Summer Cruise (So Far)

[Captain Pegg]

I set off in May from Netherwich Basin with the intention of competing in the BCN Challenge then heading round something best described as a combination of the Warwickshire, Black Country and Stourport rings to arrive in Stourport to go into dry dock for blacking on 1st September. As it has turned out I have over the last three weekends I have also managed to sneak in a trip down the Grand Union main line to Marsworth Junction and return.

Moorings

I have used a combination of paid moorings, CRT long term sites with permission, visitor moorings and towpath. The reciprocal arrangements for use of vacant CRT long term moorings has worked well and enabled me to leave the boat for more than 14 days when I needed. I also spent three weeks at Saltisford Canal Trust in Warwick while RLWP of this parish finished off an overhaul of my engine. This is a good place with plenty of activity and good value moorings in a secure environment.

Pubs

Naturally many pubs have been visited and in broad order they have been;-

Queens Head, Stoke Pound - average, over priced and therefore full of people with more money than taste. Unfathomably popular as my Australian guests commented upon. It is though very handily placed at the foot of the Tardebigge flight (if only there was proper pub at the top).

Weighbridge, Alvechurch Marina - take out pint before setting off from the marina where I often leave Vulpes for a week or so while in transit to and from the wider network. Beer is good.

Wetherspoons, Merry Hill - can't remember the name but they are all the same so what does it matter? Quick stop for evening meal with Rob-M on way to start point for BCN Challenge. Pint and meal for some very precise but obscure amount like £7.38. Tells you all you need to know about their business model.

The Vine/Bull & Bladder, Brierley Hill - Pre-BCN Challenge pint or two at Batham's brewery tap. Nuff said.

Bottle & Glass, Black Country Museum - Sneaked into museum for celebratory pint after legging Dudley Tunnel. Serves Banks's beers these days. Had the summer brew which was fine. Pork scratchings excellent.

Manor Arms, Rushall - quick pit stop on BCN Challenge because it's one of the things to do on the Challenge. This is the pub with no bar. Marston's beers but well served.

Titford Pumphouse, Oldbury - Makeshift bar at BCNS HQ at end of Challenge. Beer was good (Ma Pardoes from Netherton) but ran out waaaaay too soon.

The Wharf, Hockley Heath - awful chain pub. Avoid if possible.

Tom o'the Wood, Rowington - lunch time stop. Appears to sell more gin than beer. Probably the kind of place the Queens Head aspires to be when it grows up. I prefer the Navigation at Lapworth in this area.

Cape of Good Hope, Warwick - good beer, original food, mixed clientele and staff. All is good here.

The Boat, Birdingbury - evening meal in the company of RLWP and Mrs Tawny Owl of this parish. A bit chaotic but beer and food were fine.

Admiral Nelson, Braunston - never eaten here but almost always hve a swift half of Landlord in passing.

Boat, Stoke Bruerne - chose to eat at Spice of Bruerne (which was OK and about all you would expect of an Indian in a village in Northamptonshire) and had a pint at the Boat. Can't even remember what the beer was. Think it was Proper Job from St Austell. Nothing wrong with that but what about local beer?

Three Locks, Soulbury - an OK pint in passing.

The Globe, Linslade - looks great but is a Greene King house. Had a take out pint in passing. Nuff said (in the opposite sense to the Bull & Bladder).

Red Lion, Marsworth - local free house in a beautiful village setting. Good local beers and decent enough food. Proper meals but via catering suppliers rather than home cooked. Very quiet though. Unfortunately the punters are probably at the gastropub down the road. Got rained on all day and if hadn't been so tired by the time we tied up at 2030 and just made last food orders I could have spent a lot of time in the Red Lion.

Black Horse, Great Linford - eating pub. Predictably food was better than the beer. Wouldn't avoid it but wouldn't seek it out again either. Probably better for families. I was with Pegg Jr and we were in and out in less than an hour.

Barley Mow, Cosgrove - moored up at nine last Friday and had a take out pint (Pegg Jr is 15). Nice to visit a local(ish) brewery pub. It's an Everards house and I am not massively familiar with their beer but I had a decent pint.

