At Cropredy....phase 1

I just did a short 45 minute cruise so that I was close to Cropredy, well, a 20 minute stroll. I had found a gig that I wanted to go to at the Brasenose Arms. I am also as close to a bus route as it gets around here so I walked to Williamscote and got a GA01/2 (don’t ask) bus to Braunston where I’d left the car. I popped into Daventry for a few provisions and then parked up on a lane near the boat’s mooring. I went for a little walk before fetching up at the pub. In effect I was sussing out moorings for next week. There is one good place but only room for half a dozen boats. It’s a 14 day mooring but some of the boats there look as if they are fairly well ensconced.


The crowd at the pub are amazing. As a people watcher I had loads of material. There was so much tie die and those hippie trousers we used to wear; leather waistcoats; dreadlocks; that sweet cigarette smell from the 60’s (wink wink); etc. Next to me were a table of boaters: a lovely family with three little daughters who were delightful, especially the little one who wanted to keep up with her sisters. They were with several boaters who got more and more drunk as the evening wore on (in a nice way). One had come over on his bike and I feared for his safety cycling back along the towpath. There was also a woman who appeared to be on her own but unlike me, who was sitting quietly trying to be invisible, she was in a world of her own dancing to the music in a unique and idiosyncratic way. For those reading this who know her, think Karaoke Karen stylee. Anyway a couple from South of Oxford came to share my table and we had a great chat about music. She was my age and he was, perhaps, a decade older, so we had much in common re gigs and artists and experiences. She had broken both of her legs a few weeks ago falling down some steps at Tesco (so it happens to all of us when we reach a certain age - your art of balance just disappears). The band were pretty good, lots of slide guitar and a fiddle, but firmly placed in the rock-blues genre. The drummer used to be with Status Quo, apparently.

Today, I awoke to find the boat on a slope, I’d tied her up too tight and the water had risen. It was like walking on the side of a hill. I’m off to Banbury later to find a mooring where I can leave Olivia until I can bring her back up to Cropredy for the festival. The Brasenose has got a fantastic line up for the festival weekend including King King (who we saw at Upton last week), Letherat (who are playing the main festival, too) and Ashley Hutchings’ Rainbow Chasers plus many others. Should be great.

The long and winding.....canal

A non-descript start to the day weatherwise - grey cloud - as the BBC are wont to say. But it was warm and there has been no wind at all. The canal was as still as a millpond. The first boat that passed by did not return my “good morning” and just seemed to ignore my presence. I know the boat from my local area and it got me thinking about people and why they end up like they do. A good morning costs nothing and I think it makes us all feel better. Perhaps they had just hada row and didn’t feel goodmorning-ish. This part of the canal is very winding and you cruise about four times the distance that the crow flies but it is soooo pretty. I did three hours this morning and then dropped down five locks this afternoon so I am now only two miles from Cropredy but am much too early for the festival so think I’ll go to Banbury and then turn round and attempt to get a prime mooring position closer to the time.

Through beautiful countryside

I am moored at a really quiet spot in the Warwickshire countryside heading towards Oxfordshire. Unusual for the canal system, there is no railway line close by and no motorways or even A roads either. Pure peace. I had a long cruising day today (for me, anyway): almost three hours this morning and then three and a half hours this afternoon. There was no wind to speak of and it was warm, a good cruising day. I did get caught in a heavy shower which lasted about “three locks” but I soon dried out. (See what funny timescales we resort to when on the waterways!). The scenery on this part of the journey is lovely with winding canals, gentle hills, windmills (!) and pastures. I met lots of really nice, helpful people at Napton Locks: the Swedish family, the Ozzies, quite a few hire boat families including some sisters and their children and children’s friends, and a special mention goes to Milo and his mother who not only helped but Milo (about 5 years old) directed operations and blew his whistle to inform me that the lock was full and I could go. “See you next time” he said. Sweetheart.

21st July

Yesterday I came back on board after a fabulous weekend at Upton Blues Festival. It was such a nice evening that I decided to go up through the locks. Most of the mooring spaces were taken but I found a convenient Olivia sized space behind a big old former work boat. We had a drop of rain overnight but it quickly dried up and it was a lovely sunny morning. I cruised down close to Braunston but needed to walk back for the car which I hope I can leave for 3 or 4 nights now. By the time I’d got back to Olivia it was already 5pm so I decided to chill out with some reading rather than cruise on and then struggle to find a mooring. I promise to do a bit more tomorrow. Where I’m moored tonight there are lots of big bees but they are not striped but are black with just a tan bottom. Are these foreign bees? I notice another marina being excavated at Barby. At this rate there will be no quiet areas left any more following the adage “If we build it, they will come”.

