October 2007

After a very short visit to the Saltisford Arm where we were told "If you are not overnight you can't moor at all" we decided to continue and, as promised, start October with Hatton flight. We shared the 21 locks with a Hotel boat "Wood Owl" very nice people in their first season, I hope it all works out well for them.

After shifting 42 lock gates at 2.5 tonnes each, and winding 42 paddles up and down, Karen did her back in cleaning the floor - there is a lesson of some sort there! Despite the pain we had a great day at Warwick races with Chris and Laura. We even picked a few winners - well one actually witha a few seconds and thirds.

We followed up the racing with a trip to Hatton Shopping World which was pretty good and then moved on a couple of miles through Shrewley tunnel to a mooring on an embankment with stunning views and a great misty morning. Then through Kingston Junction and back to the narrow locks of the Stratford-on-avon canal of which we carefully and slowly did three. Karen's back survived and then we moored in another loveley spot just below lock 24 in warm evening sunshine.

Karen's back improved slowly so she did some steering and I got to do some locks. Next stop was Wootton Wawen, a beautiful cruise in stunning weather. We took a day off and visited the Craft centre and farm shops, and the pub, very nice too. Then on down to the basin in Stratford. There were a lot more boats than when we visited on Karen's Dad's boat 25 years ago but still plenty of moorings as there are now pontoons to moor to. sadly the theatre season was finished but the town and river are still lovely.

After Stratford we went all the way back up the Straford canal, the northern part of the canal is just as pretty as the southern. Then we headed into the heart of the English canal system - Birmingham.

We decided that £13 was a bit expensive for Cadbury World (since it didn't include your weight in free chocolate) so we pushed on. The approach to the city centre is lovely, very green right the way into the town centre. We passed an experimental, hydrogen powered, narrowboat moored at the university. Gas street basin is right in the middle of Birmingham. When we last visited, in 1982, this was a bit of a disaster area and it seemed Birmingham wanted to pretend it just wasn't there. Now its great, posh flats, more eateries than you can shake a stick at, and loads of mooring. The buildings all pay at least architectural lip service to the old warehouses and they look pretty good. We ate out and had a few drinks - very nice too.

We decided to take the more direct, Telford, route accross Birmingham and save the winding old main line for another. Even this route is surprisingly green, very interesting, and very straight and wide.

Wolverhampton 21 was easier than expected, despite the boat in front leaving one bottom gate open - all the way down! It's a great flight, you start in the centre of Wolverhampton and end in rural countyside.

An overnight stop at the amazing Tixall Wide at the top of the Staffs & Worcs the pictures do not do justice to it. the next morning fog made it very spooky as boats faded into and out of existence in a ghostly way. The turn onto the Caldon was fun in a bit of wind and the two rise staircase is awesome, then a rather dull slog up the first part of the Caldon to Milton.

After Milton the Caldon gets beautiful, the three locks at Hazlehurst junction with the Leek branch looping round and passing over us on the aqueduct are great. We couldn't fit through the tunnel at Froghall which is a shame as the basin on the far side is loveley. Then we went up the Leek branch - well it may well be the most beautifull part of the whole system - stunning.

We will be off the Caldon and going back through Harecastle Tunnel for November

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