Narrowboat Just Heaven

Another latish breakfast then down to the water point by the trip boats for a top up. The weather was pleasantly warm and we arrived in Stourport by early afternoon. We prefer to moor on the river pontoons and there was just about enough room between a small cruiser and another narrowboat. Lots of people were about on the grass by the basins enjoying the sunshine. We went for a walk along the far bank of the river down almost to Lincomb lock and back, then relaxed in the sun reading with a glass of wine. The narrowboat left later, to be replaced fairly quickly by a hire boat, then a series of hire boats came up river looking for moorings. Even though the last 60ft or so of pontoon are clearly marked “for lock use only” a large cruiser arrived, moored up and all the occupants went off to the pub. This caused difficulties for some later arrivals who wanted to use the locks.

We were already in bed when, at about 10 mins to 10, the guy on the small cruiser started his generator (which he had placed by the back of our boat). Heddi got our of bed and went up and asked him to turn it off, which he did grudgingly.

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Woke up to light drizzly rain, which lasted until about 10 o’clock. So we had a leisurely breakfast waiting for the weather to improve. Eventually we dropped down Avon lock and out onto the Severn. An uneventful trip up to Worcester where we are moored in our usual spot just upstream of the rowing clubs.

We went into town to do a bit of shopping in the afternoon and then back for a meal onboard and an early night.

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It’s our 38th Wedding Anniversary!

We moored up at the recreation ground in Pershore for a bit of shopping and breakfast. Andrew & Wendy Dyke were there with Lord Toulouse. They were waiting for someone to come and replace the alternator after it been pouring out smoke on the way down from Evesham. They are due out on the Saul to Lechlade Centennial cruise in a few weeks and were glad that the alternator went now rather than then.

We arrived in Tewkesbury about 4:00 and already there was hardly any mooring space, but we squeezed in just past the lock.

Another barbecue to celebrate the wedding anniversary in lovely evening sunshine.

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A great trip down the Avon. Weather was good and most of the locks were in our favour. A brief stop for lunch at Offenham (George BIllington)  lock, and then on to moor for the night at Wyre lock. We moored against the lock island in the weir stream. There are picnic benches where we spent a warm evening watching people and boats.

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As we still had another day to catch up on the schedule we left early, before 7 o’clock. Another lovely warm sunny day took us down to Stratford. Again the were lots of boats about, and again we got into a queue at locks. Firstly behind a boat full of teenagers on an ‘experience’ weekend. When they stopped for water we were in another queue. This time behind two Anglo-Welsh boats with a party of Americans onboard.

Barrel roofed cottage

On arriving in Bancroft basin the Americans got one of their boats into a bit a pickle while trying to moor in a space that was considerably shorter than the boat. We breasted up with one of the traders boats and watched the fun. Eventually they decided that there wasn’t room for them in the basin and they went to buy licences for the Avon. I also got a licence and expected them to go down together, but they didn’t. So I suggested that we go down with the second boat. We found a good spot opposite the RSC. At my suggestion they breasted up their two boats a little further along.

As usual Stratford was bustling and busy with tourists & day trippers until about 6 o’clock when it went quiet.

We had an early wedding anniversary meal at Cafe Rouge.

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Another long day today, 10 miles an 28 locks.

A really good boating day, lovely warm sunshine and lots of boats about with people to natter to at locks. Again we set off fairly early and reached Lapworth top lock at around 10ish. There was a queue of three boats ahead of us. The boat immediately in front was an Anglo-Welsh hire boat with a dad, mum & teenage daughter. The dad did all the steering and most of the lock work. Mum didnt seem to know what she was supposed to be doing (and looked like she didnt want to break her nails!), the daughter seem to have more idea, but less enthusiasm. We followed them down the first 18 locks then they stopped for water. Several of the boats in the queue joined the Grand Union at the junction, so we were only in a queue of one from then on. This was a man and his wheelchair bound wife on an Alvechurch boat. As he was effectively single handed we did the bottom gates and paddles for him at each lock.

Typical Stratford bridge

We had arranged to meet our friend Bob at Lowsonford, at the Fleur de Lys pub. There was very little mooring space when we arrived but we squeezed in a space with a few inches to spare.

A great evening was had catching up with Bob & John.

During the day I had found someone in Stourbridge who could fix the car, and made an appointment for him first thing Monday morning. That meant that we had to be back in Kinver a day and half earlier than we had planned.

