Voyages of Gabriel: Warwick to Warings Green on the Stratford Canal

Tue 16^th May Warwick to Tom o’ the Wood

We set off today to do the Hatton Flight of 21 locks. We have done this five times up and three times down already, so we know what is in store.

Kairos and Dizzy Duck went first, as Chris and Sally had a Zoom funeral to join. We followed with Roger and Jo on Spirit. The weather was changeable, very warm one moment and then a chilly breeze. At least it stayed dry.

It was good to share the locks, as there are chains that hang down in the locks. A boat on its own goes moves up the side wall, bumping against the chain, which should be recessed into the wall.

Hazel steered to start with, until we were joined by BCF friends John and Gill Speight who were most helpful. James took over the steering then, and Hazel was able to rest her feet.

There were also some volunteers, who spent most of the time on radios with each other. They were overzealous about holding two locks open for people coming down, making our progress slower than normal. Mark and Liz from Banbury also joined in the fun, and we all ended up in the café at the end, after water, rubbish and cassettes had been dealt with.

Later we moved on through Shrewley Tunnel (wet) and moored near Tom o’ the Wood pub. We had lasagne cooked by Sally, on board Spirit.

The mooring was a bit noisy, due to proximity to the M40, plus a railway line.

Saltisford Arm

Kairos and Dizzy Duck

Unchased chain

Buttercups

Sharing with Spirit

Help from John Speight

The challenge ahead

Halfway

Help from volunteers

The steepest bit

People waiting

The dragonfly sculpture

Spirit by the workshops

Leaving the top lock visitor moorings

Shrewley Tunnel

Inside Shrewley Tunnel

Spirit entering the tunnel

Beautiful trees

21 locks, 7 miles. Dep 0900, arr 1350 Top Lock moorings. Dep 1540, arr 1710 Tom o’ the Wood. Lock flight four hours.

Wed 17^th May Tom o’ the Wood to Bridge 31 Stratford Canal

Kairos left first, followed by Spirit, followed by us, and finally, Dizzy Duck. Kairos moored just before Kingswood Junction, while Spirit turned to port and went along the arm, mooring before the locks, where he could fill his water tank. We followed, and took the right fork, going through lock 20. Chris helped us through. We were now on the northern part of the Stratford Canal, and using narrow locks - only one boat at a time.

We were doing the locks on our own, as Chris and Sally, Roger and Jo, and Simon were all going to visit Baddesley Clinton, on our recommendation. We have been twice before, and decided not to go this time. It is a mile walk across fields.

We had a hire boat following us, with a crew of four, and we had occasional help from them in closing lock gates behind us.

We met two boats coming down, the first a solo boater, and the second a hire boat with three ladies and a man. They pulled over to the left, which meant that it was difficult to get out of the lock, as they were blocking our exit.

The mooring was not wonderful at the top, and we went through the bridge before deciding it was better and quieter further back. We moored using pins, as the piling was very low. It was peaceful and pleasant, with lots of wild flowers.

We recorded a time lapse video of todays boating.

There are four more locks to do tomorrow.

Roger rang, and the phone line was poor, but we established that they were not coming up the locks today, so we were on our own.

Morning reflections

Early morning at Tom o' the Wood moorings

Buttercup meadows

Kingswood Junction

Leaving the Grand Union

The arm from the GU to the Stratford Canal

We chose the right fork through Lock 20

Measuring for new lock gates

Lapworth flight

Going up

There goes the single hander

Should have passed on the right

Nearly there

Camera on the roof (see link below for time lapse)

White flowers

Moored before Bridge 31

The time lapse of todays boating:
Going up Lapworth 2023 05 17 16 18 32 1790+01 00 - YouTube

15 locks, 2 miles. Dep 1010, arr 1300.

Thu 18^th May Bridge 31 near Packwood to Bridge 19

Hazel’s birthday.

This was a very quiet mooring. The boat in front left without us hearing anything, although we felt a surge which must have been them emptying the next lock.

As we left, we started the washing machine, as it runs off a generator, built into the engine. The next three locks needed to be emptied, but the top lock was empty already.

It was a lovely day, with many wild flowers on display in the sunshine. There were two lift bridges, both operated with a windlass, with a hydraulic mechanism that required lots of turns both lifting the bridge and lowering it.

At the second lift bridge, there was a single handed boater who had just lowered the bridge. When he saw us, he kindly raised it again, and departed on his boat. This meant that to lower the bridge, James had to leap off on the same side as the bridge, rather than the towpath side. Thankfully, he managed it.

After this was Swallow Cruisers, with lots of moored boats, and a man on a boat said he had spoken to us before, once at Northwich, and another time on the Tardebigge flight. We must have made an impression! At the end of the line was a winding hole, and a boat appeared to have come under the bridge and failed to make the turn, and was stuck across the winding hole.

We stopped at Hockley Heath for some milk, crispbread and a few other things. When we set off again, we remembered some other things we should have bought.

We continued along the shallow and slow Stratford Canal to our intended destination at Bridge 19, and discovered a line of visitor moorings with rings just beyond the bridge – ideal for our appointment with the Blue Bell Cider House in the evening.

We met BCF man Jonathan arriving on his boat, and moving on to turn around to join us. We walked back to the bakery by bridge 20, where we had a pleasant lunch. We are still on our time restricted diet, eating only between 1200 and 1800, so this was our first meal. We bought a few things to take back with us – a cake, a pork pie, a sausage roll and a scotch egg.

When we returned to the boat, Simon on Dizzy Duck and Chris and Sally on Kairos had arrived with their two boats, and Roger and Jo joined us a little later on Spirit. Jonathan meanwhile had turned and moored up with us. We discovered that he prefers the name “John”.

We had a convivial time with our chairs out on the towpath, leaving just enough room for bikes and dog walkers.

Later we went to the Blue Bell Cider House for a very pleasant meal together to celebrate Hazel’s birthday, all except John. There were various ciders including Inch’s, Cheddar, and Black Rat. Sadly, this meant that we missed the Canal Ministries Zoom prayer meeting.