Larry Jeram-Croft's Blog, page 4

Change of plan (that's assuming we had one in the first place)

We left Gas Street, in Brum, in the pouring rain after a rather refreshing alcohol free night (never go boating with doctors on board!!) .  The original plan was to head out and go  to Worcester down the notorious Tardebigge flight of a mere 56 locks - 36 in one flight.  However, Fi has a stinking cold so I started to look at alternatives.  In the end we turned on to the top of the Stratford canal and are heading to its junction with the Grand Onion so that we can hopefully moor up in Warwick for the weekend.  We've been there before and its really pleasant.  Mind you thats 21 locks of the Hatton Flight and a previous 22 on this canal - hang on I thought I was trying to minimise the locks!!  Still the BCN challenge was fun although we are not sure we will 'do' Birmingham again, The centre bit is great but getting in an out is a chore both in numbers of locks and in lack of 'ambience' (to be polite).
After that - who knows?? Although I have in mind to go up the Ashby canal, the other side of Coventry which  is another dead end but looks really pretty.

Gas Street basin, derelict for many years but now fully restored and with more restaurants than I've ever seen in one place before (shame there were no shops!)
More Gas Street with the old and the new


Meanwhile the dog continues to take it all too serioulsy

The challenge of Brum

After Fradley we headed south to yet another junction (Fazely), where we met up with our 'Scurvy Crew' Matt and Penny for the next adventure.  This was the Birmingham Canal Navigation 24 hour marathon.  The idea is that you cruise various parts of the Birmingham system and get awarded points for distance, locks, photos of certain places and answering treasure hunt type clues.  Despite intending to start out at Fazeley junction which would have given us maximum points for distance on our chosen route, we opted instead to move a bit further to where there was a rather good pub, which sort of summed up our approach.  There are 120 miles of canal in the system and it was obvious we weren't going to only do part of it but some canals were worth more points so we made an effort to go up these.  It started at 0800 and finished at 1400 the next day.  You are required to have at least 6 hours rest - we managed 15!  Partly because we had no intention of traveling at night and partly because of the mother of all thunderstorms overnight and nothing to do with wanting to stop and have few beers and a good sleep.  In the end 36 boats competed although one of them never finished as he sank in a lock!!  He was the only 'yogurt pot'  otherwise known as a fibre glass cabin cruiser and the only one on the event.  Apparently he hit something going in to a lock and punctured his hull.
We had some fun talking to other boats as they passed the other way although the fleeting look of horror on one ladies face as I shouted that the they were going the wrong way was a bit cruel (but quite funny).   One thing I found out is that the M5/M6 junction heading north has an aqueduct over it and it was quite a sight to look down on all the traffic.  I must have been up that road hundreds of times and not realised that narrow boats were passing overhead.  Another section goes completely underneath the raised section of the M5 as you pass through the city.
The finish was at the highest part of the system at Titford although I wasn't really sure whether we were floating in water or neat engine oil by that stage.  In fact many of the canals were pretty polluted and I need to have a session through my weed hatch soon to see what I've collected on my prop.  However the organisers were great as was the beer and the Blues band that evening.
We will be back to just two tomorrow and will head out back into the countryside. although one little bijou challengette will be the trip down the Tardebigge Flight of locks to the river Severn.  A mere 53 locks and 30 of them in one flight, oh and another 2 mile tunnel - can't wait.
The scurvy crew at the start looking far too happy.

One of the regular delights of the Birmingham system

One of our regular views of the M5 from a decidedly odd vantage point

Despite being less than 2 miles from the town center, this is the view as you approach via the water

Another Sunday another Sunday lunch

A restful few days at Fradley in glorious weather culminated in Sunday Lunch at the Mucky Duck.  Although it was a carvery it only got an 8 because the veg was overcooked, the Yorkshire was soggy and the spuds pretty average.  Still the ambience was good.  The pub's been there for over three hundred years and its nice to see it hasn't been ponced up as a modern 'gastro pub'.  Off to Fazely junction now to meet up with scurvy crew (Matt and Penny) so we can to the Birmingham Navigation Challenge starting on Saturday at 0800 - starting that early is going to be a shock to the system but we are not intending to take it too seriously - unless we all get a competitive streak at the last moment!!

A photograph of one of the most photographed pubs in the country

All aboard at the Mucky Duck

We're now at the very pretty Fradley junction where the Coventry canal meets the T&M and where we will be turning off on Monday.  We were warned that it is very crowded and it is.  However, as we approached we saw a gap that at first appeared far too small but when we got alongside was exactly 57 foot plus a tad.  We're a short walk away from the White Swan pub which is apparently one of the most photographed pubs in England and known as the Mucky Duck.  So Sunday lunch is booked and we have a couple of days in what should be excellent weather to do a few chores on the boat and generally loaf about.  There's even a bird sanctuary just past the pub so I might take my camera down and once more attempt the impossible, ie get a photo of a Kingfisher.

