Catch Up

It’s been quite a while sine the last blog so time for a catch up.

Going back to when we were in Fazeley a few weeks ago, we met up with Bob and June nb Autumn Myst and had an enjoyable evening catching up over a bottle of wine and then again the following morning over coffee. Dudley had his first experience of another dog, Bob and June’s latest Guide Dog puppy Ecco who is a nine month old black lab (well 10 months old now!!). Ecco was very patient and put up with Dudley springing around her trying to play. Bob took some lovely photos of them together, here’s a link to them here.

Bob and June

Ecco and Dudley

On the Monday Dudley had his second vaccination jab and micro chip, his was very brave and didn’t make a fuss at all, even though there was quite a bit of blood from the micro chip. On Tuesday we made our way to Alvecote, we had a space booked for the floating market at Alvecote Marina with the bonus of electric hook up, so I managed to get quite a few wash loads done.

The market started on the Friday and as it was a ‘normal’ day it was fairly quite, Saturday rain stopped play early and Sunday was very windy, still not bad sales wise. Bank Holiday Monday the weather was better and people were out in force, it was a very successful day for us so well worth going. In the evening we headed over to the Samuel Barlow pub where we met up with a couple of the other traders and kept poor Matthew there until after midnight.

Alvecote Floating Market

The Samuel Barlow

We left in a few days before leaving as the weather was horrid, wet and really windy, when we finally left on Wednesday we only went back to Fazeley for a couple of days. We got a takeaway from Kudos, the Indian restaurant we have often been to when passing through, but with Dudley now and as he’s not been on his own we had  take away instead, which was excellent and James even got a free bottle of beer.

After Fazeley it was onto Fradley and right turn onto the Trent and Mersey Canal. We had intended stopping at the visitor moorings between the locks, but unfortunately they were full as it was quite late in the day by the time we arrived. We carried on down through Hunt Lock and then Common Lock stopping on a nice straight grassy section which Dudley loved as he could run around off the lead.

On Friday we left Fradley behind and dropped down through Alrewas onto the river section, there was hardly any flow and the level just reached the green section on the board so all was well. We continued on past the really noisy stretch which runs adjacent to the busy A38 and stopped at Branston Water Park. Just a little way down the canal there is a house that was selling rhubarb at its back gate which backs onto the canal, so we had a few sticks and made crumble. We had a very short stroll through the water park, but hopefully will stop here again on the way back.

Saturday we headed through Burton-upon-Trent to Willington, we managed to squeeze onto a mooring just after the pub. Sunday we set up shop to and made a few sales so it was certainly worth doing. On Monday we headed off back to Burton-upon-Trent ready for the Roving Canal Traders Floating Market over the Whitsun Bank Holiday Weekend.

30 Miles and 16 locks

Total 192 Miles and 173 Locks

Atherstone to Alvecote

Whilst in Atherstone we headed down to take a look at the market, it was a bit of a disappointment, guess there isn't a call for it at this time of year and also the weather wasn't that brilliant, I'm sure when we have been in Atherstone before it was quite busy.

Not a good day for the market

On Tuesday we left Atherstone in the nice sunshine, we were only through the first lock then there was a bit of a shower but not for long, the sun was soon out again and not a breath of wind.

Making good use of the old side ponds

We made good timing down the locks passing five boats on their way up, so a few were on the move.

One of the new gates, this flight was only re-opened a few days before

Last descent

And she's out and we're on our way, I did have to remind James to wait for me this time

After a bit of role reversal at the services, I did water, loo and bin and James finished washing up and made sarnies for the rest of the trip, we made it to Alvecote about half an hour before sunset.

James had a chat with the geese, he's good at talking goose - I'm not

Today (Thursday) we moved across the canal so we were outside the Samuel Barlow pub, we have the luxury of electric and a water tap outside the kitchen window. I'm sure the new batteries are enjoying getting fully charged and I am looking forward to dinner and a cider in the pub next door - and it's not far to stagger back.

Outside the Samuel Barlow pub, not far to go for dinner

7 miles and 11 locks

Total 565.5 miles and 388 locks

Fazeley to Alvecote

Whilst moored at Fazeley we had a couple of visitors, first on 27th August Les and Mea made their way by car from Hinckley to see us. It has been a while since we last saw them when they were over from Thailand last year. It was lovely to see them both again and wish them luck and happiness whatever they decide to do in future.

