It was too much of an ask!

 Dec 23rd

Moorings by Bridge 2 were so very, very quiet. In fact, our plan to get away early went by the wayside as it was after 8 am when we woke. With 18 miles to do, it was a rapid wash and dress, breakfast would be on the move, and we managed to get underway by 8.30am. Initially the going was good, plenty of water under FS's hull and we made good time. Then conditions changed, even with the revs at 1800 we couldn't get much speed. Also, vegetation became an issue, plenty of branches down and bushes lying across the water. In some places it was like driving a chicane, going from one side to another.

 We took turns in steering, that icy wind was blowing directly in our faces, and doing a long stint wasn't fair on either of us. So it happened that I was below when lots of clattering came from above. Rushing to see what was what, Ian had tried to avoid another fallen bush but failed to see the overhanging branch on the offside. Consequently, it nearly took our Wi-Fi aerial from where Ian had laid it to rest. I took over while Ian walked down the gunnel to make it more secure, hoping he wouldn't lose his footing and end up going for a swim!

 By the time we reached Market Bosworth, enough was enough. We could have gone further, at least until the light faded, but it was now 3 pm. I was ever so glad to see a mooring free at the end of the 2-day mooring. So we never did make Shackerstone, only another 3 miles to do tomorrow, and fingers crossed a mooring would be found there.

Market Bosworth visitor mooring.

 

Dec 24th

Another cold and windy day. The only difference to yesterday was the sun was out, if only that wind would die down, it would be a great day for a cruise.

 Anyway, I was at the helm for those last three miles. Ian was making a banana cake! It's usually something I do, but he has a bread maker recipe, so who was I to say no. 

Not bad. 

Passed another moored boat with no sign of anyone on board, the stern seemed to come a long way out from the bank. Maybe slack rope, I thought? I was concerned at what I saw. A chain around a board which had come away from the bolts. As I came past, the board rose out of the water and the chain was but a few inches from the end. I do hope it holds, otherwise this boat may end up across the canal.

 

At a blind bridge hole, a boater was met. Both of us saw each other at the same time and brakes applied rapidly. I was further through the bridge so got waved on, the other boater had to breast up with a moored boat to allow me to pass. Then as I got through yet another boat appeared. Gosh, it was tight passing each other, but having two boats coming away from Shackerstone bod well for a mooring to be found. And coming through Bridge 52, a space appeared just about long enough to slot FS in. 

 

So here we are, moored safe and sound and all ready for Christmas Day to celebrate with the family, It  just remains for us both to say to you all,

Have a very Merry, Wonderful and Happy Christmas 

m 

Early starts and long days.

21st Dec 

 Gosh, I can't remember the last time we got away early, 8 am, we pulled pins and crept past the line of boats. Our reasoning was to get through Braunston Tunnel without meeting anyone. This tunnel is notorious for the 'kinky bits' and sods law says one always meets another boat at these points. Anyway, it was a relief to look through the entrance and see a small pinprick of daylight at the other end and not a headlight!

j

A kinky bit

  

Took a tad under 20 minutes to get through. Ian was at the helm, and he certainly didn't hang around!

 

 At Braunston locks, I was told that we had just missed a boat going down. Oh well, maybe that person would see us and hang fire at the next lock until we came, and yes, that was exactly what happened.

Top lock

No  one was with it, strange, but turned out he had gone down to set the next lock while waiting for us.

Beautiful staffs

 

We only managed two locks with him. In the next lock a boat had just entered, must have been moored in one of the pounds.  Our 'locking buddy' jumped ship, so to speak, left us behind and went down with them.

 Braunston had plenty of spaces had we wanted to stop, still too early to do that, and I was determined to get to Rugby for a last shop before Christmas.

 

 So onwards, down the flight of 3 at Hillmorton Locks.

 

  And then the long cruise to Rugby. Only spaces at the end of a line of boats were found, the towpath was almost impossible to walk on, thick squelchy mud which tried sucking your shoes from your feet! Walking to Tesco was a challenge, coming back with heavy bags was even worse! Having cruised for over 6 hours, the decision was made to stay overnight, not ideal as it was very noisy, a roundabout right opposite the mooring and everyone rushing in cars to get those last-minute gifts.  Thank goodness it was Sunday and the shops closed early.

22nd December

A favourite place of mine is Old Oak's Wood. I have seen this in every season now, but a wish to see it in the snow. Maybe one day, but due to climate change, I'm not holding my breath.

New moorings past the wood

Anyway, it was another early start, the wind had picked up and a real icy chill in the air. As mentioned above, Old Oak Wood was passed. We reached a section on a long straight where slippage had occurred a year or two ago, blocking the canal and towpath. It appears that the towpath is now permanently shut along this section. There are gates on one end and Harris fencing on the other, although we did notice that people have been climbing the bank to get around. Another observation. Seen on the slope before the slippage, loads of rabbit holes and one of the culprits in plain sight! As much as I hate to see wildlife removed from their homes, this is one place where more slippage could occur if they are not evicted.

