Freedom of the Cut 2019 - 21

Meal at The Swan and lots of cars.

Saturday 31^st August

Strange weather this morning when it began clouded over and windy, then a cloudburst later after I moored up, before the sun appeared and was very pleasant.

I did Shadehouse  Lock solo and then there were volunteers at the remaining 3 locks and I tied up on the waterpoint to fill the tank, before moving across the cut for a longer stay.

The meal in The Swan with my eldest daughter and her fiancé was very good and all home cooked. Pizzas made of homemade dough and the crab dish was extremely good with chips and salad.

Sunday 1^st September

Another rest day, so it was a late start. I had some cooking apples hanging about and just needed some blackberries to enhance them when cooked up. I found them on the Coventry near the swing bridge and got enough before popping into The Swan for a pint. I had a long chat with some other boaters on the next table and we compared notes on a few selfish boaters who insisted on mooring up several feet apart and other aspects of life on the cut, but nobody mentioned toilets or batteries!

Back on board, it was time to do some cooking for a few days ahead, including the apples, potatoes and some leeks. I intended having a BBQ this evening to cook a sirloin steak and some sausages that were left over. It is difficult trying to balance what is left over in the fridge and what is freshly purchased, as I do dislike throwing food away.

It is time to think about another visit back home and I am hoping that I can book a week’s mooring in Shobnall Basin. If that proves impossible then I have a backup at Mercia.

Monday 2^nd September

I let go after emptying any rubbish and headed back towards Alrewas. There were  volunteers on duty this morning, but I was lucky with other boats coming towards me, which saved me either closing the bottom gates or having to stop and open top gates – as the old boaters used to say, “It were a good road.”

I pulled in at Alrewas, being in two minds whether to stop there or not and there were not many vacant places in the centre. However, I did pull in between two other boats on the piling and two other boaters had by this time, asked me if there were vacant moorings in Fradley, of which there were several, which indicates just how popular it is there.

Tuesday 3^rd September

The first thing I had discovered this morning was that I had run out of gas. I had not renewed the empty cylinder when I changed over bottles, so now there was none at all. I did think that this was rather strange, as the previous bottle had lasted over a year.I had to fall back on using the microwave for my morning cuppa, but it worked out OK and I even made a cup of coffee in it later by using a coffee bag, which I keep in reserve.

I now had to think of where to get more gas, either by going on to Burton, or backtracking towards Rugby and decided on the latter as I also wanted an easier train journey home in the next couple of weeks. The train from Burton involved more changes and of course cost more, being that much further from home.

Winding the boat would involve moving in reverse for a considerable distance past several other moored boats, so I went forward through Alrewas Lock onto the Trent where I reckoned that I could turn at the end of the lock cut. The river flowed in at that point and it was not an easy manoeuvre, but I got round using full revs before going back into the lock. The alternative to this operation was to travel the half mile of river section and wind beyond Wychnor Lock, which would have taken an hour at least.

Another boat left abandoned to CRT to get rid of.

Back up through the locks to the Junction, where I turned left on the Coventry Canal to Streethay Wharf, where I could get gas and diesel.

The Mucky Duck at Fradley.

I had never stopped here before and was amazed at the amount of stuff in their chandlery, some of which had been there for many years judging by the amount of dust on it.

Onwards to Huddlesford Junction where I pulled in for the night and to have a look at The Plough, another pub I had never patronised and very pleasant it was too although the beer at over £4 a pint was more expensive than the Midlands norm.

Wednesday 4^th September

The morning was spent writing up this blog and answering e-mails, so I did not get away until midday, with the intention of getting as far as Alvecote. It was an incident free day but extremely windy and was good to occasionally get in the wind shadow of trees and bushes, but despite that the cut changed direction as it weaved about, so sometimes it was blowing on the stern – not a day for brimmed hats.

A most unusual wind turbine.

I arrived at The Samuel Barlow at 5pm and had no difficulty getting on a vacant mooring as the wind pushed the boat in the right direction and into the bank. There are several working boats here, which I suspect are going to the Huddlesford Heritage Gathering on 20^th and 21^st September, including nb Darley owned by Blossom Edge, who has been boating since he was a boy, but we don’t see a lot of him nowadays. http://darley135.blogspot.com/

Thursday 5^th September

I departed Alvecote about 10am in sunny but windy conditions and on occasions it was quite cold when the sun disappeared. I passed Grendon dry dock thinking of the hours I had spent in there blacking Nuneaton and Brighton. A man was signwriting a boat and I think it was Dean Box who did the work on Stronghold, but not quite sure if it was or not.

I had no wish to push this floating tree along.

I was soon in Polesworth and only stopped to make some coffee and have a sandwich, before heading for Atherstone and up the 11 locks.

