Steev's Canal Pages . .

Sunday 17th June 2007

We are up just before 6am and up at the lock waiting for the keeper to check out the river section. We see him toddle off in his car, we see him return, the gates remain locked (no pun intended). After breakfast we decide to go and take a look ourselves. The weir is running at a pretty impressive rate and the level gauge is still in the red, albeit by only 2 inches, but 2 inches over such a large area is a massive, and dangerous amount of water.

By 6 in the evening there is still no word from the keeper and based on the assumption that the section is likely to remain shut for another night we have a barbeque dinner on the towpath. Just as we are tidying up the keeper comes down and finally at 8:20pm tells us the section is now open and he wants to get as many of us through as possible (at least 9 boats at the bottom end of the section and many more at the top end) as more rain is forecast for tomorrow. Suits us and we're off. The first section is a doddle, past the first, small weir and we are still going well, then comes the short stretch where the flow joins from the river, runs down across the line of the canal then over the weir. No longer a doddle. Engine running at full pelt we progress painfully, and worryingly slowly until at last we are free of the grip of the river. The gauge is literally one finger width below the red marker.

As we make our way through Alrewas we are greeted by a long line of boats going back for a good 1/2 mile. By the time we've been asked more times than I care to count 'Is it open yet ?' we still haven't reached the end of the queue. One poor lady sticks her head out of her side hatch and asks me the same question once more. I smile sweetly (imagine it if you will) and reply with absolute politeness 'No, we got fed up waiting so we picked it up and carried it around.' As we drift by, her expression moves through bemusement to laughter. We settle for the night at Common Lock, just a short distance from Fradley Locks.

Monday 18th June 2007

We set off bright and early once more and work our way through Common Lock, then the Fradley 5 before continuing along the Trent & Mersey. The day progresses without incident until we eventually decide to stop overnight at Stone. Stone is, according to the guide books, a very popular place. Experience now confirms this. I stay on the boat to take on water whilst the rest of the crew go on a hunting trip for food supplies and a chip shop. They return shortly complete with chips but no supplies - it seems that Stone closes at 8pm. As we are technically on the water point moorings we move on and through Stone, ending up at Newcastle Road Lock somewhere just gone 10pm. Well placed for a good run towards the Harecastle Tunnel in the morning we retire.

Tuesday 19th June 2007 We are woken by the sound of a boat going past us and look at the time - nearly 8 ! What a bunch of sluggards. We had hoped to be off early enough to avoid possible queues as we need to be through the Harecastle today if we are to get back onto our planned timetable. We get into gear and set off through the lock, soon followed by more and more boats as others wake up. We cruise on through the outskirts of Stoke, then past the home of Wych Way (she was Tywyn in those days) and end up at the southern entrance to the Harecastle at 3:30 in the afternoon. While we've got a short wait we take on water here before setting off through the tunnel at 4:10pm. As I've said before I fail to see the fascination of tunnels, but last time we went through the Harecastle we were sure we saw a skeleton painted on the wall. We ask the waiting tunnel-keeper about this and he assures us we weren't imagining it and informs us where it is. Camera at the ready we enter the south portal.

A shot in the dark	At appx 400m from the N end	Turning to the Macc	The 1 ft stop lock
After the obligatory hooting and 'halloooing' to pass the time, we emerge back into sunlight at 4:50pm then turn left onto the Macclesfield canal, new territory for most of the crew and an area I haven't visited for something like 20 years. Proceeding through the first lock with its' mighty 1 ft rise we at once fall in love with this very pretty area and settle for the night at Kent Green as the sky darkens and rain threatens.

Wednesday 20th June 2007 We are on the move by just before 7am then pass through Congleton and head for the Bosley flight which contains the only other locks on the Macclesfield Canal - all 12 of them. We arrive at the bottom of the flight by 11am and a mere hour and a half later we find ourselves at the top. Due to the plentiful rain there has been lately there doesn't seem to be a water shortage here, indeed it is flowing over the top of some of the gates.
At the top of the Bosley flight there are excellent BWB facilities including showers and laundry facilities - we are impressed. The Bosley flight behind us we eventually come to the Royal Oak Swing Bridge where we boaters have the wonderful 'Key of Power' in that we use the BWB key to operate a swing bridge to close off a road whilst we pass by. Rob declares this power to be 'Well cool'. The countryside here is stunning, this contour canal spends alternate times in low valleys then a few minutes later it is on top of an aqueduct and we are looking down over the tops of mature trees that are now below us. This is not without problems though; in the lower sections the wind blows over the tops of the trees but we remain sheltered, however where we are on the aqueduct sections there are sudden gusts that require some serious concentration. We finish for the night at a glorious spot near Brown Hills Bridge on a lovely mooring that the guide book describes as 'some people say this is the nicest mooring on this canal'. We have to agree.

