BRINKLOW - THE OXFORD CANAL

Oct 14th - Saturday
It’s the weekend and we’ve seen how busy it gets on this part of the Oxford Canal. Hire boats passing to and from Rose’s base a mile away at Stretton dodging Viking and Ashby boats whilst mixing it with private cruisers.
Shan’t move until it all settles down on Monday and in any case we’ve got good company now that Roger and Babs (family - cousin) on nb.Megan caught us up on their long weekend away from the Napton / Calcutt area.
We’re always glad to see them but this time they surpassed all measures of generosity by giving us an Eco-Fan, yes our own electronic mystery air mover for shifting hot air around the boat. And it works – like a dream. No batteries, it just turns when it gets hot and puts an end to “temperature stratification” – that’s the in-term at the moment.
Even lets you know when fuel is needed by slowing down as the fire dies.
Yes, we were given wood and anthracite as well and feel thoroughly spoilt. If this is canal life then we’re totally sold on it. A really big thank-you to R & B.

Our sincere apologies to Pat (nb. Hyperion) for the dirty edges on the fire door’s glass window.

Another gem from Roger was clean the brass work with “Lime-Lite”. The mushroom vents sparkled after just a wipe and the surrounding paintwork doesn’t get scratched as can happen with “Shiny Sinks”. We’ve come a long way since using brown sauce but there’s still a tube of it in the cupboard just in case.

R&B left early afternoon for an easy cruise back to the Grand Union Canal. There was a moment’s panic as their TowPath Talk was left behind but after winding their boat the paper was passed across and they sailed back down south.

Oct 15th
It was a quiet day, most boats had quit their moorings by 11am and we took a walk round the block to the edge of Brinklow village and back. Having lost a cousin the day before we were joined by Ter and Claire (my brother, her sister – married. It’s not complicated) later on. News from Leicester was devoured along with their wine, food and a packet of mail. Thanks you guys.

Oct 16th
Departing Brinklow, we watered at Stretton Stop and marvelled at the nest of Rose hire boats as we competed with their cleaners for the rubbish bins and cess pit.

Two cuppas later we were at Sutton’s Stop (Hawkesbury) and a busy little place that is. Boats were in and out of the single lock every five minutes, all manoeuvres perfectly executed under the gaze of The Greyhound pub’s clientele.

Five and a half miles of canal later, through industrial areas, back gardens and canal water glistening with oil we arrived in Coventry. We almost turned round and left because the official signs on the lamp posts showed a “crossed” mooring bollard. Tied up anyway and read the small print and discovered the sign is meant to convey “No mooring exceeding 48hrs”.
Welcomed by Coventry City Rangers and given an information pack we started to feel good about the place and lit a smoky fire to celebrate our arrival.

Being the only boat in the Basin, until we were joined by another well after dark, we wondered what we had got ourselves into.

Oct 17th
It had been a quiet night and we awoke to the clip-clop of heels outside the portholes as office workers made their way into town from the nearby apartment block.
The Basin’s café “Country Crust” fortified us for two shopping expeditions. Unfortunately Maplins had moved from just outside the Basin to a new site between bridges 6 and 7 so we made do with a wander in and out of the centre’s shops ending in a Sainsbury’s 6 bag shop before returning to the boat.

Boats arrived and departed all day, leaving us with seven for the night including Sarah-Kate in the hands of Mike and Jo.

Mike made kind comments about the Blog and we got chatting, as you do. Sarah-Kate was a whole lot shorter when they bought her but after two stretches she’s made it to 47 foot long and suits their needs. We hope to see more of them when we’re back on the Leicester Line over the winter months and maybe bump into them on the Fens or the northern-most canals in the year ahead.

Taylor John’s House occupies one of the old brick built coal stores between the blocks of offices in the Basin and advertises Jazz nights from this Wednesday through to the weekend. Too bad we’ll have to leave (48 hr max mooring).
Other genres are catered for but it’s Jazz every Saturday. See www.thetinangel.co.uk for events. They cater for private functions and special events.

An evening disturbance caught our attention, particularly as two ten year olds were practising their skills with catapults amongst their elders who were pushing and shoving, drinking from brown paper bags and expressing their opinions at 90dB.

