesterday was very warm and sunny here, so we decided on a pub lunch. At the bottom of these 10 locks; two sets of five staircase locks; are two pubs, The Foxton Locks and the Bridge 61, and this is the one we chose, simply because it’s the smaller and was less crowded at the time. A roast pork baguette and two pints of Stella went down rather well.

 Having enjoyed our boozy repast, we then had to climb the hill back to the boat, which entailed passing an ice cream parlour, which we did not. Instead, we sat munching and licking two beautiful cornets.

 Along with the 10 locks, there is also a boating museum and an Inclined Plane. This contraption, which was built in 1900, was constructed in order to reduce the 70 minutes journey time through the locks, down to about 12 minutes. This amazing alternative to the locks has two caissons, which can carry two narrow boats or one wide beam each, and they run on rails operated by a steam driven winch. Sadly the plane was deemed to be too expensive to run and the planned widening of the locks didn’t happen either, so we’re still stuck with over an hour to get through the locks, which is something we will have to do tomorrow. Fortunately we have some volunteer lock keepers in attendance; so much of the work is taken up for us.

 We now have an opportunity to get our heating serviced and once we are down the locks, we’ll carry on to Debdale Wharf to see what they can do. We’re pretty sure the unit needs a new burner and, if this is the case, the engineer there may have to order it in. Meanwhile, we’ll turn around from there and go on to Market Harborough, returning to Debdale early next week.

 Of course, since we have no plans for going on to Leicester, we’ll return to Foxton and climb the locks. We then plan on making our way to Stone, in Staffordshire, where we’ll meet up with Alan and Chris, sometime in early October. We do try to meet up with them at least once whilst they are here. No doubt they’ll be trotting off to some exotic place for the rest of our winter.

 Friday 23^rd August

 Yesterday we hemmed and hawed as to whether to go down the locks, but laziness won out and we stayed put. Later in the day we walked down the locks and took some photos, to replace those we lost a few years back.

 Today will be lots of fun, because we now have those locks to contend with, along with a visit to Debdale Wharf for the heating, and then it’s onward and upward to Market Harborough for some much needed shopping.

 So, an early start today. Even though we can’t go down the locks until 8 am at the earliest, we would like to be first boat through and we know that there’s another boat, moored on the Disabled Boat moorings, just waiting to get ahead of the pack. Hopefully we can fox them, ho ho.

 Saturday 24^th August

 Ho, ho indeed, we did manage to be first down the locks yesterday, the lock keeper arrived on time and it took just 45 minutes to pass through all 10 locks. Once at the bottom we made our way directly to Debdale Wharf, for repairs to our heater system.

 Engineer Steve immediately removed the heater for cleaning explaining that, it was in very rare circumstances that he would consider it necessary to replace it. Indeed, he said that any engineer worth his salt would simply clean around the burner itself. So, at the end of that little session we were charged just over £50, rather than the £200+ that we expected. Joy of joys!!

 Debdale Wharf marina is fairly small, miles off the beaten track, only about 100 miles from Harlow and sits at the end of a lane; very much like Pillings Lock. We took a walk around the marina and asked for and received a financial breakdown of fees, for wintering over, which compare favourably with those of Mercia.

 The downside to going there is quite minimal. For example, being at the end of a narrow lane and with no main roads nearby, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to catch a bus into town. In fact, it’s dead certainty that we won’t. However, Market Harborough is only about three miles away, so, only in the starkest of weather would we be unable to drive out of the place.

 From our wee pooch’s point of view; she hates those wooden walkways at Mercia; the pontoons are galvanised steel with large holes in, so she is not going to be forever putting a foot through. Also, the galvanised walkways allow for the snow to fall through and into the water, thus making walking easier. The manager showed us a sample of the thick rubber sheeting, also with big holes in that he plans on ordering for the pontoons. This stuff is about 10-15mm thick and will do a better job of ensuring steady walking, especially in icy conditions.

 Anyway, having done all the necessary at Debdale we made our way to Market Harborough. This time we managed to find a space at the visitor moorings and, after a well-deserved cup of coffee, we went in search of a newspaper but, as with several times on our journey this year, the local shop had closed and was up for sale. So, Wifey being the smart arse that she is said, “there’s a garage down here somewhere, let’s see if they have one”. But, as you would expect by now, no such garage existed, instead we walked into town and, by the time we got back to the boat I was completely shattered. Hey, I’m not as young as I used to was!!

