The Frying Pan

[Geoffrey Hammond]

This is a brief record of a recent school canal trip involving eight young boys and two members of staff. There is a trip each year; every third year it is The Frying Pan from Braunston: Braunston, Wigrams, Kingswood, King’s Norton, Gas Street, Aston, Bordesley, Kingswood and back.

 

Perhaps some of the information or reflections may be of use.

 

Saturday

Union Canal Carriers at Braunston to top of Calcutt Locks

Cruising time: 2.5 hours.

 

Sunday

Top of Calcutt Locks to bottom of Hatton flight

Cruising time: 8.5 hours

Ate out at The Tiller Pin at Leamington – cheap, quick and friendly

 

Monday

Bottom of Hatton flight to Hockley Heath

Cruising time: 8.25 hours

Ate out at the Wharf Tavern – cheap and edible

 

Tuesday

Hockley Heath to Gas Street Basin

Cruising time: 6 hours

Ate out at Cielo – upmarket restaurant very welcoming to children

 

Wednesday

Gas Street Basin to Catherine de Barnes

Cruising time: 7 hours

 

Thursday

Catherine de Barnes to Leamington Spa

Cruising time: 8.75 hours

 

Friday

Leamington Spa to Braunston

Cruising time: 7.75 hours

Ate out at the Boat House: very long wait for unremarkable food

 

A few excellences:

Quality of cooked breakfasts at café at top of Hatton

To see at least two other school boats in action – we had met none for two years.

The majestic Knowle locks – surely a show piece flight where the side-ponds could be reintroduced.

 

A Surprise:

I had completely forgotten the diversion on the Worcester and Birmingham at the University – it is a hugely impressive engineering site.

 

A few disappointments:

Lack of other boats – we did Stockton and Hatton on our own – both ways.

To find the Guillotine Stop Lock at King’s Norton still coated in graffiti

To find Birmingham seemingly hell-bent on destroying every old building along the canal – it is as though the city wishes to erase every structure which gives the canal a context and meaning. This was most evident going down the Ashted flight.

 

Other:

5 floating dead dogs were spotted between the Ackers and Catherine de Barnes.

 

The boys, as ever, had a cracking time.

[DHutch]

Sounds excellent.

 

I wish i had chance to do this at school, or even almost more, i wish my class mates had.

 

Theres a user on here (webchem) who takes6th forums round the warwickshire area boating.

 

 

 

Daniel

[romarni123]

there is a lot of dog fightting around the ackers they put the dogs in the canal when they have been hurt or killed we reported two dogs we found last year

[harleyj]

This is a brief record of a recent school canal trip involving eight young boys and two members of staff. There is a trip each year; every third year it is The Frying Pan from Braunston: Braunston, Wigrams, Kingswood, King’s Norton, Gas Street, Aston, Bordesley, Kingswood and back.

 

Perhaps some of the information or reflections may be of use.

 

Saturday

Union Canal Carriers at Braunston to top of Calcutt Locks

Cruising time: 2.5 hours.

 

Sunday

Top of Calcutt Locks to bottom of Hatton flight

Cruising time: 8.5 hours

Ate out at The Tiller Pin at Leamington – cheap, quick and friendly

 

Monday

Bottom of Hatton flight to Hockley Heath

Cruising time: 8.25 hours

Ate out at the Wharf Tavern – cheap and edible

 

Tuesday

Hockley Heath to Gas Street Basin

Cruising time: 6 hours

Ate out at Cielo – upmarket restaurant very welcoming to children

 

Wednesday

Gas Street Basin to Catherine de Barnes

Cruising time: 7 hours

 

Thursday

Catherine de Barnes to Leamington Spa

Cruising time: 8.75 hours

 

Friday

Leamington Spa to Braunston

Cruising time: 7.75 hours

Ate out at the Boat House: very long wait for unremarkable food

 

A few excellences:

Quality of cooked breakfasts at café at top of Hatton

To see at least two other school boats in action – we had met none for two years.

The majestic Knowle locks – surely a show piece flight where the side-ponds could be reintroduced.

 

A Surprise:

I had completely forgotten the diversion on the Worcester and Birmingham at the University – it is a hugely impressive engineering site.

 

A few disappointments:

Lack of other boats – we did Stockton and Hatton on our own – both ways.

To find the Guillotine Stop Lock at King’s Norton still coated in graffiti

To find Birmingham seemingly hell-bent on destroying every old building along the canal – it is as though the city wishes to erase every structure which gives the canal a context and meaning. This was most evident going down the Ashted flight.

 

Other:

5 floating dead dogs were spotted between the Ackers and Catherine de Barnes.

 

The boys, as ever, had a cracking time.

As we hopefully will be going from Warwick into Brum in a couple of weeks(Iceland volcano permitting) your Monday seems like a fairly strenuous day doing both Hatton and Lapworth flights!!!!

[Geoffrey Hammond]

As we hopefully will be going from Warwick into Brum in a couple of weeks(Iceland volcano permitting) your Monday seems like a fairly strenuous day doing both Hatton and Lapworth flights!!!!

 

With a large crew, it is not too bad. And there were very few boats about - we certainly did not have to wait at any lock. We did Hatton in 2 hours and 35 minutes and Lapworth in about the same.