MoonlightHolly

September 1
Work on the boat having been completed we set off towards Wolverhampton and Birmingham via the Birmingham Canal Main Line. That afternoon we climbed the Wolverhampton flight of locks. It took three and a half hours to negotiate the 21 locks. At lock 5 we encountered a group of about 10 to 15 youths on bicycles who were friendly to start with until one ran across the top of the boat, others jumped on board and stones started flying. Luckily no damage was done and they did not follow us up to the next lock. We eventually arrived at the top lock and moored on the offside of the basin at Broad Street Bridge (in the centre of Wolverhampton) on the edge of an attractive park.

September 2
Gas Street Basin in Birmingham was approximately 13 miles away and with only three locks it was easy cruising. Our notes show that it was a day of contrasts: cold early morning and hot in the afternoon; heavily industrial, both new and historic, and rural with grassy embankments and thick reed beds; crystal clear and dark muddy waters. The 360 yard long Coseley Tunnel was a pleasant surprise as it was double the usual width with a towpath either side.
One comical note: in answer to our greeting of “Hello, how’re you doing?” one canal side couple replied: “We ain’t done it yet.” They then dived into the bushes, giggling!!
Most of the bridges along this particular canal were made from cast iron and attractively painted in black and white. We moored at the busy Gas Street Basin in the centre of the city.

September 3
We remained at the Gas Street mooring all day and explored the city centre on foot. Of particular interest was the visit to the start of the time trial section of the Tour of Britain Cycle Race. We were impressed by how attractive Birmingham had become. There are many excellent shops and much work has been done to improve the centre of the city in particular. In many ways it resembled Venice, with roads and canals constantly crossing each other.

September 4
Up at 01:00 and again at 02:30 hrs as happy revelers woke us by banging on the windows and running along the roof of the boat. These sorts of antics can be expected in the centre of a busy city.
We had planned a visit to Cadbury World and moored opposite the factory in Bournville on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The two hour tour of the factory was excellent but extreme care must be taken as boats moored here are frequently the target of thieves.

September 5
Left Bournville and joined the Stratford on Avon Canal at King’s Norton Junction. The first lock is unusual in having two wooden guillotine gates mounted on iron frames, balanced by chains and counterweights. The machinery is not used now and boats pass under the two gates without stopping. After the relative cleanliness of the centre of Birmingham we were surprised at the amount of rubbish floating on this semi-rural section of the canal. We eventually moored some four miles further on when the water became a little cleaner.
We spent a very pleasant evening with Len and Viv on board their narrowboat Edith Mary Lee.

September 6
This was the first day back at school after the summer holidays and we (and three other narrowboats) managed to delay by 15 minutes about thirty irate drivers while we operated the rather slow Shirley Draw Bridge. The canal improved as we left the urban setting and both the towpath and canal were much cleaner although there was still quite a bit of floating debris. Our next obstacle was the Lapworth Flight of 19 locks but we moored after Lock No. 5, a perfect spot as there were loads of blackberries and a nearby plum tree just waiting to be harvested.

September 7
Minor maintenance in the morning and we then proceeded down the remaining locks of the flight to the junction with the Grand Union Canal at Kingswood. Rather than heading east onto the Grand Union we continued on a southerly course towards Stratford Upon Avon. We eventually stopped for the night at Lowsonford, a delightful village of attractive half timbered houses with gardens full of flowers.
It had been a very energetic day for Angela since she had operated not only the 14 locks remaining on the Lapworth flight but also another 11 between Kingswood and Lowsonford. Due to the short distances between each lock she had not managed to ride on the boat all day and when we counted up the distance, found that we had only advanced a total of three miles. It had taken six hours to cover this distance.

September 8
The weather had changed and it was cloudy with occasional drizzle. The canal banks were now lined with reeds and shrubs and overhanging trees. The areas around each lock were pleasant and well cared for with the typical white canal house or cottage alongside. Many of the cottages had barrel roofs and we understand that the masons who built these cottages were so used to building bridge arches that it was easier for them to continue with the same style.
We crossed over two aqueducts, the more interesting being the Edstone Aqueduct, a cast iron trough, nearly 200 yards long, supported on brick columns and unusually, the tow path was at the same level as the bottom of the canal giving hikers a “duck’s eye view” of passing boats.
We moored in the village of Wilmcote. The most well known building in the village is the Mary Arden House, thought for many years to be the home of Shakespeare’s mother. It has now been discovered that she actually lived 30 yards away in Glebe House.

September 9
We remained moored in Wilmcote for the day and hiked the 4 miles to Stratford on Avon. What a pretty town.

September 10
It rained on and off all day so we took advantage of the situation by carrying out boat maintenance.

September 11
We had heard that today was the Wilmcote Carnival and Fun Day, so as the weather had improved we decided to stay and enjoy the Carnival. The parade started at mid-day, Scottish pipers followed by a 1940’s open Lagonda, floats manned by the girl guides and scouts and a veteran fully working steam roller. The streets were full of spectators. The main carnival events were held on the village school sports field where we saw a multitude of events including “Throwing a Wellington Boot”, “Splat the Rat”, miniature golf, nine pin bowling, guess the weight of the steam roller, donkey rides, inflatable castles, live music and many local produce stalls. There was also a dog show and Jason came 3rd in the Best Rescue Dog category.
A long hike across the fields and along the canal ended the day.

September 12
A typical autumn start to the day with mist rising from the waters; very pretty.
We finally left Wilmcote proceeding down through the locks to moor in the Bancroft Basin in Stratford on Avon, directly in front of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and alongside the River Avon. After the quiet village of Wilmcote this seemed to be a very busy centre with many languages being heard throughout the day. The Basin was surrounded by parkland with flowerbeds in full colour. A short walk in to town took us to the attractive half-timbered world of The Bard.

September 13
Stayed in Stratford buying needed food and updating the web site.

September 14
Left the Basin in Stratford and dropped down through the lock on to the River Avon. We had to make sure that our lock operating procedures were up to scratch as there were dozens of spectators watching. Suddenly the water was clear and we could see the weeds on the bottom several feet down. Passing the Royal Shakespeare Theatre we made a quick stop at the Bowling Club, for water. The first lock followed shortly, these are double so we were lucky to have shared the lock with another boat. It halves the work!!
Our aim was to arrive at Bidford-on-Avon, a small village eight miles and six locks downstream. The river was a delight, often narrow in these upper reaches, with willows overhanging the water. It twisted and turned and each stretch was something special. Many houses, no, not houses..mansions, lined the riverbanks with their perfectly manicured gardens gently rolling down to the water.
Bidford was approached under an old multi-arched stone bridge and the arch to proceed through was clearly marked, luckily as the depth of water under the other arches was insufficient even for a small dinghy.
A super mooring was found opposite the village with a huge recreational ground alongside, which was perfect for Jason.
The night was crystal clear.

September 15
It was raining when we awoke and continued on and off all morning. So much so that half an hour after leaving our mooring we stopped again at the first convenient spot. The rain eventually eased and we were on our way again towards Evesham. The river maintained its beauty.
As the fuel tank was below half full we stopped just before the Evesham Lock to purchase diesel, thanks to world affairs the price had gone up to 50p a litre. The most we had previously paid was 43p. It was fun reversing up to the diesel pump as the wind was across us and blowing us to where it wanted.
The day ended with us safely moored above the Evesham Lock after having done a turn around above the weir.

September 16
The rain had stopped by early morning and, though cloudy, it turned out to be a fine day. In the morning we explored Evesham, walking along the Lower Avon, through the Abbey Gardens and around the town centre which is full of quaint old half-timbered buildings hidden down narrow twisty streets. We left our moorings, taking great care to avoid being swept on to the weir, proceeding upstream towards our goal for that night, which was the mooring at George Billington Lock, three and a half miles away. We arrived just after lunch time and, as the weather was nice and dry, Peter completed the cleaning and waxing of the starboard side of the boat while Angela took Jason for a long walk.

September 17
The night, at 4 Degrees Celsius, was the coldest so far. Luckily, the inside of the boat wasn’t that cold. We left the mooring after giving the starboard side a second coat of wax and arrived at Bidford on Avon for lunch. We moored in the same spot as on the trip down river which was alongside the extensive recreational field. Being a Friday night we ate at the Frog and Bulrush, a local riverside pub.

September 18
As we progressed upstream the width of the river decreased and the current seemed to increase so much so that we had to increase engine revs just to maintain headway. We passed through six locks on our way back to Stratford. These locks in contrast to the locks on most of the canals are new, having been built during the last 35 years or so. The paddle mechanisms differ from those used on the BW locks and we find these are much easier to work, although the gates themselves can be just as heavy. The locks easily accept two narrowboats and on this return journey we had the pleasure of sharing several of the locks with other boats.
At the Stan Glover Lock we came across the luxury restaurant cruise boat “Countess of Evesham”. This double width boat, built in Evesham but moored in the Stratford Basin, takes tourists on a three hour cruise down to Luddington and gives them a meal on board. We were able to share one lock with them but the other locks were too narrow for the two of us. We were welcomed back into Stratford by a brass band (which happened to be playing in the park opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre) which is where we moored for the night.

September 19
Happy 93rd Birthday to Peter's Mum.
We returned to the cyber cafe in Stratford to update the website and after a trip to Somerfields, arranged with them to deliver the grocery shopping direct to the boat. This is one of the services that they offer and it saves us carrying heavy loads in plastic bags through town. Once the shopping had been delivered and was safely stored on board we left the mooring and continued upstream, under the bridges, to the point designated as the Safe Limit of Navigation (SLN). Along this section we passed through two large caravan/holiday home sites and many large well established houses. Shallow draft boats can continue a further mile upstream from the SLN but we did not risk being that adventurous. Instead, we turned around and made our way downstrean to the Stratford Basin.

September 20
We left Stratford in the morning returning up the Stratford on Avon Canal passing through Wilmcote and over the Edstone Aqueduct to Wooton Wawen, negotiating 17 locks on the way in 7 miles. Again we were lucky with the weather and were back into T-shirts and shorts. Our overnight mooring was in an oak grove complete with many squirrels much to Jason's delight and frustration as he still has to learn to climb trees.

September 21
Wootton Wawen is a pretty village that has been designated a conservation area. There are plenty of half timbered houses and a large late 17th Century hall standing proud across the parkland. The village is dominated by St. Peter's Church which dates from 1035 AD as part of an earlier Saxon monastic complex. There has been a church on this site from 720 AD. The church is interesting inside and well worth a visit.
Also worth a visit, just outside the village, is the Farm Shop and Craft Centre, where old farm buildings have been converted into small shops selling such items as childrens toys, lingerie, wooden and garden furniture, antiques and specialty foods. After sampling the wares in the excellent coffee shop(!) we returned to the boat to continue our journey back to Kingswood Junction where we turned onto the Grand Union Canal. Another 17 locks completed! We found it strange that today was the first time we had not seen any fishermen along the banks; we could not find a reason for this.

September 22
We had planned a short day which would have ended up at the top of the Hatton Flight of locks. However, after talking to a local narrowboat owner we decided that it would be better to tackle at least 19 of the 21 locks whilst the weather was good. (This turned out to be a wise decision). From the top of the flight fine views of the spires of Warwick can be seen which take the eye away from the lines of lock gates stretching out in front - a daunting sight for even the most resilient boatman. The locks are double and therefore easier to operate if there are two boats and thus more crew members to help with the paddles and gates. Unfortunateley another boat had left just half an hour before us and as no other boats were to be seen we had to carry on solo. Even so we arrived at the bottom in three hours and moored against the towpath under a clear blue sky.

Septemeber 23
It was raining when we woke up and continued to rain all morning. We were consequently soaked by the time we returned from collecting our mail from the Post Office. In pouring rain we moved our moorings to the Saltisford Canal Centre, a charity which allows visiting boaters to moor without charge for one night and which is conveniently near to Warwick town centre. The rain stopped after lunch and we took Jason for a walk. Where to? Up the flight of locks, of course! Blackberries were picked on the way down and eaten for supper.

September 24
Today we walked through the pretty town of Warwick again to visit the Castle. It was a splendid castle, in an excellent state of repair, with beautiful gardens including a peacock garden and we could easily have spent a whole day there if it hadn’t been for leaving Jason on the boat. We saw a longbow archery exhibition, a demonstration of the Trebuchet, a giant catapult which is the biggest in the world and a recent addition to the castle. It launched a 40 lb rock a distance of 250 yards. Next came visits to the State Rooms, the torture chamber and the dungeon. We saw an exhibition of a Weekend Visit when, for example, special guests such as the Prince of Wales a very young Winston Churchill visited the castle. There was a “Kingmaker” Exhibition where we were shown all the preparations which went on in the castle whenever the occupant went to war.

September 25
We left the Saltisford Arm and headed east along the Grand Union Canal which was wide and well maintained. A slight scare at Bridge 47 with kids throwing stones at the boat. No damage sustained. Tesco had a special mooring alongside their supermarket which we took advantage of to restock the boat. The canal continued through Royal Leamington Spa with well maintained locks. The paddles were fairly heavy which eased up after a couple of turns of the windlass. After Leamington Spa the canal, which was very shallow in places, crossed flat, open farmland. We tried mooring for the night in several places but found them too shallow. Eventually we stopped just above Lock 20 in a tremendous rainstorm.

September 26
The rain had stopped during the night so we did some minor maintenance work on the boat until lunchtime. Sections of the canal were heavily overgrown with reeds protruding from the banks. British Waterways are in the process of clearing it up and signs of dredging were seen. The Bascote Staircase Locks were interesting in that we passed one boat coming down as we went up. We moored at the top of Stockton Locks after going through 16 locks during the day. That evening we walked two miles along the towpath to the Calcutt Marina to arrange car parking for our next guests David and Caroline Hanington and picked blackberries and wild apples on the way back.

September 27
We moved our mooring nearer to Calcutt Marina and awaited the arrival of David and Caroline. That evening we had smoked salmon on Caroline’s home made bread washed down with a delicious glass of cold white wine on the foredeck.

September 28
David and Caroline turned out to be enthusiastic lock operators and we were soon through the three locks at Calcutt on our way to Napton Junction. Here we turned south west on the Coventry Canal, a canal which was narrow, very twisty, heavily weeded in places and busy. Our progress was made more difficult by a very blustery wind. We can thoroughly recommend The Folly Inn, the pub at Bridge 113 where we enjoyed their home made pies. Jason was also made very welcome. We turned around and dropped our guests at Napton Junction where they walked the short distance back to their car. The weather, having been sunny all morning, was now deteriorating quickly with huge black thunder clouds approaching fast. Our progress from Napton Junction towards Braunston was therefore cut short as we moored a couple of miles past Napton at Lower Shuckburgh. Other narrowboaters followed suit. The rain and wind that evening were tremendous.
During the afternoon we heard the wonderful news of the safe arrival of Emily Williams, second daughter to Sean and Maryanne and our second granddaughter.

September 29
The rain and wind passed during the night and the day dawned with a clear blue sky, amazing this English weather! We spent half the morning picking blackberries that we now eat even with porridge. The cruise to Braunston was uneventful; passing through very scenic countryside, sometimes open fields full of sheep, others recently ploughed; or through tunnels of oak, birch and willow trees. The hedgerows were full of berries, blackberries, rosehips, rowan and hawthorn. For some reason today this canal was very busy with many other narrowboaters using the waterway.
Braunston, apart from being a pretty little town, is an important crossroads in canal life with several large marinas and businesses associated with narrowboating. Because of this, mooring space is often limited and so having moored temporarily a little way out of town we reconnoitred the area on foot to locate a suitable spot. We were lucky and found good mooring close to the centre of activities.

September 30
After some minor maintenance on the boat and a few household chores we took Jason for a walk on one of the many footpaths in the area and managed to pick about 5lbs of blackberries. (Our freezer is now full). We enjoyed a delicious meal at The Plough during which we spent some time talking to a group of twelve men who, as a result of a scouting expedition years ago, have for the last 32 years hired a narrowboat for the weekend.

Piczo