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Steppin’ Out; Fradley jct to Home, Willington

Hi to all welcome to the last post for this adventure. That really is what it’s been for me and Steve and Linda an adventure. Scary at times but a lot of fun and well worth the effort. Now it’s about a new life style but let us not get ahead of ourselves. We had to wait for the IR man to come and fix what turned out to be just a broken gearbox cable and away we went shortly after 11. It was a bit windy today and though it caused us a bit of a problem on occassions we coped. Steve had to come and give me a push of the bank where I’d dropped him to do the lock as even though I pushed it well out with the barge pole it was back in again by the time I’d got on board.

Oh I nearly forgot to tell you about The Swan pub at Fradley. We had wandered up there about 9pm and the bar was packed so we got some drinks and headed for the best side where there wasn’t anyone. Normally we would have stayed in the tap side especially with an artist on, a guy with an acoustic guitar and pretty good he was too. But I’m old and was definitely tired so we went for the seating. Turned out to be an Open Mike night and the ones we heard were all good at least upto very good. Normally I’d have joined in but the travelling is catching up on me. They do Thatcher’s Gold cider which is not a scrumpy but it is good and I stuck with that all night, well only three pints actually, Steve had four pints of Black Sheep bitter which he said was very good. The food prices looked quite fair around the £7 to £7.50 mark for most and a reasonable selection. I shall be visiting again in my road vehicle in the not too distant future as it can’t be more than about 30 minutes tops to get there.

We passed through Alrewas which is an affluent little place to go by the nice houses on the banks of the canal and down to the A38 which then runs along side the  canal for a couple of miles. This was the first real road noise we had encountered for over a week. We hadn’t noticed much even when travelling through Manchester. We made a stop for lunch. Sausage cobs then off again. We plodded on into Burton and through the otherside where we met the A38 again and the noise was twice as loud. Horrendous was the word I was looking for. Down into Willington and we were running to get there after 6 so I rang the marina to see what time they closed, I thought it was 6, and it was 5.30 but he would hang on till we got there which he did. Very good of him as I needed a fob to get Lindas car near the jetty.

We finished off the trip in the same manner as we started it, panic, panic, panic. When we turned into the marina’s open water the wind just did not want to let me turn and it took me about 10 minutes to turn and head for the jetty where my berth was. When we turned into the bay where it was the wind was at it again and then I lost position and tried to back up and had to fight it all the way out into open water again to get it go in a straight sodding line. Then trying to turn into the berth she went again and I managed to get the front end on the end of the jetty and Steve scrambled down the gunwales once he was on the jetty holding the nose then we could spin her round and in she went with out bumping the boat next to her.

HOME at last. Sad but satisfied, happy and tired. Now settled on the computer writing this with a bottle of English Pale Ale after a nice shower and bite to eat. I shall do another entry on this journey to tie things together and work out how far we’ve travelled and how many locks. We decided we would call this “The Epiblog” this will need explaining to anyone under 45.  I shall take a few days now I have the time to think about what happened to us en route and probably post over the weekend. Thanks for sharing this journey and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

God bless you

Nige, Steve and Linda.

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Walking With Chris

Yesterday we, at last, managed to get together with our friend Chris whose taxi service has become our regular means of getting from Heathrow to the boat. After riding with him for a short while last year, we knew he was a special one and that we were happily moving into friendship beyond business.

Chris bought the taxi company about 10 years ago and has turned it into a thriving enterprise with nine driver’s. That said, it does not appear to be making him a fortune because each driver keeps all his fares and pays all his expenses. The former company was primarily a luxury chauffeur service, outfitted primarily with Rolls Royces. Chris now has just one Rolls which they keep for weddings,  while most driving is done my modern cars like Skoda or a large 8 passenger Vauxhall van. Chris’s clients are primarily executives visiting the UK and boaters needing rides to his friend’s Wyvern Shipping Company, a canal hireboat service in Leighton Buzzard, which is how we met last October. He does also serve as de facto chauffeur for a duke  as Chris says, “it’s “Your Grace” when he has others with him, but, when were alone, I bloody well call him Peter and he calls me Chris”).

Chris (our age) is married to Pamela (probably 10 years older than Chris and native of Zimbabwe , formerly Rhodesia). They met in the early 1980’s when she was on holiday in London and have two gorgeous daughters and two equally stunning granddaughters.

Chris and Pamela live in a modest and relatively recent (1980’s) part of the Milton Keynes in Buckinghameshire. They picked us up in his beloved Skoda sedan at the Nag’s Head Pub, near our mooring beside the church in Great Linford.

After lunch, Chris and I took their dog “Pickles” for a long circuitous walk through their neighbourhood — which, surprisingly, contained a large verdant park area and a small river winding through two small lakes constructed as part of the development, but now looking quite natural. Vestiges of the past are somehow seamlessly integrated into the modern. For example, below a primary school , the path over the river crosses a short bridge of huge flat stones dating back to Roman times.

Pickles is a Jack Russell terrier of approximately 16 years and a “rescue dog”, as I think every dog I’ve met here has been. Age notwithstanding, Pickles strained against her lead until we were safely across the road and into a nearby park where Chris unsnapped her lead and let her bound ahead, sniffing at mysterious scents and proving herself an indefatigable pisser equal to any male; anointing reed and bush and path and flower with quick intensity. I think, on our way back home. she was actually discovering and remaking her own “spots…”

Soon after we crossed the stones, Chris and Pickles and I met a young mahogany-skinned man and his shy pixy-like three year old daughter. Something clicked in Chris (later he said it was the man’s accent) and after the usual greetings Chris asked where the man was from. He replied “Zimbabwe, sir!” It turns out he was born in the same town as Pamela (although years apart — Pamela is in her 70’s). The man “Lukka” immediately began talking about how he longed to return to Zimbabwe and “fight for my land” saying: “the British came along and said “here’s how you can fix your problem (the end of Rhodesia and rise of Robert Mugabe): change your country — become a South African!”. So, Lukka did this and, also using the fact that his grandfather was Scottish, he and his Lithuanian wife move to the UK in 2002, where their daughter was later born.