Snuggled into Fradley, even had time to do some washing

Sunday lunch not behaving badly

We entered the Trent and Mersey on Saturday and made our way down to the first pub on the section  (funny old thing).  This is the Plume of Feathers at Barlaston.  Sunday morning was spent in the usual clean the boat routine and we were all ready for scoff by midday.  The pub is actually owned by Neil Morrisey of Men Behaving Badly fame.  Its hard not to know that as its written on the outside walls and many of the internal walls are covered in his photos.  However, that did not detract from the meal which was outstanding and not expensive.  It came very close to a 10 but failed only because the roast spuds were a little soggy.  Still that's the best score we've ever given.
On to Stone tomorrow, its only a few miles and 8 locks but there is a chandlery there and I need an air filter for the engine and an anchor in anticipation of some rivers to come. 

So thats another one ticked off

We're back at the other end of the Caldon now at the junction with the Trent and Mersey at place called Etruria.  Heading south from now on until we reach the Birmingham area.  The Caldon was peaceful, twisty, shallow in places and very picturescue, some photos:

A lorra lorra bluebells
The junction between the Froghall and Leek arms.  We came up the one on the left and had to do the 180 turn onto the Leek arm - and it was a tad tight As an RYA Yachtmaster (Ocean) I find navigation on the canals slightly easier than the Atlantic
Will it fit?? It did (just) on the way up but who knows if the water levels have changed!!!!

Just a quick stop for a Leek

Yup we are now in Leek, well actually just outside the town and next to an industrial estate but you can't see it and its actually quite pretty.  This arm of the canal is only a few miles long and there is good shopping in Leek.  Most of it is in woodland which is currently full of bluebells.  To get to it we had to do a 170 degree turn out of a lock from the other arm of the canal which was 'interesting' to say the least and its the first time I've had to use one of our bank sticks to push the bow out and get us turning.  We're back down the Caldon tomorrow.  On the way I must fill the water tank to full to get the bow down as much as possible because there is one bridge in Stoke which we literally only just got under on the way up.  We should be in Etruria and back on the Trent and Mersey by the weekend.  Sorry no photos today 'cos I forgot to take any.

More of the Caldon

So the first Sunday Lunch of the trip was at the Rose and Crown at a little village called Stanley.  Pretty average to be honest as the meat was clearly precooked and who gives you chips with a roast???  Must be in a foreign country.  Anyway despite the soggy Yorkshire pud they managed an 8 purely because they had treacle sponge on the pudding menu.  Monday we moved on to a delightful spot called Caldon Forge, near the end of the canal.  Very quiet and quite beautiful although the pub was pretty good too. Oh and the weather was stunning. The only problem was that there was no television or phone signal, still that did us no harm.   Now we've turned back and are in the village of Chedleton not the least because I need to find a garage and get some anti freeze for the engine.  Probably go to Leek tomorrow which is down a side arm of the canal and apparently voted one of the most desirable villages to live in in England.

Just a pretty lock in the middle of nowhere

All steamed up

So, a new canal for us - the Caldon. It weaves through 'delightful' Stoke on Trent and then out into the countryside.  We had been warned that some of the bridges were rather low.  I was dreading having to take the solar panels apart again.  Bridge 9 was the lowest and I reckon we cleared it by at least half an inch so no need to get the spanners out.
We stopped for lunch at the village of Milton and then headed off.  A minute later and I noted that the engine overheat light was on and very soon steam was appearing around the engine hatch.  'Hmm maybe something's wrong,' I thought.  A quick pull over to the canal side and off with the motor.  I then lifted the hatch to a massive cloud of steam.  Once it had cleared it was easy to see that an engine hose had split, luckily it was at the end and so all I had to do was cut off the bad section and refit it.  Ten minutes later we were off again.  Disaster averted until Fi quietly wondered what would have happened if it had split the day before in the 2 mile long Harecastle tunnel!!!!
Our quest now was to find somewhere to stop for Sunday Lunch.  The one canal side pub was still a long way off and after ringing them it was also completely booked up.  So we've found a relly pretty and quiet bit of bank and will stay here.  Apparently, there is a good pub a decent dog's walk away.  The alternative is a local golf club and I do have a set of bats on the boat.  You never know.


Sometimes a picture needs no caption

Jacaranda goes topless

They say that Poor Planning Prevents P**s Poor Performance which is why I carefully checked the height restrictions of the Harecastle tunnel some time ago.  7'6'' was the number I found and I measured the boat at 6'6'' so no worries.  Get to the tunnel entrance and the CRT tunnel keeper took one look at the boat and told me that the limit was 5'9''!!!!!!!!!!  We nudged up to the height guage over the entrance and yes, he was right.  It didn't help that with all the recent rain the water level was up 6 inches.  So what to do? It was the solar panel boxes that were the problem.  First thoughts were to remove them somehow but there would be nowhere to put them.  There was no way they would fit inside the boat.  The solution was to take the panels off and lay them down on the roof next to their wooden bases.  Sounds easy? Hah, an hour and a half later with much help from the tunnel keeper and we were ready and I'm glad we did it as the tunnel is incredibly low in places.  In fact while we were rebuilding the boat on the other side another boat came out and the guy on the helm had blood on his forehead - apparently he head butted part of the roof!
So we are moored just south of the tunnel now and plan to head up the Caldon, through Stoke on Trent tomorrow. The only problem might be more low bridges, still at least I can reverse away from them.  With the forecast, a nice country pub is the aim for Sunday.




Friendly tunnel keeper showing his carpentry skills.