A strong cross wind in Selly Oak

I took only two photos today, so I'd better share them. We walked the short distance from Cambrian Wharf into Birmingham's main shopping area looking - unsuccessfully - for trousers for me. After coffee back on board, I went back to sort out some business at a building society and returned to find Jan had got a fry-up under way. Yum! 

After this early lunch we battled the wind as we left the basin, turned and headed for the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. People on the bank seemed to be in a jolly mood: we got smiles and waves all the way today. 

At the Bournbrook Aqueduct at Selly Oak the wind blew strongly broadside; a couple of hundred yards further on, with Sainsbury's on our right and Selly Oak Station on our left, the wind was stronger still. Our chimney hat blew off; fortunately the safety wire attaching it held. Here we met up with Chris and Sally on Kairos and had a nice cup of tea and a chat on their boat.

In Sainsbury's my trousers quest was accomplished. Even better, we walked along the eastern end of the proposed new route of the Dudley (Lapal) Canal. We didn't have time to explore beyond Sainsbury's - perhaps next time we pass.

Around the Bournville area this man took a break from serenading his dog to talk to a towpath walker. The sun was in his eyes.

We made the sharp left turn onto the Stratford Canal and stopped at Bridge 5. This evening we had another fabulous curry at The Sweet Chillies in Yardley Wood Road.

Box on top keeps my tea hot

We had an uneventful journey from Birmingham to, er, Birmingham today (all right, it was from Cambrian Wharf in the city centre to Bridge 5 on the Stratford Canal at Yardley Wood) so I'll write about something else.

Two years ago I found some bits of scrap MDF by the bins at the bottom of the Napton Locks.  Using panel pins and PVA I knocked up a rough and ready box to take useful things and keep them out of the rain.  It sits on the cabin slide and works a treat.
 

In the box are the device on which I display Waterway Routes; a clock; a pair of clip-on sunglasses. There is space for a mug: the wind protection helps to keep my tea/coffee hot. Despite the MDF sitting on a sometimes wet surface it has lasted remarkably well.

As we approached Birmingham yesterday I saw a seagull walking along the towpath with a dead-looking gosling in its beak.
 

On the opposite towpath, having given up any fight, were Mr and Mrs Goose and one remaining gosling.

It seems a shame, but I suppose it's the way of the natural world.

Back to today ... and we enjoyed the second dry day in a row.  It was still cold, though - the stove is on as I write.  This was a peaceful part of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
 

From a distance the guillotine lock at King's Norton looked pleasingly free of graffiti.

Some became visible as we got closer, and the other side was sadly marred by the vandal's spray can.

So, as I say, we are at Bridge 5 (Yardley Wood Road).  We had a fabulous curry at our favourite Sweet Chillies restaurant.

Leek lagoon, Hazlehurst Aqueduct, strange sentry box in the woods

Would you believe it? The instant I untied to reverse to the winding hole it started hailing. Then snowing. And, finally, just raining. What did I do? Carried on, of course.

I like Leek Tunnel.  Short and straight, with plenty of headroom.  I don't even have to remove the chimney (usually a problem because the stove is on the wrong side of the boat).
 

As it was still raining, and as it was coffee time, we tied up in the lagoon the other side of the tunnel. Less famous than Tixall Wide, but just as beautiful.

Carrying on, we crossed Hazlehurst Aqueduct ...

... and passed under the same aqueduct an hour later.

We tied up nose to nose with Ichthus and had a socially distanced cup of tea with fellow BCF members John and Jane. They showed us the trophy they have just won as editors of our club magazine, The BCF Word. The AWCC judged it to be the best club magazine for 2020 - well done John and Jane, and thank you for all your hard work. Here I should provide a photo of the trophy, but I omitted to take one. Sorry!

Instead, here's a view from our mooring.  There's a line of white houses on the top of a hill which stood out against a dark sky just before the rain came.

We walked back to the Hollybush at Denford for a meal with another BCF friend, Babs, who lives in Cheddleton. On the way I snapped this very small building with a door with a digital lock. Odd.