 Today; yes, you’ve guessed it; we’ll be walking into town again, this time for some much needed shopping. Our doggie is in desperate need of some Co-op food pouches, something we have been unable to find recently. Most Co-op shops usually stock them, but not the ones we’ve been to lately. The store in MH is quite a big one, so we might be lucky. The pouches, as opposed to the 150gm tubs, are much looser and contain more gravy and our Rusty devours them with relish. I can actually hear her grunting whilst she eats. Honestly, you would think she hadn’t been fed for a week.

 Talking of our pooch, during the day she pesters to go out about once an hour and always answers the call of nature. She’s the same in the evenings, pestering and wandering about like a lost sheep. Night times however, except on those rare occasions when she suffers a tummy upset, she sleeps all night through. Indeed, I’ve already given Wifey her early morning cuppa and she’s still asleep under the table. That’s almost nine hours without a pee!

 Tomorrow we’ll head back towards Foxton, stopping on the way near a different pub. Meanwhile, as it’s the weekend and I’ve typed almost six pages, I’ll wish you all a great weekend.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 24

Welton Hythe marina to bridge 45 Leicester Arm

 Saturday 18^th August (cont)

 Today, as I said, we are off to Crick for some much needed shopping. It wasn’t only the rain that put us off going yesterday it was also the amount of boats that passed us going in the same direction. Not knowing how many of them would stop at Crick, we didn’t want to take the chance of missing out and having to go straight through. By leaving here early this morning, by the time we have passed through the locks, some boats would have vacated their moorings, thus giving us some space.

 We are still looking for suitable permanent moorings, preferably online and with water and electricity. Personally, I would still like to investigate Blackthorn Lake on the River Nene but, as I said before, to do so now would be rather expensive. The manager of the place emailed me yesterday and advised me that, for £412 we could get a 6 months River Licence, which would not be a bad idea because, if we were to take up moorings at Blackthorn, when it comes to renewing our licence next April, we could get a Gold one, which allows full use of rivers and canals.

 Unfortunately, what with the expense of hull blacking before we left Mercia, not to forget the cost of putting the car through its MOT, we haven’t been exactly flush with cash. Also, our heater still needs servicing and will cost about £200 or so.

 So, having already explained to Clive of Blackthorn Lake, that we are unable to consider taking a look right now, we’ll have to see if they have any vacancies there next year. Meanwhile, we’ll head through Crick and on to Welford and Market Harborough and see what we can find down there.

 Sunday 18^th August

 It was only a little over four miles to Crick but, with seven locks in between and with a lock keeper controlling movement through the three staircase locks, this short journey took over three hours. We also had the two-way tunnel to contend with, and that’s something we hadn’t anticipated as we actually thought that, with the locks being singles, the tunnel would be as well. Still, we managed to pass two other boats without incident and easily found a space for mooring soon afterwards.

 The Co-op shop at Crick is about half a mile away and, since the two nearest pubs are at the same cross roads, that means over half a mile to walk for our Sunday drink. Wifey has rather taken to cider these days, rather than soft drink or coffee. Thankfully she limits herself to just a half and prefers Thatcher’s or some other little know cider, over the usual Strongbow.

 More problems with this blasted laptop, not too serious, but annoying all the same. I switched on yesterday afternoon and was pleased to note a good Internet signal, which was more than could be said for the mobile, Emergency Calls Only!

 Anyway, having opened Outlook to check emails, it came up as an error and couldn’t download them. So, as I usually do in the circumstances, I closed Outlook and tried again, but still no luck. So, more in hope than expectation I tried re-booting the laptop, which is when the fun began, as the damned thing wouldn’t star and just looked at me with a black face.

 Now, I don’t know what you would do in such a situation, but I’m afraid the only thing I could think to do was hit the Off button, after which I tried to switch on again, at which point another, unfamiliar error message came up. This one asked me if I would like to start as normal or run a test to see what caused the inability to start and this option really gave me a pain in the nether regions.

