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Another Summer Cruise


Rob-M

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As there seems to be a few cruise diaries going on this summer I thought I would add another.

Having left Great Haywood on Saturday we fought the crowds through to Fradley Junction where we stopped overnight after a bit of boat shuffling to make a space for us.

From Fradley we cruised through a near empty Alrewas on to Willington where we moored for the night to the sounds of the Green Man's beer festival and rock concert, much to the horror of one of the locals who commented on the band's inability to actually sing.

Shardlow followed Willington moored for the evening opposite the splendid looking wooden motor Sweden.

Today we have ventured past the end of the Erewash where many boats are leaving from the IWA festival and on to the River Soar.

 

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I wondered if you were out and about as I travelled toward Great Haywood. Missed by about 36 hours.

Talking of wooden boats as well as having a peek at Dane at Alvecote I saw Heart of Oak at Charity Dock and Maid of Oak up for sale at the Taft for £65,000. I nearly fell off the counter and straight into the drink. I could have bought a fleet of Vulpi for that.

JP

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54 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

As there seems to be a few cruise diaries going on this summer I thought I would add another.

Having left Great Haywood on Saturday we fought the crowds through to Fradley Junction where we stopped overnight after a bit of boat shuffling to make a space for us.

From Fradley we cruised through a near empty Alrewas on to Willington where we moored for the night to the sounds of the Green Man's beer festival and rock concert, much to the horror of one of the locals who commented on the band's inability to actually sing.

Shardlow followed Willington moored for the evening opposite the splendid looking wooden motor Sweden.

Today we have ventured past the end of the Erewash where many boats are leaving from the IWA festival and on to the River Soar.

 

And you saw me !

Trina

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11 hours ago, The Bearwood Boster said:

And you saw me !

Trina

I'm keeping a list of forum members spotted to add later in the trip. I need to make comment on the volunteer lockies as well but that can keep for another day.

Currently looking at the rain trying to decide whether to push off or not. 

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7 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I'm keeping a list of forum members spotted to add later in the trip. I need to make comment on the volunteer lockies as well but that can keep for another day.

Currently looking at the rain trying to decide whether to push off or not. 

Life is too short to boat in the rain and you are close to pubs.

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4 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I'm keeping a list of forum members spotted to add later in the trip. I need to make comment on the volunteer lockies as well but that can keep for another day.

Currently looking at the rain trying to decide whether to push off or not. 

We looked at the rain & decided to stay put in Alrewas.Great butcher's shop & a few pubs to sample.

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Well we decided to chance the weather and it wasn't too bad until about 4pm when it suddenly went quite dark and the heavens opened. By that time we had already ventured in to Loughborough Wharf to go food shopping, then on to Barrow Upon Soar for lunch. We are now moored opposite MGM Boats below Thurmaston Lock ready to pass through Leicester tomorrow.

For the wildlife spotters we have seen many kingfishers and more herons than on any other waterway. Captain Pegg would be filling a whole page of his bird spotting log.

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....he wouldn't,  he dropped it in the canal last week.....

Good to see you moving along nicely, are you doing the whole Leicester ring??

Being back on own boat is lovely at Norton Junction, left here Saturday morning at 6am and back here on Wednesday afternoon after a lovely delivery up to Anderton. :D

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4 minutes ago, matty40s said:

....he wouldn't,  he dropped it in the canal last week.....

Good to see you moving along nicely, are you doing the whole Leicester ring??

Being back on own boat is lovely at Norton Junction, left here Saturday morning at 6am and back here on Wednesday afternoon after a lovely delivery up to Anderton. :D

Yes we are doing the Leicester ring including Market Harborough and the Welford Arm. Taking two weeks this time rather than the one week we did the ring in on a hire boat.

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1 hour ago, matty40s said:

 

Being back on own boat is lovely at Norton Junction, left here Saturday morning at 6am and back here on Wednesday afternoon after a lovely delivery up to Anderton. :D

Is that the area you are based in or are you just passing through?

If the former I'll have to keep an eye out when we get back to the Braunston area. Much of our short break local pottering about is done between Napton, Braunston and Rugby, albeit only the other side of Braunston tunnel once (so far).

