Deflowered, at last!

We were Ashby canal virgins until this morning but no longer, as of 9.30 this morning when we finally made it on to the Ashby.  The rain had just started as Yarwood turned in at Marston Junction so we moored on the first bit of Armco we found just past bridge two, lit the fire and settled down. 

We had left Harsthill at 7.20 and as we untied lines a Kiwi gentleman  from a Valley Cruisers hire boat approached me with an armful of food..
'Did we want it, could we use it?' They were due back in an hour and were clearing out the fridge.  Fresh sweet chiquino peppers, beefsteak toms and more...
'You bet mate, thank you very much'. 
So as I type this there is a selection of veg roasting in the oven which will be accompanied by grilled Haloumi cheese

and a glass of vino collapso.

(This meal will make a change from a diet of mushrooms ...but that is another story which I might share with you tomorrow)

 Yarwood passing Springwood Haven marina, home of Valley Cruisers Hire boats

 

 A lone telegraph pole...long forgotten and now extinct...remember these?

 

I haven't taken any photographs of Nuneaton as we skirted it on the canal.  It is not a very edifying sight.  Litter, dog shit, beer cans and fag packets adorn the tow path.  There are no 'entrances' to the town that are welcoming.  The people I met, walking their dogs for the most part, were lovely but their Civic leaders are obviously not up to much..

 

Once through Nuneaton and back into the countryside things looked up again and in no time we were approaching Marston Junction and the entrance to the Ashby canal.

 

 Marston Junction

 There be the Ashby

 

 Where's Dad?

 

 There he be

 

 Yarwood entering new territories

 

 Ashby virginity gone!

 

 Moored up...breakfast soon

 

 In the afternoon I took the dogs out for another walk to explore our surroundings...not bad are they?

Back to the boat and apparently it is feeding time again for the dogs???

Up the flight and on to Hartshill

Up and on the move at 7.20am this morning, following a single handler up the Atherstone flight of 11 locks.  I got the trusty bike off of the deck for a bit of lock wheeling and got caught on camera passing Nb. Windsong so I am sure that Pip will repay me - yesterday's photo's - and post something equally embarrassing of me doing a Wiggins impression.

 The first lock of the day

 Not the only ones about..

 

 IT'S PLAYTIME!!!

 

 There be Nb. Windsong moored between locks 8 and 7

 Following our single handler, a very efficient and capable single handler, up the last four locks

 

We moored at the top of the flight while Joe popped into Atherstone for some fresh bread rolls and a newspaper and on his return I cooked a belated breakfast for us. 

There were lots of happy boaters about including a chap who introduced himself to 'Mrs Yarwood' saying he was a blog reader - nice to meet you David and I hope you enjoy your boating this week.

 

We pulled pins again after our brunch and headed off towards Harsthill where we have moored for the night.

 Mix gusty wind, moored boats on a bend, blind bridge hole and boat approaching you too quickly - result Yarwood 'breasted up' against work boats  - but no collision.

 And just after workboat bend we have a sunken cruiser

 

 Not a bad stretch is it?

 

Hartshill Yard, a 19th century maintenance yard for the Coventry Canal Company, now Canal and River Trust

 

 Floyd, Joe, Diana and Brian

 

As we started to moor up a boat approached that we recognised, Nb. Harnser with Brian and Diana aboard.  They pulled over and stopped for a chat before continuing their trip to Huddlesford for the festival at the weekend.

 We headed for the Anchor Inn and a welcome pint before settling down for the rest of the day.

 

'There is a pork scratching up there Floyd'

And on to Atherstone...maybe

Lying in our nice warm comfy bed this morning listening to the wind rattling the plank and boat pole on the cabin top I said to Himself, "I think we might be staying here today" but by the time we dragged ourselves into an upright position the wind had diminished and the day looked set fair.  By 7.20am we were on the move, the dogs and I tramping the towpath and Joe steering Yarwood.

 I met and greeted quite a few early morning dog walkers exercising their dogs along the cut - my greeting just a little jaundiced after having shovelled any amount of canine excrement off of moorings at Hopwas and yet more at Aimington last night.  In fact things were so bad at Hopwas that I might drop a line to the Parish Council  - probably get a 'nowt to do with us' response but hey ho, it is worth a punt surely.
After a little twenty minutes we approached Alvecote Marina.  Sitting up on the hard was Nb. Dane, being extensively refurbished.  Dane is a wooden boat built in 1907 and initially operated by the Severn Carrying Company.