Railway Inn, Droitwich - not part of my cruise but I had a pint here with Rob-M when he passed through on his boat. It's a Marston's drinking pub wth no cooked food. It's 5 minutes walk from my house but I hadn't been there for over 10 years. It will be closed before I go again. Sent first pint of Banks's Bitter back and was offered Wainwright in return. Just as bad so ended up drinking one when otherwise would have had three. It's doomed.

People

I have introduced my wife's half brother and his mother to canal boating (they are Australian). Rob-M crewed the BCN Challenge with me including moves from Alvechurch to BCLM to Delph and then Titford to Bournville. I also had help from my work colleague Richard and his brother on the Challenge. As it turned out I think Rob and myself could have legged Dudley Tunnel on our own.

I had two days boating with Richard and Sue (RLWP and Mrs Tawny Owl) to share locks from Warwick for Braunston ahead of the Braunston historic festival. Obviously nether of us are allowed to put our new boats in the show.

I have also had help from Steve of Goosander (fellow moorer at Netherwich and BCN Challenge veteran) and his friend also Steve on the trip from Fenny Stratford to Marsworth and return.

My main help has been Daniel (Pegg Jr) who is a natural helmsman but doesn't do mornings which casues a little bit of conflict.

Charlie dog has also 'enjoyed' the Grand Union and even Mrs P has spent one night on the boat.

From CWDF I have passed Andrew Tidy (Capt Ahab) and the jam butty three times including at the Cosgrove and Linslade festivals; Sickle at Linslade and then both Sickle and Flamingo at High House where Alan Fincher stuck his head out of Flamingo's engine hole to wave. I suspect his attention was drawn by the excellent sounding but sensibly cooled and reliable PH2W in Vulpes. A few moments after that I passed Matty40s and Kath moored up on Old Friends enjoying an early Saturday evening drink. Then last Sunday I passed billybobbooth on Towy in the Braunston flight. Always good to see a wooden boat in working order.

Grand Union 

It must be the slowest canal on the network. Loads of moored boats south of Milton Keynes and locks that never seem to want to make a level. I passed two widebeams in motion but neither was a problem but I did run a Hudson aground at Bridge 41 at Bugbrooke. It approached too quickly round the bend on approach and finding me in the bridge hole slammed it into reverse and careered into the bank and stemmed up.

I was expecting a line of moored boats from Cosgrove to Fenny Stratford but although there were a lot of moored boats around MK they tend to be grouped at certain locations with plenty of good cruising in between. There seemed to more boats moored between MK and Leighton Buzzard.

The channel looks to be 40'+ wide by design and the depth is marked as at least 5' 6" so it should be capable of accommodating wide beam craft if maintained for such. They may never have worked there in any great quantity but surely it was built for such? Saw some nice barges that looked lost on a canal though. I met a series of folks heading for London in newly purchased craft and even managed to share locks with a 50' widebeam from Horton to Ivinghoe crewed by an Irish guy and Australian girl.

 

Still to look forward to I have the trip to Sutton Stop which was been one of my objectives since buying Vulpes (I grew up in Longford) and then up the rest of the Coventry, then the T&M and Staffs & Worcs. I am hoping to pay a quick visit to the Alvecote historic festival on the Sunday evening and if possible take the detour down to Coventry basin. The Greyhound will be an evening stop but the Swan at Fradley might be a fleeting visit.

To finish here's a few photos.

 

 

[Mac of Cygnet]

Only 19 pubs in 3 months!  You gotta try harder!  Nice pics.

[Captain Pegg]

6 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

Only 19 pubs in 3 months!  You gotta try harder!  Nice pics.

I've only spent 11 nights on the boat.

[Debs]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

I've only spent 11 nights on the boat.

Hahaha! Well done! 

[alan_fincher]

Quote

From CWDF I have passed Andrew Tidy (Capt Ahab) and the jam butty three times including at the Cosgrove and Linslade festivals; Sickle at Linslade and then both Sickle and Flamingo at High House where Alan Fincher stuck his head out of Flamingo's engine hole to wave. I suspect his attention was drawn by the excellent sounding but sensibly cooled and reliable PH2W in Vulpes.