 

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I am based loosely at Stowe Hill near Weedon from March to October painting boats and lots of other boaty stuff. In between, we move boats and swan around enjoying the waterways, last year we spent in Loughborough on a winter mooring about 3 minutes walk from Kathys head office ,just because we could . :D

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2 hours ago, matty40s said:

....he wouldn't,  he dropped it in the canal last week....

I don't think it even got to the boat this year. I seem to have lost it at home. I suspect Mrs P 'accidently' recycled it.

I saw my first kingfisher of the week today. Haven't seen many this year but I did catch a couple of voles on the Coventry.

JP

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19 hours ago, The Bearwood Boster said:

We looked at the rain & decided to stay put in Alrewas.Great butcher's shop & a few pubs to sample.

Alrewas is lovely. Been moored here 2 days and the pubs and indian are good. Butchers as you say is excellent. Guess as sun is out and we are in a 48 hour mooring we had best move on. 

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A bit of a long slog today as we left Thurmaston at 7:30 and arrived in Kilby Bridge at 17:30. Fortunately as we exited the Thurmaston Lock we saw a boat approaching behind us so we slowed enabling them to catch us up at the next lock and shared with them for the rest of the day. The boat was Pavo, a converted butty that was used by Kit Gayford. It turned out to be an interesting day as Ian on Pavo told me a lot of the boats history.

Through Leicester was much nicer than we remembered from our previous trip along here, the new moorings at Friars Mill looked to be ok although there was only one boat using them and one on Castle Gardens.

The levels were low in a number of pounds and a few locks were leaking almost as fast as they were filling which contributed to the slow progress, about 45 minutes to get through Gees Lock. We reported two locks to CRT where the gate paddles were rammed with weeds and plastic so we spent a while racking it out to improve filling. Progress was also improved when I pointed out the locks on the ground paddles can be opened with a BW key, the single handed in front of us would have been waiting all day as he was a half a ground paddle only man and the first lock he got to with bother ground paddle locks on he didn't seem to know what he was going to do.

Off to the Navigation now for some food and maybe a pint or two.

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We are now moored at the top of the Foxton flight. It took us 53 minutes from booking in (16:07) to mooring on the visitor moorings (17:00) to pass through Foxton which I think is pretty good going. The flight was absolutely rammed with gongoozlers but we had two young boys help us with all the gates and they were rewarded with ice lollies from our freezer when we got to the top.

We are still traveling with Pavo, having shared the wide locks again yesterday through to Market Harborough. Thought Market Harborough was well worth the visit although didn't see the need to pay £10 a night to moor in the basin as there were good towpath moorings just outside.

Had a chat with a satisfied Wilton Marine customer this morning, he was pleased with his purchase feeling he had a good deal and he wasn't heading for London to live aboard either.

Tomorrow is off down the Welford Arm for Sunday lunch in the pub.

 

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I like the Welford Arm. Definitely worth a visit. I guess you have been there before?

Given the success of taking the boat away from its home mooring for an extended period this year I am already thinking about where I might go for an extended cruise next summer. Leicester Ring is definitely a post-Braunston possibility.

JP

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9 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

I like the Welford Arm. Definitely worth a visit. I guess you have been there before?

Given the success of taking the boat away from its home mooring for an extended period this year I am already thinking about where I might go for an extended cruise next summer. Leicester Ring is definitely a post-Braunston possibility.

JP

I've not been up the Welford Arm before and hadn't been to Market Harborough previously either which was one of the reasons for doing the ring again. Well worth a visit especially for kingfisher spotting although would be better if I had bought my camera with me.

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8 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I've not been up the Welford Arm before and hadn't been to Market Harborough previously either which was one of the reasons for doing the ring again. Well worth a visit especially for kingfisher spotting although would be better if I had bought my camera with me.

You have to be quick to get a kingfisher.

I walked along the towpath yesterday, with phone but not camera. Looking up I saw a heron standing at the edge about 5 metres in front. I stopped. It didn't move.I launched the camera app but, just as I pointed to shoot, off it flew. The photo just caught it disappearing over the hedge.

How was the Wharf Inn?

I've heard mixed reports but we had a midweek roast in there last year and it was very nice as well as very good VFM.

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1 hour ago, Lily Rose said:

You have to be quick to get a kingfisher.

I walked along the towpath yesterday, with phone but not camera. Looking up I saw a heron standing at the edge about 5 metres in front. I stopped. It didn't move.I launched the camera app but, just as I pointed to shoot, off it flew. The photo just caught it disappearing over the hedge.

