Atherstone's Infamous "Yards".

Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th May at Atherstone and Springhaven Marina.
Today, we spent the day moored up in Atherstone, an historic market town built on the Roman road of Watling Street and famous for mining and its felt hatting industry that exported hats around the world.

In the 18th century, Atherstone’s prosperity increased due mainly to the hatting industry and so the population also increased.  More housing was needed to accommodate the people coming in to work at the hat factories.  At the time, Atherstone was bound by common land and so the only land available on which to build new houses was the gardens or ”back yards” behind the buildings fronting on to Long Street. The yards were mostly named after their owners, shops, businesses or factories.  About a quarter were known by the name of the pub at the entrance. In around 1910, a series of photographs were taken of the yards in an effort to support the need to demolish them, something that wasn't completed until the 1960s.

The yards were narrow and overcrowded and usually had only one toilet for over 100 residents.
While all the yards have gone, many of their narrow entrances still exist, like this one, which led to the yard behind the Druids Arms Pub.

The yards, with their squalour and terrible living conditions, have gone but so have the jobs and the industry, as illustrated by this derelict hat factory alongside the canal.

We walked in to the town for a "few bits" and immediately the heavens opened, so R was obliged to take shelter in a familiar place to dry out while M went to the Co-op!

 

Our lovely C&RT volunteers yesterday had told M of the best bakery in the town, run by an Indian family whose homemade samosas were just the best. We found it and M purchased some samosas (which proved to be very spicy, but good) and a lamb and mint Cornish pasty (delicious).

We returned to MM for a quiet afternoon of alternating rain showers and sunshine, with R washing the side of MM between the showers.
On Wednesday morning, we started off at 8:00am for the short trip down to Springwood Haven Marina, it was a lovely morning.
We have seen this boat before, but this is definitely one for Matt...

The stretch of canal between Atherstone and Nuneaton is very attractive and has dozens of lovely places to moor, several of which we have used in the past.

 After a short cruise, we arrived at Springwood Haven Marina where we had arranged to leave MM while we go home for a few days. So far, we have spent more time at home than on MM but, like last year, we decided to take a much more relaxed approach and to take one day at a time.

Springwood Haven is a small marina but very attractive and the people are welcoming and friendly.

R had to swing MM around and back her into the narrow gap between two other boats. Luckily, there was virtually no wind, so MM slipped into the gap without any problem (note from M: largely due to R's excellent skippering skills!) .

And so it was a taxi, three trains and a bus home. We plan to be back on Sunday, so watch this space.
Today: 3 miles, 0 locks and 3.5 hours (including power).
Trip: 45 miles, 21 locks and 22.3 hours.

Helpful C&RT Volunteers.

Monday 27th May 2019 in Atherstone.
The weather forecast showed a dry day, so we made an early start. (We later discovered the forecast lied!). M was happy to hear the first yellowhammer of the summer with its familiar trill sounding like "a little bit of bread and no che-e-e-ese".
Alvecote Marina is home to many historic narrowboats and the well known "Samuel Barlow" pub, named after one of the old canal working boat companies.
Some of the historic boats are in good repair, some are not so good, like the nb "Jaguar" in the foreground.

At Polesworth, the site of a former coal mine has been reclaimed by nature and turned into a wooded country park with many inviting paths through the trees. We had moored here before and, once again, were struck by the transformation from a place that typified the horrendous "dark satanic mills" of the past into a place of beauty and serenity. What a contrast!

We decided to take a short walk leaving MM behind, viewed through the trees.

The path went up and up and up what had clearly been a very large spoil heap until we neared the summit and the real object of our walk.

We had walked up here some years ago and found this huge golden pillar on top of the mound but, at the time, all we could find out was that its cross-section was a leaf, which did not leave us any the wiser. Since then a board has been erected to explain the purpose and symbolism of the monolith.

The board explains that the monolith represents, among other things, the sunlight escaping from the trees that formed the coal millenia ago and the shafts that carried the miners down and the coal up from below the earth, as well as the birch leaves that have recolonised this Pooley Park. For once, the explanation of a seemingly random work of art made a lot of sense. Almost on cue, the sun came out and lit up the monolith in all its glory. It is certainly an impressive sight.

Close-up you can see that it is made up of hundreds of layers like the stratification of the earth beneath our feet.

