To Stratford for Easter - and back via a dog show

For Easter 1999 we had two weeks available, it was to be our first trip since the summer and our first since the boat had been professionally repainted. . In October we had a puppy due so stayed at home, in February we wanted to take the boat out but canal closures meant that we had nowhere to go. . Now with the breed club AGM the first weekend of our holiday and their open show on the last we had to map out the bit in the middle. . I had also been asked to attend a meeting in London halfway through the second week, .careful planning was therefore required.

Saturday 27th March

We arrived at the boat yesterday evening but we are not cruising today, instead we are up early and off by car to the Norwegian Buhund Club AGM at Stretton. . The meeting is followed by a committee meeting that Jacquie has to attend, it is ten o'clock before we get back to boat feeling tired.

Sunday 28th March - Palm Sunday

We start the day with a lazy breakfast and then head to Southam in the car to attend Palm Sunday services. . Back at the boat we have an early lunch and set off heading towards Marston Doles. . It is a sunny day but windy, it so often seems to be on the Oxford summit, it can make steering difficult at times. . All along the summit there a patches of violets in flower, they are such a delicate flower but lovely to see. . We start down the Napton flight with our new puppy, Morsom, ashore for the top two locks, we are still trying to house(boat) train him. . Jacquie then takes Edith and Gwen and walks the long pound, she meets an old man who tells her he used to live in a cottage by the second lock. . He said that it was knocked down as the farmer would not grant access across the fields, so no one would buy it. . Despite the wind we make it to the bottom with no serious damage to the new paintwork, we moor just before the winding hole for the Folly but it still being Lent we do not visit the pub.

Monday 29th March

The day starts out grey and we are in no hurry to move but eventually I take Brandy and walk to the village for a newspaper, in all the years we have been mooring here it is the first time I have made the trip, I bring back a cake to eat with a hot drink. . When I return Jacquie is still walking the other dogs so I help and eventually not far short of midday we set off. . The schedule I have worked out calls for us to do a detour today via Braunston, Jacquie always likes to look at the exhibitions in the stop house but rarely gets a chance. . We looked at the posters yesterday and unfortunately there is no exhibition today so I thought we would just have an out and back trip to keep us on schedule. . Jacquie is surprised at this and when she tells me I find a bend that is just wide enough to turn the boat and head back towards Calcutt. . At Calcutt we top up the water tank and buy a new bottle of gas, a boat waits whilst we do this and we descend the three locks together. . By now it is raining quite heavily, we may have to put up with it later but for today we do not have to. . We stop at the bottom of the locks and stay for the night.

Tuesday 30th March

Once again the day is grey but it forecast cannot be too bad as we soon pass a boater painting his boat. . He is painting the top plank at the stern by kneeling on a BW boat, as I pass he says the BW come in useful sometimes! . At Stockton we wait for a while to see if there will be a boat to share the locks but none arrives and we set off on our own. . We stop at the bottom for a few minutes to walk the dogs and then press on. . Whilst I am filling Itchington bottom lock the family with whom we had shared Calcutt locks walk past. . The little girl had been interested in the dogs yesterday but some had been below. . Today they pop their heads up to see who Jacquie is talking to and she cries out in amazement "eight dogs" repeating it several times. . Little does she know it is actually nine and a cat on this trip but Thyme cannot make it up the steps on his own so he spends most of the time in the boat. . We stop below the lock for lunch and I also go to look for a paper at the local shop and at the garage but without success.
When we resume our Journey we do not get very far, after we pass under the bridge I see a boat coming through the next bridge and slow down. . It is a wide boat so I decide to pull in and let them pass but they seem to be having difficulty getting through the bridge. . On making an enquiry I find that they are stuck - the bridge is not wide enough. . The owner is quite angry Avocette is a brand new boat he has just collected from the builders in Warwick. . A number of boats have been built to this specification and they have all managed to get through this bridge, the last one at the end of 1998. . He is on the phone trying to find out what he can do, the workmen working on the towpath wonder if the bridge might have moved a little. . He agrees to reverse out to let us pass and we squeeze through, he has only just gone back far enough and it is a tight fit.
When we reach Radford Semele bottom lock there is some fencing on the lock side with a sign saying "Danger men working overhead", we both look up but all we see is blue sky. . There are men working on the railway bridge a short distance behind us, did the fencing come from them? . We tie up for the night just round the bend and I walk up to find the village and to look for a newspaper.

