Day 11 - Catherine de Barnes to Knowle

The judder didn't improve and we still couldn't budge the weed hatch lid, so called River Canal Rescue again - Kerry cleared the prop and advised us a jemmy was the thing, so we resolved to get one asap, without any clear idea where.. Homebase??  Feeling more spritely with the judder gone, we called in at Stephen Goldsbrough Boats for a quote on some internal redesign and then at around 6pm - rather rashly - set off down the Knowle flight of locks.

These turned out to be another assault course - heavy paddles (the mechanism looks like oversized pepper pots set at a crazy angle and are 1930s Ham Baker candlestick design) and long walks around each pound.

Unusual candlestick paddle gear

At the top of the Knowle flight, descending

One of the large pounds between locks

Evening visitor

Day 10 - Cuttle Inn to Catherine de Barnes via Birmingham

We started at 8am, intending to travel down through Birmingham via the easterly Grand Union route then out southeast towards Warwick.  However, a passing couple told us the Garrison locks were closed due to a threatened building collapse, so we'd have to take the longer route through the Aston flight (a total of 23 locks).  That was the first setback - then we found many locks in a poor state of repair, with extremely stiff paddles and heavy gates.  It was a boiling hot day - which combined with the bleak landscape produced an almost dreamlike experience.  When we do the trip again, we'll make sure we knew where to stop overnight in central Birmingham, since it was extremely hard work, we didn't get to actually see much of the city apart from the canal and we didn't make it to the village of Catherine de Barnes until 10pm.

At around 8pm just before the final lock, something chunky completely jammed the prop - it cleared sufficiently for us to go slowly but with a great deal of judder.  

Day 9 - Hopwas to Minworth

Signposts at Fazeley Junction - we came from the left and turned right onto the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal south towards Birmingham

Moored at Fazeley by a fine old canalside building

Just south of Fazeley is this gothic style footbridge at Drayton Bassett

A would be stowaway, he got onto the back deck and seemed reluctant to leave

After lunch at the Dog & Doublet we continued on through the Curdworth flight of 10 locks.  Suddenly, between locks 2 and 3 while waiting for a boat coming down we lost forward momentum and black smoke signalled something wrong.  Realising we'd probably got a snarled propellor, we tried in vain to remove the weed hatch lid but it was sealed tight. Steve from River Canal Rescue hauled out huge clumps of what looked like sheepskin rug and we were back in business.  

A couple on an old workboat suggested the Cuttle Inn by Wiggins Hill Bridge at Minworth as a final stop before Birmingham - there's a good stretch of mooring and we had a quiet night.

Day 8 - Fradley to Hopwas

Another hot day.  Set off from Fradley and stopped at bridge 78 near Whittington, where colourful planting lines the route to the village from the canal.

Moved on south to Hopwas and an evening drink at the Red Lion before mooring for the night nearby.

Day 7 - Fradley Junction

A lazy day with Denis at Fradley, walking to the Co-op in Fradley village (a half-hour walk) and around the very pretty nature reserve alongside the canal junction.

A thatched hide at the nature reserve, with wooden bullrushes decorating the entrance

We think these are batboxes - cosy!

At the water point

Days 1 to 6 - Sawley to Fradley Junction

Jan and Pete set off from Sawley at 8pm Monday, since 20mph winds were forecast Tuesday - to find the starter battery promptly died on Sawley Cut.  Scrabbled around various petrol stations to find enough water and left the poor thing to souse overnight.  Fortunately, it had recovered enough by Tuesday morning for the engine to start first time (and, fingers crossed, thereafter).

On with the first stage of this year's trip, the Warwickshire Ring anti-clockwise, via Fradley Junction, Fazeley, Birmingham, Warwick and back north up the Oxford and Coventry canals to Fradley.

The weather turned perishingly cold - needed the stove going while we were cruising. The first couple of days it was too cold to do jobs outside, so we assembled and painted cupboards and ate stew.

Chilly morning

Mural at Horninglow, outside Burton on Trent

The boatyard at Barton Marina made us new battery leads

Lorries on Ryknild Street alongside the canal

Pete at the tiller

Pete working Wychnor Lock, before the Alrewas river section

Cow Bridge, Alrewas - the boat goes through that narrow bit

Skirting the weir

Black swan

Water meadows

Walkway along the river

The view from Alrewas Lock

Some of Pete's pics:

The Swan at Fradley Junction, view from the start of the Coventry Canal.  Sheila and Denis joined us here for an enjoyable Saturday lunch before the start of the next part of the journey for Denis and Jan, south to the Warwickshire Ring.

Day 30 - Barton under Needwood to Willington

Set off mid-morning as it was raining but forecast to stop and went through Barton Lock in peaceful solitude.

Going down in Barton Lock

I'd seen nb Mercury going past while moored at Barton, so dropped in for a coffee with Mick and Sue Gavigan at Shobnall Marina, then bought a few things at the small but thoroughly stocked chandlery.  Including a special sponge, made in Germany which cleans glass in wood burners without the use of water.

Just after Shobnall, there were a group of young men by the canal in bathing gear and one swimming in the canal - I skirted round him extremely carefully and called to make sure he kept well clear of the prop.  It was a very warm day with people out walking, cycling and just sitting watching the boats.  

Dallow Lock

Willington was quite festive, with crowds of people sitting outside at the canalside pubs, eating and drinking.  I'd expected no space for mooring, but wound through the lines of boats and found space at the marina end of the village - and slept well in spite of the noisy railway line next door.