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A lovely warm day today. Surprisingly few boats about. The sky was clear and bright so we made a start before seven o’clock. There was a bit of panic when we got to Netherton tunnel. Our tunnel light didn’t work! Normally Heddi steers in tunnels. She doesn’t like tunnels much and finds that concentrating on steering takes her mind of it. But this time as she couldn’t see a thing a bit of panic set in. So I steered whilst she held two torches at the front. Eventually my eys got used to the dark and we got through OK. Then on along the new main line into central Birmingham, where we had a rather late breakfast moored by the Sea Life centre.

We had planned to go shopping in Kidderminster yesterday for food, but obviously that was not possible. This meant we needed to find a supermarket. I remembered that a new Sainsbury’s had been built somewhere near the canal in Selly Oak. It took us a while to find it. The variuos towpath walkers we asked didnt seem to know. So, after stocking up we set off again. The original plan was to stop as soon as safe after King’s Norton junction. But, as we wanted to make up extra time to sort out the car problem, we went on to just after Shirley lift bridge.

It was a lovely evening so we had a barbecue.

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We are now moored just outside Merryhill shopping centre on the Dudley canal, but at one point today I didn’t think we’d make it!

We set off from home at around 7:30 but, as we left the M5 at junction 6 it was obvious that something was wrong with the car. I had great difficulty in changing gear. A couple of miles further on it was worse so I pulled into a layby. The clutch wouldn’t disengage. I had to stop by turning the engine off!

We called Britannia Rescue, they said someone would with us in a hour. A guy turned up in a van, fiddled around for a few minutes and said “Your clutch is gone”. He arranged for a rescue truck to pick us up. Rather than be taken home we decided to carry on to Kinver, go off on our planned cruise and sort the car out later.

By the time we arrived at Kinver, got the car off the truck and unloaded it was half past one. So much for an early start!

So we have done 6 miles and twenty eight locks this afternoon, fairly impressive I think! We were lucky in that almost all were in our favour. Also we have a good system for going up flights where we work semi-single handed. The crew closes the bottom gates, opens the top paddles then goes on to prepare the next lock. The steerer opens & closes the top gate and drops the paddles before going on. We swap roles every 3 or 4 locks.

We got here in just over 5 hours, now tired and ready for bed.

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Just an overnight stay to check things are OK and to relax a little after the stress & trauma of Heddi’s dad’s funeral.
We arrived yesterday morning, had lunch then went for a walk through the woods to Stourton, back down the towpath from Stewponey lock, then to Wittington Horse bridge and back along the far bank.
We have a new neighbour. A small cruiser called “Wobbly Bob” is now moored between us and the lock. This means that our view of the lock is now obscured, but also that we are no longer the last boat in the line, so less likely to get hit by boats approaching the lock.
The afternoon was spent washing the side of the boat (it was covered in grass splatters from BW’s strimming again) and a few odd jobs.

The canal was busy with quite a few boats about. Around five o’clockish a small GRP cruiser was coming up to the lock when it’s engine cut out just as they passed us. they managed to get into the side. There was various activity on board, then after a while a woman approached us and asked if we knew where the nearest filling station was. They had run out of petrol. There isnt a garage in Kinver, but I thought that I had seen one near to Stewponey lock. We checked in the “First mate Guide“, but that didnt mention one.

After a bit more discussion the woman’s husband set off up the towpath with a jerry can. This left on board the woman, two young children and an older man. They were still on the lock mooring bollards and were a bit in the way for boats approaching the lock. I suggested that we help them bow haul the boat through the lock as there is plenty of space above. However this was their first ever trip in the boat and they didnt feel confident without the guy who had gone off looking for fuel. So they pulled the boat back nearer to Wobbly Bob.

About this time a narrowboat came towards the lock, the steerer called out “are you going through?” when they said “No”, he started to shout and yell at them for being in the way. the woman tried to explain that they were out of fuel, but he wouldn’t listen and became abusive and pushed her out of the way. He then went up to the lock and quickly started working the paddles for the hire boat in front without checking with them first.
A woman who was with the abusive boater came back to the woman on the cruiser and tried to excuse his behaviour  by saying he was tired as they had been following the slow hire boat all day. The poor woman from the cruiser was in tears, it was their first boating trip and she thought that they had done something seriously wrong. After the narrowboat had gone we went up to her and tried to reassure her that he was in the wrong and that there was no excuse for such behaviour and that the majority of boaters are friendly and helpful.

After almost two hours her husband returned with some fuel. he had walked all the way back to Ashwood marina to get his car.  The boat with the abusive boater was moored just above the lock. When the husband from the cruiser went up to see him, the abusive boater refused to speak to him. I hope the event hasn’t put them of boating.

This morning we went for a very pleasant walk up on Kinver edge, then left for home after an early lunch as I had a blood donor appointment.

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