13th July

Well I had to give up on the blog until I could get home to sort out my mobile broadband. I think I've sorted it now. I hadn't understood the particular deal I'd signed up for so I had no credit left. No doubt I'll suss it out eventually! We have had such good weather all the time that I've been cruising and only deteriorated the day before I came home. I took a chilled cruise down the Coventry canal through Polesworth, where I met Mick & Bet on their boat, Atherstone, Hartshill and Brinklow to Rugby. Had a lovely walk up through Hartshill Country Park and the viewpoint. I also had a day in Coventry - at the gallery and cathedral as well as a bit of shopping. With the lack of rain, parts of the canal were qute shallow and I did get a bit stuck in mud once or twice. I just pushed the stern out into deeper water and reversed out of it. Anyway I don't mind rhis rain while I'm back at work (the gardens need it) except that it is our students' graduation tomorrow so hope it brightens up for them. I'm at Upton Blues Festival for the weekend and back on board Olivia about Tuesday.

July 7th 2010

Well today I am in Lichfield and I am in the library using their internet. Fab. Why do we bother owning stuff when we can use this facility. So I have updated blog back to 3rd July. I think I know what my mobile broadband problem is, but as I can't access it I shall have to wait until I get back home to attempt it. I'm getting a network connection but no internet so I think I have failed to register properly when I changed over to BT. Shame on you - IT lecturer :-). (Well I always said I wasn't a techie).

Travelling into Lichfield was interesting - eavesdropping on conversations. First old boy to second old boy as a third passes by and greets them: "Is that the oldest one?" Second: "Nah, that's the tall one." First: "He's gone grey, in't 'e?" Then, First: "Does he still work at the box factory?" Second: "Nah, hasn't worked for years." First: "He was working last year at box factory. They moved to Tam'orth." Second: "Nah he in't worked in years." First: " Is that the oldest one?" Second: "Nah, that's the TALL one". I loved it. I might move here :-).

I'm going to get some culture in a mo and visit the Heritage Centre and possibly some other place connected to Samuel Johnson. Also I could really do with a haircut so might have to try and fit one of those in too. Anyway, it is great to be back on line!

July 6th 2010

Quite busy this morning, you would have thought it was a weekend! Did last five locks for a long while as I made my way to Fradley Junction. The locks are still vicious - poor Olivia keeps getting a bumped nose! Went to a café for lunch alongside the last two locks. Must have felt holiday-ish as I bought myself an icecream. Nice. Started off again to Whittington so I can get a bus into Lichfield tomorrow - I’m having a day off. It turned a bit cold and breezy so was glad to moor up at 5.30pm.

July 5th 2010

A much better day again. The wind has dropped and it’s sunny and bright. My bow fender (which I fixed with a bodge last year) split and I did another fix with baling string. Hope it holds out for a while. Today’s cruise was really nice, pretty, especially as the river joins the canal on the way onto Alrewas. Had a little walk and did some reading.

July 4th 2010

VERY WINDY today. I started out but after about an hour I thought the wind was getting stronger. At one bridge the wind caused me to clip the bridge ‘ole (as it’s known) and that sent us off to clip the other side. Blast. Olivia seemed to survive her clout alright. I started to look for somewhere to moor but had to wait until Burton upon Trent before a decent space revealed itself. By now, I had lost my cap to the Trent & Mersey when a gust took it. Shame, I loved that cap. - it’s the one on my Facebook and Myspace profiles. I had a walk into Burton, had lunch - a panini today - and found a replacement cap in Matalan. It's a bit bling though, I'll put a picture up when I get home. Thought about moving on but as it’s still windy I’ll leave it until morning. Mind you I think it’s going to be breezy again tomorrow.

July 3rd 2010

A beautiful morning, if a little breezy. Went through four progressively deeper locks culminating with the 12’ 4” Stenson Lock which the local boaters described as a little “firy”. A nice man helped me through the first lock and then asked if he could join me! I stopped for a drink at the 3rd lock but didn’t stay long as I took the opportunity to share with a boat when it arrived. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. I moored after Stenson Lock as there was a café. I was really naughty and had cheese and chips. I wanted a nice healthy jacket potato but they’d sold out. I had a walk down to Willington but it was nothing special. It has a useful little co-op though. Mercia marine had an open day so I called in at that. They had bands, bbq, stalls - both canal related and village fete types - and rides and stalls. I went back to Olivia and just spent the evening reading and listening to the radio. At about 10.30, the marina had a firework display which went on for a good half hour. Very good.