Took a walk to see what our prospects were and called the CCTV company advertised on the street corner to see if they were watching us. Ten minutes hadn’t passed before four Police officers arrived and set off to check on the crowd’s intentions. In conclusion Taylor John was hosting a college production and chucking out time was to be 10:30pm.
We were invited to call 999 or the CCTV company if we felt threatened at any time but as it happened everyone behaved themselves and by 11pm it was quiet again. Result.

Oct 18th
Our 48 hours are up and it’s time to leave Coventry. We left our comment card at the Rangers Offices, thanking them for their welcome, the lovely facilities and the fast Police response the night before. Wonder what they’ll make of that.

Bit of a squeeze under bridge 1 as we made our departure.

This used to be sealed off at night until they realised boats were good for business in the Basin.

Our chimney hat was knocked off by a thorn bush right outside the FED-EX offices. Considered pretending it didn’t matter but a change of heart saw us reverse and fish about in the mucky stuff with our magnet until we found it.

That wasn’t the only thing that went into the canal today. A couple of bridges further on we were halted by Sarah-Kate. A milk float was in the canal, blocking our way and BW were in attendance with a mobile crane trying to get the thing out. I said we should be in line for a free bottle of milk but the boater in front said he was more interested in the milk float’s batteries.

We passed Maplins and Tesco on the side of the canal but concrete towpaths without rings or bollards prevented mooring, what a shame, we could have been customers.
Someone is really trying to make the Coventry Canal attractive to boaters. There is far less litter than other towns and cities we’ve seen and the graffiti is almost entirely the officially approved variety,

Signs are dotted along the canal describing the delights of Coventry’s green corridor with invitations to the locals to use it and appreciate its benefits.

Mr Singh says “I go for walks by the canal, it’s a really nice place to be. It’s quiet but you’d be surprised how many people are down here enjoying it. I almost always see fishermen. They say the water is really good here so there are lots of fish.”
WHAT??? It’s got a black treacly surface that glistens with all the colours of the rainbow and the locals complain that the fish have all gone – swallowed by part of the european union.

Onwards and up the Coventry Canal we turned right at Marston Junction

and crept along the Ashby Canal. With no locks for the whole of its 21 miles the Ashby is a favourite winter location for boaters.

We were done in before Stoke Golding and grabbed the first stretch of empty steel piling. We slept as it started raining.
It was nice to see nb.Queenborough 3, another Sandhills boat, a mile down the road, still shining like the day she was launched. Well done G and S for keeping her in such good condition.

Oct 19th – Thursday
It rained at first but promised brighter later so we moved up to the 48hr moorings north of Stoke Golding. Called Graham at Earl Shilton on the off chance we could meet but he wasn’t in.
We continued to Sutton Cheney, using the book exchange service behind the shop and turning the boat for our journey back to the Coventry Canal. Time wouldn’t allow us to explore further so we left the rest of the Ashby Canal and the Snarestone Tunnel for another day.

Oct 20th
After a quiet night, apart from the sound of rain again, we set off for the Oxford Canal on our journey towards Leicester. Parts of the Ashby Canal surprised us with its contrasting steep sided cuttings with clever garden terraces and its flat open fields below the canal. Wooded corridors start and stop abruptly and towpaths are often muddy or under water.

Back on to the Coventry Canal we retraced our steps to Sutton’s Stop. Turning left we swept along the Oxford Canal to Stretton Stop, passing right through the middle of Rose’s boat fleet, back to our usual spot near Brinklow.

A chance arose to do our good neighbour bit as we tied our ropes. An unnamed boat was almost adrift on just a stern rope. One of those bent piling clips was to blame, the rope and clip dangling in the water as the bow brushed the bushes on the far side. Pulling the boat back and tying it with bow and centre ropes should keep her secure on this busy canal.

As we write there’s a news item on the BBC announcing the country’s almost total conversion to broadband internet.

We, however, shall be very fortunate to achieve GSM speed this weekend and may even have to resort to cocoa tin technology to post our Blog.

Broadband video chat? Wouldn’t that be nice.