A Four Counties There and Back Again - and Back Home.

 Friday 2nd October 2020 back at Aston Marina.

We had promised ourselves breakfast at the café at Great Haywood opposite our mooring. It opens at 9:00am so, with five minutes to spare, we set off to walk across the bridge. 

They have a large marquee, where we have eaten before, and a mobile catering facility, where you order your drinks and food. It works very well.

We had invited our friends Bridget and Peter from Weston to join us for breakfast and fortunately, we were allowed to eat inside the café as it was very windy. As ever, the food was excellent and very welcome. And the company was brilliant! We laughed so much together.

After breakfast and a very enjoyable catch up, we set off to do the last eight miles and three locks back to Aston. On the way, we passed their house and tooted loudly, but it seems they were not yet back at home.

It had been forecast to rain heavily but we were lucky and the rain held off all the way. Finally, after just over three hours, we arrived back at the marina and turned in through the entrance. It always feels like coming home.

The wind was blowing quite hard from the east, which meant that it was just in line with our mooring pontoon as R turned MM in order to back her into the bay, A22.

M photographed the clock for the record as we arrived. Guy was still staring out the window, hoping for a banana....

So, MM was safely back in her home mooring for another year. Let's hope that 2021 brings a bit more freedom to cruise through the summer and possibly to return to Guildford and the Wey & Arun Navigation. We can but hope!

On our way into the marina, we had noticed a recent arrival opposite MM's mooring - a narrowboat called "Zodiak" which used to belong to our good friends Jackie and Mick, so we walked around and photographed her for them. We have very fond memories of Zodiak from trips with Jackie and Mick.

There is a very well known circular route on the Trent & Mersey and Shropshire Union Canals called the "Four Counties Ring". In going down to Braunston and Wigram's Turn we had done, not a "ring", but a Four Counties "There and Back Again" - going through Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

So, another year's rather truncated cruising comes to an end. MM lived up to her name as we met so many friends on our travels and, despite the breakdown, we had a great time with brilliant weather. While we live in "interesting times", we count ourselves as very blessed being able to travel the waterways of England.

Now we look forward to next year and hope to see you then! Meanwhile, our warmest good wishes to all those of you who take the trouble to read this! Please stay safe!

Today: 8 miles, 3 locks and 3.2 hours.

Trip: 207 miles, 58 locks and 99.7 hours.

Since MM's Launch: 4,239 miles, 2,695 locks and 2,946.7 hours.

An Early Start and a Long Day.

Thursday 1st October 2020 at Great Haywood.

As agreed, Jenni met us on the towpath with coffee at 7:30 - at least, we were on the towpath but Jenni stayed on Rufford. Ed and Will preferred to have a lie-in!

A long day lay ahead of us, so we set off immediately after. It was quite cold but the weather had brightened up a bit by the time we arrived at the Fradley swing bridge three hours later.

A volunteer at Fradley Top Lock said that HS2 is scheduled to go across the canal about 300 yards further along. 

He said that the centre line of the track was marked by a blue post in the ground and the orange marks on the trees showed which ones would be cut down. Every tree for a hundred yards had an orange mark. The red arrow points to the blue post.

HS2 will cut across the canal right through this lovely peaceful woodland.

Wood End Lock is isolated in the middle of nowhere.

But not for long, right alongside the lock is a massive area being set up as a construction base for HS2.

We tried (not too successfully) not to dwell on this prospect and to concentrate on enjoying our last full day of cruising in the sunshine. M loves these isolated trees in the middle of fields. These probably mark an ancient field boundary before farmers were paid to rip out the boundaries to make bigger "more efficient" fields. Now, of course, they are being paid to widen boundaries and replace hedges. Clearly, "Yes Minister" still rules.

Armitage "tunnel" used to be a tunnel until the roof caved in! Now it is just a very narrow bit of the canal where two boats cannot pass. We have been through it in both directions many times before without meeting another boat coming the other way. We held back and watched the boat in front of us as he rounded the corner into the tunnel and then had to go into reverse rapidly as there were two boats coming the other way! By the time we could take our turn to go through, we had a convoy of three boats one after the other.

