Sunday 17th to Tuesday 19th April 2022 Early on Day 61, we passed The Princess, another of The Duke’s sister narrowboats. Over the last eight or nine weeks, Robert has perfected his hand gestures indicating Matilda should go on and set the next lock. After we had filled the first of the three Calcutt Locks we saw another boat following behind and as etiquette demands waited for them in the middle lock so we could travel up the flight together and conserve water. It seemed to take them a very long time to join us as they were opening and closing both gates and we were beginning to regret our decision. The boat was from Kates boatyard and was called Robert appropriately enough. The crew had only just taken possession so as we travelled with them through the top two Calcutt Locks, Robert was able to give them narrowboating tips to speed them on their way in future. At Napton Junction we turned right onto the Oxford Canal. As we neared the Napton flight, we kept hearing reports of the locks being closed. Matilda, who has been dreaming of a hot bath, was praying that this would not delay them […]
England
Thursday 14th to Saturday 16th April 2022 We set off early from Hockley Heath to travel down Lapworth Locks to Kingswood Junction where we had previously dropped Robert’s parents on the first leg of our narrowboat adventure way back in early February. This time we had arranged to meet our daughter Jaime at Kingswood Junction as she had kindly agreed to drive up to join us to help with the Hatton Locks the next day and then take Ralf back home. There was a moment of slight panic when she called to say that all the local petrol stations on her way out to the motorway had run out and were only selling diesel. None of us had taken into account that this was the beginning of the Easter weekend and the forecast was glorious sunshine. Thankfully, she found petrol further away from the motorway, back towards home and she messaged to say she was on her way. We were hoping that by setting off early we wouldn’t have to follow another narrowboat down Lapworth Locks refilling and emptying each one on the way. The Lapworth flight starts at Lock 2 since the Guillotine Lock mentioned previously is technically Lock […]
Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th April 2022 Leaving Brewood we came to Autherley Junction where there is a former canal toll office. The stop lock here marks where Telford’s Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal [now part of the Shropshire Union Canal] joined Brindley’s older Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. The fall is only about six inches and to Robert’s amusement both the people on the boat going through in front of us and Matilda struggled to work out which way the paddles needed to be opened to level the water. It is much easier when there is an obvious difference in the levels. From here we turned left onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and passed the Wolverhampton Boat Club, with an attractive bridge where a lock once was – the gates could still be seen in the open position at both sides of the canal. We also passed a man skilfully towing another narrowboat. After a short distance we joined the Birmingham Canal Navigations [BCN] at Aldersley Junction and Robert smiled quietly as knew he had returned to his homeland. Lock 21 is right at the junction and is the start of the flight taking you up into Wolverhampton. After the […]
Friday 8th to Sunday 10th April 2022 Leaving the gingerbread heritage of Market Drayton behind us we prepared to ascend the five Tyrley Locks leading to . . . . . . the picturesque Tyrley Wharf. This was built as a private wharf but developed into a vibrant hamlet according to a notice on The Old Stables. This building dates from 1838 and although now a charming residence, in the past it has been used as a parish hall, meeting room, Sunday school, reading room and polling station. Between 1917 and 1932 Cadbury leased the wharf and used it to load and transport milk churns from local farms to the chocolate factory at Knighton. Both Matilda and Robert commented that there was no risk of hitting the chimney on the bridges on this stretch of canal. Tyrley Wharf was not the only place we passed which had formed part of the Cadbury supply chain. An old, faded sign on this wharf informed us that it was used between 1911 and 1961 for the processing of locally collected milk products and the shipment of chocolate crumb by canal to Cadbury. The striking High Bridge or Bridge 39 on the Shropshire Union Canal […]
Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th April 2022 Having waved Gill and Derek off to catch their single carriage train at the start of their journey home, we set off from Whitchurch planning to complete our journey on the Llangollen Canal and rejoin the Shropshire Union Canal, heading south into fresh new waters. Matilda was particularly pleased to see the young lock manager on duty at the Grindley Brook Staircase Locks. Robert, who was on the boat and therefore in the lock as the water level sank, noticed that a thick white line had been painted around the middle lock to indicate the required depth, so perhaps Matilda might have coped without flooding the whole area. After the triple staircase lock, we met several narrowboats heading in the other direction and so at Grindley Brook Lock 4 and Lock 6 we were able to glide straight past each other and into the next lock. This always makes it seem as though the system is running seamlessly, making best use of the precious water. We passed a narrowboat delivering coal before . . . . . . Matilda enjoyed another traffic-stopping moment at the Wrenbury Lift Bridge. She still failed to find […]