Back on board, we cruised to the bottom of the eleven locks of the Atherstone flight. To our delight, two C&RT volunteers were there to help us through the bottom lock.

M went up to help them with the lock and heard one of them remark that he had left his lunch at the C&RT "office" beside the top lock, about two miles and eleven locks away, and that he could really do with a cuppa. At this point, as we came out of the lock, it started to rain so M invited the two volunteers aboard for a cup of tea and a biscuit and to get out of the rain. Their names were Jed and Martin and they gratefully accepted.

Our intention had been only to do the first four locks today, but Jed and Martin decided that it was time to start back up to the top of the flight (Jed's sandwiches were calling!) and so they very kindly helped us through all eleven locks - even though the rain returned with a will a few times on the way up. We did the flight in two and a half hours with occasional pauses to shelter from the worst of the rain.
Finally, we arrived at the top lock and to Jed's relief, he was able to retrieve his lunch at last (M had been ribbing him that the other volunteers might have already eaten his sandwiches!).

We said cheerio to Jed and Martin, thanked them and the other C&RT volunteers on duty for their help, and managed to find a mooring between two moored boats not far above the locks that just fitted MM with about three feet to spare.

Then, would you believe it, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Typical!
Today: 8 miles, 11 locks and 4.7 hours.
Trip: 42 miles, 21 locks and 18.8 hours.

Back to MM and on to Tamworth

Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th may 2019 at Tamworth.
Three trains from Redhill to Lichfield Trent Valley Station and a short taxi ride brought us back to MM by 2:30 in the marina at King's Orchard. After recovering the deposit on the pontoon access key, we set off again.

This is a lovely stretch of countryside and we have moored beside this bridge and walked over it many times as it is the way to walk into Lichfield.

We only moved a mile along the canal and moored up for the night just before Huddlesford Junction.

To our delight, we spotted a woodpecker perched in the tree opposite. Sadly, it was gone before we could get to the camera.
The evening light was beautiful and we were very happy to be back on MM.

There was overnight rain and the rain persisted into the morning so we were in no hurry to leave. Two early visitors were these lovely fellows who came to investigate what was going on in the kitchen.

These fields reminded us of wild flower meadows with poppies, cow parsley and meadow buttercups.

Huddlesford Junction is where the former Lichfield canal branches off the Coventry Canal. It is currently only "in water" for half a mile, but it is the subject of a very active restoration project and anyone driving on the M6 Toll will be familiar with the aqueduct that, one day, may carry the canal over the motorway and towards Birmingham.

Thus far, we have been on the Coventry Canal, but this stone marks the "junction" with the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, whose promoters became so impatient with the slow progress of the Coventry Canal builders that they started building their own canal from Fazeley to meet them half way! So, if you moor here, your boat could straddle two canals at once!

Bridges on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal all have names rather than the more usual numbers - much more interesting!

At Tamworth, the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal branches off towards Birmingham while we continued to follow the Coventry Canal towards Coventry.

The proximity of an M&S store meant that we had to stop for M to acquire a "few bits", while R passed the time happily in a familiar establishment!

The two Glascote Locks are cheerily nicknamed "Piggy Bank" locks as they are very slow to fill, but quick to empty! No sign of our old friend Paul of brick collecting fame, but the tale of the "Leaky Lock" is still there on the fence.

Although technically still in Tamworth, we found a quiet spot (with rings) to moor up on the outskirts, so this was our overnight stop.

Today: 10 miles, 2 locks and 4.2 hours.
Trip: 34 miles, 10 locks and 14.1 hours.

Meetings with Old Friends

Saturday 18th May 2019 at Whittington, Lichfield.
An overcast but dry morning as the two boats set off towards Fradley Junction.
The yellow rape in the fields was a lovely splash of colour on a rather dull day.

After a while, M got off to walk to Wood End Lock.

Wood End is a charming lock out in the middle of the countryside. Despite its relative isolation, we were lucky enough to have the help of a C&RT volunteer.

