RebeccaM
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Posts posted by RebeccaM
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Hawkesbury Junction & Stop Lock, 6th July 2022, with Madeleine from Kate Boats. I stumbled across an old thread a few days before we left and found out that Madeleine was (is?) a sponsored boat built for someone who used to post here, although they haven’t visited since February last year.
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8 hours ago, Jimbo435 said:
Thanks. I may be mistaken, but wasnt every new boat at the 2022 Crick show a reverse layout?
I'm thinking 6'6" in the middle. Reason is when you walk, don't you lift yourself up an inch or two?
Perhaps 6'4" will work. Another reason to visit some boats.
Thanks for info on Whilton. I will avoid. Nothing will put the missus off more than a smell.
We hired Poppy from Wyvern last year, who had a max headroom of 6’6 - my husband is 6’2. Being a fairly standard hire layout all the passages were down the side of the boat where the height is at its lowest. We didn’t take her anywhere particularly shallow or through any low tunnels so can’t say whether that would have been an issue, and being a hire boat there was nothing like a chimney or pram cover etc to increase the roof profile - probably the life ring was the highest point!
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10 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:
Ah memories of Poppy - glad to see she is still going strong. We hired her for six weeks in 2007 - see http://canaljourney.blogspot.com/
Oh, new reading material - excellent! Our next holiday is only a few days away so currently reading like mad because I’ve run out of planning to do but it’s too early to start the packing. We’re going with Kate Boats this time though. We went to The Globe Inn this past weekend for our wedding anniversary and wandered down to the Wyvern base and spotted Poppy moored up.
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29th June 2021… first day of our first canal holiday last year.
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25th June 2022, around Leighton Lock (some new hirers receiving tuition!) and the Wyvern base.
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54 minutes ago, alias said:
It's a pleasant mooring. We've stopped there several times and there's always been plenty of room. I wouldn't call it particularly quiet though, as it's pretty close to a fast railway line, and there is a background hum from the motorway further away. If it's been at all wet the towpath through the woods to Ansty from there can be a bit of a quagmire, so I'd avoid walking that if it has rained heavily recently.
I was thinking quiet in not-many-other-people terms rather than noise terms, but it is a good point. (The person who left the comment on CanalPlan mentions the railway so I was aware it was near) We coped fine when we moored at Dudswell where the railway was quite close by so hopefully it won't be too bad - although to be fair on that trip we had rather more locks so we were conking out at 9:30pm and sleeping like the dead, though we did wake early most mornings. Husband usually takes earplugs anyway and after some serious issues with neighbours some years ago I've generally only been able to sleep with some form of white noise going.
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Boxmoor Floating Market, June 2nd 2022
(I feel like that last picture would make a really annoying jigsaw puzzle....)
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Because I'm mostly into photography, although we did take along a video camera on our last holiday, I didn't use it as much (it's also ancient, and cheap... unlike the camera!). However I did occasionally balance it on the boat roof and let it video as we went along. I have a conversation recorded in a Berko lock (52 it looks like) where a passerby - who you can't see - asked if it was our boat. Apparently she wanted to know how the curtain fabric was - part of the conversation is a bit drowned out by a passing train but I think she was wanting seat covers made in something similar. She moored at Cow Roast and thought it might be our own boat because it looked so nice and you don't see many hirers that far south. Apparently I was also worried a dog was going to jump in the lock!
The major downside to playing it all back is the oh-my-gosh-does-my-voice-really-sound-like-that issue! There's a conversation we have while coming back out of Berko and I sound like I'm giving the Queen's Speech at Christmas.
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19 hours ago, cuthound said:
Also most of the visitor between the bridge and the ex-bridge that used to lead to the pub garden have been given over to long term moorings.
Ansty now only has room for perhaps four to six visiting boats, where's before it was tens of boats.