 This operation was taking so long that, in absolute frustration I tried to cancel it. My laptop had other ideas, telling me the operation could not be cancelled. Eventually this operation stopped, but with nothing being done to correct the problem. It seems to me that, since the laptop’s internal workings couldn’t cure the problem but left me with a working laptop, then there probably wasn’t a problem to start with.

 So, after more than half an hour of frustration, I had my laptop back in, what seems to be, full working order.

 Prior to all this Wifey remembered the existence of a Garden Centre nearby and she remembered this from the days when we were looking to buy a boat, which was back in 2005. (I really do wish I had such a memory). So, off we trotted to said Garden Centre which, I’m happy to report, was a darned sight nearer than the Co-op and pubs.

 Sadly, said Garden Centre didn’t have much with which to tempt her to part with much cash, so we came away with a few boxes of Pansies and Violas, which she immediately transferred to her roof top boxes, whilst I did battle with the laptop.

 All’s well that ends well and the rest of the day poodled along quite happily. Indeed, there were so many boats coming up from the tunnel, that most of them didn’t have a hope of finding a mooring spot here.

Monday 19^th August

 And so another week begins. So far it’s looking pretty good. We’ve started with a fine morning and, according to those in the know, we’re in for a mixed bag of weather.

 We’ll be leaving Crick this morning and will be looking to stop about half way between here and the Welford arm where I hope to get this oil and filter change done.

 Yesterday, as usual, we spent our lunchtime at a pub, this time the Red Lion which lies about half a mile from the canal. Actually there’s a restaurant/bar by the side of the canal, called The Moorings but it’s the description of ‘restaurant/bar’ that puts us off. It’s not a pub is it?

 The Red Lion though is very good as local pubs go. It’s obviously a very popular venue on Sundays, because well before 1 pm the place was almost full. It’s pretty big inside and there seemed to be more than enough staff around, so no hanging about to be served………

 Wednesday 21^st August

 ……. unlike the Wharf Inn at Welford, which we called into on our way back from the local shop, I’ll tell you about that in a minute.

 On Monday we travelled about six miles and moored up in the wilds of Leicestershire and simply chilled out for the day, although we did have a bit of a scare with the electrics. We had tied up and Sheila took Rusty out, asking me to leave the engine running so that she could do some washing. When she eventually returned from walking Rusty, she told me that the indicator that tells her there’s power to the washing machine, wasn’t lit. So, after checking to see if the TV was working, we realised that we had no mains power.

 Bearing in mind that we had the Inverter/Charger switched on whilst travelling in order to charge up the laptop, this seemed rather odd. So, after checking the fuse in the aforementioned indicator and dropping the front panel down on I/C and checking the fuse there, panic set in!

 Of course it wasn’t necessary to call Andy and Sandy, neither of whom answered because they were cruising and had their phones switched off, but I called and left a message anyway, and then returned to the I/C, which is when we noticed that the safety trip had, well, tripped and simply needed re-setting. After replacing the I/C front panel and piling everything back in the cupboard, we felt that we deserved a cup of coffee. Panic over, followed by another call to Andy, who still didn’t answer, although he did phone later. He’s a good lad is Andy.

 Now, the Wharf Inn at Welford, which we chugged along to yesterday.

 The local shop in this village is up a long and pretty steep hill and, on a warm day is a pretty uncomfortable slog. The shop itself, which is a Post Office cum convenience store, is undergoing some major alterations and, apart from the daily paper, they didn’t have anything else that we needed.

 Anyway, since the Wharf Inn is just at the end of this arm of the Leicester Arm of the GUC, and since I was feeling in need of some sherbet, we decided to call in for a drink or three. As our bad luck would have it, the lone bar lady was serving a shipping order to a couple of gents who were loading a tray to take to the garden.

 After waiting for those people to be served and thinking we might be next, this lone bar person totally ignored us and turned to the two lads sitting at the bar, both of which already had drinks in front of them. Having totally ignored us since we walked in, not even deigning to notice we were in fact there, I thought that the least she could have done was apologise for the delay while she took their order for food. But, since she still blanked us out, I gave Sheila a nudge and we voted with our feet.

 It’s true to say that I’m not the most patient man in the world, but I do hate to be ignored, and I also hate being asked to form a queue. Of course, having walked out in high dudgeon, Wifey turned to me and said, “I don’t think we were that impressed with the place the last time we came here”. Hm, now she tells me!