The food was good but we all got rather cold having to sit outside. (Roll on the end of these pandemic restrictions.) You can see how cold it was getting by the mist that formed on the water.

Tomorrow: Froghall. And will we squeeze through the tunnel? Probably not.

Early start, wagon wheels, rain at last

We made an early start this morning, getting under way from Stone at 0615 so as to beat the forecast rain.

In the event, the rain only really came at about 2100 so we would have missed it anyway had we got going at a more leisurely hour. These few spots dampened the roof for a few minutes at coffee time when we stopped at Hem Heath Bridge for Aldi.

Coming into Stoke-on-Trent I saw hundreds of railway wheels at a "DB" works just south of the (invisible from the canal) station. I missed the best opportunity for a photo so you'll have to make do with this.

In the fight of locks up to the summit level we quickly caught up with a hire boat. One lock down from the top, when emptying the lock to go in, they had failed to notice that a top paddle had been left partially up. This took about 18" from the pound above; I was in time to restore some of the loss from the summit pound.

At Etruria we turned sharp right onto the Caldon Canal and tied up outside the museum opposite a large tree covered in white blossom.  We had the curry part two: just as good!
 

Logs and good curry in Stone

We decided to have a "day off" in Stone today. We might regret this if the forecast rain comes as we're climbing the rest of the locks to Stoke-on-Trent tomorrow!

We happen to be moored right next to a most convenient pile of logs begging to be chopped.  I did my bit in tidying the area, leaving plenty for others.
 

For tea we got a takeaway from the Crown of India. I had easily the best chicken chat and lamb madras - also the hottest - for a long time. Unfortunately, owing to a slight misunderstanding over the order, I had to make do without pilau rice. We cooked some ordinary rice on board (as well as spinach from Morrisons) so all was not lost. Excellent portions mean tomorrow's meal is sorted too.

Slow progress at Foxton

After a slightly earlier start than usual we arrived at the top of Foxton Locks at 1100. We appeared to be fifth in the queue of boats wanting to go down, but said boats were spaced out so much that you could have got another three in front of the boat we were behind.

Boats - presumably the first allowed onto the flight - were already in the upper staircase coming up, so I thought it wouldn't be long before we'd be under way.

Wrong. We didn't start down until 1315. I have never known it take so long. A volunteer lockie told me that now leaks from the lock chambers had been repaired there was "too much water" and the sideponds were at risk of flooding. The same volunteer tried to get me to open the top lock top gate before he had filled it. Hmm. I think he was a bit embarrassed when I pointed out that it would be a bit difficult.

Things progressed reasonably smoothly once we entered the flight. At the bottom Jan turned right onto the Market Harborough Arm while I operated both swing bridges. The road swing bridge was heavy to get going - I don't remember it being so before.

There were just three visiting boats at MH; we tied up in a gap between two of them. We both enjoyed a mixed grill at Wetherspoon's and are saving the shopping trip for tomorrow.

One of the most photographed bridges?

When the rain - and the threat of rain - passed I put a second coat of paint on the well deck. The pits are still there but are smoothing out as they fill with paint. I had thought of smearing filler over before painting, but reasoned that it would crack up as the deck flexes when walked on.

I took only one photo today, that of us et al at the Indian restaurant. Before showing that here's one from yesterday as we approached Drayton Footbridge.

I guess most boaters who have travelled along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal will have at least one photo of this unusual bridge.

Several historic boats passed us on their way to Birmingham. Some, if not all, will have been at the gathering at Huddlesford Junction last weekend. This is Whitby having just passed the entrance to Fazeley Mill Marina.

And so to the meal out tonight. Nine boats have now congregated in Fazeley for the BCF event this weekend; fourteen of us enjoyed a meal at Kudos Indian Restaurant. I realise I have omitted Gwyneth from the photo, sorry Gwyneth.

Stephen, Hazel, James, Elizabeth, Richard, Sally, Chris, Chris, Gill, John, Tony, Jan

Temporary bridge which few people use

It took not much more than half-an-hour to reach Kingswood Junction this morning. On the way we saw a pair of kingfishers. Jan spotted them having a bit of an argy-bargy on the towpath; I saw them only as they flew in front of us a couple of time before disappearing into the bushes.