Thanks for this information; when I was tweaking the overnight stops on CanalPlan a day or two back I actually ended up putting in Hopsford Valley Aqueduct as our stopping point - it seems like it might be okay, Google Maps satellite view shows a couple of moored boats! It seems to be about a twenty minute walk along the towpath to Ansty from there so we can always moor up and then the husband can be despatched to look for possible mooring sites in Ansty itself if we're not too happy with it. But we do prefer the quieter moorings anyway.
8 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:So it allowed horses to pass which isn't possible/easy in a tunnel. Seems a bit extravagant for such a short tunnel.
The reasoning behind the realignment on the Oxford was all about trying to speed things up though wasn't it, after what is now the Grand Union started providing a slightly faster route? So they may have felt it was worth the expense.
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23 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:
It does beg the question why Newbold was built that way as the north Oxford never had two towpaths, was it an aborted intention or was it simply built to a symmetrical design?
John Todd's "Cruising the Oxford Canal" says:
"This new tunnel has a towpath on either side. The tunnel portals were built with long ramps at either end. Thus they could be used as huge turnover bridges to access the tunnel's 'offside' towpath."
Presumably (assuming he's correct) once horses were no longer in use these were no longer maintained as access to the offside was no longer needed.
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Thanks for the waterpoint comments so far; Canal Plan obviously shows them all but unless you click through to each AND someone has left a comment it's hard to know which are most useful and which are awkward. We used the Berkhamsted one last time which was a pain due to a collapsed in bollard making it difficult to tie the boat up but it would be hard to know that until you got there!
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They have clear bin bags at work (London Underground) but not sure how easy they are for the general public to get hold of.
I have now remembered another question I was going to ask: any water points that are best avoided due to low pressure, connection issues, someone is always moored there, always a queue etc? Or the flip side, which water points are best to use?
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Probably depends at what stage the sorting is done - if it's done after everything is collected and thrown together possibly it's irrelevant whether it's bagged or not? I'm not sure how it works. I do know work provided a recycling bin in the mess room when our new depot opened in 2016, which some of us dutifully use... but if you have one of the rare duties where your meal break is actually at our depot and coincides with the cleaner's rounds, you'll see him empty it into the same bag as the regular one! I've no idea if that gets sorted later or not, but it does seem a bit pointless to provide the separate bin in the first place if you're just going to throw it all in together anyway.
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Firstly, thanks to everyone who has replied. I need to sit down with Canal Plan tomorrow and have a play around with some of your mooring suggestions to see how the times work out, and no doubt that will narrow down the food options further as well.
On 20/06/2022 at 16:01, Captain Pegg said:(snipped for brevity)
9. Take a walk through Braunston up to the shop at the bottom lock, and maybe even to the Admiral Nelson at the third lock.
(snipped)
Just to add that I disagree about it not being an attractive stretch of canal. The countryside around Braunston is fabulous and you are at the heart of the canal system and it's history. I'm always very happy to be cruising through Braunston and up to Hawkesbury.
Thanks for all your answers! I don't think it's particularly unattractive from having seen the Waterway Routes DVD and also an old video of it (about 25 years old though so bound to be changes!!) but wanted to forestall the comments - almost every old thread I came across where people were asking for advice/opinons on the route tended to have someone saying it wasn't a great part. Sometimes it was relevant (when people were choosing between several route options), but often it wasn't. I'm not sure we'll find the northern portal of the tunnel...!
Is that "The Boat Shop"? I actually emailed them to check their opening times recently, some places seemed to suggest they had extended opening hours in the summer and I was hoping that if we got an early start from Stockton and made good time we might make it on the first night before they close. Unfortunately they're closing at 6pm so it's highly unlikely, so we'll probably stop on the way back instead. I've got my eye on one of the cross stitch kits, having finished my last one (a ballerina design) a couple of weeks back.