 The Welford Arm of the Leicester Arm of the Grand Union Canal, is a mess. There’s no other way to describe it. Along the whole of its 1½ mile length are only a couple of places to moor up, and those are overshadowed by trees, making them dark and dismal. The rest is overgrown with weeds and reeds; must keep the wildlife happy! The 48 hour moorings outside the marina, are just as bad and, if you moor there you are obliged to use the footpath around the inside of the marina if you want to get to the town or that pub as the towpath is blocked.

 Fortunately the moorings at the very end of the arm, are pretty wide open, so that’s where we stopped, which was at about 11.15. However, having then decided that we don’t particularly like that stretch of canal, we upped sticks and returned to the main Leicester arm for the rest of the day.

 Today, after filling up with diesel at the nearby boatyard, we’ll head off to the top of Foxton Locks and I will, quite possibly enjoy that missed pint of yesterday, at one of the two pubs there.

 Meanwhile, have a great day and enjoy the upcoming Bank Holiday.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 23

Hillmorton to Welton Hythe marina

 Tuesday 13^th August

 We left Hillmorton at 8 am and took a gentle cruise to Braunston. At first, not knowing the availability of moorings further on, we stopped between the last two bridges on the Oxford. Had it not been for a couple of cider-swilling blokes sitting on the towpath, we might well have stayed there. However, Wifey took the short walk into Braunston and discovered that there was plenty of room for us and so we moved around and stopped just past the double-arched bridge.

 From past experience of mooring along here, we weren’t expecting phone or Internet, so we were pleasantly surprised to discover that we have both. Someone has been busy in the interim period; either that or we’ve hit a clear spot.

 After our cup of coffee we walked up to the shops in the village. This is quite a climb, especially for my new knees, but it does get the circulation going. Later in the afternoon we walked around to Midland Chandlers for a couple of bits, including some Blue for the loo and a new ‘eye’ for our side fender, to replace the one I broke going through Ellesmere tunnel a few weeks ago.

 Today we’ll take a walk to the other chandlery to see if we can find that ‘soft’ rope we’ve been looking for. Perhaps it’s me, but I feel sure there is some much softer and more pliable rope out there, but we’ve having a great deal of trouble finding it. We want to dispose of the two 14mm ropes on the roof; used for double locks and pulling the boat into moorings; with just one length of 12mm, more flexible rope.

At present the two ropes are simply tied to the centre ring, which looks pretty amateurish. What I want to do is make an eye splice directly onto the rope but, with the 14mm stuff this is pretty difficult, to say the least. It would be much easier with the softer 12mm.

 Now, those elusive, permanent moorings, we have been searching for suitable online moorings, as you all know, but up until now we haven’t seen anything we like. In fact, we’ve not seen anything available either. Ordinarily we wouldn’t entertain river moorings, simply because of the fear factor where flooding is concerned. However, the pontoons on rivers and in river marinas actually float on very high poles, so there’s very little fear involved these days.

 With the above info in mind we took a look at the website for Blackthorn Lake in Northamptonshire, which sits on the River Nene. From the information on their site we have discovered that there are only 65 berths for narrowboats, with the rest being taken up by cruisers. Not only that but we can shave over £500 off the normal price for full time moorings in other marinas.

 On the strength of that info, and knowing that we would only be subjecting about 10% of our pensions to pay for permanent moorings, we are seriously considering booking a spot there.

 For your further information, this lake is close to the town of Ringstead and, going by the pretty pictures of the place, is quite a beautiful spot. Besides which, we’ve never cruised around that area and, according to Bill and Babs, it’s well worth the effort.

 The real purpose in considering Blackthorn, is that it is only half the distance to Harlow that Mercia is and, at about 85 miles, should only take me about 1½ hours at the most. Straight down the A14 and M11 should be a doddle and will save at least £20 in petrol.

 Later this morning then, we’ll be making plans for making our way to Blackthorn Lake.

 Wednesday 14^th August

 Well, so much for Blackthorn Lake. We’ve been checking up on several things here and the one fly in the ointment is the cost of getting there. The Environment Agency; which maintains and regulates our rivers; want £200 for a licence that will allow us just 1 month on the Nene or, alternatively we can fight the good fight with CRT, to try and get our current licence upgraded to a Gold Licence, which will cover us for canals and rivers and then, when our licence becomes renewable, we’ll simply stay with the Gold one.

