Plan a. No, B. No, C

[gatekrash]

So we've started our summer trip with the ever present risk of getting stuck due to water shortages. Following our crap luck in March / April up the Macc and Peak Forest with various stoppages we're staying a bit closer to home this time.

 

Plan A was to do the south Oxford. Nope, bin that idea. Plan B was the Ashby. Nope, cancel that. Plan C was to potter along the Avon and back up the Stratford. Yeah right, maybe not. 

 

So here we are with a plan to head towards Shardlow, where we tried to go last year but failed. 

 

Left Droitwich at 0730, 45 locks later we lucked in massively and managed to get in a space at Alvechurch behind some boat called Goliath 😁. Now sat in the Weighbridge, bizarrely  in a rain shower...

 

Hoping our luck holds for the next few weeks.

 

[Tonka]

At least you have a fresh supply of ice creams

[gatekrash]

Today was planned to be an early start from Brum to get down Farmers and Aston before it got too hot.

 

Definitely was an early start as the battery alarm went off sometime before 7 am, 11.4 volts on the domestics, and given they were very fully charged with both several hours of engine running and a decent amount of solar going in to them yesterday I'd say they're end of life ! In their 7th year so not done too bad.

 

Waited half way down Farmers for Nuneaton and butty Brighton to come up past us, on their way to the Brownhills festival.

 

Once out of Aston we haven't seen a single boat all the way down the B&F. Plenty of water too. Now down at the Dog and Doublet, bad planning, turns out they're shut on a Monday now. 

 

Probably just a short hop up to Fradley tomorrow.

[gatekrash]

Short hop indeed. 

 

Left the Dog and Doublet at about half 9. Or rather, didn't actually leave. Pushed off the mooring and then didn't go forward or backwards. No drive. 

Quick visit to the engine 'ole and top up with oil for the box. Odd cos I'd checked it before we left the marina, and it doesn't use any normally. 

 

Stopped just after Fazeley for lunch and to do some shopping then went to leave again. Or not. No drive 🤬.

Longer visit to engine 'ole and investigate why the box is empty again. Most of it being in the bilge, which fortunately I keep dry so can tell it has arrived there very recently. A quick wipe around with some paper towel and I reckon the culprit is the selector shaft seal. Something I *could* do myself if I had the seal on board, but course I haven't. 

 

RCR called, on site in less than 2 hours and fixed in about 15-20 minutes. No complaints from me. Box now dry, no obvious leaks and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day !

 

On the plus side we managed to break down at a nice mooring, it's just got shady and the temperature has got almost pleasant !

 

And wine. That helped 😁.

[robtheplod]

Good luck in your journeys... may your hull never touch the bottom and you never encounter chains on locks!

 

You're braver than me..  

[gatekrash]

Made it to Shardlow, we were going to push on to Nottingham today and then turn around but chickened out, don't want to push our luck too much, so we'll turn here and trundle back slowly. 

 

[Jon57]

6 hours ago, gatekrash said:

Made it to Shardlow, we were going to push on to Nottingham today and then turn around but chickened out, don't want to push our luck too much, so we'll turn here and trundle back slowly. 

 

Don't forget to go to the old crown pub over the river. Great Sunday lunch and Bass on draught. 👍 

[gatekrash]

Well we've not vanished or got stuck yet. A day spent at Great Heywood to visit Shugborough - haven't been there for a few years. Thought better of trying Tixall Wide as with the 14 day mooring suspension we thought it would be rammed - it was. Last night a couple of pints in the Cross Keys at Penkridge - although the beer selection is very limited I just like the ambience of the place, it always feels stuck in a bit of a time warp. We're now down at Coven on the S&W. Plan D was to go back over the Birmingham level via Stourbridge then up Delph, but we've decided that's now too risky with Tardebigge going on to restricted hours, so we'll head down the river instead once we've spent a day or two at Stourbridge. We were planning a visit to the Mikron play at the Camp House Inn next Thursday but the long range forecast looks very wet, may not happen. 

 

Water levels have been absolutely fine, both the T&M and S&W good levels at this end.

[Rob-M]

We've decided to risk Tardebigge, currently in Worcester and probably going to aim for Tardebigge on Monday.

[gatekrash]

Well that's something I've never seen before - went past Autherley junction and not a single boat moored there. Not one, totally empty. Maybe with the 21 closed there's no traffic waiting to go up or having come down, but there wasn't even anyone visiting Morrisons !

 

It's been very quiet, other than leaving Penkridge when 3 of us clearly decided that 0930 was the time to leave we haven't been in a single lock queue and there are very few boats moving, even on the S&W.

 

Maybe it'll get busier down towards Stourport. 

[Rob-M]

31 minutes ago, gatekrash said:

Well that's something I've never seen before - went past Autherley junction and not a single boat moored there. Not one, totally empty. Maybe with the 21 closed there's no traffic waiting to go up or having come down, but there wasn't even anyone visiting Morrisons !

 

It's been very quiet, other than leaving Penkridge when 3 of us clearly decided that 0930 was the time to leave we haven't been in a single lock queue and there are very few boats moving, even on the S&W.

 

Maybe it'll get busier down towards Stourport. 

We noted the same when we came through Autherley a few weeks ago, no boats on the moorings and also most of the boats on the Oxley Marine moorings gone.

[Rob-M]

6 boats currently at the Queens Head waiting to go up Tardebigge in the morning.

[gatekrash]

Nearly back. Now down at Worcester.

 

After nearly 3 weeks of worrying about low water levels and not being stopped by them once we did think it rather typical that the Droitwich barge canal had been closed today due to high water levels on the Body brook !

 

 

[Signwriting by Coop]

On 22/08/2026 at 20:26, Rob-M said:

We noted the same when we came through Autherley a few weeks ago, no boats on the moorings and also most of the boats on the Oxley Marine moorings gone.

Theres a few towpath side now. But Oxley Marine is still quiet

[Signwriting by Coop]

Oxley is filling up now. Home for winter i guess