On 20/06/2022 at 16:05, john6767 said:We did Calcutt marina to Hawkesbury and back last week. We left the marina late afternoon on the Sunday and we back on our pontoon at 2pm on Thursday, so similar time except you will be Monday to Friday and need to be back by 9:30am on Friday. We moored about a mile north of Braunston, All Oaks Wood, Hawkesbury junction, top of Hillmorton locks, then back to Calcutt. I would suggest that for last night you need to at least be in the area of bridge 102/103 between Braunston and Napton, or better above Calcutt locks (plenty of time to get to Stockton), so you can’t really have a night at Hawkesbury. Perhaps something like, a mile north of Braunston, Ansty, turn at Hawkesbury and back to bottom of Hillmorton, top of Calcutt locks. As to eating with such a short trip it may be better to eat on 5he boat in the evenings, but the pub in Ansty may be OK (never used it personally).
(snipped for brevity)
Personally I use the tunnel light in Newbold tunnel, you will have a working one so there is no reason not to.
(snipped for brevity)
We did all our meals on the boat last time - partly through lack of choices, partly because it was still the tail end of the covid restrictions so it was difficult to know if we'd be able to. I do want to eat out once this time but it probably will only be the once! I'm sure we'd probably use the light in the tunnel for the novelty/photo opportunity even if it isn't necessary knowing us. We got the gangplank out when we moored for lunch once last time - my husband could actually get off the boat without it (...he's 6'2 and it's almost all in his legs!) but we wanted to say we'd used it!
On 20/06/2022 at 16:15, nicknorman said:2 and 3…
Some parts of the N Oxford are difficult to moor against, due to sloping stone sides, and there is also a busy railway immediately adjacent in some parts. But there are some parts that are moorable especially South of All Oaks. Tricky to moor between Stretton and Ansty IIRC.
The stretch of canal between All Oaks and the bridge you mention, is at first piled (the visitor moorings) but as said, it can get full early. However the bit of canal after that up to the bridge, is deep at the sides and you can get right in. It just means you are on stakes. We moored there (beyond the piling) last month and it was fine.
We used mooring pins at every mooring last time so not too concerned about that aspect (especially as it wouldn't be overnight) if we moor there for the castle visit - useful to know it is doable if the official mooring is full, thank you.
On 20/06/2022 at 16:22, The Happy Nomad said:Ah, that looks helpful!
On 20/06/2022 at 16:22, Captain Pegg said:Being a woman I suspect the OP won't have any problem in reading, understanding and acting upon the simple request that all paddles should be wound down.
Husband does the locks generally, we go a bit against the grain there - I don't think he'll risk his hands as he plays piano/organ...!
On 20/06/2022 at 16:32, Athy said:Depending on your timings, Greyhound at Sutton's, yes, Barley Mow at Newbold yes Good moorings at Newbold, which from memory also has rubbish disposal shortly before the tunnel.
The tunnel is, in theory .lit by numerous multi-coloured lights, but last time we went through (2019 I think) the maintenance people had failed to replace the bulbs and not a single one was in working order. So yes, use your headlight. Ansty visitor moorings are pleasant and near a family pub, but they're on bends and, being shortish, tend to fill up quickly. Moorings at Stretton Stop are scarce, but we have moored just round the corner, beyond the tall bridge (railway viaduct?) The "collapsed cutting" hadn't, last time we went through itt, but some parts are unstable and have been sausaged off.
Like most canals, the N. Oxford has its attractive bits and its boringly functional bits!
Yes, I'd seen various threads about the lights gradually going out and not being replaced; shame as it would have made for nice pictures! Likewise looking at the pictures in the massive photo thread I've seen that the cat painted under one of the bridges at Hawkesbury is fading away, and that's something we want to try to photograph. It wasn't the reason for going that way but it is a nice bonus as we are both a bit cat mad.