It does sound rather wonderful!  I usually stick my head out if I hear a good engine, (and back in briskly, if it proves to be in a Hudson!).

Below was taken at Linslade festival, where, unusually, we hardly spent any time with "Sickle" at all, because we were performing with the New Moon Band, (part of New Moon Morris, though we didn't dance at this event).

I suspect your picture was towards the end of the event, because son David can be seen just coming back to the boat in his New Moon waistcoat, with guitar on back, and a cornet on one arm, and a melodeon on the other.

Edited August 8, 2017 by alan_fincher

[matty40s]

good to see you at the weekend, the last photo is taken passing one of my favourite mooring spots, always lots of interesting views, watched quite a few thunderstorms from there and the occasional steam engine early doors on weekends.

[Rob-M]

Very good aerial shot and of course the shot of poleing in one of the Dudley Tunnel caverns.

I agree the Railway Inn is certainly on the "don't bother visiting again" list.

[Captain Pegg]

38 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

It does sound rather wonderful!  I usually stick my head out if I hear a good engine, (and back in briskly, if it proves to be in a Hudson!).

Below was taken at Linslade festival, where, unusually, we hardly spent any time with "Sickle" at all, because we were performing with the New Moon Band, (part of New Moon Morris, though we didn't dance at this event).

I suspect your picture was towards the end of the event, because son David can be seen just coming back to the boat in his New Moon waistcoat, with guitar on back, and a cornet on one arm, and a melodeon on the other.

We had a walk around the Linslade festival for an hour on the Saturday afternoon and it did seem that a lot of the activity was remote from the canal. Just after the photo was taken we moored on the Tesco moorings to grab a bit of lunch and I think you moored in the spot we had just vacated. We were heading out of view when you moored up.

The Petter in Vulpes exhausts through the side of the counter so it would make an even better noise through a roof mounted stove pipe. It has a spot on low revs where there is a good thumping noise with reverberation which I always aim for when winding down to pass moored boats. It's a cracking unpretentious engine.

I'll be listening to an HA2 from a safe distance next week when I do my week on Malus for the Coombeswood Canal Trust/BCNS.

JP

[Captain Pegg]

38 minutes ago, matty40s said:

good to see you at the weekend, the last photo is taken passing one of my favourite mooring spots, always lots of interesting views, watched quite a few thunderstorms from there and the occasional steam engine early doors on weekends.

I see it from the other perspective up to 10 times a week. It's a great view from the canal. Very strange to boat at 3mph through countryside I have travelled at 125mph literally hundreds of times. Everything is so different. I always look at the boats and have seen Old Friends there. I can remember mooring at the end of the straight on a hire boat holiday in the 80s.

JP

[Captain Pegg]

39 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Very good aerial shot and of course the shot of poleing in one of the Dudley Tunnel caverns.

I agree the Railway Inn is certainly on the "don't bother visiting again" list.

Not my drone and it's not me at the tiller. Vulpes looks so small in the lock from that height. I have had a few photos taken by others on the trip. There is one of you on the tiller heading into Netherton tunnel posted on FB and one on Canal Market Place on FB taken in the woods south of Whilton a couple of weeks ago with me looking miserable while getting soaked. I wasn't miserable but I was getting soaked. Boating continues whatever the weather. Andy (AMModels) messaged me to let me know of that one.

JP

[Lily Rose]

Mrs Lily Rose opened the swingbridge at Fradley Junction on August Bank Holiday Monday for a boat called Vulpes (and then closed it behind Kelpie).

Was it you?

The boat name rang a bell (as they so often do) but only later did I realise it was from CWDF.

I must confess I was paying more to attention to how she managed to open the bridge in case she needed to open it for me later (turned out be light as a feather to open) so I can't recall what the boat looked like. I assume there is only one Vulpes as it seems to me to be an unusual name.