Thursday 21st June 2007 Summer Solstice A 'late' start today, we don't set off until a little after 9am. The weather has calmed and yesterday's wind has settled down to more of a gentle breeze. We cruise on enjoying this truly beautiful canal and with mind wandering freely I'm brought back to planet reality by a sudden shout of 'Lift bridge' from below decks. Sure enough, there is Turflea Lift Bridge dead ahead. Crew disembark to raise the bridge and once safely negotiated we head onwards. Our next turning is onto the Peak Forest canal and are delighted to find that if anything this is even prettier. We reach Whaley Bridge Terminus, take on water, take the opportunity to empty the holding tank then turn back for the Bugsworth Basin arm, stopping for a culture shock at a large well-stocked Tesco on the way past.
Bugsworth basin has for many years been subject to a series of closures due to a seemingly never ending series of leaks but after much investment and a lot of volunteer work it is now well and truly open. At its' prime it was a very busy inland port, trans-shipping limestone from the quarries at nearby Dove Holes to Manchester. There are numerous excellent information panels around the site and plenty of space to turn around and moor up - and moorings here are free for up to 48 hours. Here is Wych Way at bridge 61 and again seen from above. The wooden pole behind on the wharf is where a crane once stood. We meet up with some friends and cruise for an hour or two with them before returning to Wych Way for the evening.

Friday 22nd June 2007 We leave Bugsworth around 10am after Jim, our friends John & Sylvia's very handy cabinet maker has been aboard to measure up for the new 'L' shaped lounge / dinette that we have been planning for about a year or two. We make sedate progress out of the basin, phoning to say goodbye to John & Sylvia on the way and are not at all surprised to see them down on their boat as we pass shortly after, waiting to wave us off. We very much enjoy this beautiful canal but are more than happy to be moving on as we are told that there is to be a boat rally at Bugsworth basin over the weekend and as this is such a narrow and sometimes shallow section of the network it is sure to get busy. We travel on down the Peak Forest and turn left onto the Macclesfield once more.
One of the more enjoyable parts of cruising to us is noticing the differences between the canals. On the Macclesfield we notice solidly constructed stone (rather than brick) lock sides and bridges which are very pleasing on the eyes. Most bridges on the network we've seen so far are (and I am sure that there is a fancy architectural term for this) vertical sides with an arched top. The ones on the Macc. are more like an oval laid on its long side. I'm quite sure that there must have been a great reason for this but haven't yet fathomed what it was. Anyway, we digress. It starts to rain. Well OK it starts to rain quite a lot. OK OK. It bloody chucks it down - for hours. We continue to cruise before calling it a night at the top of Bosley flight, finding quite literally the only free mooring spot for perhaps half a mile. Bosley has brilliant facilities including toilets, showers, self pump-out, washing machine and tumble drier. Everything is of course immaculate - a credit to the lock keeper here. But, criticise we must - fantastic facilities but PITIFULLY FEW MOORING SPACES - the first 1/2 mile or so is taken up by 'long term' moorings - seriously reducing the effectiveness of an otherwise very useful location.

Saturday 23rd June 2007 With the usual morning distribution of crew - 3 in bed and only Sall and I active - we start on the Bosley 12 and enjoy working them in splendid isolation. We work slowly but surely through and as we reach lock 11 one of our crew emerges from the pit of bed to assist. Lock 12 sees the emergence of a second crew member - just in time for us to tell him that there are no more locks for miles now. Youth of today eh ? No staying power. Leaving the Macc after the 1ft lock (which was only built to satisfy the water preservation concerns of the existing canal company), join the Trent & Mersey once more and head for the Harecastle in plenty of time for the last guaranteed passage. Yes, the water is actually bright orange, due to the iron ore deposits which leach out of the surrounding land here.

Bosley Top Lock	Harecastle Tunnel N end	Mr Skeleton still in residence	The tunnel was still dark
We moor up just past the tunnel entrance after taking the opportunity to water-up and with some hours left before darkness decide to try running the washing machine via the generator. When we last tried this we were also running the main engine and the generator got too hot, resulting in a drop of voltage down to around 120v, sufficient to stop the washing machine from working properly. To be on the safe side we leave the deck panel up so as to allow for plenty of cooling and all went well. Laundry flutters in the evening breeze!