Where the slippage was. A massive amount of work has been done to make it stable.

 

All day, not another boat on the move, but typical...we meet one at Stretton swing bridge!

At Sutton Stop, the original elsan was out of action, but CRT had put in a temporary one. Massive mistake made, though.... no water to rinse the cassettes! If we had known, a bucket with canal water would have been used to do the job, and rinsing could have been done that way. As it was, we had to put a dirty cassette back, not ideal and not pleasant to the nose!

Sutton Stop lock. A rise of about 6 inches.

Bringing FS into the lock, a huge branch came in with me. It had to be removed!

 It's usually me who does the turn onto the Coventry Canal, Ian shuts the gate and walks to where I pick him up on the narrow section, but today....a very nice gentleman offered to close the gate, so no excuse for him not to do it. I relinquished the tiller and waited to see how he did.

 

Blast...it was a textbook manoeuvre, no reverse required. Is there nothing my 'man that can' can't do?

So we did make the Ashby Canal. Another brilliant turn made by Ian, I stayed at the bow looking for water voles. In the past, I have been lucky, but not today. 

 

Just past bridge 2, we found a lovely quiet mooring. Tomorrow we hope to make Shackerstone, our destination for Christmas. It's a good 18 miles away, and the Ashby has always been shallow in places, slowing us down, so there is no guarantee of making it. We will see!

And seen on route,

Bank collapse and towpath closed before bridge 19 if I remember rightly

On our way at last.

 Dec 17th

A sunset and sunrise 12 hours apart! 

Sunset 16th Dec

Sunrise 17th Dec

 Pretty spectacular and not something seen together. I took this from the web

A red sunset followed by a very red sunrise (about 12 hours later) often means lots of dust/particles in the air, indicating approaching fair weather from the west (red sunset = good weather ahead) but potentially messy weather coming (red sunrise = warning) or just the same atmospheric conditions persisting, often linked to high pressure or wildfire smoke, scattering blue light to reveal reds and oranges. The key is light scattering through more atmosphere and particles like dust, pollution, or moisture, making longer-wavelength reds visible.  

So now I've given you all a bit of this extremely useful bit of information, back to the blog.

15th December

We left the next day, the noise of the trains were tolerable but getting slightly further from the railway seemed like a good idea, especially as wherever we stopped would be our home for the next 5 or 6 days. Our destination, then, was Nether Heyford, ideal for the small 'One Stop' grocery store and the butchers a short walk down a country lane and best of all, no noise from the trains at all. The weather was also iffy, rain, torrential at times came and went throughout our stay, but that was nothing to the constant wind gusts making FS a rock and a roll and the sleepless nights it caused of an unwelcome rattling coming from 'we knew not where! We just hunkered down, stoked up the fire, found a jigsaw to do and sat it out for 5 days.

 

It was today, Saturday 20th, when we pulled pins and left for Long Buckby. Our delay of a day was because we re-read the CRT stoppage notice of when the locks opened and realised that, although they were due to complete the stoppage on the 19th, the locks wouldn't reopen until 4 pm that day. Fully expecting a long queue, we deemed it best to delay getting to the bottom of Long Buckby flight until later in the day. So it was 9 am when we left, stopped for diesel at Rugby boats and a few yards further on, a water stop to fill the tank.

 

Arrived at the bottom lock a tad too late to buddy up with an ascending boat, we saw them in the distance and did wonder if they had seen us.  But no, resigned ourselves to be by ourselves going up the flight but then, coming out of the marina, another boat. Yea...we had a buddy after all. 

On the approach to the lock. Dark Blue boat was mooring.

Bless, he admitted he was 78, had only just bought the boat (in fact tonight would be his first night on board) and although he had been boating before, was no longer the agile person he used to be (Amen to that! How many of us are!!) Ian helped as much as he could, we made sure to allow him to go on the side where the ladder was nearest to the stern (yep he said he would do his bit by climbing the ladder and pulling paddles) and I suggested we go through one gate to save him from stopping to close his gate. Such a nice chap and, although we took longer to ascend the flight than normal, enjoyed his company immensely. 

 Moorings were hard to find once we left the top lock. Our locking buddy found one soon after Norton Junction, and I managed to get FS at the end of a long line of boats right by the bridge. Thankfully, plenty of room for boats to came past.

Top lock Long Buckby

 

 

Tomorrow will be an early start. We want to make either Mkt Bosworth or Shackerstone on the Ashby by the 24th, in time for our son-in-law to pick us up Christmas evening. There is still a long way to go! 

And the reason for the stoppage, 

New lock gates top lock, Long Buckby