Eleven Locks in Exactly Two Hours.

 Sunday 31st October 2021 at Polesworth.

An extra hour in bed last night (hooray!), so our early start was a bit lighter this morning - and Hallowe'en tonight, which we will sadly miss at home as it is always fun when all the children come knocking at the door in their spooky costumes. M normally dresses up in her witch's outfit and the children love that!

Not so welcome was the early morning rain. Guy was not impressed and sensibly hid under his hat. 

R, on the other hand, made a start in the rain to get to the top of the Atherstone flight when the sun was forecast to come out after lunch. Sure enough, as we approached Atherstone, the sun came out behind a rather wet R!

The heavy rain washed lots of soil down into the canal and turned the canal a tasteful colour of pink to match M's new hat, scarf and jersey.There must be sandstone present in the soil to turn the water such a colour.

The top lock of the eleven locks of the Atherstone flight. It being the end of the "season" today, there were no volunteers to help us.

Bridge 42 is an agricultural "accomodation" bridge in a lovely setting, made even better by the fact that a boat was coming up the flight, so the next lock was ready for us.

At each lock, as soon as MM was in the lock, M walked on to set the next lock. Looking back, R was resting on the lock beam waiting for the lock to empty.

A lovely footpath called to M as it stretched away between neatly trimmed hedges. Yet more spring cabbage growing on each side!

The bench beside Lock 10 is one of M's favourites and a great place to sit and contemplate.

Lock 11, the bottom lock of the flight at last. Looking at the watch (actually our phones) we left the bottom lock exactly two hours after we arrived at the top lock, despite the fact that more than half the locks were against us. We make a good team!

We moored up for the night a mile or so further on. A good day's boating.

Today: 12 miles, 11 locks and 5.7 hours.

Trip: 552 miles, 280 locks and 272.2 hours.

On to the Coventry Canal.

 Saturday 30th October 2021 near Bedworth.

More heavy rain overnight and it was still raining as we set off for M&S. The recent cold, wet weather made us both aware that we are short of warm clothing on MM. R bought a thermal vest and M bought a wooly jumper, hat, scarf and thick socks. But first - breakfast!

Then provisions and back to MM, where we filled up with water before leaving in what had turned out to be a lovely morning.

This pretty row of cottages used to be the "Boat Inn" in the days of the working boats.

The approach to Brinklow through "All Oaks Wood" is lovely at this time of year.

The trees in the wood really are mainly oaks and their autumn colours were resplendent in the sunshine.

The signpost at Hawksbury Junction, better known to the old boaters as "Sutton Stop". Here they used to congregate, waiting for orders to be told where to load coal for the return trip to London.

All the trees were begining to turn and the colours were glorious.

We moored up near Bedworth, finding a nice open mooring with no trees.

Previously, we had moored under trees in the rain and the roof was plastered with leaves. So, R cleaned off the leaves and then washed the roof.

A lovely sunset was followed by a night sky which was astonishingly free from light pollution, given the proximity of Bedworth.

Jupiter was very bright indeed and we could see Saturn, The Plough, the Pole Star and Orion's Belt. And an owl hooted from the hedge on the towpath. Magic!

Today: 14 miles, 1 lock and 5.5 hours.

Trip: 540 miles, 269 miles and 266.5 hours.

A Looong Day!

Friday 29th October 2021 in Rugby.

On our first three days since leaving Aynho, we have dropped well behind the pace that we need to maintain to get to Aston Marina by next Thursday. So, we decided to do a long day today and started again at 7:30am just as it got light.

The sky looked forbidding and, with magnificently inconsiderate timing, the rain arrived just as we started down the nine locks of the Napton flight. It didn't just rain, it poured cats and dogs, rain of the icy kind which soaks you to the undies. We both got very wet indeed (and cross!), and M discovered that her new lockwheeling shoes are not waterproof!. So no photographs.

At the bottom of the flight, M had to go inside to change all her clothes - and the sun came out!! Well, this IS England, after all!

While M changed, R carried on up the Oxford and slowly dried in the sun.

This little bridge, No. 100, always looks a bit forlorn and sad. It could be so pretty with a bit of TLC.