A mile further on are the two locks that drop down to Fradley Junction. M had arranged to meet up with Andy, an old school friend of M's son, and his wife Michelle and, as M approached the locks, she recognised them walking towards her. A happy meeting indeed, M had not seen Andy in some 25 years and she had never met Michelle.
They hopped on board MM as she began to sink down in the lock - certainly a baptism of fire since neither of them had ever been on a moving narrowboat before. Well, Andy said he HAD been on a boat but it had never moved anywhere, as the only activity had been drinking!

Just past the small swing bridge at the junction, we moored up both boats and, once again, Mel's surfeit of cheese formed the basis of lunch for all six of us aboard "Inkling". (Thanks, Mel!)
So, Andy and Michelle had a chance to experience two very different narrowboats.

After lunch, "Inkling" went on ahead. While we were moored, we were passed by a beautiful Hudson narrowboat called "Arthur". To our surprise and delight, we recognised two people on board, they were Harry and Penny from Abingdon whom we had met by chance in the Beetle and Wedge pub on the Thames some ten years ago. Then, they were on an old but much loved narrowboat called "Queen of Hearts" and they had come to MM's launch the following year. As they passed by, we were able to hear that they had bought a share in "Arthur". Since then we have re-established contact by email and hope that we can get to see them again soon.
After a short cruise, we moored up again for some tea and biscuits before Andy and Michelle left us to walk back to Fradley Junction. The set off down the towapth hand in hand.

It was wonderful to see Andy again after so many years and to meet Michelle. M has arranged a "DavLads" (Daventry school friends) reunion in Braunston next month with Andy, Adrian and Scott, who were in school together in Daventry. Watch this space, as we shall be there with MM!
We moored up behind "Inkling" just past Streethay and once again Mel and Peter provided an excellent supper (thank you both for all your hospitality over those three lovely days!).

On Sunday, Mel and Peter set off on their own. We have really enjoyed the last few days with them but they are now heading off towards Stratford and the Avon. Their "crew" (Inca and Penny) were clearly in charge as they prepared to set off.

We have to go home for the best part of a week due to various commitments, so we put MM into King's Orchard Marina, which was just round the corner. Thanks to Peter, our car was already at the marina, so we were able to drive home. We will be back in a week.
Today: 7 miles, 3 locks and 2.9 hours.
Trip: 24 miles,8 locks and 9.9 hours.

More Cheese Grommit?

Friday 17th May 2019 at Handsacre.
The four of us had promised ourselves the "Big Breakfast" in the cafeteria at Great Haywood, so at 9:00am on the dot, Mel, Peter and Robin charged the doors as they opened!

We chose a window table from where we could see the two boats moored opposite.

The Big Breakfast lived up to our expectations!

Much restored, we set off south together again, past the picture-postcard junction with the Staffs & Worcs Canal, and headed on down the Trent & Mersey. Hard to believe that HS2 is scheduled to fly right over the farm shop and cafeteria! Madness.
Colwich lock is another of our favourites. There is often a herd of cows and calves watching us from the bridge, but not today, only a Virgin train passing as we moored up to set the lock.

We had to wait until Mel and Peter had gone through the lock. That is Mel on the bank with Penny and Inca, their two delighful Visla dogs.

It was lovely cruising along this section as the sun came out and gave a lift to all the colours.

Lunch was on the aqueduct at Brindley Basin. Mel was suffering from a surfeit of cheese left over from a party last weekend and so pleaded with us to help her by having lunch on board "Inkling" each day and gradually eating through a mountain of cheese. We were easily persuaded!

Rugeley is not the most awe inspiring place to moor up, despite being an historic market town, so we sailed on through the town and then through the very narrow Armitage "tunnel". It originally was a tunnel but the roof became unstable and was removed, so now it is just a very narrow stretch of canal cut through sandstone. It's one-way traffic, so you have to watch out for oncoming boats.

M walked the towpath for a while after this. It was astonishing how quickly we left Rugeley behind and were back into beautiful rural countryside.
Three years ago, we moored at this location and M got up at 4:00am to hear the dawn chorus, so this is a well loved mooring. M was good enough to record the dawn chorus that day so that R could hear it when he eventually got up!

This time we moored up both boats and it was M's turn to cook supper and we sat up enjoying good food, excellent wine and convivial company.
We all slept well after another lovely day and nobody even thought of getting up at 4:00am!
Today: 9 miles, 2 locks and 3.7 hours.
Trip: 17 miles, 5 locks and 7.0 hours.