Here we go again (at last).

Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th May, 2019 at Great Haywood.

"Many Meetings, here we go again.
My, my how can we resist you?"

(...with apologies to Abba!).
So here we are, another year, and finally ready to set off on our 2019 summer cruise.
We visited MM over the winter several times to stay overnight. In February, we needed to top up with diesel and to pump out, but the marina was frozen over - nothing for it but to act as an ice breaker! No other boat had dared venture out; the noise of the breaking ice was quite dramatic. It was fine going in a straight line but turning around proved to be very difficult!

One of our April visits was to see MM out of the water, as she was having her bottom blacked. She was not in the workshop, as we'd expected, but still on the trolley which had pulled her out of the water. She looked very smart below the gunwale but there was a little pitting on the waterline. Next year we plan to have her bottom shot blasted and then treated with two-pack, which gives a longer lasting finish.

We had been up to spring clean MM in early May but it had rained, so the cleaning was mainly restricted to the inside, although R heroically managed to clean the roof in the rain.
However, we arrived back at the marina on Wednesday 15th May in readiness to depart the next day. R puchased a couple of new centre ropes as the old ones were getting a bit frayed. (bit like us!!)

We planned to go out together with our friends Mel and Peter who also keep their narrowboat nb "Inkling" at Aston Marina.
Thursday dawned bright and fair. Shortly after 10:00am, we let go and left MM's winter mooring.

Nick, the Marina Manager, waved to us as we passed; M blew him kisses in return (note from R: she's such a hussy!). As we headed towards the marina exit, we passed Mel and Peter just getting under way.

There was a fairly stiff breeze blowing and Peter found that he couldn't turn the 72ft of "Inkling" into the wind, so they went the other way and exited the marina through the "entrance". We, however, went out the proper way!

What a joy to be out cruising again! The countryside was at its best in that lush freshness of the month of May. On the banks were buttercups, cow parsley,campion, hawthorn and a few late bluebells, in the fields calves and lambs looked at us curiously, and on the water broods of cygnets, ducklings and tiny baby moorhens mooved swiftly out of our way.
Sandon lock is always our first (and last) lock going south. Mel and Peter had now caught us up and were approaching the lock as we were about to open the paddles to empty the lock.

Our other good friends Bridgett and Peter live alongside the canal at nearby Weston, so we pulled up at the end of their garden and introduced Peter to Mel and Peter (Bridgett was not at home unfortunately). The five of us admired their beautiful garden.

Then we all came on board MM for tea and coffee.

Our goal for this evening was Great Haywood and we were lucky enough to find a spot for the two boats to moor together opposite the cafeteria (where we plan to have breakfast tomorrow morning).

And a real treat for M - Peter cooked supper, a brilliant curry, so we dined royally on board Inkling.

A great end to our first day's cruising.
Today: 8 miles, 3 locks and 3.3 hours.

BBC Radio Stoke "Children in Need" Challenge - 50 ways in 50 days.

Monday 15th October 2018 at Aston Marina.
BBC Radio Stoke, the local radio station, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
For this year's BBC Children in Need appeal, they are challenging their radio presenters to complete "50 ways in 50 days". Starting on Friday 28 September 2018, the challenge is that together they have to use 50 different methods of forward motion to get around Staffordshire and Cheshire in 50 days.
The presenters won't know when they'll be challenged or what they'll have to do, but when the warning sound goes off they'll be given a task which they will have just 24 hours to complete.
Today, the presenter Perry Spiller was given the challenge to "move forward" on a narrowboat.
Nick, Aston's Marina Manager, had asked ourselves on MM and our friends Mel and Peter on nb "Inkling" to take Perry and his Producer, Natalie, for a short trip this afternoon.
In preparation, we moved MM from her regular berth to the visitors' mooring next to the main building.

While we waited, R had an extended conversation with the cob of the pair of swans that have been rearing a family of cygnets in the marina. The cob seemed to think that food would have been much better than conversation.

We were soon joined by Mel and Peter on Inkling.

We actually had very little idea of what was going to happen, other than the fact that Mel and Peter would take the lead and we would act as back-up in case of any problems. M had fondly imagined a civic reception of local dignitaries being welcomed in the marina's smart Boat House (you know - with a fanfare of trumpets etc.). Not so! 
First, Nick arrived, with his usual cheerful greeting.

Then, Perry Spiller and Natalie, his Producer, walked down from the car park. She was carrying a very small recorder and a large microphone. No trumpets!

After Perry and Natalie worked out how to switch on the recorder, there were introductions and a brief chat about the four of us, the boats and Aston Marina. Aston's restaurant, No.26, provided very welcome hot chocolate for us all in their special re-usable No.26 cups.