 However, as with all things CRT, trying for the upgrade will be like farting against thunder. Our friends, Bill and Babs, had the devil of a job doing this and, if it hadn’t have been for their son, who works for EA, they might never have made the trip.

 So, what to do now? Well, we’ve been checking up on some of the marinas on the GUC and, so far as I can tell, Brinklow is the cheapest. But, in order to be the cheapest, they insist on six months rental up front, and six months in advance on renewal, and that six months is over £1000!

 So, we keep on looking!

 Meanwhile, the mornings are becoming quite chilly in the boat, especially in places like Braunston, where the rising sun is shielded by buildings, so we really must get this heater fixed and that’s going to coat about £300, because we know it needs a new burner.

 Who said living on a boat was cheap? Well, it is if you don’t have a mortgage to pay but, even so, it’s not easy on a pension. It doesn’t really seem to matter which way we turn, marina or canal side through CRT, the overall cost of winter moorings is almost identical when you consider the additional fuel usage.

 I suppose we could do what Mick and Sue do and stay on the cut a wee bit longer and leave the marina a wee bit sooner, which could save us £2-300 in marina fees, but would still use up more fuel. Horns of a dilemma, is what I call it.

 Ah well, mosey on down the canal and enjoy our remaining couple of months on the cut and keep looking for suitable moorings. If we are unable to find anything cheaper and closer to Harlow, we’ll probably go back to Mercia where we do at least know people and have a regular doctor and bus services to major towns.

 Thursday 15^th August

 We are now at the mouth of Braunston Tunnel, having travelled up the six locks which, because the CRT man hadn’t done his job, took us almost two hours, and we’ve only come a mile.

 His explanation for the delay was that he had prepared the pounds for filling and had left notices for boaters not to use the locks. But, as you would expect from impatient boaters, the locks were used, so we had to wait for him to fill the pounds.

 Later in the day we took a walk down the six locks, to the chandlery for some sealing strip for the fire glass. On the way back, rather than leave it until the evening, we called into The Lord Nelson pub for my missed Sunday pint. That’s the one I should have had on Sunday but abandoned because of that queuing fiasco.

 This morning, at, or about 7am we’ll be going through the tunnel. Being the Grand Union Canal this canal has two-way traffic, and we would rather not meet boats coming the other way as the likelihood of side-swipes is quite high. Goodness knows, we have enough scrapes along the sides as we need, and would like to avoid adding to them. So, I’ll be preparing the boat for lift off pretty soon and, whilst Wifey gets breakfast organised, take us through.

 Friday 16^th August

 Double width tunnels! We haven’t passed through those for several years and I really wasn’t looking forward to the usual bang and clatter of colliding boats yesterday. So, being the coward that I am and erring on the safe side, we left our moorings before 7 am and passed through Braunston tunnel without a hitch.

 We are now just outside Welton Hythe marina and, if this pesky rain stops this morning, we’ll make our way to Crick and, most probably, stay for the weekend.

 Saturday 18^th August

 Well, it did stop raining yesterday, but it was too late for us to move off when it did, so we stayed put. Today though, we must get down to Crick, we only have one bottle of milk, no crumpets and, despite the scrumptiousness of Wifey’s bread, it’s only a small loaf so we’ll need more of that.

 Now, a message for all family and friends who have my mobile number, just recently; and I’ve never experienced this since owning a mobile phone; I have been receiving spurious calls but, when I open the handset there’s nobody there. Sounds familiar? Yeah, well, I know Alan has suffered the same thing for quite some time now.

 Anyway, having opened my handset in order to take the call, I played into ‘their’ hands and ‘they now knew that my number was a legitimate one to target. After telling Alan about it, I then instituted the Call Rejection facility and that number could no longer get through.

 However, the next one was from a different number, so my number has now been sold to other companies. They’ve caught up with me at last.

 So, dear friends and family, just in case you wish to contact me on a different number to the one I have stored, please text me first to let me know who you are, because I have now blocked all unknown numbers.

 End of message and end of this blog, which I shall now post.

