It's all done with garden wire........

Now when it comes to wearing glasses some people really shouldn’t be allowed a pair. Sit on, bend, lose, greasy, loose, on the end of the nose, looked over as much as through (vari-focal at that) – no need to ask who fits in that category.... mmm....... himself. Well despite recent adjustment he’s managed to make them loose again so that they have a tendency to fall off his face. Now for a man who lives on the water this is not an ideal situation and, you guessed it, he bends to exit the cratch to get on the bank and....... plop! “Oh dear”, at least that's what we think he meant. Now too many pairs of glasses have been lost to the sirens of the cut and as he knows precisely where they went down he is determined to attempt a recovery. Now old boaters are nothing if not resourceful. Out with the coil of garden wire (useful for all kinds of emergencies). A twist here and there and he has devised a three-prong grappling hook which he attaches to the end of his walking stick, relic of the bad back episode of the first year. We are fishing in about three foot of water between bank and moored boat. A few careful passes feeling for any sign of metalwork, carefully does it and........ YES!!!! One pair of somewhat muddy glasses dangling from the improvised device. Another hundred quid saved! What are we saying? You guessed it. A few days later, similar situation and ........plop! Out with the improvised grappling hook again and someone, somewhere is looking after him because once more they are recovered. He is now seen exiting the boat, glasses firmly clutched in his hand. No point in pushing your luck.

Now you will recall that we were in Coventry Basin, staying another day because of the strength of the wind - it’s no fun going sideways down the canal. Next day, a complete contrast – hardly a breath of wind, the sun breaking through and off we go, retracing our way down the Coventry arm to Hawkesbury Junction. Right turn under the junction bridge and into Sutton Stop lock to rise a few inches to move onto the Oxford Canal.

This is familiar territory, the M6 motorway never far away, soon to be joined by the Trent Valley Railway running from Crewe down to London. As we go along evidence of old loops of the original course of the meandering Oxford Canal before straightening in the early 1800’s cut almost 14 miles from its length. Our destination is All Oaks Wood next to Brinklow village, a beautiful peaceful rural spot we have stayed at before. A picnic spot and small car park beside the canal makes it a popular spot with the canal dwelling community. A few days chilling out is a must.

Now Brinlow village is a bit of a walk from the canal but it would be a shame not to pause and have a look at the Tump. “The what?” you say. The Tump, that’s the local name for it. Supposedly the largest Norman motte and bailey castle remaining in England. You know that herself is not to fond of hills in an upward direction but she could not resist struggling up the steep grassy slope to the top and “What a view”. The castle was built here to dominate the course of the Fosse Way. Turn north and you see it stretching straight to the horizon; turn south to see it continue on. The modern road curves round the castle down the village High Street until it rejoins the line of the Fosse again.

We hear from the net that there is to be an end of season Bar-B-Q on 25th September at Brinklow Marina where Avon Rose will reside for the winter while we take up residence in Bath. We have to admit that we are feeling travel weary and decide that an early entry into the marina giving us chance to meet some of the neighbours and some extra time to get Avon Rose spruced up for the winter suddenly sounds very attractive. A final trip down to Braunston for the weekend before returning to the Marina is agreed upon and early entry to the marina negotiated.

We moor in our favourite spot in Braunston , by bridge 89 at the bottom of the hill below the church. From here we look south across the canal to a meadow of sheep with a footpath running up from the bridge giving access to the end of the High Street. On Saturday two friendscome and join us for lunch at The Boathouse. That evening we dine at the same place (the 2 for one offers are just too good to miss so really we only ate out once). Our companions this time are Mike Kelly and his wife, friends who live in Braunston – Mike the author of “Waterway” the canal mapping and satnav software we use (http://eureauweb.com/Water-Way/) . We are introduced to “Admiral” Pete Boyce and his lady and invited to go and see Lucy the following morning after church (ringing for service first of course – nice six but struggling band.) Now who is Lucy I here you cry. Lucy is probably one of the last wooden narrowboats to be built at the Samuel Barlow yard in Braunston in 1951. We have passed her on a number of occasions but when we last did she was a sunken hulk at Puddle Banks on the GU/Oxford cut out of Braunston. Pete has rescued her and is in the process of carefully photographing and documenting all the details of her constructon and has now started her restoration, plank by plank. Have a look at http://www.phobox.com/lucy/ to see the full story.

Monday and a lazy start as we move to Braunston Turn to wind and make our way back to Rugby for an overnight stop by Tescos. Stock up in the morning before setting off for the marina down through Hillmorton Locks, through Newbold Tunnel with its towpaths on either side and colourful floodlights. (Towpaths in tunnels indicate a later construction – this was the second built at Newbold when the Oxford was straightened; the site of the old one can be seen near the church.) At bridge 39 where a remaining length of the original line joins the straightened canal we turn left and head into Brinklow Marina, call the duty harbour master’s mobile and John comes and installs us in our berth. So here we are, beautiful open site, wonderfully peaceful. Electric hook-up and water on tap; disposal facilities close by, this is a tired boater's heaven. So now it’s out with the paint pots, time to repair the ravages of a hard season’s cruising and get Avon Rose all ship-shape and ready to face the winter.

It’s now over 2 years since we moved aboard Avon Rose and a fantastic two years it has been. The statistics are impressive and as you would imagine himself, the nerd, has them all:

67 tunnel passages through 32 of the 41 tunnels still navigable including the longest (Standedge on Huddersfield Narrow at 5,698yards= approx 3 ¼ miles) and the shortest on the system (Dunsley on Staffs & Worcs at 25yards).

176 moveable bridges passed through (lift and swing, some mechanised).

1,556 locks negotiated of which 875 were broad gauge and 681 were narrow – with rises ranging from a few inches to 14 feet. Why would you want a lock of only a few inches? Well these are the “Stop Locks” at points were canals owned by different companies joined. Water supply is so essential to canal operation (parts of the Leeds & Liverpool have been closed this summer because of water shortages) that canal companies were paranoid about rivals stealing their water, so you install a pair of gates to ensure they can’t; also gives you a way of controlling boat passage so you can collect tolls.

The list of waterways we have traversed is quite impressive as well (see below). Plenty to look back on over the winter as we come ashore. Herself looking forward to laying in a nice warm bath whenever she likes, himself hoping to finally build the wooden model sailing cutter he has been carrying around for the last two years; there’s just been too much boating to do!

WATERWAYS cruised by Avon Rose from 13 September 2008 to 21 September 2010

> Aire & Calder Navigation
> Ashby Canal
> Ashton Canal
> Birmingham Canal Navigation New Main Line
> Bridgewater Canal
> Calder & Hebble Navigation
> Coventry Canal
> Grand Union Canal Main Line
> Grand Union Canal Leicester Arm
> Grand Union Canal Market Harborough Arm
> Grand Union Canal Northampton Arm
> Grand Union Canal Paddington Arm
> Grand Union Canal Welford Arm
> Grand Union Canal Wendover Arm
> Huddersfield Broad Canal
> Huddersfield Narrow Canal
> Kennet & Avon Canal
> Leeds & Liverpool Canal
> Leeds & Liverpool Canal Leigh Branch
> Llangollen Canal
> Macclesfield Canal
> Middle Levels Navigation
> Montgomery Canal
> Oxford Canal
> Peak Forest Canal
> River Avon (Warwicksshire)
> River Great Ouse
> River Nene
> River Severn
> River Soar
> River Thames
> River Trent
> Shropshire Union Canal
> Staffs & Worcs Canal
> Stourbridge Canal
> Stratford Canal
> Trent & Mersey Canal
> Worcester & Birmingham Canal