Wednesday 31st March

After rain last night the towpath is very muddy which makes it difficult to walk the dogs. . It is a lovely sunny day, however, and we hear a woodpecker drumming on a tree. . It is frustrating that we cannot see him perhaps he was on the other side of the tree. . We move off and as we enter Leaminton Spa there is a building site alongside the canal and the bridge is being widened (for cars not boats) we find out later that this is a new Tesco, that will be quite convenient - will it have two hour moorings like Leighton Buzzard? . Passing through Leamington we stop under bridge 43 tying on to the railings whilst I go to Sainsburys for supplies. . The puppy gets a quick walk before we set off again. . We go up through the Cape locks the top one being filled for us whilst I close the bottom gate by a BW man waiting to come down. . We stop at the top of the locks and I sort out lunch which had been cooking in the oven whilst Jacquie lets all the dogs off.
After lunch I move the boat on to Hatton whilst Jacquie is resting, I wait for a while at the bottom in the hope of a boat to join us on the flight but no such luck. . Jacquie comes up from her rest and we start our way up quickly getting a good rhythm going, drawing the paddle slowly the boat settles against the side of the lock and I can then wind it up to the top. . Only rarely do I use both paddles, the slight increase in speed is not worth the extra effort and having to cross the lock. . A few locks up I meet a BW employee with paint pots on his bicycle. . "Am I going to get paint on me?" I ask ,and he tells me he has been repainting the cill markers.
As we pass the Kennels Jacquie hears the cry of the Peacock on the roof, I am up ahead and do not notice it. . A little further on it appears that an old lock cottage is being restored. . We have a little trouble with the dogs, some jump off out of turn as we try to exercise them whilst working the flight, I end up taking one of them with me on a lead. . As we head up the main straight of the flight we see Warwick Cathedral bathed in sunshine, it makes a good view and one we have seen the subject of professional photographs. . Being too busy looking at the view I wind the paddle too fast causing the boat to slam into the side of the lock! . The last three locks are all set in our favour and it makes an easy end to a long flight. . At the bottom I was concerned that we might not make the top before 7 o'clock but it is not yet six, we have worked the twenty one locks in under four hours, with just the two of us. . We carry on for a bit and eventually tie up on a section of dry grassy towpath. . Later a boat comes and moors a short distance in front of us, it had been at the Cape when we came past.

Thursday 1st April - Maundy Thursday

Jacquie starts the morning walking dogs whilst I move the boat, two sets get a walk before the tunnel. . We tie up just beyond the tunnel and I walk up through the foot tunnel to the post office for a paper and a few other bits an pieces. . Two dogs go with me but it is not much of a walk as the shop is so close. . Near bridge 61 we spot a nice secluded mooring with rings that would be good for the dogs on another occasion. . Spring is here and the canal scene is enhanced by blossom, fresh green leaves and birdsong.
We turn onto the Stratford canal at about midday passing through the new link, the basin is nice and wide making an easy turn then immediately we hit a queue for the lock. . It is nearly half an hour before it is our turn to go down. . There are a lot of boats heading south, not good news for the basin tomorrow. . We work on down without a stop for lunch, the dogs get walked with whoever is lock wheeling. . At lock 30 it is Morsom our new puppy who is ashore and he disgraces himself by walking into the lock cottage and eating the cats food! . Today Jacquie is doing a fair bit of the lock work, the narrow locks are easier on her back than the heavy ones of yesterday. . Even so she gets more work than necessary as the crew ahead of us open the gates let their boat out and then walk off without closing the gates behind them. . We eventually stop for the night south of bridge 52 not far short of Wooten Wawen.