 Have a great weekend.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 22

Hawkesbury Junction to Hillmorton

 Sunday 4^th August

 No sooner had we arrived at Hawkesbury Junction yesterday, than we gulped down a quick cup of coffee and set of for the local shop for the paper.

 It was a bright morning, albeit a wee bit windy and it promised to stay warm and sunny. Indeed it became rather humid later in the afternoon, so all the doors and windows were thrown open to let in some air.

 Up by the junction and facing the pound that leads to the stop lock and the North Oxford canal is The Greyhound pub, which we’ll sit outside at lunchtime today. Apart from that innocent pastime we’ll probably take a walk along the towpath and then settle down to a relaxing afternoon.

 We haven’t made our minds up as to what we’ll do tomorrow. The initial plan was to go down the Oxford, but we might just take the bus into Coventry instead. But first we have to find the bus timetable.

 Thursday 8^th August

 Due to the erroneous weather forecast on Sunday, telling us to expect rain on Monday, we stayed put and chilled out for the day. Had we known they were wrong we would probably have moved on and down the North Oxford, however the rain turned up too late in the day for us to move.

 Anyway, come Tuesday morning, with the weather fine we left early, topped up with water and then after passing through the stop lock to the North Oxford, we travelled the six miles to Bridge 26. We had intended going through to Newbold but, as there were already a couple of boats at the bridge we decided to stop.

 Now, Bridge 26 is interesting from the point of view of mooring there for the winter. There’s a transmission tower a short distance away, so no problems with the Internet. There’s also good reception on the TV and, most importantly there’s a lay-bye on the road above the bridge. Also, about two miles away there’s the village of Brinklow, handy for emergency supplies during a bad snap of snowy weather. On top of all that, a coal and fuel barge passes through on a fairly regular basis.

 The only real problem that we can see, could be the lack of company; if nobody else moors up there then we’d probably go cabin crazy after a few weeks. Still, it is something to think about. On the down side, of course, is the fact that we would have to run the engine for at least four hours per day, thus using a great deal of diesel.

 Yesterday, having enjoyed a peaceful day at Bridge 26, we tootled along to Newbold and picked up a few bits and pieces at the local Co-op. However, our main reason for stopping here is to take the bus into Rugby. Now, although we have stopped a wee bit further along and shopped at the out-of-town stores, we’ve never been into Rugby itself. Hopefully there are some decent shops in town but, if not, then we’ll stop at the usual place again and walk to whatever that superstore is. I’m not sure if it’s a Tesco or Sainsbury, but that’s what we’ll do.

 Tomorrow, who knows where we’ll be?

 This damned WiFi unit! This morning I switched it on and downloaded my emails and then after writing a few paragraphs for the blog, I noticed that reception had completely dropped. Great, I thought but, not to be put off, I switched the unit off and then on again and, hey presto, we’re back on line. This is not the first time either, so I guess I’ll have to pull it apart and give the SIM a clean. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

 Sunday 11^th August

 On Saturday morning we moved on to Bridge 66 to Hillmorton, filled up with water and then passed through the three locks and moored up for the weekend. The Old Royal Oak pub is about ¾ mile along the canal, at bridge 73; as is the nearest chandlery; and, having walked back from there yesterday afternoon it seemed more like 1½ miles.

 I say we walked back from there, because our old friends from Keksy’s Farm, Bill and Babs, who passed us a couple of days ago, stopped by again yesterday and, after catching up with all the gossip, gave us a lift to the chandlery, where we bought a few bits and pieces. It seems they have a problem with their engine, which is why they came back this way, heading for a boatyard for repairs.

 Tomorrow morning, all being well with the weather, we’ll head off to Braunston. Whilst we did manage to get most of what we needed yesterday, there’s still the matter of some ‘soft’ 12mm rope, which we need for the top of the boat.

 Also by bridge 73 is Hillmorton Wharf Marina and, having asked the chandlery boss about it, we now have a card with their details, so I can check them out online. This would be an ideal spot for permanent moorings and, if they take residential boaters and they are not too expensive, and, if they have any vacancies, we might be in luck.

 Monday 12^th August

 Well, it looks like we’re back to a ‘normal’ summer, cloudy and dismal. But, at least it’s not stifling and muggy.