[Boat&Bikes]

7 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Mrs Lily Rose opened the swingbridge at Fradley Junction on August Bank Holiday Monday for a boat called Vulpes (and then closed it behind Kelpie).

Was it you?

The boat name rang a bell (as they so often do) but only later did I realise it was from CWDF.

I must confess I was paying more to attention to how she managed to open the bridge in case she needed to open it for me later (turned out be light as a feather to open) so I can't recall what the boat looked like. I assume there is only one Vulpes as it seems to me to be an unusual name.

Are you the lily rose moored a few boats before the swing bridge? If so we are close behind. Ian.

[Lily Rose]

15 minutes ago, ianali said:

Are you the lily rose moored a few boats before the swing bridge? If so we are close behind. Ian.

Hi Ian,

If there's a Lily Rose there now it's an amazing coincidence.

We were there from approx 12 until 4 yesterday and were the 5th boat back from the swing bridge (excluding any on the waterpoint). We were behind nb Bodger if I recall, they were due to be leaving this morning but may still be there as he is not an early starter.

We are now outside King's Bromley Marina, having winded last night, and after calling in there later we will be heading back to Fradley to start our return to the Napton area. We may or may not stop again in Fradley depending on various things including how full it is.

I'll look out for Clarence as we go through, whether that's today (probably) or tomorrow.

Sean

[Boat&Bikes]

28 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Hi Ian,

If there's a Lily Rose there now it's an amazing coincidence.

We were there from approx 12 until 4 yesterday and were the 5th boat back from the swing bridge (excluding any on the waterpoint). We were behind nb Bodger if I recall, they were due to be leaving this morning but may still be there as he is not an early starter.

We are now outside King's Bromley Marina, having winded last night, and after calling in there later we will be heading back to Fradley to start our return to the Napton area. We may or may not stop again in Fradley depending on various things including how full it is.

I'll look out for Clarence as we go through, whether that's today (probably) or tomorrow.

Sean

Ah. You moved yesterday, walked passed you on way to pub in afternoon and didn't notice you you wasn't there when we walked back...off to Alrewas today. Have a good one . Ian.

[Lily Rose]

I thought you must have seen us yesterday. We were probably in the pub at the time.

Have a good trip.

Sean

[Captain Pegg]

12 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

Mrs Lily Rose opened the swingbridge at Fradley Junction on August Bank Holiday Monday for a boat called Vulpes (and then closed it behind Kelpie).

Was it you?

The boat name rang a bell (as they so often do) but only later did I realise it was from CWDF.

I must confess I was paying more to attention to how she managed to open the bridge in case she needed to open it for me later (turned out be light as a feather to open) so I can't recall what the boat looked like. I assume there is only one Vulpes as it seems to me to be an unusual name.

Yes that was me with trusty crew of 10 year old Sophie and Charlie Dog. Thank you to Mrs Lily Rose.

I am on the Braunston to Stourport leg of my summer cruise. Currently moored overnight below Gailey lock. Had some of my best boating days over the weekend reprising my 1970s/80s family hire boat holidays and going 'home' on my own boat to Sutton Stop and past the houses where my mum and dad grew up in Longford (and within a few hundred yards of where I grew up). Obviously had to sample the delights of the Greyhound.

Have seen forum members Rog of Paneke who locked me through Hillmorton top lock (thanks), Matty40s who passed me headed north on someone elses boat at Sutton Stop on Saturday (he has probably single handed it to the North Pole by now) and moored next to and shared drink with the Moomins at Alvecote where Cheshire-Rose was on board an illuminated Python and doubtless many other forum folk were present including Chertsey (Sue).

Have also seen fellow BCN challengers Dora Venus and Mika plus loads of friendly folk and absolutely no tossers at all.

Especially notable have been the numerous dayboats (including one to which I had to give a wide berth to but that was no problem) and friendly anglers. I even got thanked for "going steady" and struck up a cordial exchange with a couple of the competitors in a match near Nuneaton.

Highlight though was meeting Vulpes' sister boat Hexa under the railway bridge at Huddlesford. Both boats are close on fifty years old and both sport their original shape and names which goes to show what happens when someone builds a proper shaped boat and gives it a proper name.

