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Calcutt to Stratford


john6767

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After a weekend of family events, we finally got away yesterday afternoon. The plan as far as it goes is to head for Stratford and have a trip down the river and then back to Stratford.

 

I am playing with the technology as we go in preparation for us taking part in the BCN Challenge at the end of May. So am using Water Explorer to track at least part of the journey with GPS, and have a web cam mounted on the front of the boat to record the journey as a time lapse.

 

Right now we are moored above Radford bottom lock, and will be setting off soon to head for Lapworth.

 

Give us a shout if you spot us.

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Well things did not go completely to plan.

 

Had some trouble with the engine overheating, which at this point I am putting down to an airlock from when I changed a hose weekend before last. That was on Tuesday morning and not had a problem since then, so fingers crossed.

 

Technology let me down a bit too, with the "emergency" stop in Leamington to sort out the cooling problem, I managed to knock the web can so it pointed sideways, so if any one is interested in a time lapse from Leamington to Cape locks of the left side of the canal let me know. Anyway the trip up Hatton looks good, 3 hours 10 mins for the record.

 

Also I failed for some reason with the Water Exploer Navvygator, it recoded the first mile or so and then stopped for reasons yet to be understood.

 

Anyway am now moored in Bancroft Basin in Stratford, in the sunshine.

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Well things did not go completely to plan.

 

Had some trouble with the engine overheating, which at this point I am putting down to an airlock from when I changed a hose weekend before last. That was on Tuesday morning and not had a problem since then, so fingers crossed.

 

Technology let me down a bit too, with the "emergency" stop in Leamington to sort out the cooling problem, I managed to knock the web can so it pointed sideways, so if any one is interested in a time lapse from Leamington to Cape locks of the left side of the canal let me know. Anyway the trip up Hatton looks good, 3 hours 10 mins for the record.

 

Also I failed for some reason with the Water Exploer Navvygator, it recoded the first mile or so and then stopped for reasons yet to be understood.

 

Anyway am now moored in Bancroft Basin in Stratford, in the sunshine.

 

 

Hi as I'm hoping to do the Avon Ring next month I'm very interested in your cruise updates. Hope luck changes and you have pleasant trip from now on.

Andri

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We did the Avon in the Autumn, and loved it! Enjoy yourselves!!!

:cheers:

Thanks Mary P will certainly try. Did you stop at Upton on Severn by any chance and if so which hostelry would you recommend.

Andri

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A few retrospective updates.

 

Locking down on to the river from Stratford was interesting, perhaps not the quietest time, just after the royal wedding when all the tourists (as well as us) surfaced from watching the telly.

As soon as the boat started moving off the pontoon hundreds, and I do mean hundreds, gathered round the lock to see what was going on. As I said to my wife at the time seems a bit like I imagine a public hanging would have been! I was good and smiled nicely for the photographs!

 

Anyway all went well, and we followed the practice that I had observed others doing and left the bottom gates open, which means the lock crew can easily get back on to the roof of the boat before leaving the lock. There is no where to stop on the lock side of the river to pick up crew. Once on the river there are all the rowing boats to negotiate.

 

At the first river lock we followed the practice that ANT insists on and used fore and aft ropes and not just a centre line. Having now come back up the locks I can see why you absolutely have to do this coming up but going down to me honestly it seemed like a bit of a faf for nothing, and on some of the shallower locks later on I did just use a centreline going down (don't tell on me).

The locks on the upper Avon were all rebuilt in the 70's (I think) and are best described as "functional", constructed out of steel piling, and are certaly not narrowboat friendly in that there are lots of opportunity to remove paint, and it you were not careful I did note that the walkway on the top gates are nicely positioned to take out a window. The French paddle gear is very easy to operate, but is the reason why when going up you need to use fore and aft ropes, as the gate paddles have no baffles and a 10ft long jet of water shoots out until they are underwater. So going up, open the paddle just a VERY small amount unless you have someone hanging on tightly to the front rope. You my want to close the front doors too, just in case. I also noted that as with the widened GU locks that I am familiar with, if you are in the lock on your own when going up if you just open the paddle on the boat side of the lock it will keep you pinned to the lock side.

Edited by john6767
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A few more updates.

 

In Bidford we stopped on the mooring outside the Frog pub. From the outside it appears that the pub has been done up, but inside it is a much more a typical village pub. We had a nice meal and the beer was good, so for us it was a success.

 

The following morning when I went to go and get a paper I found that the only exit from the mooring through the pub garden was locked, so it was necessary to climb over a wall to get out. Be aware if you are not up to scaling a wall!

 

The trip back upriver was a lot busier than the trip down (it was Saturday I guess), and we shared sometimes with 2 other boats all the locks except the last one into Stratford. Luckily the others were sensible with the paddles; as I described above they are viscous if you open than up too quickly when ascending.

 

The only bit of excitement was at Binton bridge. As I approached I could see a cruiser faffing about side on to the upstream side of the bridge, and when I was about 100 feet from the only navigable arch he started to come backwards across the arch. His passengers were waving and shouting at him but he just kept coming. Against the flow I was able to stop easily, and I gave the horn a test for good measure rolleyes.gif. Goodnees knows what he was trying to do, but eventually he shot off upstream only to stop again. At least he was very apologetic when I went past, and no harm done. This and a couple of discussions at locks leads me to believe that there is a lot of "borrowing" of boats going on.

 

Arrival in Stratford was chaotic. By now it was 3PM on a Saturday, and the river was solid with rowing boats. I lost count of the number of times I had to stop as one came across my bows, it was a laugh a minute, firewood anyone. The steerer of one of the many trip boats also fighting his way through the mess called out to me "welcome to hell!".

 

We moored up on the river opposite the theatre, cracked open a few welcome beers, and sat back at the front of the boat to watch the entertainment from the rowing boats.

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A few pictures from the trip.

 

Arrival at Hatton bottom lock

pict0469m.jpg

 

How many more to go.....

pict0473.jpg

 

Ah nice small locks (first lock on Stratford heading south from Kingswood Junct.)

pict0475r.jpg

 

An aqueduct

pict0485z.jpg

 

A Bigger aqueduct

pict0496.jpg

 

Bancroft basin, Stratford. Before anyone one points out the rope; was just leaving when I realised had not taken any pics

pict0514i.jpg

 

On to the river. Not many rowing boats around now, should have seen it when we arrived back (didn't get any pics of that, was too trying to avoid them)

pict0517j.jpg

 

Descending a typical upper Avon lock, not very stylish but functional

pict0524o.jpg

 

Moored outside the Frog pub in Bidford

pict0533a.jpg

 

And back in Stratford, moored on the river opposite the theatre

pict0544q.jpg

Edited by john6767
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