Eventually, we arrived at Braunston Junction. Turn right to go through Braunston and down the Grand Union Canal, and left to continue up the North Oxford. We turned left.

With considerable reluctance, we bypassed Braunston and the delights of the "Gongoozlers' Rest" café boat, and headed towards Rugby.

At Hillmorton, we were lucky to find boats coming the other way in all three locks and so went through in record time.

Finally, we arrived into Rugby and found that our favourite mooring next to the park was free and so moored up for the night. Doing a long day like that really puts into perspective the even longer days that the "Idle Women" did routinely during World War 11. We did 30 lock-miles today, they would usually do 40 to 50 lock miles in a day with two fully loaded boats in very primative conditions.

Today: 18 miles, 12 locks and 8.9 hours.

Trip: 526 miles, 268 locks and 261.0 hours.

Claydon Locks and the Oxford Summit Pound.

 Thursday 28th October 2021 at Marston.

We made a start at 7:30 to get through the five locks of the Claydon flight quickly. It was only just light and the moon was still high in the sky.

It was a very good thing that we did start early, as we soon met a C&RT volunteer named Derek, walking down the flight to close the bottom lock so that he could run some water down the flight. As we were already in the flight, he very kindly helped us through up to the top in record time so that he and his colleague could start what they needed to do.

As we were on the summit pound, M decided to walk a bit and couldn't resist looking through the hedge to see what crop was growing.  It was a a huge field of spring cabbage!

At Fenny Compton "Tunnel", M again got off to walk along the towpath. Soon after the tunnel was created it was found that the roof was unsound, so it was removed and now it is just a narrow cutting. M always likes to walk this bit as the very pretty towpath is slightly raised and offset from the canal.

The briony is spectacular everywhere this year.

M's "Picure This" app on her phone says that this is actually "Wild Privet", bur it is quite unlike the conical clusters of black berries that she is used to.

M was delighted to see two "Spindle" trees today. Not that common and normally difficult to spot, but at this time of year they sport beautiful pink and orange fruits, which makes them stand out.

R and MM approaching the turnover bridge just after the "Tunnel".

Once again, M took a short cut across one of Mr Brindley's extravagant loops by following footpaths while R took MM the long way round. M had an attentive audience!

And another very large field of spring cabbage. When M walked this path in May, the cabbages were barely out of the ground.

We moored up just short of Marston Doles, exactly where we moored up in the spring with Mel and Peter close to the heart shaped tree.

It is a lovely mooring.

Today: 9 miles, 5 locks and 4.7 hours.

Trip: 508 miles, 256 locks and 260.5 hours.

Through Varney's Lock in Good Time!

Wednesday 27th October 2021 at Claydon Locks.

An early start, as we still have 100 miles and 45 locks to do to get back to Aston Marina in eight days.

Here, the Oxford Canal stays close to the M40, or perhaps we should say that the other way round as the canal was here first! To quote Mr Pearson's famous guide book, "Into this exquisite landscape, the M40 intrudes like a kick in the groin." Says it all!

 This cotoneaster looked magnificent beside Broadmoor lock.

 

Our sense of urgency stemmed mainly from the fact that this lock, Varney's Lock, is due to close on 1st November so that the bottom gates can be replaced. If we had not gone through this lock by then, we would have had to stay south for the winter.

You don't have to look too closely to see why these gates need replacing; they are held together with metal bars screwed into rotten wood.

 What a relief to be through!. There are no more November closures due on the rest of our route.

 We moored up for the night at the bottom of the Claydon Lock Flight, intending to make a very early start tomorrow.

Today: 6 miles, 7 locks and 3.7 hours.

Trip: 499 miles, 251 locks and 255.8 hours.

 

Many Meetings Looking Brand new!

 Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th October 2021 in Banbury.

Rather than ending up with the Touran in the wrong place, we decided to leave the car at home and take the train back to Banbury, then get a taxi to Aynho Wharf. We arrived early afternoon and were overwhelmed by what we found. Simon and Matt had done an absolutely brilliant job and MM looked like she was brand new. We both got quite emotional when we saw her looking so beautiful. For once, M was lost for words!