On 20/06/2022 at 18:36, Lily Rose said:Recycling - for years we have been taking our recycling home with us (on trips of no more than 2 weeks). However, I recently read some advice from CRT that said recycling can go into their red Biffa bins as these are sorted to pull out the recycling. I would think it needs to go in loose as bagged stuff would probably be assumed as containing rubbish. There are dedicated recycling bins at Hawksbury Junction. See note below *
For the last night, unless you are happy with an early start the following morning, I would suggest coming down the 3 Calcutt locks and then mooring on stakes (pins) anywhere you fancy on the straight stretch after the 1st (or 2nd) entrance to Ventnor Marina. Alternatively continue on as far as the Willow Wren centre at Nelson Wharf, with its two large wooden buildings and 3(?) holiday pods. You can moor just before it (but not opposite) or between their arm entrance and the next bridge. This gives you a very short trip back to base the next morning and also the opportunity to walk ahead to The Boat Inn for good beer and food on your last evening. So I'm told! I haven't been in for several years but I believe it's still good. I'm sure others will correct me if it's gone downhill.
We took our recycling (and possibly all our rubbish, I can't remember!) home last time. I actually couldn't care less where the recycling goes, but husband is a bit recycling-mad (his parents were very into it back in the eighties when he was a child) and is the sort of person who will pick up all the rubbish he finds anywhere too and rather than chuck it in a public bin, will bring it home to recycle. (Mostly a good quality until you're on a walk, want to hold hands, and realise he's picked up three beer cans and a water bottle that's spent at least a week in a muddy puddle....)
It's not so much the early start that bothers me regarding get past the locks, so much as the irrational fear someone will break them overnight and we'd be stuck at the last hurdle! The Waterway Routes did seem to suggest there was some okay spots to moor beyond them so good to have that confirmed.
On 20/06/2022 at 18:44, MtB said:1) Not really eating out but I'd recommend fish and chips from the chippy at the far end of Brinklow high street.
Only a very few F&C shops in Englandshire do REALLY GOOD cod and chips. The Brinklow shop one of them.
Flippin' long walk from the canal though IIRC, but you're most of the way there by the time you get to the castle!
That's a couple of recommendations for the fish and chips there... personally I'd be all for it but the husband is not mad on them! I might be able to do some arm twisting though. I do remember we had fish and chips for lunch while visiting St David's some years back. I don't remember what the fish was like but the chips there were extremely good.. unfortunately the weather wasn't!
12 hours ago, Puffling said:Where I moored was only a fairly short walk on a footpath through to the main street in Brinklow. It was just north of the Brinklow Aqueduct, but you'll need something to keep you off the side here ( I have a couple of tyres, handy accessories on the N Oxford). Last winter when I was there the towpath was a muddy trial, but that's by no means the only place you'd encounter mud on the North Oxford at that time of year.
When we hired last year with Wyvern they did supply (very basic) fenders, but I rather gathered from my research at the time that not all hire companies do, apparently because of hirers forgetting to take them up. (I don't think we ever forgot that - we did forget to put them out once when moored for lunch but realised before fully securing the boat so we were able to push it out a little and drop them into place!) Kate Boats don't list them in their inventory of boat equipment so not sure if they will.
12 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:The moorings by Rugby Golf course have the added bonus of the occasional free ball, seen several go in the cut whilst moored there and the boat in front of us got hit, so something to look out for.
Oh, a few free golf balls would be useful. I coach netball and often do passing games where we add in smaller and smaller balls - smallest I currently use is a tennis ball, someone was muttering "it'll be a ping pong ball next" last time I did it, golf ball would be about that size! Or on the other hand given how often those games descend into choas with balls flying everywhere (and how much I hate using first aid skills), perhaps a golf ball might not be wise.
7 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:A few weeks ago I followed a hire boat on and off all day from Braunston to the Wyken arm where they beckoned me to pass and told me they were going to turn. I tried to persuade them to go the extra mile to Sutton Stop but to no avail. Seemed a strange choice of destination for a hire. I guess they had set their time for turning in order tp get back to base.
Funnily enough when I first started planning I believe it was the Wyken Arm I had as our destination. It was only when I watched the Waterway Routes DVD that I realised that getting to (or more importantly, turning at) Hawkesbury would be doable.
