The occasional adventures of the Cleddau crew
Yes, mad boaters and Welsh folk Go out in the midday sun… We set off from Hawkesbury Junction (near Coventry) at 0735 this morning and moored up at Braunston at about 1545. En route we passed through several fine tunnels or underpasses: two in the Rugby area depict the history and famous players of that game (no camera in hand at the critical moments, unfortunately) but the one at Newbold-on-Avon is a positive delight, spot-lit in purple and green....
Warwickshire: below Atherstone to Hawkesbury Junction, 5 miles from Coventry Basin A busy morning followed by a chugging sort of afternoon: 11 locks in the Atherstone flight, generally arranged in blocks of two, but spread out over about a mile. Today my mind has become aware of how one’s senses become more aware of new experiences when one is travelling slowly (absolutely not an original thought, I know). Last night, I began to sense a strange noise: drum percussion? South...
Moored up mid-afternoon about two miles from Atherstone Bottom Lock (so we have the flight of 11 to look forward to tomorrow morning…). Atherstone is in Warwickshire but we didn’t notice any glaring county boundary signs here, or for Staffordshire either. A day of structures and domestics: The Coventry Canal wends and weaves its way roughly south eastwards; it largely follows the contours, hence today there have been two locks only (at Glascote, Tamworth). For the first time since setting out...
From sunhats to rainhats, from sunscreen to waterproof gloves: the planning and packing for waterways “climate change” has proved worthwhile! It was a quiet start to the morning as there were few other boat movements. The Trent and Mersey is delightfully rural in this stretch, especially around Weston- upon -Trent and Little Haywood. There are hints of the River Trent to the south, sometimes parallel with the canal, and wooded low hills behind. Cows and sheep graze in the meadows;...
An early (0735) departure so as to get ahead and keep ahead of the queue-jumping convoy and to get some miles south of Stoke-on-Trent. The towpath throughout Stoke is in superb condition, frequently used by cyclists. The water is deep and fast time can be made on the longer sections between locks. The canal passes long empty warehousing, atmospheric as birds fly in through the bare window holes. Some fat bottle kilns are besides old china-loading wharves, others standing either...
How fresh the air smelt this morning. Our start at about 0830 was rewarded by masses of sweet birdsong (and one craarching voice on trees just north of Congleton). Six magpies had a mighty squabble at one point: feathers flew and pride was injured! Insects darted and hovered on the offside, all about two feet above the surface of the water. Why only on one side, I wondered. Domestically today saw a personal triumph: the washing machine quietly and efficiently...
Our departure from Lyme View coincided with sharp north easterly winds, which meant that it took four attempts to ease away from the pontoon, do the sharp right hand turn necessary to pass the other boats and then make the sharp left to the exit onto the canal. Only fierce activity by Ken with the heaviest barge pole managed to combat the effects of the wind… Our boat trips have rarely been drama-free; three hours into the trip, and only...
So Part 2 of the 2010 Project has been reached! Bang on the Target Day, 15th June, narrowboat (nb) Cleddau drew out of her mooring at Lyme View, Poynton, on the Macclesfield Canal. But what of Part 1 of the Project? After all, it has taken a full 5, pretty focused, months to arrive at Part 2. For those with any knowledge of our 60’ long boat perhaps the following details will help: a persistent window leak in the front...
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