Perry had spent four years living on a narrowboat several years ago, but he was still nervous about steering Inkling, which is 69ft long. Soon, they "let go" and moved away from the pontoon.

As Inkling is very long, they had some trouble turning to go up the centre of the marina and, as we let go on MM, we turned inside them and then waited for them to pass us - with Perry steering.

At the marina exit, we both turned on to the canal and headed north towards the marina entrance.

Perry needed a couple of attempts to turn Inkling into the entrance (you can see lock no.26, after which Aston's restaurant is named, in the background) but, all things considered, he did very well to handle such a long boat in a confined space in the rain.

 

Finally, Perry brought Inkling on to the pontoon. The trip was very short but he had successfully achieved "forward motion" on a narrowboat to complete today's challenge.

Perry told us that, so far, this was his third challenge; the other two were a mobility scooter and cherry picker (although that is more up and down than forward!).
Anyway, he and Natalie looked happy to be back and Peter looked happy that Inkling was still in one piece!

We listened in to his programme, broadcast on Tuesday morning from 10:00am to 1:00pm, and recorded the report (about six minutes long) of his challenge and his trip on Inkling. He seems to have enjoyed himself.
In the next couple of days, we will drive home. We will be back up to see MM in a couple of weeks on our way up north - but for now that is the end of a most spectacular summer cruise. We hope that you have enjoyed reading about it - we are already looking forward to 2019 and possibly Lincoln and Boston? 
Today MM went much less than a mile and no locks!

Banbury's Canal Day

Sunday 14th October 2018 in Banbury (by car).
One of the reasons for getting back to Aston Marina by this weekend was in order for us to drive down to Banbury for the annual "Canal Day". It is always a popular festival but this year has special significance as it is the 240th anniversary of the famous Tooley's Yard - the oldest inland boat yard in the country still operating.
Saturday was wet and blustery, but R still washed MM down in a brief window of dry weather.

Sunday morning started brighter, but it had rained heavily in the night so the roads around Cropredy, north of Banbury, were under water.

We couldn't help but smile at this road name in Cropredy - what fun to say that you live in a Cup and Saucer!

It was still raining in Banbury; fortunately, the rain did not seem to have put off the crowds. The "Canal Day" attracts many narrowboat traders and it was lovely to see nb "Muddy Waters" there; the inspiration for a series of children's books about the canals.

An even more welcome sight was the "Cheese Boat"; we always buy some Welsh cheese from them whenever we see them and jolly tasty it is too.

A very pleasant surprise was to see Ray and Audrey on their boat "Livien 'G'". They too were here as traders but unfortunately the rain prevented them from displaying Audrey's jars of her delicious homemade lemon curd and her other crafts. They sell these to raise money for an African charity but sadly were unable to set out their stall today because of the rain, so left early.

The festival is naturally centred on Tooley's Yard. The forge even pre-dates the canal as it was built to service tools for the navvies who built the canal. It was here that R did his blacksmith course last week.

The Yard also has a large dry dock and at present it contains nb "Hardy", an original wooden working boat built in 1940 which is undergoing restoration - a massive project. It had been under water for four years, but was raised and towed to Banbury - where very recently someone on a boat rammed it and sank it again! It was then re-re-floated and brought into the dry dock for the restoration to begin.

We were delighted to see Jamie, the blacksmith who taught R last week, hard at work inside "Hardy". Clearly a man of many talents!

R had to stand on tip-toe to talk to Jamie over the gunwale!

The yard has a small museum that contains a model railway; inevitably of great interest to R, always on the lookout for fresh ideas.

Matt Armitage, who has owned Tooley's for the last 16 years, has done a mass of research into the history of the Yard and this week his book about the Yard, "Forging Ahead", was published.  So we picked up the copies that we had pre-ordered a year ago!
Sadly, when Banbury council developed the Castle Quay shopping centre, they virtually ignored the canal. Further development is planned and it is to be hoped that their attitude to the canal might change and they might show a bit more appreciation for the history in their midst (not holding our breath though, given the council's track record thus far).
As the rain continued, we ended up inside the adjacent Castle Quay shopping centre so that R could have a coffee in Costa and M could visit M&S for a few bits.
Then back to MM at Aston.

Lots of Vegetables - and back to Aston Marina.

Friday 12th October 2018, back in Aston Marina.
The weather forecast was dire and so dictated an early start to get as far as we could before the heavens opened and drenched us. The wind was very strong and gusty but, as we started just after dawn, it was remarkably warm and, thankfully, dry.
Not far from our overnight mooring is Colwich Lock where, in previous years, we have been the object of bovine curiosity from the bridge overlooking the lock. This morning, a small calf seemed more interested in us than in her mother, who was waiting nearby with breakfast.

Taken from inside MM, the proximity and force of the water filling the lock is quite alarming.

