Moorings

The River Nene is very different to any waterway we've sailed before and we encountered our first guillotine lock on the outskirts of Northampton.   The top gates are conventional lock gates but the bottom gate is an electronically operated guillotine which is used as a sluice when the river is in flood.  

I'm pressing the button to raise the gate which took about 2 minutes  

The Nene valley is fairly flat so we have a good view across picturesque countryside and the many lagoons in old gravel pits which flank the banks.  The Nene's course is complex; at many of the locks we branch off the main river and rejoin it further downstream and there are other large branches which could be mistaken for the navigable course.  Fortunately our route is indicated by arrow markers. 

Arrows point the way

After 6 locks we thought it was time to pull up for the day and our map indicated moorings were available.  It soon became apparent they were not necessarily visitor moorings and so on we went.   At one of the locks we joined a couple of chaps and continued sharing the locks with them until we arrived at the visitor moorings in Wellingborough.   On the way we passed a farm with a difference; it had a field full of solar panels.  

Solar farm on the way to Wellingborough

We left Wellingborough and were once again impressed by the countryside although the locks and some of the bridges are not as interesting as those on the canals.  

One of the prettier bridges although Bess is more interested in the swans. 

It became apparent that the Environment Agency does not provide very many moorings or facilities for boaters so we were pleased to see a stretch of empty moorings at Irthlingborough.   The next day I approached one of the locks to be confronted with a large wheel which had to be turned to operate the guillotine gate.  It wasn't too hard because there is a beam for counter-balance but it took longer than the electronic version!   On that day I also had my first sighting of something special: a red kite soaring on the thermals above the river.  During the rest of the week we saw several kites and after walking back along the footpath were lucky enough to take some photos. 

This red kite obligingly landed in a tree near us

On Thursday we had a civilised short journey stopping at the Kings Head at Wadenhoe.  The moorings are at the bottom of the pub garden and are free to patrons so we stayed for a couple of nights in this idyllic spot.  We were surprised to see a mallard duck sitting on her nest 5 feet up in a hollow in the tree trunk.  The same tree also had nesting blue tits and jackdaws and we saw treecreepers which were frequent visitors.  Wadenhoe is a pretty village with traditional stone buildings and, in common with other villages along the Nene, a church overlooking the river.  

At the Kings Head, Wadenhoe

From Wadenhoe we also had a short trip to Oundle which has been recommended by other boaters.  There are no Environment Agency moorings so we tied up outside the Oundle Cruising Club.  The Harbour Master brought us a form to complete and as the moorings are free we made a donation to the club.  Oundle was a good walk from the moorings but it was interesting to see the small town which has retained a historical air.   Shop signs were discreet and most of the shops were independent traders.  The Oundle public school occupies part of the town centre; it's large buildings dominate their surroundings.  

  

Oundle School buildings

The winding river took us south of Oundle before sweeping round in a u-turn to take us north so 2.5 miles after setting off we passed the town again.  We continued on to Fotheringhay where an enterprising farmer charges £4 a night so we tied up alongside his field of sheep. Curious lambs came to look at Brent III and Bess and Brin were kept on their leads.  Fotheringhay Castle was the birthplace of Richard III and Mary Queen of Scots was executed there but the castle has now been reduced to a mound overlooking the river.   Fotheringhay Church with it's octagonal tower also overlooks the river and our moorings. 

Fotheringhay Church at night, I was amused to see the silhouettes of the sheep under the tree.  

Our journey from Northampton to Fotheringhay

The River Nene

We made an early start from Braunston but our first stop wasn't far away, we pulled up for water outside the Toll House.  Then we stopped for gas and finally we were on our way to the 6 locks.  A couple of hire boaters were coming down, rushing to return the boat before 9.30 am. 

Taking on water outside the Toll House at Braunston.  The building is now a CRT information centre and office.

We continued our journey down the Grand Union Canal over the next few days, travelling in the morning and painting the front deck area in the afternoon.   We put the finishing touches to the locker lids on Thursday and were amused to see a pair of ducks standing on our roof.  

Cheeky ducks standing on the roof.
 

On Friday we arrived at Gayton Junction where we turned onto the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal.  From Northampton we will be sailing on the River Nene which is controlled by the Environment Agency so we needed to obtain a license.  We called in at Gayton Marina to purchase this and to buy a key for the electric controls and waterpoints. 

The next day we started at 6am; there are 16 narrow locks in the 5 miles to Northampton and we wanted to avoid any delays if the canal became busy. 

Lock 1 on the Northampton Arm 

At the first lock we realised progress might not be as quick as we anticipated.  There are 2 gates at the bottom of the lock and, unlike most narrow locks, when one gate was open there was no way of getting across the lock without walking back to the top gate.  To save some of the walking Kev and I armed ourselves with boat hooks and with a joint effort were able to manoeuvre the gate shut as Kev sailed out of the lock.  Our Nicholson's guide also showed some drawbridges but luckily these were all permanently up.  

One of the little drawbridges 

Between locks 9 and 10 we encountered a now familiar sight, the water had drained out of the pound.  Luckily it didn't take long to fill and we were soon on our way. 

Brent III is on the lock but the pound is empty.  Kev is opening up all the paddles to allow water to flow through the lock to fill the short stretch to the next lock.