As the daughter skipped ahead,  Lukka began talking more and more passionately about his wish to regain his land, but “look at my daughter, being in England means food for my daughter — you see sir?” I did, I I also saw with a stab of sadness that his eyes were bleary and bloodshot and that very likely he was drunk or on drugs of some sort. “If was just me I would go fight –I would fight — a man must fight for his home!! You see, sir?” he asked me.

We parted when the daughter wanted to stay and watch a pair of nesting swans by the lake while Chris and I, it turns out, had miles to go… Soon, coming toward us on the path was a colourful threesome — a fifty-ish woman, a much older woman, probably her mother,  and a Jack Russell terrier on a lead. The older woman was walking with the aid of a pair of those canes that have extensions and arm cradles for stability. At a range of about 10 yards, Pickles (not on a lead) launched forward to engage the enemy and soon the path was a chaos of noise and maneuverings as Pickles charged at the other Jack Russell — barking but not biting — and the assembled group of dogs and people began a slow circular dance of loud hostility — with Chris shouting for Pickles to “heel” meanwhile assuring the women that Pickles would do no harm — with the rival terrier’s master shouting: “Yeah — well this one will bloody well KILL your dog”. Meanwhile mother swung into action, loosing her wrist crutches and attempting to strike Pickles as our terrible ensemble rotated slowly on the path.

It was over almost as quickly as it began with Pickles being caught by Chris and snapped back onto his lead. The women collected themselves and the groups parted quickly with downward glances — not another word being spoken. In the sudden silence it was an inexplicably British moment.

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Steppin’ Out; Day 8 Great Haywood to Fradley Jct

A beautiful morning to wake up to, even if I didn’t see it till ten past nine. A top coat warmer it was, only two t shirts and a fleece, summer must have arrived early. I wonder if last nights drinking has anything to do with it, surely not. We frequented a place called the Clifford Arms at Great Haywood just up from the canal. It looked ok from the outside and wasn’t too bad when we walked in but not a lot of atmosphere. Not particularly a friendly place but no problem. We sampled three of the real ales for sale and they were just nondescript. They sat in the glass fine and looked ok but no real taste. We just had a couple and went back to the boat and a glass of whisky to finish off.

No rush so we upped ropes about 11 and set of into the tropical weather singing Coconut Airways or what ever it is. Nice steady run down to Rugeley where we moored up for lunch and I went across to Morrison to do a bit of shopping and get some cash as I had just about run out. It felt quite strange being away from the water and amongst people. A necessary evil is this eating and shopping lark. As you’ve seen in the photo’s it’s obvious I hardly eat anything at all.

I do feel now that I’m beginning to get the hang ofthis boat handling and managed fairly well when the wind got up this afternoon and then we met a bit of traffic and I had to do a bit of shunting when we arrived at a bridge with someone halfway through but it wasn’t a problem at all. This last week has been one hell of a crash course in boating. The first few days literaly. it seems so long ago that we picked Forty Winks up and took that first 200yd dash across the canal and crashed it into the bank to moor up to have a cuppa before setting off yet it is only a week ago. Tomorrow I take her into my first permanent berth in a marina and get used to a new life.

First before all of this can happen we need another visit from International Rescue because as we got to the last lock at Fradley the gear box has stuck in forward and won’t go into neutral or reverse so we walked her into the lock and then just ran her up to a mooring. At least this is where we intended to be so if you’re going to break down then that’s not too bad a way of doing it. It is pelting it down with rain at the moment and we’re getting ready to go to the pub which is about 500yds or so away so we might end up having to put waterproofs on. I hope you appreciate the extremes we are willing to go to just to make an accurate report on the facilities available to you.

Have fun. God bless you

Nige

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2013 04 28 Newsletter – Narrowboat Blogs

Living on a Narrowboat News 28th April 2013

I’ve been reading Our Nige’s blog, Steppin’ Out, with great interest and a certain amount of nostalgia. He picked up his new floating home last Sunday and over the last week has been learning all about the boat as he cruised towards Mercia marina. He reminded me of my first cruise down the south Oxford and onto the Thames.

I had only been working at Calcutt Boats, was still living on dry land, and didn’t know much about narrowboats at all. I was given the job of transporting one of our new clippers, a Calcutt Boats built 50′ cruiser stern narrowboat, to the IWA National Festival at Beale Park on the Thames. To say that I was under prepared for the cruise was an understatement.

I took my then twelve year old son, Brook, with me to help with the locks, lift and swing bridges and coffee making duties. I loved every minute of the adventure, and what an adventure it was!

We set off early in the morning on the first day, passed through Calcutt Top Lock from where the clipper had been moored on the wharf, stopped briefly to eject the stowaway site cat that had sneaked on board at some stage and very nervously cruised along a tranquil waterway before coming to our first narrow lock on the south Oxford at Napton.

