Voyages of Gabriel: Hawkesbury Junction to Norton Junction

Thu 3^rd September Parrott’s Basin to Brownsover

Moored opposite the site of Parrott’s Basin

There was rain early on, so we waited for a gap before we departed. First stop was the water point just before Hawkesbury junction. It was low pressure, so there was plenty of time to take some rubbish and trundle a cassette over the junction bridge to the sanitary station. Just as we were about to set off once more, a boat came from behind and passed us, so we had to wait for them to use the lock.

Hawkesbury Junction

This area is always noisy, with the M6 running alongside, and the M69 crossing the canal at Ansty. We have never stopped at Ansty for that reason. Looking at the map, the place would have been delightful before the motorways.

Under the M69

Horses alongside the canal

Under the M6

The canal then proceeds along a high embankment, with a railway alongside for two miles. At Rose Narrowboats we caught up with the boat in front, and in turn they had caught up with the one in front of them. The first boat opened the swing bridge, and we assumed that the second boat would go straight through and leave us to close the bridge again. Instead of that, the lady from the second boat got off, and started to close the bridge right in front of us! In the end she beckoned us through, but then we had to wait while she closed the bridge and returned to her boat, waiting at the next bridge.

The little swing bridge at Rose Narrowboats

The Brinklow Arm cast iron footbridge

There were very few boats moored at Brinklow. We carried on to Lime Farm Marina, where, on recommendation from Terry and Chris, we had arranged for Sarah Brady to repair our pram hood, which had been damaged in Harecastle Tunnel. The entrance is a very tricky tight turn, involving a visit to the foliage opposite the entrance. The repair took two hours, and we were pleased with the result.

The damaged hood, before and after repair

Sadly, they had run out of diesel, and the cheap diesel place further on had closed by the time we went past. We carried on through Newbold Tunnel, and had hoped to moor soon after, but the visitor moorings were all full. We spotted Stronghold moored in the Rugby Arm as we passed the entrance. There was lovely sunlight on the fields as we continued across the aqueducts.

Newbold Tunnel

Sunny fields

Aqueducts at Rugby

We found a space immediately after Bridge 58, mooring onto some rope loops that someone had put there a few years ago. We were grateful to find somewhere at that stage.

We contacted Ray on Stronghold, and found that he would be coming our way in the morning.

Moored at Brownsover

1 lock, 13 miles, 1 swingbridge, 1 tunnel. Dep 1025, arr 1045 water point at Hawkesbury Junction. Dep 1135, arr 1520 Lime Farm Marina. Dep 1730, arr 1840 Brownsover.

Fri 4^th September Brownsover to Hillmorton

We visited Tesco first, to stock up on a few things. As we returned to the boat we were wondering whether Ray had been past or not. We soon had our answer, as Stronghold appeared through the bridge behind us. We agreed to catch up somewhere on the way to Braunston.

Ray on Stronghold

We set off, and found him just round the corner using the facilities. We paused at Clifton Cruisers to take on fuel. As James was in the office paying his bill, Stronghold went past, followed by another boat. Just after Clifton Cruisers, and through bridge 63, there is a tree overhanging the canal, producing lovely yellow plums, and we gathered a few. It used to be on an allotment, but the allotments have gone to make way for a new road to a housing estate.

Plums

The new bridge for the new housing estate

It wasn’t far from there to Hillmorton Locks, where we found there was a queue. The middle pair of locks had one lock out of action, fitting a new lock gate. The remaining lock was being controlled by CRT volunteers, not very efficiently. In front of us, below the bottom lock was Ray and another boat. In the two bottom locks were two more boats, and above them on the lock bollards were two more. There were yet two more through the halfway bridge, below the middle lock. So that was eight boats in front of us waiting to use the single middle lock. Each boat moved along one space at a time.

Boats waiting in the bottom locks

A boat going down

The queue in the lower pound

When a boat came down, there was nowhere for them to go, as there were two boats waiting in the bottom locks. One had to come out, and each boat moved up one space in the queue. When the boat going down left the bottom lock, they should have prevented another boat going in as there was no room for more boats, and each lock used was draining the pound, and boats were getting stuck on the bottom.