At 10am we moored up at Cotton End in Northampton, pleased with ourselves except for one mishap.  I had taken the old digital camera with me to take photos while we were on the move but had leant on it while shutting a lock gate.  The screen didn't survive the crush but luckily I was able to download the photos.   The next day we went down through the last CRT lock and out onto the River Nene but we didn't go far; a pontoon next to Northampton's Midsummer Meadow was the ideal place to stop and contemplate a small replacement camera.  

On the pontoon at Midsummer Meadow

After much deliberation I decided a Canon superzoom camera which was on offer at Argos would be ideal and reserved it for collection.  In Argos the assistant advised that, as it was a promotion, the camera might not be the same model as advertised but it would have the same specification or better.  I was very surprised when they gave me the next model up and I certainly won't be crushing it against a lock gate.  

Our journey from Braunston to Northampton

Painting Again

We stopped at Hawkesbury Junction for a couple of nights and a man with an ASDA van brought us our shopping.   There were plenty of boats on the move as we set off and turned onto the Oxford Canal. 

Kev turns off the Coventry Canal onto the Oxford Canal.

The Oxford is another canal which follows the contours and it winds it's way through open countryside on it's northern stretches.  Most of the bank is not built up at all, clumps of grass line the edge and so mooring is restricted to the designated areas.  Each day we saw the towpath inspector, from the Canal & River Trust, walking to check the fragile bank for breaches.   The high speed railway had accompanied us down the Coventry Canal and it soon shared the Oxford Canal's route.  Trains hurtled down the track and screamed passed in contrast to our 3 mph. 

The picture that didn't materialise:  I had the camera at the ready for a train on this section where the railway was so close to the canal but I guess they were running late!

We stopped at a popular mooring near Brinklow and decided to resume the painting of Brent III which we started last year.  We retrieved all our painting gear from it's various storage spaces and washed down one of the sides with a scourer to prepare it for a final top coat.  Then we realised we hadn't replaced the roller handles which we discarded after blacking the bottom.   After we'd joked about the situation to another boater he produced a roller handle and the top coat went on as planned.  

The canal flows through a short tunnel at Newbold and then into the suburbs of Rugby.  At Brownsover we stopped for shopping at Tesco and called in at The Range for roller handles.  

At Hilmorton we encountered the only locks in a 23 mile stretch of canal.  There are 6 locks set in pairs side by side so we only had 3 locks to climb.   Hilmorton also has a small branch of canal which leads to a boatyard and a collection of buildings line the bank.  

The first pair of locks at Hilmorton. 

On Sunday strong winds rocked Brent III and created waves on the canal.  We had already decided to stay put as our next stop will be the popular village of Braunston which could be busy at the weekend.   Although conditions were not ideal we prepared the front deck area for painting and were pleased to come back inside after giving it an undercoat.  

On Monday morning we travelled into Braunston and onto the Grand Union Canal.  We were surprised to see an empty stretch of moorings and picked a place in the sun for our solar power.  

Our journey from Hawkesbury Junction to Braunston

Easter

We left Alrewas in bright sunshine but it didn't last; the next day we set off in strong winds which hampered steering, especially at Fradley Junction's tight turn onto the Coventry canal.  This canal twists and turns following the contours so in this stretch there are no locks.  We've only travelled along this canal once before, eighteen months ago, but as we rounded the bends we were surprised how much we could remember from that previous journey.   At Fazeley Junction an old building had been painted and now boaters see the stunning kingfisher and robin as they round the bend.   

Kingfisher and robin at Fazeley Junction

Our view of the Birmingham and Fazeley canal as we continue south on the Coventry canal at Fazeley Junction.

Shortly after Fazeley Junction we arrived at Glascote Locks, the first ones on the Coventry Canal.  Lock one is notoriously slow, so much so that someone has pinned up an 'Ode to the Leaky Lock' which urges patience!  The boat traffic has started to increase as the Easter weekend approaches and as we came out of the second Glascote lock a queue, waiting to come down, had formed.   

The only other locks on the canal are at Atherstone but there are 11 of them.   We moored up at the bottom of the flight so we could have an early start to avoid any delay.   We set off before 7am the next day and were very pleased to finish the last lock 100 minutes later.  We did meet some other boaters but only after our eighth lock and at the top of the flight there were already 2 boats waiting.  

After such good progress on the locks we kept going and sailed through to Springwood Haven Marina where we topped up with diesel.  As on our previous visit the staff were friendly and helpful and in the chandlery Kev spotted a windlass with an extra long handle.  It's a weighty implement but will be very useful for extra leverage on obstinate lock gear.

Elaborate buildings for a Canal and River Trust yard at Hartshill on the Coventry Canal

We felt we'd earned a day off on Easter Sunday and enjoyed a day in the sun.  We also wanted to delay our arrival at our next destination, Hawkesbury Junction is very popular and there could have been a shortage of moorings.   On Easter Monday we continued our journey and the canal took us through the outskirts of Nuneaton with its miles of allotments bordering the west bank.    Numerous boats were sailing up from Hawkesbury and as we neared the junction we could see narrowboats lining the bank.  Luckily there was space on the visitor moorings; I had already booked us a table in The Greyhound for that evening. 

Hawkesbury Junction:  I am looking down over the Coventry Canal which continues straight on, a left hand turn under the bridge leads to the Oxford canal.  The Oxford Canal does not continue on passed the bridge so boaters have to immediately take another sharp left turn. The white building is The Greyhound which serves excellent meals.   

Our journey from Alrewas to Hawkesbury Junction