This was the second time in my life that I had operated a lock (The first had been at Calcutt half an hour earlier). I enthusiastically raised the paddle to let the water out of the lock. Too enthusiastically as it happened as I hadn’t secured the clipper to the bollard correctly and, before I noticed anything wrong, the boat had drifted away from the bank and down the canal taking a very confused twelve year old with it. A couple on a boat moored close to the lock brought both boat and son back to me with a smile and a laugh.

It was a very wet August. By mid morning I was so wet and cold that I could hardly think. Of course, I hadn’t brought any waterproofs with me. I had to stop the boat for two hours so that I could light the fire and warm up. As feeling returned to my extremities I looked out of the window as I dressed for the next leg of the journey… to find that one of the mooring stakes had pulled free from the soft earth and I was broadside across the canal. Another lesson learned.

Over the next four days the adventure continued; we were pinned to the bank by the wind in Banbury, had to extract ourselves from a reed bed when I tried to get out of the path of a working boat and butty, had to stop for four hours while the police pulled a body out of the canal, and had the joy of trying to negotiate a lift bridge that was too heavy for Brook to raise on his own.

We moored in some idyllic spots away from the noise and the stress of the “civilised” world. It was my first experience of the peace and quiet of rural canal moorings and I loved it. And then I joined the Thames.

What a shock! After 49 miles of gently winding canal I nosed out onto the scary and oh-so-wide Thames at Isis lock junction. Although I had become reasonably proficient over the preceding three days on the canal, the river was a different kettle of fish. I immediately headed for the very large and very clear signs warning me to keep clear of the weir and was instantly pinned against the safety barrier put there to prevent idiots like me from being swept over it.

I was pulled free, helped into a lock large enough to take a dozen boats and prevented from going any further down the Thames until my “trade plate” license was checked. Eventually I was allowed through the lock. The remaining 30 miles downstream to Beale Park was exhilarating  With the current helping me, I cruised at more than twice the speed I had on the canal and I had so much more space to play on than I had on the Oxford. We eventually found a bank side mooring on the Thames for our last night. We tried and failed four or five times because of the shallow water next to the bank.

The cruise only lasted four days but we covered eighty miles, forty canal locks, ten river locks and eighteen swing or lift bridges. The first three days were ten or eleven hour cruises; the last day was a rather tiring thirteen hour stretch. The last hour and a half of the final full day was spent looking for a suitable mooring on the gently shelving Thames riverbank. It was a great adventure. I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait for regular cruises in the future.

A Day Trip To Braunston

After I wrote the above introduction I realised that, although I can’t afford the time off work to enjoy a multi day cruise at the moment,  there’s nothing stopping us from going out for the day now and then. My home mooring Calcutt Boat’s stunning Meadows marina is the perfect starting point for many different routes.

If I turn left out of our marina, I’m on the Grand Union heading west to Leamington Spa and Warwick and then on to Birmingham. If I turn right, go through the Calcutt flight and cruise half a mile to Napton Junction, I can turn left to Braunston or right to head south on the Oxford canal towards Oxford and the Thames.

I decided to take James out for a day and a night to see how the engine fared after its recent overhaul. Here’s my trip.

New Forum Section

I’ve added the newsletter archive to the forum. You can find it here. Every week when I send out the newsletter, I’ll also post it on the forum. You’ll have all of the newsletters listed by date in one handy section, and you’ll be able to comment on the content in a place where others can respond. You can also use this section to ask for topics to be included in the newsletter. If there’s a subject you don’t think I’ve covered in enough detail, or at all, elsewhere on the site, please use this section to suggest its addition.

Your Own (Free) Narrowboat Blog

Talking of new additions to the site, about a month ago I offered any site user their own blog section on the site so that they can create a lasting memory of their own boating experience.  One or two have already taken me up on the offer. I would like to introduce you to one of them, Our Nige as he is on the forum.

Nige’s dream was to own and live on a narrowboat. Even though he wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, he bought his boat and he’s now on day seven or eight of his maiden voyage back to his home mooring at Mercia marina. If you’re thinking about buying a narrowboat, even if you’re only going to use it for recreational cruising, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the detail in his blog posts, and his determination to try every different drop of local beer at the end of a day’s cruise.

Here’s the first of Nige’s blog posts. You can follow the blog’s progress through the forum here.

If you’re in the process of seriously moving to a life afloat and you would like your own blog please read this post and then get in touch with me. I can have you up and running in about ten minutes.

Comprehensive Site Article Listing

There are dozens of helpful and interesting articles on the site, but have you found them all? I thought you might appreciate a list of the more popular articles that you can glance through and click on the ones that take your fancy. Here it is.

Popular Forum Posts

There’s a wealth of information on the site in general, but if you’re struggling to find the answer to a particular issue, the forum is the place to find it. I’ve listed some of the more popular posts below but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, ask your question on the forum. If you don’t know how to create a post, or if you can’t log in, please let me know. I’ll be more than happy to get you up and running.