Frankly real canal life is a thousand and six times better than the virtual one.

JP

Edited August 29, 2017 by Captain Pegg

[Lily Rose]

2 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Yes that was me with trusty crew of 10 year old Sophie and Charlie Dog. Thank you to Mrs Lily Rose.

I am on the Braunston to Stourport leg of my summer cruise. Currently moored overnight below Gailey lock. Had some of my best boating days over the weekend reprising my 1970s/80s family hire boat holidays and going 'home' on my own boat to Sutton Stop and past the houses where my mum and dad grew up in Longford (and within a few hundred yards of where I grew up). Obviously had to sample the delights of the Greyhound.

Have seen forum members Rog of Paneke who locked me through Hillmorton top lock (thanks), Matty40s who passed me headed north on someone elses boat at Sutton Stop on Saturday (he has probably single handed it to the North Pole by now) and moored next to and shared drink with the Moomins at Alvecote where Cheshire-Rose was on board an illuminated Python and doubtless many other forum folk were present including Chertsey (Sue).

Have also seen fellow BCN challengers Dora Venus and Mika plus loads of friendly folk and absolutely no tossers at all.

Especially notable have been the numerous dayboats (including one to which I had to give a wide berth to but that was no problem) and friendly anglers. I even got thanked for "going steady" and struck up a cordial exchange with a couple of the competitors in a match near Nuneaton.

Highlight though was meeting Vulpes' sister boat Hexa under the railway bridge at Huddlesford. Both boats are close on fifty years old and both sport their original shape and names which goes to show what happens when someone builds a proper shaped boat and gives it a proper name.

Frankly real canal life is a thousand and six times better than the virtual one.

JP

Below Gailey Lock... much to answer for, but in a good way. Six months after I retired we hired a 47' boat from Gailey Wharf (early July 2015) for a Mon-Fri trip up the Shroppie with almost no locks to do - because we were scared stiff at the thought of them.

One month later we had bought Lily Rose and have since done hundreds of locks.

Going through Sutton Stop always makes us chuckle. In 2011 we hired for a week from Valley Cruises, when they were at Springwood Haven (and told us not to take their boat into Coventry as it was too shallow... and then shortly afterwards moved their base there!), to go up the Ashby as there were no locks. Near the end of the week we went part way down the Oxford but were a bit worried about having to go through the very scary lock by The Greyhound.

Like you, we took our boat "home" (Abingdon) earlier in the summer when we went down from Napton to Oxford and spent two weeks on the Thames, which we loved.

I agree with your assertion about real canal life being so much better than virtual canal life, although the latter does help a bit when it's not possible for us to get to the boat. We have so far managed a total of 8 months on the boat in the first 24 months of ownership which is less than I'd like but more than I thought I'd be allowed to do.

I reckon I'm approximately 85.7% happier when I'm on the boat than when I'm not.

We are now between Fradley and Fazeley at the start of our return to the Napton area with about 11 days in which to take it easy (my cruise diary threads refer).

Talking about dayboats, our first canal hire (of three altogether) was a dayboat from Lime Farm marina to Hillmorton (0 locks, see the pattern?), so I have a soft spot for dayboats. Much more concerning to me are the weekend (usually) hirers on booze cruisers. We see quite a few of those on our home turf and most, but not all, of our near misses have been at their hands. There have also been a few near misses involving private boats as well.

Sean

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2017 by Lily Rose
Minor bits and bobs

[matty40s]

Only got to Anderton,  sorry!! Don't get paid for going any further....however tempting.

I saw Hexa and thought it looked similar.....in fact I did a double take at first wondering how you had got Vulpes to there ahead of me.

[Captain Pegg]

I am now home after putting Vulpes into dry dock at Stourport for blacking. I effectively single handed from Braunston to Stourport via Great Haywood in six days and included a trip down to Coventry basin. Very much enjoyed the North Oxford and Coventry up to Fazeley. After that it gets twistier and narrower and was busy over the bank holiday weekend.

I spotted Zeus in the window at Amington.