The next day James was setting up his lathe on the back deck when I noticed a boat approaching the services opposite, nothing unusual there, but this time it looked vaguely familiar it wasn't until it got closer and I could read the name on the side I realised it was Ian and Irene on Free Spirit, I shouted across if they had time to stop for coffee, I knew they were on a bit of a mission to get to Milton Keynes (Irene keeps her blog updated). As there wasn't space nearby they moored alongside us and hopped in. Irene had said they weren't expecting to see us there - that will teach me to keep the blog updated!!  Really nice to catch up again and its amazing how quickly time goes.

Friday 29th saw us at yet another Enterprise branch office to hire a car to visit Mum near Reading. We arrived with her just after 6:30pm after a journey of various hold ups and accidents, you certainly forget the real world when you live afloat. On Saturday we headed into Reading where after a walk around the Oracle shopping centre we enjoyed a drink and lunch sat watching the the boats through the narrow section on the Kennet and Avon. On Sunday Lyn visited and we all went to the Cunning Man at Burghfield, the next village along from Mum, where again we got our canal fix and had a wander along the Kennet and Avon, stopped for a drink in the Cunning Man and then onto the Hatch Gate Inn for a lunchtime all you can eat Indian Buffet. Monday saw us whizzing back up various motorways to drop the car back at Tamworth and back to LJ at Fazeley.

Tuesday we wandered into Tamworth, I still think it's a great town, it was market day and the place was buzzing, the castle grounds and park right by the town centre are still really well looked after.

Wednesday it was time to move on our seven days at Fazeley were over and we had a call that the inverter and charger were ready to pick up, so we moved back to the aqueduct which is the closest access to the road to collect it. Sellweb is the company that did the repairs and they were brilliant. I thought our inverter would be beyond repair and a new one needed, but they managed to save it for a cost of £170 plus VAT instead of at least £1200 for a new one and they give a 12 month warranty. They explained to us that we were indeed very lucky not only to have the inverter mended but also to still have a boat! The inverter had suffered a serious melt down caused by the supply cable inside the unit becoming loose and causing excessive heat. The guy at Sellweb explained that he hadn't seen one that had survived this kind of melt down and they normally result in a fire, so maybe someone is looking out for us!

Once back at LJ we continued on through the two Glascote locks - again, and moored up opposite a much quieter Alvecote Marina, where the following day James re-fitted the charger and inverter, so all is good again on the 240 electrical front.

Unfortunately I haven't been very organised with taking photos, so this blog is seriously lacking them!!

The new housing at Fazeley Junction is coming on at last

Moored at Alvecote

3.75 miles and 2 locks

Total 422 miles and 350 locks

Fradley to Fazeley

22nd August

On Friday after another leisurely breakfast we set off with Tamworth being our destination. We had lunch on the go and typically had a few spots of rain just at that time but not enough to stop us eating.

We passed Whittington, where the Coventry Canal becomes the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal for a few miles until Fazeley junction where it goes off to the right, we continued straight ahead where it becomes the Coventry Canal again. We intended going up through the two Glascote locks, but there was a queue of five working boats waiting to go through to get to the Alvecote Historic boat festival. We decided, as time was getting on, to moor up at the bottom and walk to Tamworth station from there so Laura could collect her car, it was only a short way off where we were going to moor anyway.

We said our farewells at the station car park, we had an absolutely fantastic time with Laura and really enjoyed the last couple of days.

James and I carried on up to Alvecote to check out the festival, we decided to moor up a short way before to keep out of the way of the 'goings on', but as it turned out we had our own private parade of boats pass by as they used the winding hole which was a short way behind us.

We went down to the marina both Saturday and Sunday to watch the boats in the winding competition, and Sunday evening the illuminated parade passed by us at around 9pm so I think we had the best view. Bank Holiday Monday was typically raining so we wimped out and didn't venture out.

Historic Boat Festival

The parade

Emu, which was fully laden

And this one is Birmingham, which was empty

Note 1899 - Marquis rammed and sunk Jubilee in Braunston Tunnel

And here's the culprit, the 2nd oldest self powered narrowboat

The illuminated parade

Tuesday morning we left Alvecote early to head back down to Tamworth where James had arranged to take our poorly inverter and charger to be looked at to see if repair was possible. It is surprising how heavy the inverter is, so wrapped in a blanket and secured to our sack trolley we made our way through the industrial park and left them to be looked at.

We spent a night just after the Tame aqueduct and then made our way back to Fazeley Junction and moored opposite the water point at Peels Wharf.

Opposite Peels Wharf

16.5 miles and 4 locks

Total 418.25 and 348 locks