• Checklists – What do you need to check before you set off on a cruise? There’s some very detailed information including a very useful post by fellow Calcutt moorer Graham who has issues with his mobility after an RTA many years ago.
• Television Aerials – If you can’t live without your Corrie, you’ll need a decent aerial for your boat.
• My New Life – I urge you to read this forum thread. If you dream of living on your own narrowboat one day, reading this post, written by a new liveaboard boater, may well prove the catalyst you need. It’s essential reading for any aspiring narrowboat owner.
• Narrowboat Ownership – How do you prove that the person offering a narrowboat for sale is the real owner?
• Tips For Continuous Cruisers – He’s making a bit of a habit of it; Pearley’s back with some great cruising tips
• The Llangollen Canal – One of the country’s most beautiful canals discussed
• Deliveries to your boat – Excellent information from regular forum contributor Pearley
• Mobile Broadband – All you need to know about internet connectivity on board
• Internet Data Theft – Did you know that fellow boaters can steal your internet data allowance?
• Boat Planning & Design – Is there any free software available to hel you plan your dream boat?
• A Narrowboat Checklist – What checks do you need to carry out before you set out on a cruise?
• Tunnels – How do you navigate them? Who has priority?
• Windows Or Portholes – Round or square, which is best? Is it just a matter of personal preference?
• Day To Day Questions About Narrowboat Life – How can “newbies” find out the answers to questions about day to day life on a narrowboat? The answer is simple. Find out by reading this post.
• Beds – The pros and cons of fixed doubles and cross beds. You need to read this if you are taller or slightly wider than average.
• Flushing Out a Toilet Waste Tank – Emptying your pumpout toilet holding tank isn’t just a case of sucking out your unmentionables. You also need to flush water through the tank to remove the built up solids. Here’s how to do it.
• Narrowboat Knots – Do you know your bowline from your buntline hitch, your cleat hitch from your clove hitch or your poacher’s knot from your square knot? No? It’s about time you did!
• Free Narrowboat Heating – Is there any such thing? Read this post to find out
• Narrowboat Furniture – Not everyone wants fitted furniture on their boat. Here are a few ideas if you want to add your own.
• Weight on a narrowboat – How many people can you carry on a narrowboat, and how much luggage can they bring with them?
• Narrowboat Finance – A Canadian hoping to move to the UK, buy a boat and cruise the network.
• Internet Data Theft – Did you know that you can have your boat’s broadband allowance stolen? Here’s what you can do to prevent the theft.
• Problems Powering An Inverter With A Generator – Why didn’t it work and what’s the solution?
• Diesel Costs – You need it to run your boat and maybe your heating system. How much can you expect to pay for it?
• Stove Top Fans – Are they worth the money?
• Mooring Pins and Piling Hooks – What are they and when do you use them?
• Water Pump Problems – What to do if your water pump appear to have a life of its own
• Fuel Contamination – How do you know if you’ve water in your diesel… and what do you do about it when you have?
• Anchors – What’s the best size and weight anchor for narrowboats on tidal rivers
• Single Handed Boating for Ladies – Can a lady on her own pass safely through locks?
• Different Types of Mooring – What’s the difference between residential and leisure moorings? How long can you stay on your boat with each type?
• Which Ropes To Use? – There are so many different types available. Are the more expensive ones worth using or is it just a case of money for old rope?
• Windows – Why do narrowboat owners tolerate condensation? Why don’t they have modern uPVC windows fitted?
• Best Ex Hire Boats – Are you considering buying an ex hire boat to live on? Should you? Here’s some important information for you.
• Liveaboard Conclusions – Mel Davies has been doing  plenty of research into her hoped for lifestyle afloat. Here are the conclusions she’s reached and comments from a few existing liveaboard narrowboat owners.
• Handling Floodwaters – How safe is a river mooring during and after heavy rain? Can you stay on a river when the level rises? What can you do to minimise danger?
• Narrowboat steel thickness – How thick is your boat’s steel? How long does it last?
• Retro fitting a solid fuel stove – Where’s the best place to put your stove and what’s involved in fitting it?
• Converting from a cassette toilet to a pump out – A pump out toilet is far more convenient to use than a toilet with a portable cassette but how easy are they to retro fit in a narrowboat?
• Gas free boating – If you don’t fancy heaving unwieldy gas bottles into a difficult to reach bow locker, a gas free boat might be the solution
• Winter on the cut – Are you able to cruise all year on your boat or should you find a mooring for the winter?
• Transporting your boat – Sometimes you may want or need to take your narrowboat by road rather than cruise along the canal. Here’s an idea of the cost
• Bike types and preferences – If you don’t have a car parked near your boat, you’ll probably want a bike, but which type of bike is best?
• Towing a butty – I’ve upset someone. I didn’t mean to. Wainbody wanted to know the best way of towing an unpowered second narrowboat (butty). I came across as patronising when I replied. It was unintentional but to make amends I thought I would ask anyone with boat handling experience to reply to his thread with some constructive advice. If you can help him, please reply to the post.
• The best flooring for a narrowboat pets –  What’s the best way to protect your floor from a dirty doggy?
• The best time of the year to buy a boat – Is there a deal to be done by buying a boat in the winter?
• The best length for a liveaboard narrowboat – What’s the best length to buy? What are the pros and cons of different length boats
• ONE tip to offer a potential narrowboat owner – If you are already a narrowboat owner, you can share your experience. If you haven’t bought one yet, you need to read this thread.
• Powering your computer on a narrowboat – Can you power your computer/laptop from the boat’s 12v supply or do you need mains power?
• Must-have gadgets and necessities – The most useful/useless gadgets for life on a narrowboat
• Choosing a stove for your boat – Are domestic solid fuel stoves as good as the ones designed specifically for boats? Which is the best one to buy?
• Diesel heating for boats – How important is a solid fuel stove on a liveaboard narrowboat? Is a diesel heating system OK as a primary heat source?
• Computers on boats – Can a computer be powered from your boat’s 12v system or does it need to be plugged into the mains
• Receiving post on your boat – How does the postman find you when you’re cruising? How do you apply for a driving license, a TV license or a bank statement when you have no official address?
• Bikes on board – Many boat owners do not have cars so they rely on bikes to get them to the shops (or the pub). Some use bikes to collect their cars after a day’s cruising. There’s a huge selection of bikes to choose from. Which are the best for your boat? To tell you the truth, I don’t know the answer. Can you point forum member Ainslo in the right direction?
• VAT on narrowboat sales – Does the price of your narrowboat contain a VAT element? Can the VAT be reclaimed?
• Internet access – How do you connect to the internet when you live on a boat?
• Living off property rental income – Do you have a property that you indend to let while you cruise the waterways? Read this before you work out your budget.
• How to find a narrowboat to live on – Here’s an article about choosing a liveaboard narrowboat, and a question about finding a narrowboat with a steering wheel.
• Vertigo – How to deal with walking over lock gates if you’re frightened of heights.
• Long term narrowboat hire – If you aren’t ready to buy a narrowboat yet, what are your chances of hiring a narrowboat for more than a few weeks?
• Residential moorings and single handed boating – How do you handle a narrowboat on your own? What do you do about a mooring if you live on board and only want a mooring for part of the year
• Too tall for a narrowboat? – Is a narrowboat suitable for you if you are above average height?
• Dealing with condensation – Do all narrowboats suffer from damp? What can you do about it?
• Solar panels – More information about portable and fixed solar panels
• Heating systems – Hurricane and Mikuni heating systems discussed

