Lapworth & Back Again

[Peter R]

I'll be leaving Crick tomorrow, en route to the Lapworth Banter.

 

The plan is basically the Warwickshire ring (anticlockwise), so this coming week i'll be going out via braunston, hawkesbury, atherstone, fazeley and saltley to kingswood junction, and then back the following week via warwick, napton jct and braunston.

 

It should be interesting, the section from braunston to fazeley i've only done once (in the other direction), and i'm then into new territory until napton jct.

 

I'll try and post progress as I go (subject to vodaphone giving me a signal!). I also expect to be caught up in fairly short order by Alnwick (who I understand are planning to leave crick on Tuesday). If anyone's out and about on route, give us a wave!

 

For those who don't know, the boat's called 'Andante' and looks like this:-

 

 

Peter

[Peter R]

Not the best start to a cruise .... key in ignition, turn, engine just about turns over once, and stops - flat starter battery

 

Having 'jumped' the starter off the domestic bank (probably not ideal, but I couldn't think of an alternative), got the engine going and set off about 4pm. Got to Watford locks and found i was the only boat there, the bad news being that 5 boats were on the way up, so had quite a wait but daren't stop the engine in case it wouldn't start again!

 

Finally got to the top of braunston locks at 8:30 and decided to call it a day. Nice to see that BW have repaired the bank and dredged the summit since I was last that way, was actually able to get a few revs on without going surfing!

 

come this morning, engine won't start again! 'jump' it again and get down the locks to midland chandlers. Check the volts - all looks OK, should be charging, so must be duff battery. To be fair it looked ancient when I bought the boat 5 years ago, so can't really complain. So £80 lighter in pocket, I now have an engine that starts, let's hope everything else keeps working!

 

Stopped for lunch by bridge 81.

 

Oh well, time to put the waterproofs on and chug on a bit further.

 

peter

[Graham Davis]

Hard luck Peter, but at least you know you can start now!

 

When we came through Braunston the other week there was still a very shallow point on the off-side just before the tunnel (locks end). Have they removed it now?

 

Have a good trip. I'm jealous!!

[Peter R]

Can't say I noticed any especially shallow bits, I certainly didn't touch the bottom in that area, but then my boat's a fairly shallow draft - I think it's always been a bit shallow on the off side near the locks. If you want to be sure we probably need to ask Alnwick - they've been through there today and from memory if there are any shallow bits they're likely to find them!

 

Moored for the night at Newbold. Alnwick went past just afterwards, heading for a mooring somewhere the other side of the tunnel. Hopefully run into them (figuratively speaking) tomorrow somewhere.

[Peter R]

Left Newbold about 9:30 this morning, thinking I might catch up with Alnwick, but despite Graham having to do a battery change (it must be some sort of conspiracy all these batteries going at the same time) I didn't, although it appears that we're now 'just' separated by Atherstone locks - I gave up for the day at the top at about 7pm, and have since discovered that Alnwick's moored below the locks.

 

Having been used to the leicester summit, it's been making a pleasant change to have enough water to make some reasonable progress - i've been consistently managing about 200-300 rpm more than I can ever get on the leicester line, the engine must be wondering what's happened, it hasn't done so much work in ages!

 

I haven't had the gps on much to measure distance as it eats batteries too fast, but the book puts todays run at about 22miles, 1 lock and if my arithmetic's right it's taken 8.2hours running time.

 

I was slightly amused earlier to see a sign for a boatyard which appeared to be advertising 'water diesel' and 'pumpout gas' - personally I don't think i want either I was also intrigued coming through hartshill to find a section of towpath marked 'no mooring, reserved for disabled angling'. Now i wouldn't want to stop a disabled person fishing if they wanted to (hope they've got good brakes in case they hook a big one though!), but are there really enough wheelchair-bound anglers in hartshill to require a section of towpath to be reserved just for them?

 

Peter

[Peter R]

Well it's been a busy (and hot!) couple of days.

 

Left Atherstone top about 7:30am on Thursday, and finally caught up with Alnwick at the top of curdstone locks at about 9:45 pm, having been slightly delayed just above curdstone locks by ferrying a firefighter over to the far bank of the canal to look at the remains of a boat that had been on fire. I had a couple of breaks along the way, but still clocked 11 hours on the engine - I think that probably makes it my longest ever days cruise!

 

Yesterday, left curdworth in company with alnwick about 10:00 and had a fairly uneventful run through birmingham arriving at Catherine de Barnes about 6:30. The garrison and camp hill locks were slow going as several of the pounds were so low on water that we had to refill them before we could get through. The section of the GU from camp hill through to catherine de barnes was also a bit slow going due the amount of wood and other debris that littered the canal. It struck me as being a potentially beautiful stretch of canal, being mainly in a 'green corridor', but is somewhat spoiled by all the rubbish and graffiti.

 

Next stop, lapworth.

[Peter R]

Well, after the wonders of the 'lapworth banter' i've been pottering homewards at a somewhat more relaxed pace than the outward journey, although my choice of overnight stopping places has proved not to be very good at providing an internet connection, hence the delayed update.

