Back again

Two weeks in April

It’s been a while since I posted here, I know, but life has been just a tad busy!

We had a great visit to Graeme and Cathy, and renewed our acquaintance with Daniel and Alexander. Hiring a car from Enterprise worked really well, and didn’t cost significantly more than two return tickets on the train. Not good for the planet, but it was very handy to have the use of the car whilst we were there.

Back at the yard on the Friday, we found that Sanity Again was very nearly finished. She is in almost every respect better that we had hoped, which is saying quite a lot. In a few days, I’ll do a post on the other side setting out the stuff that has worked really well, but high on the list must be the Hurricane heating, the white ceiling and the cooker (but that’s just the top of a very long list).

With the invaluable help of Roger Millin, we set off on the Saturday to boat to Alrewas. The itinerary and highlights went like this:

• Saturday 10 An easy day just as far as Gurnett Aqueduct, where we did a show round Sanity in the afternoon.
• Sunday 11 Serious boating commenced, with an eight o’clock start, down Bosley and on to the Little Morton Hall mooring for the night. Sanity Again is quite deep draughted, and progress was slow on the shallow Macc.
• Monday 12 We had intended to get to the top of Stone, and made good progress towards that, with a quick passage of Harecastle, but by mid afternoon we were pretty weary, and stopped on the Wedgwood moorings just before Barlaston.
• Tuesday 13 Getting into the routine now, with another great day's boating in fine weather. We’d planned to make Great Haywood, but decided that the country mooring a mile before Hoo Mill would be better.
• Wednesday 14 Sanity Again needed water, so we set off at seven, leaving Roger to follow on in Sanity at the usual time. By 7.45 we were on the water point at Great Haywood, and filled up by half eight, even though her big (780 litres) water tank was over half empty. Then, when Roger arrived, on we went, aiming for the top of Shade House. We stopped in Handsacre for lunch, then went on to discover that the Shade House moorings were full, so came on down the flight, and tied both boats without difficulty on the visitor moorings opposite the cafe.

This morning, Roger left us, Elanor taking him back to Higher Poynton to collect his car. After he’d gone, we took Sanity on down to Bagnall Lock, where again there was plenty of room. We’ve got a show round there tomorrow morning, and we’ll take Sanity Again down to join her first thing.

We’ve been pottering on board for the rest of the day, gradually getting things put away where we want them.

Because we’ve been boating so hard (for us) I’ve not been keeping my usual notes of who we met and so on, so I’ll just say thanks to all those blog readers and fellow Braidbar owners whom we’ve seen during the week and who made nice remarks about the new boat.

And of course, yet again thanks to Roger for great company and brilliant boating.

Back on the Macc, and it's Autumn, folks

2nd & 3rd September

As predicted here last time, we had a relaxed start yesterday, getting away at 8.30, and then stopping immediately on the water point and running a wash load before setting off up the four Stone and four Meaford locks.

These locks have also been fitted with offside bollards, but they are at least appropriate looking iron mushrooms, painted white and much less of a hazard than the ridiculous wooden things being installed further south.

Less encouraging was the state of the towpath between the locks at the top of Meaford. It's been slowly subsiding into the cut for years there, and had successively been fenced with orange netting, then with wooden rails, and now yet more netting has appeared, as parts of the rails have fallen into the water. It desperately needs the whole pound to be piled again, as the BW guy painting the lock ladders confirmed. (Phrases about deckchairs and the Titanic come irresistibly to mind.)

There's a road alongside, which in turn is beginning to move, so something must be done shortly. Meanwhile, BW have installed an alternate towpath along the offside, including bridging the by-pass weir for the top lock.

The canal continued very busy, with much traffic in both directions, as you would expect on one of the most popular cruising rings at the end of the school holidays.

By 11.30 we were tied beyond Barlaston, on the moorings near the Wedgwood factory. As the weather was beginning to deteriorate, we dropped the cratch cover again and lit the stove.

The afternoon was put to good use by fitting temporary double glazing film to the bedroom and bathroom portholes and the three prisms. We don't have a hair drier on board to finish the job, but it seemed a good idea to get the stuff up whilst the boat was comparatively dry inside. We can always borrow a drier at Braidbar when we get there, hopefully.

Today, by mutual agreement, we set off at 7.30, wanting to take advantage of a sunny morning which was forecast to deteriorate later. Even at its brightest it was very cold, and a bit damp, and, still wearing shorts as we were, we both found the breeze chilly around the knees.

We worked steadily up the Stoke locks, making such good progress that it became clear that we would be at the South portal of Harecastle before lunch. In the event, we got there by 11.30, to find Ivor Batchelor on duty and in fine form.

We shared a good bit of towpath scandal with him, much of it unfit for this outlet, and then found ourselves third in line into the tunnel at around 11.45. This time Ivor chose the boat ahead for his favourite leg pull.

This involves Ivor saying solemnly to the steerer of the boat as it enters the tunnel "Would you just mind sounding your horn for me, sir?"

The steerer of course complies, assuming this to be part of the safety check before being allowed in. Ivor then smiles in satisfaction and says "Thank you very much; that'll scare the boggut!" (Harecastle is reputed to be haunted by a ghost known as the Kitcrew Boggut.)

It was distinctly cold in the tunnel and by the time we emerged we were in no doubt; Autumn is here, and long trousers should be worn.

We tied on the towpath side just before the junction with the Macc, and after lunch I nipped along to Tesco for a few items whilst Sheila made a start on repairing the state of our flower tubs and replacing them on the roof, they having been placed in the well deck during passage of the tunnel.

She'd not got far with this before I was back, and didn't want to hang around in Kidsgrove. Accordingly, and despite the rain getting worse, we've come on to the Little Morton Hall mooring beyond the Heritage yard at Scholar Green.

The weather is now so bad, wind and rain and cold with it, that not only have we dropped the cratch cover and lit the stove, we've put the covers on all the portholes to keep out the miserable sight.

Hopefully we'll get a window of better weather tomorrow to go on through Congleton and either stop at the bottom of Bosley (if it's grotty again) or go up to the top for the night.