Useful Links

Living on a Narrowboat: The REAL Cost of a Life Afloat – Narrowboat costs explained in detail. My own maintenance and living cost on narrowboat James for a full year. Use this information to work out your own costs.
Find out what parts of the canal are closed and for how long. Essential cruising information for you.
Do you need to find a home for your boat? Here’s a comprehensive list of the narrowboat friendly marinas in the UK
Do you want to see where these marinas are on a map? Here it is.
Here’s a map of all the canals on the system to help you plan your route.
Newsletter Archive – Browse through a wealth of useful content in the newsletters over the last year.

 

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A Day Trip To Braunston

I don’t get out much. Sorry; on reflection I should say, I don’t go out cruising on James much. On further reflection, I’ll revert to I don’t get out much. Whatever the case, I’ve decided to do much, much more cruising in the future.

The main problem has been my lack of confidence in the engine. As you’ll know if you’ve been visiting the site on a regular basis, James was in a sorry state when I moved on board. Because I viewed James as a place to live rather than a vehicle to explore the canal and river network with, I spent all of my time, energy and money on making my accommodation watertight, functional and comfortable.

I’ve had a steel cabin fitted over the original 36 year old ply cabin and sandwiched an additional layer of insulation between the two. Then I spent three weeks painting the new cabin and blacking the hull. I’ve had a new cratch cover fitted to create an extra “room” on the front deck. The soft furnishings have been reupholstered, the curtains have been replaced, new oak effect laminate flooring has been fitted to replace the tired and very old beige wafer thin carpet.

I’ve upgraded the electrics. I’ve doubled the battery bank from two to four 135ah batteries and replaced the 110ah starter battery. I’ve added a charger which keeps the batteries topped up when the boat’s plugged in to a land line. I’ve had a 2.1KW Sterling pure sine inverter so that we have 230v power when we’re cruising.

A few weeks ago I finally reached the back of the boat and the engine room. I’ve been told repeatedly that James has a good engine. A very good engine. It’s a 38HP Mercedes OM 636. The trouble is, I haven’t been able to believe these reassurances on the few occasions I’ve taken James out.

Sally and I took Sally’s two grown children, Maricar and Michael, for a cruise to Braunston last Christmas. We enjoyed a bracing cruise to Braunston, moored up, had lunch at the Boat House pub (Two meals for the price of one) and returned to the boat for the journey home. The engine coughed and spluttered into life and then, after a mile, died completely.

I couldn’t get the engine started again so had to walk six miles back to Calcutt to collect my car to bring everyone back to Sally’s house in nearby Woodford Halse. James had to be towed back to Calcutt where my guardian angel, Russ, spent most of the day identifying and fixing the problem.

The problem turned out to be minor. The fuel filter was blocked. Unfortunately, the engine has been installed very close to the bulkhead between the engine room and the bedroom so the fuel filter was very difficult to get to. Fitting a pre-filter is another job to be done.

I was very nervous when I took James out for a while after that, and then I had another problem. The engine wouldn’t stay in gear. I managed to limp back to the mooring with the engine dropping in and out of drive. The problem had been the result of very little oil in the gearbox. One of our engineers topped the oil up for me. The next time I took James out, I had the same problem.

I decided to ask River Canal Rescue to service and assess my engine. They visited me a couple of weeks ago. An expected one hour service took three and a half but, by the end of it, I had far more confidence in the engine and a list of things to put right. One of the items on the list was to replace the perished leads off the gearbox. I had that done a few days later. The lead replacement cured the engine drive problem immediately.

So, with much of the boat renewed, replaced or refurbished, I thought it was high time to get out on the cut again.

On Thursday night as soon as I finished work and a plateful of Sally’s delicious spicy spare ribs (tenderised in the pressure cooker and then finished off in the oven), we set sail.

Sally hasn’t worked a lock before. At 5′ tall and slim, there’s not a lot to her but she was determined that the locks weren’t going to defeat her. After half an hour and much huffing and puffing we surged through the Calcutt flight of three locks, arrived at Napton juntion, turned left towards Braunston and then, because of the late hour, decided to moor almost immediately.