 Nb Dane

 A new oak 'stem'?

 

 Just a little further along and we slipped past a snoozing Nb Windsong

 

 Approaching Pooley Hall

 Now there's coincidence, another wooden historic working boat NB Stour at Grendon dock

 And another, but steel construction this  time

 

Arriving at the bottom of the Atherstone flight of locks and needing a cuppa and a leak, not necessarily in that order, we pulled over and moored up....and then decided that the locks could wait until tomorrow.  It was 9.30 and I had walked nearly seven miles so we breakfasted and then decided to walk into Atherstone for a look around and a few bits from Aldi. no sooner had we stepped out of the boat than we were beeped by Pip and Roger as they approached the queue for the locks.

 

 Joe and Pip with Windsong on a 'lead'

 

 Roger, gate and paddle operative

 

 And here comes Pip, cursing the audience..

 

 Where's the lock?

 

 That's got it..

 

 And smoothly in she goes - note newly painted and immaculate cabin top

 

Once in and the gates closed we abandoned them to their task and went in search of Atherstone town centre.

En route  we met this girl on the towpath  Note the chap in the background hastily putting his dog on a lead.  The goat ( I think a goat rather than a sheep but what do I know?) looked first at us and Floyd and Fletcher and then at the other dog approaching and then panicked and headed back to its field but didn't factor in the barbed wire.  Joe took the dogs and I clambered up the bank to the trapped animal and proceeded to dismantle the fence, disentangle the creature and prise open the wire strands sufficiently for the goat to get back to safety. 

Tomorrow....Atherstone lock flight beckons.

Red Diesel Petition

There is a petition being organised to counter the threat/posturing by the EU to stop UK boaters being able to use red diesel in their boats.  I don't know whether petitions do much good but this one certainly wouldn't do any harm. 
Sign the petition here and pass it on to other boaters.

The Lunch Bunch and an encounter with....

Saturday afternoon after arriving in Hopwas and being joined by Pip, Roger and Ozzie of Nb. Windsong, we spent a pleasant couple of hours sampling the beer in the Red Lion and then The Tame Otter in an attempt to decide where we would go for Sunday lunch.   The dire weather forecast for Sunday of 'end-of-world' magnitude issued by the Met Office and repeated hourly by the BBC  had decided both crews that there would be no cruising on Sunday so a lunch out seemed like a damn good idea.   The Tame Otter was the winner on the lunch stakes so we booked a table and presented ourselves at 12.30 sharp on Sunday and we were not disappointed with the fare or the service. 
On leaving the pub I asked if it would be possible to arrange a Tesco delivery to the boat for Monday morning - the Tesco van would pull into their car park to make the delivery to Yarwood - no problem at all, quite happy to oblige so as soon as I got back to Yarwood I fired up the laptop and sorted out an order.

This morning at 8ish we pulled around the bend and on to the visitor moorings outside the Tame Otter and awaited Mr.Tesco.  While we were hanging around the Windsong crew passed us and we said our fond farewells for now as they head back towards Gayton and we toddle off to explore the Ashby Canal.
 

 Awaiting our food delivery

 

 Pip being tied in knots by Ozzie

 

 There goes Windsong

 

As soon as Tesco had delivered we headed off towards Fazeley Junction and services but as we approached the junction I spotted a chap tying up.  As I went to pass him we both recognised each other..it was Leon and his boat The Old Bovine.  Now we haven't seen each other for going on three years and I was delighted to see him again.  The Old Bovine is a boat with tons of character and immaculately kept by Leon and in truth it was Leon that persuaded a sceptical Joe that a traditional back cabin was desirable, practical and an infinitely useful space..

 

 

 The Old Bovine

 The latest change to the Old Bovine is the beautiful installation of a new RN engine, immaculately presented as you can see

 Joe and Leon

We spent over an hour chatting and I was just so chuffed to catch up with him again.

 

The sun has got his hat on for our cruise to Fazeley but we were so delayed by Tesco and encountering Leon that we called a halt after going up the two Glascote locks  and moored up at Ammington for the night.