Saturday 2nd to Monday 4th April 2022 We had all promised ourselves a cooked breakfast so we strolled into Llangollen past the Riverside Taxidermy Studio which we remarked on at each time of passing: it seems such an unlikely business to be thriving in such a prime, picturesque location. After a very civilised and sustaining breakfast at the m’Eating Point we set off to retrace our route along the Llangollen Canal. There are sections of the canal known as ”narrows” between Llangollen and the aqueduct which are effectively single track with no passing places. Signs recommend you send someone ahead to check that there are no boats coming in the opposite direction and Gill and Matilda opted for a brisk walk to confirm that the route was clear. Although there was undoubtedly more traffic on the canal around the aqueduct, the advance party only encountered one boat travelling in the opposite direction. As they had not sent any scouts ahead, it was fortunate that those on board The Duke were alerted. As you start walking along the towpath a sign states that children must be supervised at all times crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct due to the “wide gaps in the historic […]
Wednesday 30th March to Friday 1st April 2022 The route which the new crew – Gill and Derek – would be negotiating was to be very different from that tackled by Sue and Henry earlier in our narrowboat adventure. This stretch of the Llangollen Canal features only two locks, although there are several tunnels and aqueducts including the iconic Pontcysyllte Aqueduct as well as lift bridges . . . Although we had been unsure at times whether we were in England or Wales, and had been expecting to see a proud proclamation when we were entering Wales, we did eventually spot a fairly low-key indication on one of the mooring signs. On their first day, Derek was designated as steering assistant and started the day at the helm under Robert’s guidance past frolicking lambs as we left Whitchurch. At the end of the day, once through the 80m long Ellesmere Tunnel we moored in Ellesmere itself. A walk round the town took us past the market hall dated 1879 and a memorial to Eglantyne Jebb, born in the town, who went on to found Save the Children in 1919. A branch of the canal leads into the town, past picturesque […]
Sunday 27th to Tuesday 29th March 2022 We have now reached day 40 on The Duke – a number with Biblical associations – and Ralf will be returning to his homeland. The only problem is that it is difficult to identify exactly when we will be entering Wales: looking at the map, the canal seems to cross and re-cross the border. We are hoping that a sign will proudly announce when we arrive in Wales properly. A short distance from Barbridge, although still in England at this point, we turned onto the Llangollen Canal. Immediately, we were faced with the first of the 21 locks on the Llangollen Canal – the flight of four Hurleston Locks which rise 34 feet 3 inches from the Shropshire Union Canal. Ralf again wanted to participate in the adventure and perhaps plant his paws on his motherland once more. Matilda had to crank open a lift bridge. . . . . . and watch The Duke glide past before closing it again. Robert had read that there were cast iron embellishments to the graves at St Margaret’s in Wrenbury but Matilda could not identify them and as there was a man tending a grave […]
Thursday 24th to Saturday 26th March 2022 Matilda thought she was having olfactory hallucinations when she woke to the smell of seasonal baking. Knowing that we planned to moor at Anderton, famous for its boat lift, where there is a visitor centre and café, Matilda planned to have a coffee and a hot cross bun at the end of the journey. Over the last few days we have seen several swans sitting regally on nests and are hoping that before this adventure is over, we will see cygnets and ducklings on the waterways. On our way out of Lymm, we saw a heron swooping and circling above the boat. For a while it seemed to be following us, one moment ahead of us, the next moment behind, perhaps hoping the movement of The Duke would make the fish rise and therefore easier to catch. Sadly, Matilda never seemed to have her phone at the ready when it came particularly close. This part of the journey along the Trent and Mersey Canal included only one lock but three tunnels, all of which operate a one way system. Boats are allowed into the Preston Brook Tunnel at specific times: travelling southbound we could start […]
Monday 21st to Wednesday 23rd March 2022 Having received updates on the state of the canal from Martin the day before, Robert decided that he needed to check whether it was navigable before we left as we did not want to become stranded in “bandit country”. He set an alarm for 06:00 and set off on a reconnaissance mission down the towpath. There were so many empty cans and so much broken glass that Robert swiftly decided that it was not a suitable place for us to walk Ralf. Vandals had opened both the top and bottom paddles on Lock 77 so there were stretches that were almost totally devoid of water. Robert managed to close and lock the top paddles but without a windlass could not close the bottom ones. Robert walked down to Castlefield looking for suitable mooring spots then, having revived himself with a hot beverage, caught the tram back to Lock 77 to see whether his closing the top paddles had made any difference. Nothing had noticeably changed so we had to accept that we could not possibly travel any further until the Canal and River Trust staff managed to open sluice gates and send more […]
Friday 18th to Sunday 20th March 2022 It was a misty start to Day 31 in Todmorden. Lock 19, on the Rochdale Canal, is right by the main road through the town of Todmorden and when the road was widened in the 1920s the traditional gates were replaced with a guillotine gate at one end to save space. Matilda is unaccountably always a little anxious at guillotine locks in case the mechanism goes wrong. Unsurprisingly, we negotiated the Todmorden Guillotine Lock No. 19 safely and, on the other side, The Duke was dwarfed by the Great Wall of Todmorden. Built in 1881 as a retaining wall to support the railway as it enters the town from Lancashire it is said to contain some four million bricks. We could well believe it. After the Todmorden Guillotine Lock 19 and the Great Wall of Todmorden, we were beginning to realise that hereabouts, the place names are very literal. Research could not provide the background to Shade Lock No. 21 but presumably it is, at least for some of the time, in the shade. Matilda was particularly impressed by the splendid railway bridge with ornate castellated turrets between Locks 21 and 22. This is apparently […]