I spent five minutes looking at the damage done in Calcutt Bottom Lock to my broadband dongle roof pole. I had fixed the pole to the roof in order to raise the height of my broadband dongle to help get a better signal. Of course I had forgotten to consider boat handling needs when fitting it. I don’t have fairleads fitted to the boat near where the centre line is fixed to the boat so when attached to a bollard the taught centre rope swept the pole off its fixings. Another expensive lesson learned. I’ll fit fairleads next week. I’ll also have to fit a new dongle pole or invest in a dedicated aerial for my WiFi setup.

It’s wonderful just to be out and about. One of the many marvellous aspects of living on a narrowboat is your ability to change the view from your house windows whenever you please. The view we chose on Thursday evening was of a tranquil canal complete with overhanging trees and a mallard with five brand new chicks. We lit the fire, opened a bottle of red and sat down for an evening of peace and quiet.

On Friday morning we ambled along to Braunston junction. Sally walked part of the way with the dogs. Daisy, our terminally stupid cocker spaniel, only fell into the water once. I don’t know how she does it, but she ends up in the canal at least once a week, and looks shocked every time she does it.

Braunston was very busy. We hadn’t been able to find a place to moor by the time we reached the junction and Midland Chandlers. Their customer mooring was free so we stopped to buy some bits for the boat. They were closed for stock taking. Every cloud has a silver lining though. One of the staff said that, as they were closed, we could stay on their mooring for as long as we pleased.

We popped next door to the Boat House for a slap up lunch. We had a drink, a main course and a sweet each for just under £20. The pub is great value for money and a great spot for sitting with a drink watching boats drift by.

We stayed on Midland Chandler’s mooring for a couple of hours sitting in the sun on the front deck watching the boats go by. We felt as though we were on holiday but we were still at home on our lovely boat.

Unfortunately I had to be back at work on Saturday so the holiday was brief. We set off at 4.30pm for the cruise back to Calcutt and spent the next two and a half hours alternately basking in the sunshine and dodging heavy showers, and allowing for the stiff breeze which plays havoc with a narrowboat’s steering.

We tied up on our mooring at 7pm. The cruise was so different from the previous trips I’ve had out on James. I’ve not had much faith in the engine after a breakdown and an intermittent gear box problem. All of that could have been cured with some fairly simple maintenance. I’ve never been very good with engines which is why I now value RCR’s service so highly. RCR membership and regular servicing is now written in my budget. All my boat needed was a little tender loving care. As Roger Preen – Calcutt Boats owner and James’ previous owner –  said to me, “Do you know, I expect that engine will outlive you!”. I hope he’s right, but I also hope that it’s many years before I find out.

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Steppin’ Out; Day 7 Stone to Great Haywood

Good evening and a wonderful steady relaxing day we have had. Posted blog this morning and after Steve and Linda returned from a little shopping we got ready and set off. Twenty yards later we stopped. We set off again and twenty yards later we stopped again. The engine was cutting out once we were underway. Tried another three times then I went in the weed hatch just to check if there was anything round the prop.

There wasn’t so we rang for International Rescue. They were with us in about 25 minutes but we were a little concerned when he was walking up the towpath with what we thought was his sleeping bag under his arm. Oh dear what sort of problem did we have. It turned out to be a roll of paper for wipeing hand and things. The fuel filter he thought. He changed the fuel filter and the air filter, tightened up the engine mountings, stopped the slight fuel leak and checked a few other bits and about an hour later we were underway again. Well worth the £65 annual subscription in this case and no hassle.

No major incidents but some very nice countryside, bright sunshine and hail showers. A hall on top of a hill with trees and an agressive swan who attacked Steve while he had been fiddling with something.

Oh there was one problem as while waiting for the lock to opened I went inside to get some painkillers as I’m having a problem with my shoulder and as I came back up I thumped my head into lintel bit under the metal hatch cover. I said “oh dear me, I don’t think I meant to do that” but at least I now did need the painkillers.

Steve got his trusty hammer and after rummaging through the drawers found some panel pins to tack the wood work back together. I had dislodged it. I have a good head. Though there are those who would say otherwise.

We missed the lovely farm and local produce shop at Great Haywood with our delay putting us behind but Linda cooked up some wonderful savoury mince which we washed down with a glass of whisky. I have now worked out about not drinking till the sun is over the yardarm. We now have the lowest yardarm that anyone has seen.

Shuggborough Hall is visible from the bottom moorings at Great haywood we were reliably informed but not when the Moscow State Circus has put up a huge marquee. Never mind hey, it’s still a most agreeable place to moor. Will report on the pubs in tomorrows blog as we shall be sampling the facilities in a wee while.

God bless you.

Nige

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Steppin’ Out; Day 6 Congleton through the Harecastle to Stone.

Good morning peoples I was rudely awoken by Cath ringing at 8o’clock to complain where yesterdays Blog was. So at least someones reading it. Sorry it wasn’t done last night but we started at 9am and moored up at 8pm with a canal side Pub beckoning us once we’d eaten. This shows you were my loyalty lies. Me, me, me, me, me.

9.00 am and off we poddled heading for the Harecastle tunnel. A quick stop for water, a gas bottle and a couple of fenders. Daft as it will seem to some of you but we had been travelling with the fenders down and with some tight bridges and locks we had lost a few.

The man at the boat services explained you let the rubbing strip do its work when travelling and fenders when not. So simple I guess no one thought to mention it to me or I didn’t really pick up on it. So any newcommers just a little tip to save a little money.