I was fortunate in that the first five locks were not only in my favour, but there were boats heading down some of them, although the sixth was against me (it was full) and had to be emptied before I could enter. By this time another boat with crew, had caught me up and I was ready for a rest, so pulled in on the empty visitor moorings below Lock 5, tied up and had a well deserved pint in The King’s Head across the bridge. This pub was closed for a few years, but after restoration, it seems to be thriving as it is canalside, which is good news in view of all the pubs that have closed in recent years.

After a shower, I phoned Eric who lives in the town to see if he was going for a drink, but he is at the Slough Festival. I met a man dog walking on the towpath, who told me that there was a classic car festival here in the town at the weekend, but after researching it online, most of the cars were within my lifetime so they could be of interest.

Friday 6^th September

I walked up to the Co-Op to get a few essentials, but did most of the shopping in Aldi, which I had forgotten was here. In comparison with the Co-Op, Aldi easily outstripped them in popularity and all the tills were in operation.

It was time now to tackle the last five locks of the Atherstone flight, but this time I was following another boat, so all the locks were against me and had to be emptied before I could go in. Once again they were all, bar the top lock, done using the Jacko Method, as I now call it, because it was taught to me by John Jackson of nb Roach. Briefly described, as I have done so before, the boat is taken out of gear as it enters the tail of the lock and I step off at a suitable point with windlass in hand. Leaving the bottom gates open, I walk up to the top and when the boat is a about 6 to 10ft from the top cill, I draw half to a full paddle. This stops the boat and holds it in position, while I walk down and close the bottom gates, before returning to draw the remaining paddles. The method works on single locks only and all those ascending into Birmingham, but not on the Aylesbury Flight, where the boat needs to be left in gear and on tickover to keep it on the top cill.

Lock 1 was of course done by the volunteers and I pulled into the water point to fill the tank. By now I was saturated once more by a sudden cloudburst as I was filling Lock 2, with nowhere to take shelter and had to change all my outer clothing.

Once watered up, there were ample moorings to be had and I pulled in to share a ring with another boat. The stern line was attached and the centre line was on the bank, but a boat named Manxman steamed past at such a rate of knots that my bow was pulled into the centre of the cut and struck his stern, despite me trying to hold the centre line. I shouted, “SLOW DOWN”, but by this time it was too late. I absolutely abhor these selfish bastards, who are so inconsiderate to others trying to moor up – they know how difficult it is when others come past and you can always see when mooring up is taking place.

Howard Williams came past on Nuneaton later and I was curious as to where he was taking her without the butty in tow. I did find out when we had a chat later.

Saturday 7^th September

I badly need to wash the bedclothes and considered them to be too much for the twin tub to cope with. I had been on the lookout for a launderette for a while and at last I found one in Atherstone. Surprisingly, I had walked past it several times, but thought by the title that it was more dry cleaners and service wash, but not so because I could do my own washing there. I thought Braunston Marina was expensive, but this one was only £1 less for wash and dry. Because I have no spare sheets, they have to be dried immediately after washng so that they can go back on the bed. 

Whilst waiting, I had a half pint of Imperial Russian Stout, which is brewed by Marston’s in small quantities. Being 8% ABV, it would not be sensible to have a pint and was like a meal in a glass and very flavoursome. I had a long chat with Shane, the landlord about pubs that we both had in common and both being friends of Eric, we seemed to gel straight away.

The rest of the afternoon was spent tidying up inside the boat, before I went to The Maid of the Mill for a pint. Very much a locals pub, where most customers seemed to know one another. It was noisy with two TVs going as well as loud musak. It is many years since I last went there and although it has been taken over and improved since then, it is still not a place I would frequent again, but it went on my database all the same, where there are now 134 pubs listed.

For the first time, I lit the new Morso stove, but could not get a decent draw with the restricting bracket stopping the ash door from opening when the top door was closed. I decided to unscrew it, but the screws were riveted on the inside and could not be unscrewed, so I set to with a hacksaw and cut it off. Now I could get a decent draught through the grate and the fire burned fine, but gently as is was the first firing.

Sunday 8^th September

Today was the annual Atherstone Motor Show for classic cars and the weather was good with the sun shining and no wind. Several roads are closed for this event as they are taken over for display purposes and the crowds were out in force in the sunshine. Most of the cars were from the period in my lifetime, but there was a handful of older cars from the 1930’s. Motorbikes were also included, as well as few campervans. Most of the shops were open for business and the food outlets were doing a roaring trade. In the Market Square, there was a very loud disco and a few solo buskers.

AC Cobra?

Austin Metropolitan.

Not sure what this is.

A Shirley.......

.....so the badge says.

Bogus policeman with 

two tone horn going full blast.

Jaguar XK 140. 

Even the radiator cap was polished up.

Engine of above.

XK 140.

Rear end of a beautiful car.

A Lambretta.........would you believe?

A very busy place.

Engine of replica E Type Jaguar.

I spent two hours walking around the cars, before having a final pint in The Angel and heading off towards Hartshill, where there were ample moorings outside The Anchor.