It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to go up three locks. We didn’t want to do very far, but the moorings above the top lock had a noisy railway line close by. We continued past the new housing estate, being built where there were once many radio masts. We thought we might find Ray by the Old Royal Oak, but there were no boats on the pub moorings.

The new housing estate

We stopped just before Bridge 75, before the M45 became too noisy. We were treated to a beautiful golden sunset which developed nicely.

Moored near bridge 75.

Sunset

3 locks, 4 miles. Dep 1220, arr 1600

Sat 5^th September Hillmorton to Braunston

As we were preparing to leave, two boats came past. As they were almost past, another two boats were in sight, so we waited for them also. Then a further two came along, so when we finally set off, we were number seven in a convoy, all dawdling along on tickover. Three of the flotilla were hired from Rose Narrowboats, and they were travelling together. Presumably, they had been moored above Hillmorton Locks.

It was extremely busy, being the last weekend of a public holiday week. We met many boats, some in a similar convoy to ours, and passing in some of the narrower sections was quite entertaining.

Busy traffic

Braunston Church

When we arrived in Braunston after two hours, the facilities by Midland Chandlers were bust, with other boats already waiting, so we moved on past Braunston Turn to use the elsan point on the towpath side. The three Rose boats were there filling up with water. There were no moorings available, so we breasted up to another boat so that we could empty two of our cassettes. We then moved on, following the three Rose boats again, until we came to the water point by the Stop House, which was thankfully available, so that we could dispose of our rubbish. Sadly no recycling facility, so our carefully separated and cleaned items ended up in landfill bins.

Braunston Turn

Moorings full

By the Stop House

A little further on, while looking for somewhere to moor, we came across Ray on Stronghold, just before Bridge 1. We thought we had probably missed him, so we were pleased to catch up. We were even more pleased to be able to moor alongside, while James went up the hill to visit the excellent butcher for a pie. More queuing here, as only one person at a time allowed in the shop.

Alongside Stronghold

James went back down the hill again, and discovered that we had just missed a mooring behind Ray which became available, but another boat nipped in before we did. We had to move on, and found ourselves in another lock queue – six boats in front of us. We were all hanging onto moored boats as this towpath area is occupied by Union Canal Carriers. There should really be enough lock moorings for four boats, but there is not even space for one. Presumably this is a historic problem, as they have occupied this site for many decades. We shared locks with a hire boat on a steep learning curve. Thankfully, when we had completed two locks, there were moorings available by the Admiral Nelson, so both boats stopped.

Queuing alongside moored boats

Lock 1, Braunston

We had no phone signal, no TV and no internet, which is a disgrace for one of the busiest places on the canal network. Crick is not much better. We needed to contact Amanda to make arrangements for her coming to visit us, so we had to walk up the hill into Braunston so that we could call her. We arranged to meet her on Monday.

Looking down from the hill

The Admiral Nelson looked very busy so we avoided the place, and consumed the chicken and leek pie from the butchers.

Admiral Nelson

Moored above Lock 2

Water art

Cloud art

2 locks, 6 miles. Dep 1010, arr 1300 Bridge 1. Dep 1355, arr 1450 above lock 2.

Sun 6^th September Braunston to Norton Junction

We made an early start on this sunny morning, as we wanted to get moored up before our church service began. As we set off, another boat said they would join us in the locks. So we shared with Elizabeth and Edward on Biddlestone. The locks were all in our favour.

Starting early

Sharing with Biddlestone

Top Lock

We met one boat in the tunnel, thankfully on a straight part, as the tunnel is crooked. “It’s a beautiful sunny day, so what are we doing in a tunnel?”

Braunston Tunnel

We moored up just before Bridge 10, where new piling has been installed after a few years of dereliction. The views from here are lovely, and the phone and internet signal is good, although TV is selective.