Friday 2nd April - Good Friday

We are awakened early by the boat shaking, loud bangs and bright flashes - there is a thunderstorm. . The dogs are frightened but we manage to calm them down and go back to sleep. . Rising at a more suitable time we soon cast off to head for the Anglo Welsh base, I want to see if we can get a pump out before they get busy as it is likely to be a turn round day. . We are told to stop in the aqueduct but there are no boats coming so we are not causing a hold up. . As well as the pump out we get a new bottle of gas. . Afterwards we move round the corner and tie up again quickly to feed and walk the dogs. . At the Wilmcote flight Jacquie goes off to set the second lock taking the Hearing Dog puppy with her but she does not take the shovel. . I leave the boat in the lock to go and clean up after the puppy and then have to hurry back because the dogs are obviously disturbed, there are some dogs being walked in the field by the lock. . I arrive back to find Morsom on the island formed by the lock and the bypass channel and Inka in the lock, she was lucky not to get caught between the boat and the lock wall. . Both dogs are quickly retrieved and we continue down the flight setting every lock as there are two boats ahead of us. . Towards the bottom of the flight our luck changes and there are boats coming up saving some of the work.
As we enter Stratford I am doing the lock wheeling, at Maidenhead road lock there is a young boy helping move the gate, the cranked beam is not very user friendly. . Shortly afterwards a young girl comes up asking us to wait for her boat coming up but says that there is a problem with the lock below. . I go to investigate leaving Jacquie in the lock. . I find that 'Wood Owl' is having difficulty getting the bottom gate open enough to get out, it is blocked underwater. . Whilst we are working to get the lock open a passerby takes her windlass off Jacquie and works the lock above for her. . When we eventually get down and into Bancroft basin we find it very full, Wood owl has found a space in the side arm where we moored last time we were here. . There appears to be a space in the corner but when we get there it is not long enough. . We return to the entrance and end up moored by the magnolia tree with our stern on the bank and our bow out into the basin tied onto Handsel. . Later whilst walking the dogs Jacquie gets chatting to the owners of Wood Owl and finds that she is a brand new hotel boat - with no paying passengers at present. . Later walking the dogs I listen to the video commentary for the new attraction next to the basin, Foster's Yard. . It tells of how during the construction last year they were hit by the floods. . Where you are standing, it says, was six feet underwater - I'm glad we didn't come this way last year!

Saturday 3rd April - Holy Saturday

After breakfast we walk into town and buy a T.E.N.S. machine for Jacquie and a mobile charger for the new phone. . We then buy tickets for the theatre and head off for the butterfly farm (we had 'done' the Shakespeare places on our last visit.). . The butterflies are all close but too fast to get any good photographs with our little camera. . The dogs get a quick walk then we head to the Red Lion for lunch.
We return to the boat for coffee and then take six of the dogs for a long walk along the riverbank. . The other dogs get a walk around the basin then they all get fed early so we can head off to the Swan Theatre. . The theatre is horseshoe shaped with no seats more that four rows back from the stage, this makes an interesting difference from my limited previous theatre experiences. . We saw Volpone, a play by Ben Johnson, and it was a good evening. . When they sold us the tickets they told us it was good value and perhaps it was but I could find a lot of cheaper ways to spend a pleasant few hours.

Sunday 4th April - Easter Day

I head off for Mass at 08:30 and find that the church is served from Douai Abbey and the priest is someone I recognise from back home. . When I return to the boat we move Touch and Tell out into the basin to turn round and head towards home. . There are boats going up and boats coming down searching for a mooring. . At the bottom lock we have difficulty getting in, I cannot get the gate open enough. . Eventually Jacquie backs out and goes back in again with more power, the boat slips slowly into the chamber. . At the second lock someone from a boat ahead of us warns of difficulty getting into the third but when we get there we have no problem. . There must be a lot of silt on this flight and it must be moving about causing difficulties to open gates from time to time. . At the Wilmcote flight there are boats coming down, one leaves as we arrive at the bottom lock. . The lock seems to be taking ages to fill until I discover that the previous crew had not wound one of the paddles all the way down. . We carry on to the Wilmcote visitor moorings where we walk the dogs and stop for lunch and a rest. . Whilst we are walking the dogs a family walks by, a little girl looks in the window and announces "they've got a kitchen on their boat".
After lunch I leave Jacquie resting and carry on but shortly I have to stop in a bridge hole to investigate - I have seen one of the dogs with some bread. . It turns out the Hearing Dog puppy has climbed up on the seat, crossed onto the worktop and stolen our new crusty loaf. . Rounding the corner I notice a boat entering the aqueduct from the other end and slow down to wait for them. . The gate is open as we approach the next lock, it has blown open in the wind we are told when we arrive. . We tie up for the night just short of bridge 54 and Wooten Wawen.

Monday 5th April - Easter Monday

I walk into the village to get a loaf, unfortunately only sliced is available. . The weather is fine but the breeze stops Jacquie from feeling warm. . At Preston Baggot the lock cottage looks lovely and I have a chat with the man working on the garden. . He tells me that last Easter it was like Niagara falls and all the land opposite was flooded. . After Preston Baggot Jacquie takes over the lock wheeling whilst walking the dogs, fortunately there are boats coming down at nearly every lock. . It is good timing when we reach the water point with Cassies Dream moving off as we pull in to fill up. . Up through the lock and Jacquie takes a can of cat food into the cottage to make up for Morsoms theft on the way down. . We stop for lunch opposite the Fleur-de-Lys but Jacquie is put off going for a drink by all the children running around the pub garden.
Moving off again I find a pile of weed by the side of the next lock. . There are some freshwater mussels on the top, still damp so they have not been out too long, I throw them back in. . The lock takes a long time as the bottom gate refuses to close properly. . Eventually Jacquie reverses the boat into the gate to hold it shut and we use the weight of water to finish the job. . The weather is getting colder and Jacquie needs a sweatshirt despite working the locks, I usually find the work keeps me warm. . On the towpath we spot a dog that looks like a black elkhound, we find out later that it is a Chow Samoyed cross. . We pass through the link just before five o'clock and carry on to Rowington Embankment where we stop for the night. . It is a good place for the dogs but it would be a long walk if I wanted to visit the pub visible on the main road.