I hope that was everything I meant to reply to! Thank you again for everyone's comments and advice so far.
PS: apologies if there are some random letters inserted somewhere in this post - the cursor leapt somewhere random at some point while I was typing, but I couldn't see where! I also hope I've kept all the quotes straight.
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Hi all,
Following last year's successful holiday with Wyvern, we've booked for this year with Kate Boats. We're going from Stockton and doing a mid-week short break, Mon-Fri, in early July. Now that we're getting close enough that preliminary weather forecasts will be appearing over the next few days, it's time to finalise the journey plan and ask all the annoying questions that have been building up in my mind. I have done a lot of reading back on old threads but at some point you realise you're about to leave a comment on something that was last posted on in 2009! And things like pubs and restaurants have a lot of churn at the best of times, not helped by Covid, so half the places that are must eat at/never eat at are closed anyway. We've got fairly up to date Pearsons and Nicholsons, plus the Waterway Routes maps and using Canal Plan etc.
Plan is to do Stockton to - hopefully - Hawkesbury Junction and back. I know it's not the most scenic or interesting route but there are things along the way we want to stop and see so, unless there is an emergency stoppage that prevents it, that is the route and although I can't stop you posting your alternative suggestions for benefits of other readers of this thread, they will fall on deaf ears in my case. Or perhaps I should say blind eyes?
I'm sticking numbers on the questions so hopefully we can keep straight what people are replying to...!
1) If you were going to go out to eat in one place only along this route, where would it be?
2) I gather that on some or all of the new sections of the north Oxford Canal, the sides were built with a slope that can make mooring difficult - is this the case on every bit of every new section or is it more a case of knowing where it is...?
3) One thing we're hoping to do is visit Brinklow "Castle"(!) - also known as The Tump. It looks like the nearest place on the canal is bridge 34 (Easenhall Lane) - but immediately north of here is where there is a collapsed cutting narrowing navigation, plus it seems to be on a new section (see mooring concerns in question 2!) so is the safest bet to moor on the visitor moorings at All Oaks, or is it possible to moor safely just south of Bridge 34? Has anyone visited it before?
4) Although I've played around in CanalPlan for the overall itinerary, I'm not exactly sure of our overnight stops yet. I've got Braunston Visitor Moorings, Ansty Visitor Moorings and Newbold Visitor Moorings in as placeholders for now, but we'd be happiest with fairly quiet rural moorings - any suggestions for places en route that might be worth considering? And on our last night we will need to moor between Calcutt Locks and Kate Boats at Stockton, any suggestions/advice for best places?
5) Do we need to use the tunnel light for Newbold Tunnel; I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that if a tunnel is under a certain length it's not needed?
6) We hope to walk down to find the old tunnel portal at Newbold, which is apparently on the edge of St Boltoph's Churchyard and not too difficult to find, any advice?
7) Barley Mow website suggests they'll take rubbish for recycling, anyone used this? I'll probably drop them a message anyway but interested to know if anyone has.
8)We did a lot of locks on our previous visit so not too concerned about that, but I gather the paddle gear at the Calcutt Locks is a bit different to that fitted on the southern bit of the GU that we did last time (Linslade to Berko). Any advice we need to be aware of? (Although I expect Kate Boats will let us know anyway!) Also, I think there are often volunteers at Hillmorton Locks, is that correct - we're likely to be going through on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Not too fussed about whether they will be there or not but nice to know what to expect!
9) Any advice for things to look out for on the way, particularly good spots for photos or so on?
10) Any recommendations for an iPhone app that can give a fairly accurate measure of the speed we're doing on the boat, mostly for curiousity's sake? Last time our times averaged out to match CanalPlan but I think we went quicker through locks than I anticipated and cruised slower. It would be useful to know.
I will probably think of half a dozen things I meant to ask as well so I might be adding to this later!
Thank you in advance for any help.
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2 hours ago, cisamcgu said:
Thanks for sharing the link; I’m enjoying the read!