The Harecastle tunnel, as you all know is 1 and 3/4 miles long and you go through in convoy, taught me a big lesson. Headlights. The ones on the boat we had used for a smaller tunnel and found they were pointing down not up so we pointed them up. They weren’t very bright but the tunnel wasn’t very long so no problem really. However we were the lead boat through the Harecastle and didn’t ckeck the angle on the headlights. They were pointing down again so I came through the tunnel with the internal lights being the  only practical lights we had and focusing intently on a the pinprick of light at the end of it. It helps with your level of concentration let me tell you. Only a few bounces and no casualties so when we emerged the other side transported back three centuries inot radient sunshine we all had a good laugh and a cup of coffee and crisps and a ham cob.

Stoke we found to be a lot nicer than we had been led to believe. Not spectacularly picturesque but apart from a few areas which looked a bit dodgy we saw nothing as bad as Manchester. Trentham looks a nice place, quite a few nice houses down by the waterside and it winds gently through the trees and all very pleasant. A very welcome change.

We arrived at Meaford locks thinking we might moor up if we could find a nice little pub on the side of the canal. The locks were beautiful but no pub so we thought we’d go on a little bit more. Stone we thought would have loads of pubs everywhere but when you cruise into Stone there isn’t a pub in sight. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAggghhhhhhh. After about 10 hours travelling through typical spring weather, sunshine, fluffy clouds, rain, and two sleet showers we’d just about had enough of a good thing. We pulled over and Steve and Linda went on a recky to what was about.

Upon return they had met some boaters who said there were moorings at the bottom lock and a PUB by the side of the canal. Off we jolly well went only to find no mooring spaces other than where there were signs saying No Mooring. Me and Steve were about to become pirates and drop Anchor in the middle of the canal declare ouselves an independant country when he spied a space about 9 boats down so we stayed as fine upright citizens and didn’t break any rules.

Bacon, egg, mushrooms and tomatoes from Linda’s magic frying pan. Egg cooked to absolute perfection, all the white cooked but most of the yolk runny. Gordon Ramsey bah. Washed, fed and watered we set off to pub. First call was The Swan where I sampled a sweet scrumpy cider followed by a pint of Black Rat medium. Excellent. Steve had a couple of the beers which I can’t now remember what they were but were good. Busy Friday night in there mainly 40 year olds and above but a bit yuppyish. Very nice and great beer. Then we went down to the Star which wasn’t as busy and looked more of a locals pub. A pint of Bank’s bitter for me and a pint of Old Thumper for Steve both very nice. Got chatting to a couple of the locals one and old lad like me or a bit older and a chap 35/40ish both narrowboaters and the younger one lived on his and I’m not sure if the other guy lived on his or not but both well friendly and helpful. They said we should find more pubs as we head south. They do seem lacking as we’ve travelled from Manchester. I would have thought people would have built pubs near the canals over the years.

Today we clocked up we think. 18miles, 1 tunnel and 13 locks in about 11hrs with an hour off for good behaviour waiting at the tunnel. A long day even when you’re doing something you enjoy. I now look at the boat at times and think “this is mine, this is my home” and it feels bloody good at the moment.

God bless you. See you later.

Nige, Steve and Linda

 

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Steppin’ out; Day 5, Fourlane-ends to Congleton.

Hello out there, a bloody long day today. Set off at 20 to 9 and we headed for Bollington as we needed some diesel and a pumpout. We were level when we saw the signs so carried on as reversing wasn’t an option. We found a boatyard in Macclesfield, Buxton Rd Wharf who deserve a mention as he was really helpful. Pump out done he said right reverse round into the basin. I looked at him like he had two heads, well I would have been there about three hours, thankfully he said he’d reverse it round for me if I liked. I certainly liked. He also explained what he was doing and how, this was very helpful and I know a bit more now about reversing. As we were travelling along I asked Steve a guarded question as I didn’t want to worry him or anything but I thought it looked like the canal and the towpath were running slightly down hill. He agreed it certainly looked a bit like that. A strange feeling when our Grammar school physics teacher of 40 years ago had explained basically that this can’t happen. Does anyon know if there is a gravitational anomally any where near Macclesfield.

Off we set and made good time through some lovely countryside. A nice canal is the Macclesfield. Stopped for lunch which was home made soup that Linda had brought with her. Went down a treat it did. After eating a warming meal we encountered an electric controlled swing bridge which we negotiated well as someone was coming the other way just as we got there so they operated it and let us through. Then we came to the Bosley locks. The first we had encountered going down hill. Lovely views and nice locks and we met someone coming up after our first lock so they were all set for us going down. Quite deep but easy to use and quick.

We decided to press on with the intention of hopefully getting through Stoke tomorrow as we have been told it’s not the best of places to moor overnight. We trucked on and got to Congleton which doesn’t seem a wonderful place for mooring either. One of our guide books says to watch out for submerged obstacles at Congleton wharf and we certainly had a bit of bother as the rudder and prop kept knocking into things at certain places. The book was written 20 yrs ago, have they not had time to remove the submerged objects then.

A long day came to an end, 16 miles and 12 locks, when we moored up in the middle of Congleton golf course. You should have seen the look on the head greenkeepers face, it was a picture as we tied up to the fourth holes flagstick. The canal is shallow here and we could only get to about a foot from the bank but that seems close enough. Greased the sterngland. Mopped out the engine compartment and sat down to tea/dinner at about 7.30. Now a glass of Bushmills malt and a splash of Weston’s organic still cider with the Stones this time gently in the background.

The Harecastle tunnel and Stoke tomorrow. Oh Lord look after us as we may need all the help we can get.