We made very good progress and arrived in Great Haywood at 4:30 to find a group of policemen standing on the bridge. No idea what they were doing but they were in deep discussion about something. They took no notice of us as we cruised quietly past.

Very unexpectedly for this late in the afternoon, there was a free mooring space opposite the café. So, breakfast tomorrow morning is a must!

Today:20 miles, 5 locks nd 8.2 hours.

Trip: 199 miles, 55 locks and 96.5 hours.

Atherstone Locks and "Rufford".

 Wednesday 30th September 2020 at Hopwas.

Another lovely sunrise but rain is forecast later in the day, so we decided to make an early start.

We were just a couple of miles from the top of the Atherstone flight of 11 locks and arrived there by 8:00am, R had his breakfast before we left but M ate hers on the move (on MM, not while walking the towpath!).

When we arrived at the locks, M walked ahead at each lock to set them for MM. Almost all were against us but, because M set each lock before MM arrived, we hardly lost any time. When walking to the next lock, M would sometimes walk up on to one of the bridges to get a better look at the countryside. This is a very rural lock flight but, if you want to see the best views, you have to get off the towpath, where the view is often obscured by tall hedges and trees.

Lock 10 is one of M's favourites with its bench made from an old balance beam, sheltering under the trees.

During the day, we were in touch with Jenni, Ed and Will on "Rufford". They have been doing the Warwickshire Ring through Birmingham and have made incredible progress, so much so that they had decided to moor tonight at Hopwas. We were aiming to moor somewhere around Fazeley Junction and, as Hopwas is just three miles past the Junction, we decided to meet up with them.

We arrived at Hopwas about 2:30 just as the rain started. We moored up being careful to leave enough space for Rufford. They didn't arrive until three hours later, by which time the rain had really set in.

So, what with the rain and Covid social distancing, we only had a brief catch up before agreeing to have coffee on the towpath at 7:30 tomorrow morning when, hopefully, it will be dry.

Today: 14 miles, 13 locks and 7.3 hours.

Trip: 179 miles, 50 locks and 88.3 hours.

From a Norman Motte & Bailey to Boudica's Last Stand

 Tuesday 29th September 2020 at Mancetter.

Brinklow is home to an excellent little café called Pumpkins. We had stopped for breakfast on our way down to Braunston and today we walked into the town for another excellent breakfast on the way back! We had recommended Pumpkins to Andrew and Sheila, the couple on the hire boat moored behind us, and they arrived at the café just as we did, so we had breakfast together. They were a charming and very interesting couple, he is a pilot for BA and she is a vicar in Bassett, Southampton, where Adrian used to live.

As we left, we walked across the Motte and Bailey and photographed the notice board which describes its unusual double Bailey.

On our way back to the boat, we saw Andrew and Sheila standing on top of the "Tump" waving to us.

It turned out to be a very sunny day as we cruised up towards Atherstone.

The air was very clear and we could just make out the two spires of Coventry's Catherdals on the horizon.

Most unusually, we passed a stationary Avanti train, stopped by a red light. It's not often that MM gets to overtake a train! It was a nice feeling, as those trains normally travel 40 times faster than Many Meetings! A case of the tortoise beating the hare!

A bit further on, we could see a Colas diesel engine on the same track in front of the Avanti train. Not sure what was going on but they both stayed there for a long time. You can see both trains at either end of the photo.

Approaching Hawkesbury, we saw Arthur on "Gordon Bennet" and hovered a while to chat. We had met him going up the Hatton flight a few years ago when we had shared the double locks.

Hawkesbury, or "Sutton Stop" has a very sharp turn leaving the Oxford Canal and joining the Coventry Canal.

Close to Springhaven Marina there was a farmer spraying the field next to the canal. Not sure what the spray was but it didn't smell good!

We moored up just outside Mancetter, which claims to be the site of Boudica's last battle with the Romans. A notice board explains how the Romans defeated a much larger "British" force through the disciplined strategy of the Roman centurions.

From a nearby bridge, M photographed the battle site.

The mooring was beautiful in the light of the setting sun.

Today: 17 miles, 1 lock and 6.2 hours.

Trip:165 Miles, 37 locks and 81.0 hours

Rugby, Hillmorton and a Chinook.

