Just as we set off from Braunston, I get an email from Annemarie. They are on their boat, for a couple of days. In case we’re in the vicinity… Their boat, Dubbel Dutch (see Dubbel dutch) is in Crick Marina, our next stop. How convenient. After sharing the Braunston locks with an experienced hire boat … Read More →
A stop at Hawkesbury Junction, and a game of golf at Ansty sees us in Braunston. We need some supplies from Midland Chandlers, and after that it’s time to go for a drink in the Boathouse. Just across the canal I spot a boat I’ve seen before. They are friends of our friends Pat and … Read More →
We leave Birmingham via the Farmers Bridge Locks. It’s a horrible part of the cut. Lots of debris in the canal, old ruined building alongside (and over) the canal, everything covered in graffiti. One of the next set of locks, lock 4 of the Aston Locks, is closed as off today, so we have to … Read More →
I checked our time schedule, and found out that we would be in Warwick way too early. So there is a change of plans. We’re not going on the Avon to Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick. No, we go back to Worcester, do the Droitwich Canals (tick off), the Tardebigge Flight (again) and go to Birminhgam (again). … Read More →
It’s Lawrance on the tiller; and we face 15 swing bridges and one lift bridge. Guess who has to do the bridges? Wrong! All the bridges have bridge keepers! Procedure? Red light flashing: bridge keeper has seen us and started the sequence. Green light: go through bridge. But first we moor at the Sainsburys Pontoon. … Read More →
It’s an easy but boring run to Upper Lode Lock. The lock keeper gets a call, and the lock is ready for us. Beyond this lock the Severn is semi-tidal. Yes, and? The lock keeper asks: “Do you know about the tide?” “Tide? Eh, no. Why?” It turns out it was spring tide yesterday, so … Read More →
We’re on the river Severn again. We leave the beautiful blossom-lined canals, to face the uninteresting banks of the longest river of the UK. It’s hot, the moorings we plan to stop at are full, and we end up in Upton-upon-Severn. After seven hours of cruising I had breakfast at 06:15 hrs, and manage to … Read More →
A staggering 101 locks we did, after my last post on this blog. And 75¼ miles. In 12 cruising days. That’s one lock per 1.34 miles, or 8.42 locks per cruising day. It didn’t leave me much time for doing other things than steering the boat or doing locks. So today is B³ day: Bread … Read More →
As happened before, all the posts, from the moment we left the marina, are written today, and not in Stone, but in Stafford. There is not enough time to write, when one has to steer the boat, or do the locks, make bread, make pasta, cook meals… And if there is time, there is no … Read More →
Leaving Middlewich the weather starts getting even worse than before. Now it is cold, and we have rain. The towpath is very muddy, the locks very hard, and one day, when we decided to call it a day at one o’clock, we get a deluge, no water proofs would have withstand that. The next day … Read More →