 

6th june saw me moored opposite kate boats in warwick, after the epic run down hatton with much assistance from the canalworld lock-wheeling team. One reason for stopping there being that my alternator drive belt had started slipping on start-up and i'd then discovered that my spare was the wrong size, oops!

 

7th june - a leisurely day put me between fosse locks and wood lock. Kate boats hadn't been able to supply a drive belt, and only other place they knew near the canal was halfords. well, they probably did have one, if i'd known what the halfords part number was, as they professed to be incapable of converting the labeling on the old belt into their part numbers. Typical superstore - if you can find what you want we'll sell it to you, but don't bother to ask as we don't know!

 

8th june - Another leisurely, uneventful day saw me moored below itchington bottom lock. Nice location, but no internet signal. Still, the drive belt's holding so far!

 

9th June - Braunston tonight, so no internet signal by definition! Came up stockton locks with a couple on a hire boat who were doing the warwickshire ring in a week - the hire company had assured them they would do it easily, but they were finding it a bit busy! Called at Calcutt boats en-route for diesel, but they didn't have the right drive belt either. Oh well, should get one in braunston. Whilst travelling between Napton Junction and Braunston I passed another 'canalword' boat going the other way, looking tonight it looks like it was probably 'bullfrog'. Moored opposite 'the boathouse' and got some free 'entertainment' - they had the morris dancers in.

 

Well, a tour of braunston this morning has revealed that midland don't sell drive belts and wharf house (suprise, suprise) didn't have the right one - i'm beginning to think no-one but me uses this size belt! It squealed a bit when the alternator came on-load at start up, but seemed to be ok after that. Had a good run up braunston locks - arrived just in front of another boat which had a crew of four, and there was a good flow of boats going down so we didn't have to re-set any locks. Moored up tonight just past norton junction on the leicester line - at last, a decent signal! Just watford to do tomorrow and i'll back to base (crick), so if the drive belt doesn't like the start-up load of the alternator in the morning I can always disconnect the charge feed to the domestic batts!

[paulcatchpole]

Well, after the wonders of the 'lapworth banter' i've been pottering homewards at a somewhat more relaxed pace than the outward journey, although my choice of overnight stopping places has proved not to be very good at providing an internet connection, hence the delayed update.

 

Aw, excellent stuff, glad you enjoyed the banter! We had a brilliant time!

 

Came up stockton locks with a couple on a hire boat who were doing the warwickshire ring in a week - the hire company had assured them they would do it easily, but they were finding it a bit busy! Called at Calcutt boats en-route for diesel, but they didn't have the right drive belt either.

 

You came up past our project boat, brilliant...

 

Go on then, give me the numbers off the belt, and I'll cross it to something!

 

PC

[Peter R]

You came up past our project boat, brilliant...

Afraid I didn't 'spot' it - should I have done? where was it?

 

Go on then, give me the numbers off the belt, and I'll cross it to something!

The one that's embedded in my brain is 4pk875, although ideally it could do with being slightly shorter as i'm right out on the end of the adjustment. There is another number, but i can't find the piece of paper I wrote it on, and i'm not going outside to look now! It's not a major issue, as i'm sure the local motor factors will produce one when I get home.

[paulcatchpole]

Afraid I didn't 'spot' it - should I have done? where was it?

 

You wouldn't have seen it really, sorry!

 

It's on hardstanding not far from Stockton top lock!

 

The one that's embedded in my brain is 4pk875, although ideally it could do with being slightly shorter as i'm right out on the end of the adjustment. There is another number, but i can't find the piece of paper I wrote it on, and i'm not going outside to look now! It's not a major issue, as i'm sure the local motor factors will produce one when I get home.

 

Cool, crosses to a large amount of things:

 

http://www.trupart.co.uk/trupart/buyguide/html/4pk875.htm

 

Possibly the easiest thing to cross to is 90-92 Rover 216/416 with the 16v SOHC honda engine...

 

Should get you sorted at a factors or even Halfords!

 

PC

[Peter R]

Thanks Paul, that's useful to know. It made a few more squeals when I started the engine this morning, but it survived back to crick so panic over for now, i've got plenty of time to find a new one before I venture out again.

 

Must make sure I keep a spare the right size, as it seems to eat belts at regular intervals. I don't think i've put more than about 500 hours on the engine in the 5 years i've had it, and it's gone through two belts in that time!

 

Most of the places I tried canalside stocked a wide variety of 'v' belts, but very few of the flat, ribbed ones - i guess the 'v' belts must be more popular on boats.

 

Ah well, time to go back to reality - back to w**k on monday!

[NB Alnwick]

Thanks Paul, that's useful to know. It made a few more squeals when I started the engine this morning, but it survived back to crick so panic over for now, i've got plenty of time to find a new one before I venture out again.

 

Must make sure I keep a spare the right size, as it seems to eat belts at regular intervals. I don't think i've put more than about 500 hours on the engine in the 5 years i've had it, and it's gone through two belts in that time!

 

Most of the places I tried canalside stocked a wide variety of 'v' belts, but very few of the flat, ribbed ones - i guess the 'v' belts must be more popular on boats.

 

Ah well, time to go back to reality - back to w**k on monday!

 

Peter, pleased to see that you got back safely and enjoyed a pleasant trip . . .