Managed to buy diesel without any particular difficulty although I wasn't surprised that Rose Narrowboats were too busy with their core business to have anyone spare to serve me on the Saturday morning of a bank holiday weekend. I did however get a replacement gas bottle which was more urgent.

I tried not to chuckle at a shiny boat getting wedged in the marina entrance at Kings Bromley (I think) by attempting the manoeuvre too fast with too shallow a turn.

Found that top ground paddles on locks at Fradley are brutal with a short boat and that north end locks on S&W are much fiercer than those on the south end.

It was good to be able to have a good look around Vulpes hull this morning and it was pretty much as I expected. It will need a little bit of work next time it comes out of the water but I planned to take it out for a survey and a little bit of steelwork repair for its 50th birthday anyway.

The bow has some nice double curvature which is hidden because it spends its time in the water where it actually makes a difference.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2017 by Captain Pegg

[cuthound]

3 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

I spotted Zeus in the window at Amington.

Lovely looking boat, we saw her at Brsunston around about the middle of last month.

Pity we missed you.

Did Zeus bark at you?

He generally barks at (in no particular order)

Unusual boats (including those carrying umbrellas, those with "dodgers" around the rear deck and those carrying flags). I  would include Vulpes in this category as no other boat looks like her.

Boats with dogs on board.

Boat passing DQ either too quickly or too close.

Ducks who get too close to our garden 

 

[haggis]

On 29/08/2017 at 09:10, Lily Rose said:

Mrs Lily Rose opened the swingbridge at Fradley Junction on August Bank Holiday Monday for a boat called Vulpes (and then closed it behind kelpie. 

Ah that was us!  Thank you to Mrs Lily Rose 

When she said to get back onto kelpie as she would shut the bridge I did just that and then almost got trapped between the bridge and the side of the boat. Note to self. Put brain in gear before stepping onto the gunwale :-). We saw several boats which "rang a bell"  with us and it would be good to have CWDF stickers so we could identify each other. 

Haggis 

 

[Lily Rose]

39 minutes ago, haggis said:

Ah that was us!  Thank you to Mrs Lily Rose 

When she said to get back onto kelpie as she would shut the bridge I did just that and then almost got trapped between the bridge and the side of the boat. Note to self. Put brain in gear before stepping onto the gunwale :-). We saw several boats which "rang a bell"  with us and it would be good to have CWDF stickers so we could identify each other. 

Haggis 

 

I'm so glad that incident ended without injury, it was a heart-stopping moment that seemed to be happening in slow motion.

I did say "Now look what you've done" to her but it was said in jest, and with some relief, which, fortunately for me, she realised.

[Captain Pegg]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

Lovely looking boat, we saw her at Brsunston around about the middle of last month.

Pity we missed you.

Did Zeus bark at you?

He generally barks at (in no particular order)

Unusual boats (including those carrying umbrellas, those with "dodgers" around the rear deck and those carrying flags). I  would include Vulpes in this category as no other boat looks like her.

Boats with dogs on board.

Boat passing DQ either too quickly or too close.

Ducks who get too close to our garden 

 

No he didn't bark and there was also a dog on board. You must have passed Vulpes while it was dumped on Braunston 14-day moorings for 19 days.

Here's another boat that looks like Vulpes;-

 

[Lily Rose]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

Lovely looking boat, we saw her at Brsunston around about the middle of last month.

Pity we missed you.

Did Zeus bark at you?

He generally barks at (in no particular order)

Unusual boats (including those carrying umbrellas, those with "dodgers" around the rear deck and those carrying flags). I  would include Vulpes in this category as no other boat looks like her.

Boats with dogs on board.

Boat passing DQ either too quickly or too close.

Ducks who get too close to our garden 

 

Did Zeus bark at us?

I don't remember any barking, perhaps we didn't fall into any of the above categories. At least not at that time - we don't usually go quite that slowly and I have been known to have an umbrella up following my recent purchase of a Brolly Mate after one-too-many soakings (though I'm starting to think I wasted my money as all the low bridges, to say nothing of the offside trees and bushes, make it impractical on the canals).