Tuesday 6th April

It is a grey day as we move on to Shrewley were I pop up to the shop for a paper and supplies. . Most important as far as Jacquie is concerned I get a proof of posting for a dog show entry. . As we leave the mooring a boat coming out of the tunnel takes our place. . On the stretch before Hatton Top we spot an oddly named boat - "We Did" on the stern but "Shallweorwot" on the bow. . In the top lock we are joined by a Stratford cruiser but they only want to go down to turn in the pound below. . Jacquie feels cheated as we have to work down on our own. . It is windy today and a boat coming up has difficulty getting into a lock a few ahead of us, they end up going into the side pound and manoeuvring a lot before they finally make it. . A photographer follows us down and takes photos of Touch and Tell leaving several locks. . Somewhere about half way down, I did not notice where the cill markers change spelling, sill at the top of the flight and cill at the bottom. . The wind catches the boat near bridge 52 whilst Jacquie waits for the lock to fill and she ends up across the cut. . We take a break to walk the dogs and when we set off again it starts to drizzle, by lock 28 it is raining. . Four hours after starting the flight we are out of the bottom and heading for the last two locks of the day. . At the Cape I notice the numbers on the old narrow locks, 1CW 1903 and 2W 1910 it would seem that they were "Cape Warwick" and later became "Warwick" locks. . It is late afternoon when we stop for the night just past Kate boats. . I walk up to the station to find out the times of trains for tomorrow.

Wednesday 7th April

Today I have to go to an IPMS meeting in London but not until late morning. . I noticed a hissing sound in the gas locker and discover a pin prick in one of the flexible gas hoses. . I ask Kate boats if they can repair it but they tell me it is best done at the Marina as they will know what the surveyor is likely to want when our safety certificate needs renewing later in the year. . We will have to change bottles by hand until it is repaired, I won't use the autochangover and risk the leaking pipe even though I have taped it up. . Jacquie spends the day reading and cleaning the boat whilst I am at the meeting, the train takes me past Touch and Tell's home marina but I cannot see the car in the car park. . I arrive back at the boat at about 7 o'clock with a take away chinese meal.

Thursday 8th April

We move off early and stop under the bridge so that I can visit Sainsburys for supplies. . It is mid morning when we set off again going straight though to the locks. . When we arrive there are two boats leaving having come down and another boat entering the lock, we will be able to share. . At the next lock we have to wait as there is a BW work boat in the lock, they are trying to make their load stable. . Whilst there I have a chat about the backpump alongside which is working producing a spectacular fountain. . I am told that they have turned it on manually because the pound above is low - they are supposed to be automatic. . As they are not coming back this way they will have to turn off the pump before leaving. . They stop at the water point so we have to wait again at the following lock. . They tell us they will be stopping for lunch so we will be alright at wood lock. . Jacquie walks the dogs along this stretch and I take the boat arriving at the lock before her. . We are sharing the locks but the crew on the other boat is an elderly gentleman so we end up doing most of the work. . At wood lock we have problems with dogs jumping on and off and the Hearing dog puppy falls into the canal. . Again at Bascote I arrive first with the boat and have the lock draining before Jacquie arrives. . I take over the lock work and walk Brandy up the flight. . We stop at Long Itchington for lunch on the boat and then go to the two boats for a drink and an ice cream. . The crew of Grace, the boat we had shared the locks with, joins us in the pub - they will not be going any further today.
We leave mid afternoon to resume our journey but we will be going up alone, there is a hotel pair following us so no chance of sharing. . They have a full crew and plenty of lock wheelers so they help us along. . At the Stockton flight the locks all get set ahead of us and the pair is always only just behind. . With the help we ascend the flight in less than an hour. . The pair stop for the night at the top of the locks so we are on our own when we reach Calcutt. . As we are rising in the bottom lock a hire boat arrives so we wait for them at the middle lock. . At the top of the locks we let the dogs off before continuing and turning not towards the Marina but to Braunston, we have an appointment on Saturday. . We stop for the night in the just short of bridge 101, it is a lovely evening.