The footbridge over the tail of Lock 19 on the Stratford Canal is in the process of being rebuilt, seemingly with a stainless steel deck.

While the bridge is closed a temporary scaffold-based bridge has been erected over the lock.

According to a local the only people who use it are children.

I imagine most people, like the person I spoke to, use the lock gates to get across.

It was good to get a visit from a former colleague of mine at Lapworth. This is in Lapworth Top Lock.

Ian had been the sports supremo at BBC Look East; he moved to BBC Midlands Today some years ago and lives lives by the canal. Every time we pass we message him in case he's around; today we coincided.

This evening we went to our favourite Indian restaurant, the Sweet Chillies in Yardley Wood Road, Birmingham. It was a cracking meal as always.

Tomorrow I'll go to the Apple store in Brum to see if I can get my phone sorted.

Chimney hat

Spotted on a boat at Lower Shuckburgh.

Today we travelled from Weedon to Calcutt. It was much less windy than yesterday, but considerably cooler. We also had a few spots of rain, but that was all.

I forgot to say yesterday that we went to the Brinjol Indian restaurant in Weedon for "banquet night". I chose the wrong things (not hot enough) but was certainly full at the end. The place was busy; the waiters were dashing about all the time. The kitchen must have been rushed off its feet.

An hour after leaving Weedon today we were at the Buckby flight. As we ascended we had two locks turned in our face. Hmm. So much for saving water. And there was a fair selection of grumpy boaters. This was offset by a lovely family on a hire boat we shared Calcutt Locks with. They were returning to Stockton Top after a two week holiday which they loved.

Leamington Spa for us tomorrow, so it's another early(ish) start.

Vandalism or art?

Quite early on in today's boating we came across yet another example of a boat blocking the canal. This must be at least the fourth case of a partially untied boat we have encountered in London in the last few weeks. Here a widebeam was across the cut.

A passer-by had already tried to sort it out and had ascertained that there was nobody on board. I was going to come alongside and gently nudge it back to the bank but he asked to borrow our cabin shaft. He competently and quickly got it back in place; by the time I'd reversed Jubilee to the bank he'd almost finished tying it up. With our shaft back we carried on, stopping at Bull's Bridge for water and lunch on board.

London is full of buildings either being demolished ...

… or being built.

The demolition was just west of Bull's Bridge Junction (anyone know what the building was?) and the construction was in the Old Oak Common area.

Not far from the demolition works we came across some workmen packing up tools under a bridge. They had been fixing a clear plastic screen over some graffiti.

Is it a Banksy, I asked? Supposedly, was the reply.

Can you see what the letters of "Peace" are made from? Clever, but I don't get the other elements of the artwork (if that's what we are supposed to call the vandalism of a canal structure).

We tied up opposite Uxbridge Boat Centre after filling up with diesel. (The previous fill-up was also here; our exploits to London and on the Lee and Stort and back had used 85 litres so there were only 15 litres left in the tank.) We investigated The General Eliott pub for food and decided to try it. The verdict? Good. The chips were excellent, about the best I have had anywhere, and the chicken and leek pie had proper pastry and was a good size. Jan said her lamb shank was also good. Both meals came with a decent amount of veg. We even had puddings. Prices were very reasonable. The pie was £7.95; the lamb shank was £10.95. Puds were mostly £3.50 each. (My beer was good too, but I can't remember what it was.)

Another end of line reached: Bishop's Stortford

I managed to sleep despite the train horns, but we awoke early. Perhaps the hooting did disturb us. As a consequence we were under way at 0815. In the gaps between the trains alongside and planes overhead, having taken off from Stansted Airport, the river was very tranquil. Moored boats were getting scarcer and the river was getting twistier and more overhung with trees.

We didn't stop until we had reached Sawbridgeworth, which was our intended finish point for the day. We tied up above the lock on a good bit of piling. As it was lunchtime we walked back to the Riverside Café where I had a treat fry-up and Jan had a jacket potato with prawns. Then we walked into the village where we looked round the two charity shops and the church.