 Yesterday was fun! Having walked back from the Royal Oak pub (aka The Hungry Horse) on Saturday afternoon and liking the look of the place, we decided to tramp the ¾ of a mile along the towpath yesterday. (The Nicholson Guide says ½ a mile, by which they mean ½ a country mile!)

 Since we were pretty early and the pub had yet to fill up with hungry horses, we had no difficulty in ordering our drinks and crisps. However, this was not the case when I walked up to the bar for my second pint.

 The Royal Oak is huge by any standards, but it does not have a very long bar. At one end of the bar; about shoulder width of a broad shouldered man; is a vertical barrier which, I assumed, was for taking food orders. How wrong can you be? At the first signs of family groups arriving, every member of staff congregated at that end of the bar and, when I went up for my second pint I was ‘ordered’ to get in the queue.

 (I wondered why the guy in front of me frowned at the girl behind the bar. Obviously he had been told to get in the queue if he wanted anything further. Hopefully he walked out after his drink.)

 The whole length of the rest of the bar stood empty. Not one member of staff stood at that part of the bar. Instead, they each took orders, pulled up the pints, or food, or whatever, and then, if the nearest till wasn’t available, they would walk along the bar to another till. How stupid can you be? Of course, there was no sign of the manager!

 This reminded me of the pub at Weeping Cross where, a couple of years ago the same thing happened. On both occasions we walked out. Some pubs seem to think that their paying customers are cattle, all in line ready to be milked. Yeah, milked of money! They are not banks and they are not Post Offices. They are supposed to be selling pleasure and enjoyment, not looking upon the paying public as a bottomless pit of money, for which they only have to put them in a queue in order to reap rich rewards.

 Oh well, that’s another one to avoid!

 Well, we’re off to Braunston this morning. From past experience of the place, we won’t have telephone or Internet access, not unless a new transmission tower has been erected since.

 So, on that happy note I’ll post this blog.

 Cheers me dears and have a good week.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 21

Bosworth Battle site to Hawkesbury Junction

 Saturday 27^th July

 This morning has dawned calm and cloudy and also somewhat cooler. According to those weather experts yesterday we can expect a mixture of rain and sunshine today, so if it’s raining by the time we plan on leaving here for Stoke Golding, we’ll probably stay here another day.

 Monday 30^th July

 Despite the fact that most kids are now on their summer break, there doesn’t seem to be much activity on the Ashby. We’ve seen the odd day boat and holiday boat, but nowhere near as many as we would expect. Perhaps, after last summer and all that torrential rain, people who would normally hire a boat have taken a foreign holiday but, whatever the reason it’s certainly made it easier for us to find moorings.

 When we arrived at Stoke Golding on Saturday morning they were almost empty. Later in the day of course, we saw other boats arriving but, even then it didn’t completely fill up.

 On Sunday morning, just late enough for the pub to be open on the way back, we climbed the hill to the bus stop and checked the times for Nuneaton and then repaired to The George and Dragon which, quite by chance, is right opposite the bus stop. This pub now belongs to Church End Brewery of Nuneaton and boasts a host of cask ales, one of which is called WTFH.

 Naturally I thought the same as you, but, no, it’s actually the initial letters to What the Fox’s Hat. Clever huh! They also have their own lager called Freedom which, at just £3.10 per pint is pretty tasty and excellent value. Wifey had half a pint of their cask cider which, at 6% gravity was two points up on the lager, so pretty strong stuff.

 And that’s about it for the weekend, except to say that, once again the weather men were right and we had quite a bit of rain in the afternoon of Sunday, so much so that we had to shut all the windows. Our windows open at the top and simply drop back to leave an opening. The rain was so fierce that it was bouncing off the outside of the pane and splashing into the boat.

 Yesterday we spent an hour in Nuneaton, but I was still unable to find a handle for my pastel box, however today we’ll be moving on to Hinkley Wharf and after spending the day there, we’ll go to Nuneaton again on Wednesday and have a proper look around. We didn’t really have enough time yesterday after shopping and, from Hinkley Wharf we do have a choice of buses, which should allow us to stay a little longer.

 Wednesday 31^st July

 It’s raining this morning and we have to take the bus to Nuneaton again, this time to put a prescription into the chemist. No doubt we’ll have to go back tomorrow, because none of the chemists that we’ve visited so far have my test strips in stock.