How was the Wharf Inn?

I've heard mixed reports but we had a midweek roast in there last year and it was very nice as well as very good VFM.

I tried to get some pictures of one kingfisher with my phone as it remained sat in a tree as we passed but it was too far away for the phone camera.

The Wharf Inn was very good and as you say good value for money even on a Sunday that didn't benefit from the weekday special offer. We had lunch with Ian and Sue from Pavo and then bid them farewell as we continued on this afternoon towards Yelvertoft but stopped a few miles short as the wind got up and it became quite cold, in fact so cold I've just lit the stove.

We are moored behind Towy.

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On 30/08/2017 at 19:31, Rob-M said:

Well we decided to chance the weather and it wasn't too bad until about 4pm when it suddenly went quite dark and the heavens opened. By that time we had already ventured in to Loughborough Wharf to go food shopping, then on to Barrow Upon Soar for lunch. We are now moored opposite MGM Boats below Thurmaston Lock ready to pass through Leicester tomorrow.

For the wildlife spotters we have seen many kingfishers and more herons than on any other waterway. Captain Pegg would be filling a whole page of his bird spotting log.

Did you wave at our boat as you went past Sileby Mill?

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1 hour ago, Richard T said:

Did you wave at our boat as you went past Sileby Mill?

Yes we did spot your boat.

We have now come off the Leicester Line and are moored just before Braunston Tunnel.

Had a pain of a lockie at Watford, booked us in and said we could go after one coming up then he promptly let three up telling the last one that I would drop down the single top lock and tie up. Of course I sat in the lock waiting for them to come out of the lock so we could pass but they wouldn't move. After a bit of a stand off I told the lock keeper that he might want to tell them to move out of the lock as the levels were down and I certainly wouldn't be moving to the bank and tying up. Eventually they edged out but still wanted me to move well right as they were nervous of their shiny new boat. Chap on the boat wouldn't even look at me.

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Dropped down Braunston locks this morning avoiding the rain.

New piling and embankment opposite the marina entrance, probably from all those old ex working boats hitting it.

20170905_131758.jpg.0a48110bbac1d9ccd88535a8861ae2bd.jpg

Spotted Paneke moored the other side of the entrance.

 

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Left Braunston at 6:45 this morning, had a couple of hours in Rugby (lots of new rings on the moorings) to stock up in Tesco then headed on to Hawkesbury Junction arriving at 17:30. A good days cruising even if we did have a few fun and games with a couple of hire boats that thought you needed to go in to reverse at each bend, moored boat or on coming boat. Also volunteer lock keeper at Hillmorton seemed to think boats going down only needed half a paddle opened, told him to put them straight up when we finally got in the lock.

Said hello to Lily Rose as we went past them moored at All Oaks Woods.

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I thought we would pass sometime after lunch but I almost missed you. Just as I was about to come out of the bathroom and get ready to set off again, I heard two brief toots of a horn, and at least one voice, and looked out of the bathroom window just in time to see the name Resolution. I just managed to get the back doorys open in time to say hello before you got too far away.


 

Edited by Lily Rose
missing word
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13 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

I thought we would pass sometime after lunch but I almost missed you. Just as I was about to come out of the bathroom and get ready to set off again, I heard two brief toots of a horn, and at least one voice, and looked out of the bathroom window just in time to see the name Resolution. I just managed to get the back doorys open in time to say hello before you got too far away.


 

I thought you came crashing out the back doors a but quickly. I gave a couple of quick toots when I saw Lily Rose but as another boat was passing you at the same time I didn't want them to think I was beeping them.

We had a good meal in the Greyhound last night, moorings were rammed so I filled with water and then moved as far forward on the water point as I could get and stayed there, surprised nobody posted on here about shiny boats on water points.

Today we have moved on to Polesworth, loads of boats about. Had to pull off some hirers, three other boats just carried on past them but as they were well aground I stopped to help them out. At one bridge 'ole an approaching boat gave three toots so I thought they were stopping but no that was just their 'I'm coming through' signal, fortunately I didn't expect them to stop so I had gone astern anyway.

Not for the first time on this trip private boaters seem too quick to lay the blame at a hire boat when something isn't going too well but from what I have observed the issues have generally been down to the private boater not slowing down.

 

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