As MM was moored just outside the workshop and in the shade of other boats, it was difficult to get a good side-on photograph. We hardly dared set foot on her as she looked so pristine.

The only answer was to repair to the Brew Box for a coffee and bacon butty to celebrate.

The ladies had decorated the Brew Box ready for Hallowe'en with wonderful carved pumpkins and painted paper cups.

M walked round to the other side of the canal to photograph MM's bow but the sun was too low to get a good picture.

We decided to stay the night and leave early next morning. 

Aynho used to have its own railway station just a few yards from the wharf. Sadly, it closed in 1964 but the station building still survives as a private house, although the platforms have all gone. It's a pity that trains no longer call here, so we had to go on to Banbury.

On Tuesday morning, R had to reverse MM to the service bay so that we could fill up with diesel and water. Very nerve racking to back her between other moored boats without touching anything.

MM looked so good and R didn't want to scratch her lovely new paint!

We had left Guy on board looking out of the window to supervise the work. We were amused to hear that Tasha, who helps Simon out in the workshop, was quite spooked to see Guy peering out of the window at her. Simon thought that this was great fun and kept moving Guy around the boat so that he was looking at Tasha from a different window each day! 

After a final visit to the Brew Box and saying a huge thank you to Simon and Matt, we left to start our trip back to MM's winter mooring in Stone, some 106 miles and 50 locks away.

The first lock is the diamond shaped Aynho Weir Lock, a difficult lock but which was negotiated very carefully without a scratch.

 

A few miles up the canal is the "Pig Place", which has a farm shop and sells bacon and ham. Having had a few bacon butties recently, M agrees with this sentiment.

 

We arrived in Banbury to find the moorings in the centre very crowded with moored boats and there were construction workers cutting stone facing blocks and making massive amounts of dust (and noise) literally feet away from the moorings. So we moored just past "Tom Rolt Bridge" alongside a pleasant park while we went to Waitrose for provisions.

As we have mentioned before, Banbury has cut the old attractive town centre off from the canal by building the huge Castle Quay shopping centre with a blank wall facing the canal. The shopping centre also straddles Tooley's historic boatyard, the oldest working boat yard on the canal system. It was at Tooley's that Tom Rolt had his narrowboat "Cressy" converted into a floating home in 1939 and it was from here that he set off with his wife Angela on his epic journey that was immortalised in his book "Narrowboat", a major factor in the preservation of the canal network. Perhaps in a fit of conscience, the local council named this bridge for Tom Rolt, although it would be hard to find a less suitable memorial to a man who rejoiced in the traditional structures around the canal.

Today: 6 miles, 5 locks and 4.6 hours.

Trip: 493miles, 274 locks and 252.1 hours

Many Meeting's Tenth Birthday!

 Sunday 10th and Monday 11th October in Aynho.

Today is MM's tenth birthday! HOORAY!!!!

Ten utterly wonderful years since that happy day she was launched at Enslow. Our thanks to her builders, Jim, Darren, Jon and Simon.

So how very fitting that her tenth birthday gift from us is a repaint to be carried out by Simon (above), who was the one who so meticulously did all the engineering, including the engine, electrics and plumbing, when she was built.

The sun continued to shine today as we approached Aynho Weir Lock, the final lock before the wharf.

The lock is shallow but quite a challenge, as it is diamond shaped. It forms the boundary between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal and is wider than normal so that more water goes into the canal each time it is used. Despite being shallow, the paddle gear is very stiff and the gates leak, which makes them difficult to open. Still, R seems to be taking it all in his stride.

We arrived at Aynho Wharf, moored opposite, and paid the usual visits to the Brew Box (for a bacon butty), Simon and Matt. As is traditional, we had brought biscuits for the lads, as we used to do while MM was being built.

Monday was a poignant day. We handed MM's keys to Simon, who will move her into the workshop later today. But we were very happy, knowing that MM could not be in better hands.

We left Guy in charge, watching progress out of the window and drove the Touran home.

All being well, we will be back to pick MM up in two weeks time.

 Two days: 3 miles, 3 locks and 2.8 hours.

Trip: 487 miles, 269 locks and 247.5 hours.