The name of this shop, offering an ironing service, made me smile.

The shop itself, as with many buildings in Sawbridgeworth, is clapboarded.

Back at the boat, knowing that rain was forecast all day tomorrow, we decided to crack on to Bishop's Stortford. There was still some uncertainty as to whether Twyford Lock would be open. The latest update on the CRT website said it was open, but notices at the previous lock said it was closed. We continued anyway.

There were no problems at Twyford Lock and we continued up the Stort to the end of navigation. I gently tried to see if we could nose under the bridge, but with the low water level we grounded with a few yards to go.

I couldn't get off to take a photo from the bank; here's the view looking back downstream.

We reversed to the winding hole and tied up at the end of the short line of moored boats, next to Allinson's flour mill. Fortunately this is nothing like as noisy as the flour mill in Wellingborough.

After tea on board we walked into the town for a brief exploration. We will do more in the rain tomorrow - walking, not boating - and have a "day off".

Going beyond the end of navigation

This morning we walked from the Fish and Eels pub mooring to Hoddesdon along a pleasant footpath. This crossed the railway and the New River. The latter comes as a bit of a surprise as it runs along the top of an embankment. No photo, sorry. In Hoddesdon we went to the parish church, St Catherine and St Paul.

We were back at the boat by 1300 and set off straight away. We kept on the Lee Navigation at Rye House, travelled through picturesque Ware and reached our destination, Hertford, at about 1745. I imagine many boaters would stop at this bridge.

Not us. We carried on past here ...

to the true end of navigation here.

We reversed back to the winding hole, still beyond the official end of navigation, and tied up outside the Old Barge pub on the last (first) legitimate mooring on the Lee.

Just as we were starting to reverse it started to rain quite heavily. By the time we'd tied up it had stopped, but I got pretty wet. (The previous two days rain came immediately after we'd stopped - we were a few minutes late today.)

We went to Dil's Indian Restaurant; Jan enjoyed her sizzling chicken nawab, but my madras was below par.

Balancing on the back of a boat

What a change in the weather! The day started fine, if rather breezy, so we made a reasonably early start from our mooring at the end of the Wendover Arm. By the time we tied up in Berkhamsted we'd had quite a lot of rain. some of it pretty torrential.

A heron guarded one of the outfalls from the Tringford Pumping Station on the Wendover Arm.

At the junction with the GU main line stands Bulbourne Dry Dock, on the (not quite dry)floor of which I lay on my back in the early 1980s blacking myself and the baseplate of Savoy Hill. Now the dry dock seems to be operated by Bates's Boatyard of the Aylesbury Arm.

We watered up just past the Grand Junction Arms (good pressure) and continued along the Tring summit pound. This boat has found a use for a redundant balance beam.

At Dudswell Lock 48 we were helped through by a posse of CRT staff who were gathering in readiness for repairing a top gate tomorrow. The heel post had broken.

We were treated to a visit by Ally, Josiah and Micah this afternoon. Ally had heard good things about the Natural History Museum offshoot in Tring, so she drove us all there to see the amazing collection of stuffed animals. On her way home she dropped us off at our car in Bulbourne; we drove to Berkhamsted and the boat. This evening we went to the Verandah Indian Restaurant and enjoyed their "gourmet night" deal.

"New" canalside restaurant at Whilton Locks

Coming down the Buckby/Whilton locks today, sharing the entire flight with Lindy Lue, we saw a canalside restaurant I don't remember seeing two months ago.

It's on the offside between locks 11 and 12. The banner gives no contact information, but a quick internet search shows that it is part of the Whilton Locks Garden Village.

Perhaps it's been there for ages but without advertising its presence to passing boaters. There is no mooring outside.

At the bottom lock were more blue CRT banners spoiling the balance beams. This one was stapled on. Not the best idea: one day someone will pierce their hand on a loose staple.

Below the locks we passed the old and new pair of Bakewell and Poshratz.

We tied up at Weedon and went to the Brinjol Indian restaurant as it was their banquet night. Good food. And very good value.