Friday 9th April

It is a misty morning and by the time we get away two boats have already passed us. . One was a hire boat that probably has to be back at its base in Braunston by 10:00, they are travelling fast but remember to slow down to pass our mooring. . Around the corner we find piling work going on, a potential mooring place for the future but no good at the moment - it is a good job we stopped where we did. . At bridge 99 there is a man with something on his back, an antenna of some sort sticking out of a rucksack - is he using a satellite phone he certainly has something held to his ear. . We tie up at Midland Chandlers so I can get a new horn and Jacquie walks to the stop house to see the exhibition. . She returns before I leave - the exhibition is not yet set up. . Jacquie does not have much luck with the stop house, we always seem to miss the interesting exhibitions. . She does, however, find some interesting fridge magnets as presents for the family. . We carry on up the locks stopping for a short while at the craft shop where we buy some hand painted glasses as a wedding anniversary present. . At the top of the flight I buy us ice creams before we head for the tunnel. . We pass four boats as we go through but nobody follows us in. . We stop at the other end and I walk of to explore Welton, I did not find the pub but goat a newspaper at what looked more like a guest house than a shop.
After some lunch we carry on to Buckby where a boat joins us in the top lock. . Just our luck they are stopping below the lock so we carry on our own yet again. . Despite the wind it is a hot day and Jacquie spots sparrows having a dust bath on the towpath. . At the third lock down there are a pair of hikers with cameras. . The man takes a photograph of a red (Virgin) train passing over the red painted bridge. . His wife takes a photo of him taking the photograph. . As we carry on down we finds that the penultimate lock has work going on, the beams have not been painted and the towpath is disturbed for paving to be laid. . Below the bottom lock we let the dogs of and then carry on to Weedon where we turn round at then old wharf and tie up next to the steps down from the embankment.

Saturday 10th April

Today it is the Norwegian Buhund Club open show at the village hall. . We are nearly ready when a member of the committee comes up to the boat to help Jacquie get the trophies to the show (she is the trophy steward). . For the second year our Black Bitch Edith is best in show. . The show ends at a reasonable hour so we start our journey home. . On the way down we had spotted a number of potential mooring places but most of them are already occupied. . There is a lovely wooded stretch, where the motorway diverges from the canal, but the old towpath wall is visible under water, we would not be able to get close to the bank. . We eventually stop for the night half way up the Buckby flight.

Sunday 11th April

The morning is bright but with a cold wind, we set off mid-morning to finish climbing the flight. . The lock by Anchor cottage takes some opening - the pound is so high that the bottom gate weirs before the lock is full. . In Braunston tunnel an approaching boat has a very unsteady light moving all over the place, when we pass it turns out to be hand held - it is very bright and blinding when pointed at me. . As we are leaving the tunnel I think I can see a light behind so we stop for an ice cream and wait in hope. . It turns out to be a pair of boats that pull in to moor but they a followed by another boat so we have someone to share the locks with. . At the bottom of the locks Jacquie goes off on foot with two of the dogs buying paperbacks from 'Mabs' as she goes past. . She rejoins the boat just past the turn where we see Wood Owl again. . We stop for lunch by bridge 89.
The wind is strong when we move off taking the boat across the cut as soon as the ropes are released. . Jacquie goes below to put on the kettle and decides to lie down whilst waiting for it to boil. . A little further on I stop and go inside to find a boat full of steam and the kettle nearly boiled dry. . We stop for the night at the bottom of Napton and after having a meal go off to the Folly for a drink.

Monday 12th April

I make an early start up the flight before Jacquie is up, she joins me after an hour at my sixth lock. . When we arrive at the Marston Doles locks we find 'Andrew' ahead of us, the crew seem to be mostly French. . As 'Andrew' is a Navy 'hire boat' I suspect that the English skipper is in the Royal Navy and has a French wife who has brought her family with her. . When we reach the top we have to wait for the water point, I want the ballast of a full tank to cross the summit and help steering in the wind. . The towpath is muddy as we walk the dogs, it clings to our footwear, by the time we are ready to leave it has started raining. . Jacquie takes over the tiller whilst I go below to make a hot drink. . Across the summit the oil seed rape is well in flower providing a brilliant yellow carpet in the fields, the colour changes from time to time as the shadow of a cloud passes over. . At the spinney there is a work crew trimming the vegetation back on the off side, one of them is standing in the water in waders. . We return to the Marina where we ask for the gas pipe to be repaired. . It is then time to tidy the boat and drive home.

©Michael Cobb 1999

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