Tuesday 15th to Thursday 17th March 2022 The Jack of the Locks sculpture [see feature image] in Sowerby Bridge depicts Richard Tiffany, the town’s lock keeper in the canal’s final days of carrying commercial goods. A sign by the wharf says that Richard Tiffany was a well-known local character and his great grandson modelled for the figure of the boy beside him. The stove has been playing up again and proving very difficult to relight after it goes out. We have not been able to pinpoint exactly what causes this but it fails with unpredictable regularity. Attempts at relighting it invariably result in the cabin filling with diesel fumes and sometimes also smoke so that windows and doors have to be left open to clear the air and the atmosphere becomes even fresher. Henry has heroically been doing overnight duty, trying to keep it alight through the small hours with varying degrees of success. The Wainhouse Tower in Halifax is visible from various points in Sowerby Bridge. It was originally built by John Edward Wainhouse as a chimney for his dye works. The 275ft tower was to be connected to the factory 350 metres downhill by an underground tunnel in […]
Saturday 12th to Monday 14th March 2022 The “Dash for Diggle” to make the booking for Standedge Tunnel had a knock on effect for the rest of the schedule. Robert had hoped that the planned works at Hebdon Bridge would be finished by the time we got there. Regular checks on the website continued to show the completion date as Friday 18th March. With time to spare, Day 25 was therefore declared a day of rest in Brighouse. As this was a Saturday with two Six Nations matches on Robert didn’t feel this was too much of a sacrifice. Robert and Henry fortified themselves for the day ahead, this time with a Wetherspoons cooked breakfast at a very reasonable price. Matilda, Sue and Henry took a stroll round the town in the morning. The Ship Inn, was built in 1926 using timbers from the HMS Donegal built in 1868. When we told a friend that we were staying in Brighouse she exclaimed that it was “brass band country and lovely up there”. Matilda was therefore not surprised to see the street art celebrating the mill band. As we are currently on the route known as the Cheshire Ring she also bought […]
Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th March 2022 Sue and Henry joined us on Tuesday afternoon and were surprised by how cosy it was inside The Duke. Matilda and Robert explained the vagaries of the stove and the lengthy process to light it and persuaded them it would be better to leave the stove going overnight, rather than wake up cold in the morning. Having spent their first night aboard, sleeping in an oven with most of the windows open, Robert discovered that he had not turned down the diesel supply to the stove after lighting it: once this was adjusted the temperature became more bearable inside The Duke. Day 22 promised to be bright and sunny and following an evening of planning in The Railway Inn, we set off as a team of four [see Selfie of the Day] to tackle the flight of locks out of Marsden. Sue and Henry have both been on a narrowboat before but not together and not for a while and had a brief practical refresher course on operating the locks. We noticed the Blue Peter logo on the balance beam at Lock 37E and discovered that, in 2016, presenter Barney Harwood had helped carpenters […]
Sunday 6th to Tuesday 8th March 2022 Day 19 was the last day in our dash to make it to Standedge Tunnel in time for our booking on Monday. Sunday was not all plain sailing and we suffered a series of lock disasters. At lock 23W only one paddle worked and the lock was taking ages to fill as more water was leaking out than was flowing in. However, Matilda has discovered that sometimes, when the water level changes, a paddle which was impossible to raise will become more readily mobile. This turned out to be the case and after finally opening the second paddle, we were able to progress. Having experienced very high water levels previously, on this stretch of canal the level was very low. At lock 24W we grounded in the tunnel coming through under the bridge and Matilda had to let water through the lock with the aim of refloating The Duke. Despite passing some beautiful buildings our troubles were not over. At lock 25W when he inspected the water level Robert declared it would be impossible to cross the pound without grounding and once again we needed to let extra water through. This took some time […]
Thursday 3rd to Saturday 5th March 2022 Having booked our transit through the Standedge Tunnel, we now had to ensure that we reached Diggle in time. We knew this would involve some long days travelling and plenty of locks. Day 16 started well as Martin kindly picked Matilda up, took her to his house to use the newly installed shower and then to do some grocery shopping before we set off. The Macclesfield Canal took us past the mill where the wheat was originally ground to make Hovis bread between 1898 and 1904. When milling had to be moved to larger premises, the old mill became the site where the paper wrappers were made. Now converted into apartments, you can still see the archway which led to the wharf where boats could unload their cargo under cover directly into the mill. And so began our eight hour journey. The Puss in Boots commands a prime canal side position and would be a good spot for an evening sundowner by the canal. We saw several herons on this canal each standing so still that at first we both thought it might be plastic. We watched the third heron we saw plunge into […]