 Yesterday we came down from Stoke Golding, as you all know and, come the evening time, we were the only boaters moored here. Late in the evening, just as we were preparing for bed, Wifey looked out of the side hatch and saw some suspicious goings on at the bridge. Of course yours truly is already undressed at this time, so I had to get dressed and go to investigate. All I found was a trio of older school kids sitting on a bench chatting. Still, I took a tour around and over said bridge but, having seen nothing untoward, returned to the boat, by which time the kids had decided to go home.

 This morning, before we go into Nuneaton and, since we are a bit close to the bridge for comfort, we’ll move the boat back to the far end of these moorings. Sadly, it’s a fact of life, if kids can get up to mischief they most assuredly will, so the further away from the bridge the better. Still, if the chemists do happen to stock my test strips, and that’s a big IF, we could move on today. We will see what we will see.

 Now, what are we going to do for winter moorings?

 Thursday 1^st August

 Well now, those winter moorings! It seems that CRT have come up with a new idea regarding continuous cruisers – that’s us – and the need to stay in one place during the winter months.

 Due to complaints from serious continuous cruisers, CRT will no longer offer regular 48 hour moorings as winter moorings. This is because, when these areas are full of boats during those months, those hardy folks who continue to move around our waterways, find it difficult to find somewhere to moor overnight.

 So, CRT have come up with a new plan which, if we were to take it up, would cost us only £425 for the months of November to March inclusive, based upon the length of our boat.

 On the face of it this is a generous offer and means that, we only have to tell CRT where we wish to moor up and we receive a licence to do so. But there are a few snags. In the first place; and goodness knows why this is so; we wouldn’t be able to moor within 500 yards of regular moorings and marina entrances. This means that we wouldn’t be able to moor anywhere near a town or village, since the majority of 48 hour and 7 day moorings are situated near towns and villages.

 Another problem would be the need to run our engine for at least four hours per day, which means of course that it would cost us at least £28 per week in diesel.

 Adding all this up and including the use of more gas and such, we would be no better off financially than staying at Mercia. Also, at Mercia we do have parking for the car but, if we took up CRT’s offer our car would then be on the street, assuming we could find a suitable location for it.

 All in all, if we are unable to find cheap, online moorings, back to Mercia we go. So, keep looking.

 Today we’ll be taking the bus to Nuneaton again, but only to pick up my medication, then we’ll be off to Lime Kilns to top up with water and move on again to bridge 5 of this canal. With luck we’ll spend the weekend at Hawkesbury Junction, which joins the Coventry canal to the North Oxford.

 Saturday 3^rd August

 Having suffered an evening and night time of heat and humidity, yesterday dawned a wee bit cooler and so we moved along about half a mile or so, to bridge three. This leaves us about four miles of this and the Coventry canal to get to Hawkesbury Junction, which joins the Coventry to the North Oxford. We’ll stay at Hawkesbury for the weekend and then travel down the Oxford, still in hopes of finding some suitable online moorings. We came through some at Burton Hastings a while ago and Sheila gave them a call yesterday, but they are not taking any more moorers, because they are in the throes of building a new marina. So much for that one then!

 We are still considering taking up the CRT offer and staying somewhere along the Ashby, simply because this would give us almost 50 miles of lock-free cruising during the winter months, which would be a pleasant change, especially on those milder days. The Ashby is 23 miles long and the Coventry would give us another 10 miles, between Atherstone and Hawkesbury, with another 14 miles on the Oxford, so, a total of 47 miles. There would be just one stop-lock at Hawkesbury Junction to contend with, but it’s unlikely we’d ever go that far.

 So, the sun is out and we have a light head wind to contend with, so we’ll definitely be off to Hawkesbury Junction. I’ll therefore wish you a most enjoyable weekend.

 Well, I would do if I had a strong enough signal here. I’ll try again at Hawkesbury.

 Sunday 4^th August

 Yesterday we travelled the 3 miles or so to Hawkesbury Junction, which is on the Coventry Canal and joins up with the North Oxford. At lunchtime today we’ll join the happy throng at The Greyhound pub, which faces onto a small basin, right at the junction and has plenty of seating outside. With a bit of luck and a tail wind it will remain dry today.

 Now, let’s see about posting this blog.

 All abreast for now.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty