A Jaunt before a Journey
“We’d like to see you over Easter,” Cheshire Mum had said.
There were gentle enquiries and then more probing questions about what plans there might be for a face to face gathering. Eventually a confession emerged: “We’d like to do some steering practice,” announced Cheshire Mum, speaking on behalf of The Cheshire Three.
When Cleddau’s home base was on the Macclesfield Canal family liaisons afloat were more frequent. There were often extra windlass wielders at Bosley Locks, picnics at Bugsworth and lock help up and down ‘Heartbreak Hill’.
Even since relocating further south there have been crew days on the Staffs and Worcs (see Penkridge last year https://www.boatwif.co.uk/boat-update/up-to-the-staffs-and-worcs-summit), assistance on the Hatton Flight in May 23 (https://bullfrog-owl-d98b.squarespace.com/boat-update/hallo-avon-hallo-hatton) and the Northampton Arm in September ’22 (https://www.boatwif.co.uk/boat-update/to-northampton-and-beyond).
Cheshire Mum (a meteorologist by degree) always relishes a reason for pressure chart and cloud study. “Sunday looks the best day weather-wise,” she concluded, and a wise choice it was…
A warm and rain-free day was ideal for an introduction to the delights of the western end of the Leicester Line. Out of the marina, turn left. The canal runs alongside the marina, past the somewhat dilapidated buildings at Crick Wharf and on through Crick Tunnel.
On the other side there were lambs to look at,
birds overhead
and a convenient winding hole just before Watford Locks.
Gongoozlers now, the Cheshire Three observed boats descending the 4 chamber staircase at Watford.
Eagle-eyed Techno Son-in-Law spotted this tiny sign on a lock gate:
and if you go to http://www.viabeata.co.uk/ you’ll discover a pilgrimage route across the U.K. from east to west, from Lowestoft to St Davids…
Back then to Cleddau for a lunch on board, a trundle back past the fields of lambs and a return trip through Crick Tunnel. Onwards, past Crick Marina (and some ducklings)
for just half a mile, to moor up below Cracks Hill.
It’s only a 30 metre/ 98 foot climb to the top of this glacial moraine* but the effort is worth it for the views
and the information.
It had been a lovely day and one occasional crew member thoroughly refreshed her steering skills…
*’Techno Son-in-Law’, a natural goatherd, was all for taking the direct vertical route up Cracks Hill. A slightly less steep climb was used by bearing right and approaching the summit from the back of the hill
6.1 miles, 2 tunnel passages, 2 crew explorer walks
After the Jaunt came preparations for a Journey. Three days later, boat laden with fresh food stocks and a few bits of light weight clothing, Cleddau again set off, turned left, sallied past the VW Beetle at sad-looking Crick Wharf,
through the tunnel,
deploying horn and all 43 horses of engine power in a reverse at Bridge 10 to avoid an oncoming boat…
Onwards then under Bridge 9a (being crossed at the time by an extremely long Tesco train),
past the sheep and the lambs to arrive within an hour at the top of Watford Locks.
There was a half hour wait until an upcoming boat had cleared the locks. Then it took about 40 minutes for Cleddau’s descent.
What followed was a meander along past various familiar but curious sightings to the end /start of the Leicester Line.
Within an hour boat and crew had arrived at the three-way waterways junction where the Leicester Line joins the main line of the Grand Union Canal.
Normal focus is on the Brentford - Birmingham signpost and the very pretty cottage that sits looking south towards the Buckby flight of locks. Gasp, it was true then, that there’s been a lot of hedge work at Norton Junction.
One blast of the horn to signify a right turn. There was the lovely stretch of moorings and the yearned for evening view (seen here while still in cruise mode)
but the view was not to be - the tempting mooring space behind the breasted-up work boats was long enough
but the towpath is a muddy morass where streams spill out of the hedge across the path…
A bit further on a suitable though rather enclosed mooring was found.
It was a quiet night but at 7am conditions became extremely rowdy. There was a great racket from the engine room: was the Webasto (hot water and heating system) about to explode? Would the dinning decibels bring complaints from nearby boaters? Was the day ahead to involve not the planned onward journey but a return to base for engineering assistance…?
Crick to Norton Junction (near Bridge 9): 5.4 miles, 1 tunnel passage, 7 narrow locks