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6 hours ago, Lily Rose said:
Which Kate Boats base, Warwick or Stockton?
Assuming it's Stockton, which is near where we keep our boat, and offers several route options, where do you plan to go?
I gather all their boats are based at Stockton this season due to building work adjacent to the Warwick base. Current plan is to do the north Oxford and back - not the most picturesque or exciting I know, but there are various things on the way that interest us and having watched the Waterway Routes DVD I think it will suit us. I do have a list of various questions I’ll be asking on here a bit nearer the time but waiting until we’re close enough to have an idea of the weather!
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I believe we’re not allowed to build a house worth less than £350.
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18 hours ago, booke23 said:
I thought this was going to be another thread on LED tunnel lights!
I assumed it meant it was done up like this:
https://www.biennial.com/dazzleferry
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Going back into the depths of this thread I saw a lifeboat picture which reminded me that we went along to the RNLI Dungeness Open Day waaaay back in 2014, they'd just got a new boat earlier that year and were showing it off.
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2 minutes ago, David Mack said:
The advantage of a Brompton is that it folds smaller (and squarer) than many other folders, so is probably more easily accommodated in the bottom of a wardrobe.
Will need to check with the compamny though - Wyvern's guidelines for instance are:
"13. Bicycles and Canoes
Bicycles are not allowed on board any of our boats, however by prior arrangement a small folding bicycle may be carried provided it can be stowed under the cockpit seats. Under no circumstances may bicycles be carried on the roof. One canoe per boat may be carried on the roof, provided there is adequate padding and strapping."ABC's guidelines say to check with the marina you're hiring from and says they can only be stored on the roof, but it doesn't make any specific mention of folding bikes:
"If you are planning to bring bikes on your holiday please check with the marina as not all locations are able to offer this facility. Please be aware that the only place to store them is on the roof of your boat. You cannot place the bikes inside the boat at any time. Any damage to the boat caused by carrying bikes is your responsibility.
HOLIDAYS FROM GOYTRE WHARF
Due to a really low bridge on the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal, bikes are not permitted on board."...those are just two quick examples which at a first read would suggest storing in the wardrobe isn't an option, and Wyvern would only allow one bike.
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You will also need to check with the hire company whether they allow bicycles (even folding ones) to be taken onboard possibly? Different companies have different restrictions, and even they do permit them may have rules about where they can be stored on the boat.
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14 hours ago, David Mack said:
A nice trip report!
The only thing I would add is, next time you are passing Bulbourne, take the trip to the end of the navigable section of the Wendover Arm. Its not that far, there is plenty of room to wind at the far end, and a nice mooring too, to stop for lunch or overnight (if you're happy not to be near a pub).
The Aylesbury Arm is worth doing too, but with 16 locks will take rather longer.
I had the Aylesbury Arm itinerary printed as a backup in case circumstances meant we couldn’t to get to Berkhamsted! As it was everything was smooth sailing so we didn’t need it. I expect at some point we will hire in the area again and do Aylesbury and Wendover both, but at the moment there are so many other places to go and so little free time it might be a few years before we get round to it. I feel like every time I plan a trip I find another half a dozen we-must-go-here-next-time ideas!
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39 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:
Lovely memories, especially the hovering boat, it can go wrong but I must admit I usually do that when I can as it saves so much time and bother .
Are you going on another journey this year?
Yes; booked in with Kate Boats for a midweek break in early July which can’t come soon enough! Would have loved to hire from Wyvern again but saving it for when we have enough free time to have a whole week’s holiday so we can north to Braunston.
Edited to add - yes, I did hover at locks sometimes… but our boat was in good working order so I didn’t collide with anything!
Tonic required. Send in your photos of what is nice on the waterways now.
in General Boating
Posted · Edited by RebeccaM
hit post before I'd finished!!
Pictures from a walk from Grove Mill Bridge 165 to just beyond Hunton Bridge 162 on the Grand Union, on 24th May 2023.