God bless you all. Nige, Steve and Linda.

Linda says goodnight we’re off for Forty Winks. I’m not accepting responsibility for that one.

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The Blacksmith

Today I met Bob Nightingale a blacksmith of forty years who runs his shop just near the entrance to the Blisworth Tunnel. Bob is an honest man with honest stories to tell — and he will tell them to you until your ears fall off….
He’s the sort of relentless raconteur that part of you wants to immediately escape — but the other part is fascinated with. I chose to listen, and an hour later was a wiser and better man.
Bob knows his place. He knows that he is one of the few carrying on an age-old tradition of personal pride in craft and excellence. He is the modern maker of all things that only a blacksmith can make. Once these things were nails, hinges, plow blades, lock plates and tolls of all variety — now they are custom arrow tips for the elite who seek to become one of “The Queen’s 100”, the finest archers in Britain who are part of HM’s personal guard( if she ever goes to war) and swords for competitors in horse mounted competitions that require striking 6 targets in 180 yards at a full gallop. Bob also makes more pedestrian gear like two-prong tips for narrowboat “boat hooks” and small scale fireplace tools for boat stoves — and coat hooks and candle stands for the tourists. He has had eight apprentices who spend a year just learning how to work the forge and the hammer — before they can move on learning to create with iron and steel.
Last week Bob went back and made a sewing needle at the forge — just to be sure that he still could do it.

Bob will tell you that his coke-fired forge will heat to 5,000 degrees and that a real blacksmith with land 7,000 blows with his hammer in an average day. He has been asked often to make Damascus steel blades. but rarely does when the customers learn that it takes three months to forge the billet from which a blade will emerge. He says that a King’s sword would take one man one year to create. Yes — think — “Game of Thrones”.

Bob has a son who is an accomplished gunsmith who makes specialised rifles for the elite of Britain’s sniper core. The son works at an undisclosed location where there are many people who do not want to be known or named go to get “fitted” for individually crafted weapons — including large-bore sniper rifles designed for a helicopter mounted prone platform. These guns are currently used by Britain in the effort against Somali pirates which requires a very heavy and accurate bullet that can penetrate the pirate boat engines.
Bob showed me a photograph that he had accidentally taken into the sun which he believes reveals the existence of our solar system’s “missing planet” that has an orbital cycle of 3,000 years, moving perpendicular to the rest of the planetary orbits.

By now I am edging toward the door with my boat hook tip in hand, and wishing him well in the continuation of his craft — and hoping that his uniquely wonderful British eccentricity will also be carried on by other fearless story tellers.

I returned just in time to arrive back at the boat and find a gaggle of primary school kids and their teachers admiring “Stardust” — so we ended up inviting them to walk through the boat, including our 19″ telly. They were exceedingly polite, fascinated with the toilets and as thrilled as a bunch of chattering birds to be on a real narrowboat! Who knew we would become a tourist attraction so soon?

Upon leaving one young girl solemnly asked: “are you sad because you have such a small TV?”

 

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Steppin’ Out; Day 4 Marple bottom lock to Fourlane-ends

Hello out there we have had a much nice and better day today. No Manchester, sorry to any Mancunians but I don’t like cities.  Our first lock was all of 300 yds from where we were moored and we attacked the beginning of the Marple flight at 9.00. Very nice area and lots of trees and pleasant people. People smiling mostly, is this area know for its drug use? No major disasters apart from me trying to get the boat in a single lock broadside. It just wouldn’t fit. Brian went into melt down and I pushed the tiller instead of pulling and it shot off into another dimension.

Friendly people everwhere setting locks for us as they were coming down as we were coming up. Many thanks to all who helped our progress or just chatted with us in passing. 16 locks in 4 hours and we were moored up by 1.00pm but then had to do my first weed hatch experience as there was a knocking type of sound while we were climbing the flight of locks. So undo the weed hatch and mine is situated where they all are but with a tool box built over where you would lift the deck up so had to weedle my way under the deck and into the hatch a bit of a bind but now having done it will leave the tool box where it is I thinkl. A few bits of tshirt and some plastic banding strapping but managed to get it off after about 15 minutes. I was quite chuffed with my self.

Steve went off to find a shop for some cobs for our lunch. Just round the corner we were told, they have big corners up here. 30 minutes later her returned with a couple of very nice beef pies and lovely fresh bread cobs. After dinner off to meet his good lady who is joining us till Sunday. She is bringing some fresh supplies too. We had just moored up at Fourlane-ends as Linda arrived chauffeur driven by her very nice nextdoor neighbour. Importantly she had brought the ancient runes and magic symbol of the Wire Coathanger which after many incantations of “come on you bugger” finally our bathroom sink realised it anally retentive grip on the water it was holding hostage.

A wash and a brush up and we set off to what we were told was a very nice pub that did good, very good food. The Miners. The beer was ok but not stunning. One label as the Miners ale but was an unnamed one from the brewery and not a microbrewery, a bit of a let down as we thought it was a real ale. But ok. Food wise I had a burger which came with cheese and bacon, home made chips and salad, very very nice. Steve had the pork and leek pie which he also approved off and Linda had the chicken and chorizo tagliatelei, pasta that is. Again a big thumbs up on the food front.

Then back home to another whisky and a bit of Thin Lizzy as we’re old bikers still at heart. A good day. It’s all getting a little better. Me and Steve seem to think that Sunday seems such a long time ago. We seem to have done so much.

Goodnight and God bless you. Nige and Steve

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There were two old men…… at Marple top lock