Colwich is another lock with a beautiful lock cottage in a very rural location. It is criminal to think of the hundreds of lock cottages deliberately destroyed by British Waterways, who didn't want "ordinary" people to have access to the towpath. Vandalism.

Next stop was Great Haywood and, what is probably the most photographed bridge on the network.

Here, we filled with water and M went off to the farm shop for supplies. Given M's love of vegetables, she was definitely happy with what she found. Outside, they were getting ready for Hallowe'en.

Inside, the vegetables were piled high, including peas in their pods and (oh joy!) sweetcorn still in their jackets. ... and those beetroot (sigh from M!). And bread still warm from the oven...

Returning to MM, Guy viewed M's purchases with some disdain - there were no bananas!

We passed Bridgett and Peter's house in Weston and "tooted" in case they were around but they were nowhere to be seen. No matter, we have arranged to meet them for dinner on Monday evening.
Sandon Lock is always a poignant moment as it is usually the first and last lock of the year.

As we approached Aston Marina, the rain, which had held off all day, finally started with a vengeance and, turning into the Marina entrance, we were fairly soaked. So the weather had the last laugh after all!

The wind had become even stronger through the day and was gusting from south to west, so backing MM in to her mooring across the wind was a mighty challenge! First time, a very strong gust caught MM just as R was turning her and stopped the turn dead. So R had to reverse and try again. This time MM turned on cue and reversed gently into her mooring.
So another wonderful year's cruising has come to an end. While we have had many wonderful adventures with MM, this year cruising down the Severn Estuary has to have been the highlight. What an experience! What a view!

One final adventure on Monday - we have been asked to help Radio Stoke with a "Children in Need" challenge together with our friends Mel and Peter on nb "Inkling", so we will report on that on Monday.
Today: 11 miles, 5 locks and 5.1 hours.
Trip: 425 miles, 253 locks and 260.5 hours.
Since MM was launched: 3,590 miles, 2,463 locks and 2,611.4 hours.

A Glimps of the Wash and then Back to MM.

Thursday 11th October 2018 near Rugeley.
We made an early start from Norfolk as it was a three hour drive back to the marina and MM. However, we couldn't resist a quick side trip to see The Wash close up...

...not to dabble our feet in the water, but M wanted to reconnoître The Wash itself - as it is possble to navigate across it (in convoy and with a pilot). It can't be done in a single tide, so it means spending a night aground in the middle on a mud flat, waiting for the tide to come back in! It certainly looked challenging under a threatening storm cloud. The Severn Estuary was brilliant this summer, said R, but The Wash may be a step too far?  "Never!" replied M "Piece of cake!"

We arrived back at MM at midday and set off as soon as we had filled up with water and diesel.
The weather had changed, it was much cooler and cloudier but at least the rain held off.
Fradley Junction was only a couple of miles away, although the shop there only opens at weekends at this time of year so M was denied acquiring a "few bits".

A welcome sight on the first of the Fradley locks was a C&RT volunteer, laughingly described by his colleagues as "Young Paul" - he was in his sixties!
Wood End lock is one of our favourites, very isolated but with a lovely cottage next to it.

Then we were off on the long pound through Armitage and Rugeley. M walked much of the way on the towpath to get some exercise.
Recently, we have often see fields of a short, green, leafy crop that we couldn't identify from a distance. M walked into this field and saw that it was spring cabbage.

It was a lovely afternoon and we even had some sunshine to illuminate one of the mile markers, informing us that we still had another 18 miles to go to get to Aston Marina.

M was fascinated by the variety of fungi growing on the towpath. Definitely not for eating!

At one point, a fallen tree by the towpath had been made into a bench seat. Lovely!

Close to this spot in the spring two years ago, M had risen before dawn and gone outside to listen to the dawn chorus, which, she said, was brilliant. She was kind enough to record some of it so that R could listen to it when he (finally!) got up!

Armitage is the site of the huge factory that manufactures sanitary ware of that name. Despite its very run-down appearance, it is still in full production. Previously we have seen huge piles of rejected and broken toilets, but they seem to have relocated the pile out of view - shame, as we always used to laugh at the sight!

Just past the factory is Armitage "tunnel", cut through a layer of sandstone rock. The roof was eventually removed as it became unstable - so now it is just a long narrow cutting.

The weather was truly kind to us this afternoon and the forecast rain held off until we had moored up  in the same spot where we moored with Mel and Peter on nb "Inkling" exactly one year ago tonight. Last year, we stopped because it was raining hard and we were getting very wet. This year, torrential rain started just after we moored up - but it didn't last long and we were treated to a lovely sunset.

Today: 13 miles, 3 locks and 5.8 hours.
Trip: 414 miles,248 locks and 255.4 hours.