 Monday 28th September 2020 at Brinklow.

After an early breakfast, we set off just after eight. M, as usual, had been up to see the dawn.

We are aiming to get back to Aston Marina quite quickly, so we are likely to be home on Saturday. Soon after we started, we passed the new Dunchurch Marina whose entrance is spanned by this beautiful copy of the classic Oxford Canal iron bridges, reflected in the water.

The only locks today were the three duplicated locks at Hillmorton. Luckily there was a boat coming out of the top lock as we arrived.

Our luck held and the other two locks were also in our favour. The volunteer lock keeper said that it had been very quiet today but yesterday had been very busy with over 50 boats going through the flight.

We moored up in Rugby so that M could get a "few bits". We like this mooring under the willow tree.

Very sad to see both Debenhams...

...and Mothercare closed and shuttered. How many more big names will we lose before the end of winter, we wondered.

We continued to Brinklow, where we just managed to find a mooring on pins. There are moorings on Armco but they are 14 day moorings and I don't think any of those boats move often, if ever! As we finished mooring up, we were buzzed by a Chinook flying very low over us. They really are remarkable when you see them close up!

Today: 12 miles, 4 locks and 4.7 hours.
Trip: 148 miles, 36 locks and 74.8 hours.

A "Many Meetings" Weekend.

 Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September around Braunston.

A beautiful morning as we made an early start before 7:00am back towards Braunston.

Once more, we were fortunate to find a good mooring in Braunston within a stone's throw of the Gongoozler's narrowboat café. By then it was breakfast time (good planning!) and R walked the few yards to the café to pick up two take-away breakfasts, which came with a personal message from the owner, Avril, who always remembers us.

Nearby Daventry has a Waitrose, where M used to work. M had a discount voucher, so we walked up to Braunston village to wait for the bus which leaves every two hours. This is Braunston in rush hour! 

Sixty years ago, Daventry was a sleepy market town, then Birmingham City Council took over and built three huge housing estates as "overspill". Since then, the building hasn't stopped and every time we come back there are more and more houses and even more being built. The bus loops through one estate after another, going round and round in circles so that the 2.5 mile journey took 32 minutes.

M went off to photograph some old memories, starting with Sheaf Street, one of the town centre's original streets.

This is St James' Infant School, where both Adrian and Elle went to school.

Adrian grew up here, before M moved back to Reigate. Scott was Adrian's best friend and M's "second son" and he still lives in Daventry with his family. When he knew that we were in Waitrose, he very kindly picked us up with the shopping and drove us back to Braunston. He and his lovely daughter Amelia stayed on MM for a cuppa and a welcome catch-up.

Later, just as M was about to serve dinner, we ran out of gas on MM. "Not to worry," said R and quickly changed to the second gas bottle. But it turned out that the second bottle was empty too! We think that, having been away from MM for the best part of a year, we had just forgotten to replace the spare bottle. Still, great timing because the supper was just ready. Not so good, of course for M, who couldn't have her first cup of tea in the morning and had to wait until the Gongoozler's Rest opened at 9:00am Sunday morning for a cup of coffee, which, she said, was REALLY welcome by then! But it was a LONG wait, said M.

Scott had very thoughtfully booked Sunday lunch at the nearby, and very well known, canalside pub, the Admiral Nelson. We walked the half mile up the towpath and Scott arrived soon after with his wife Paula and daughter Amelia. 

Unfortunately, their son Lachlan was recovering from a cold (he tested negative for Covid 19) and so couldn't make it. It was wonderful to see them again and to have a proper catch up.

Back at MM, R took MM into the marina to puchase a new gas canister before we set off to start on our way back to our home mooring at Aston Marina.

In case you were not sure how far Braunston is from Braunston, there is a milestone to tell you.

M thinks that this should be R's favourite boat, given his love of chocolate!

The cruising back to Willoughby was lovely...

...and we found a very pleasant mooring in the same place where we moored on the way down.

The sky was incredibly clear tonight. The moon was spectacular and Mars, Saturn Jupiter and Venus were all clearly visible. Magic.

This Weekend: 7 miles, 0 locks and 3.7 hours.

Trip: 136 miles, 33 locks and 70.1 hours.