Sunday 24th June 2007

We set off from the tunnel entrance and head back down the Trent and Mersey working our way past the Black Prince hire base at Festival Park (where our boat, then known as Tywyn, once operated from) then through the five Stoke locks, dropping us some 50 feet in total. The photo on the far right shows what BWB call 'serious leakage of the sidewall'. Fortunately they provide a warning sign above the lock advising you to shut the side windows. It rains some more. We continue on our way, finally stopping for the night just outside Stone and spend a happy hour or two exploring the town on foot before enjoying another towpath barbeque and bottle of wine in the evening sunshine.

Monday 25th June 2007

We particularly like the BWB signs at every lock telling us to share where possible and not to waste water. It seems rather ironic when the water is weiring over the top of lock gates, still we did what the sign asked but as there were no 9ft boats wishing to share the locks with us we carry on, indulgently using all that water ourselves.

I'm not in any way condoning graffiti here but I am amused by this fine job at the bridge just before the Star. The 'artist' can't even spell the word 'white'. If that's an indication of supremacy you can count me out.

It continues to rain (running out of ways to describe it now) and we resort to sheltering on deck beneath a very large fishing umbrella that requires deft handling to be lowered, folded and otherwise adjusted as we negotiate our way past assorted low trees, bridges and other boaters. Still, it's a very successful way to stay dry and with the weather showing no sign of improvement and with no particular rush to be anywhere we moor up just beyond Wolseley Bridge (south of Colwich lock) in a lovely spot with a decent towpath and mooring rings nicely provided.

Tuesday 26th June 2007 As passage through the Alrewas River section is essential to our continued journey and bearing in mind the last couple of days all but incessant rain we phone BWB and ask if the river section is still open. Surprisingly we are told it is, so given that today is pleasantly warm with no rain in sight we put our optimistic heads on and get as far as Fradley Junction (passing the nest of some giant bird that I really don't want to meet - see picture below) where we are subsequently told that Alrewas is definitely closed today and probably tomorrow too. We refill with fresh water, dispose of some rubbish and head on towards Alrewas anyway as we know that there are better shopping and mooring facilities to be had if we are to be marooned. Sure enough as we get to Bagnall lock we see the by now all-too-familiar yellow sign of doom. Sending crew ahead to scout for a mooring we decide to push our luck and see how close to the lock we can get and are much surprised to find only 4 other boats queuing at the chained-up Alrewas lock. We check with the other 'queuees' and eventually take the unorthodox option to use the lock moorings - all are agreed that no one else is going to need them for the immediate future.

Hard boiled or poached ?	We may have a problem then	It's under there somewhere	Water at the top of the pilings
Walking down to the river section we find that we can no longer even see the water gauge and the spill weir, unable to cope with the flow, is discharging straight into the adjacent field. The water is just about at the level of the pilings and set to go higher. We bring in fish and chips for dinner (highly recommend the Alrewas Fryer), washing line goes up to cope with the last of the damp clothes and we settle in for the night, completely certain that we are going to be here a while.

Wednesday 27th June 2007 A short walk down to the lock after breakfast shows that despite a rain-free 24 hours the level has now risen an extra 4 or 5 inches, as can be seen by the fact that in the 3rd photo along in the row above you can still see a row of bricks but compared to the photo below left they are now under water. The pilings are also well and truly submerged. Later on we are amused to see a man in a kayak paddling across what was a green pasture complete with grazing cows only yesterday (don't worry, the farmer moved his herd the previous evening).

Compare with 3rd pic above	We may have a problem then	It's under there somewhere	Water at the top of the pilings
We discover that a local shop stocks a leaflet that is a trail guide for a walk around Alrewas and enjoy an hour or so wandering around and learning about this pretty little village, though sadly lacking in public toilets. Plans are now put into action to retrieve my car from the car park at our normal moorings (a mere 20 minutes by road) as I need to work a few hours on Friday and Saturday. We hear the news from around the regions via the verbal 'towpath telegraph', stay in touch with various boaty friends by text and mobile phone and enjoy this enforced inactivity. Best guess so far is that we might get moving by the weekend - if it doesn't. . . . you know. . . . . rain. We count ourselves very lucky that it doesn't really matter to us, but are now heartily glad that we took that opportunity to do an 'extra' holding tank pump-out at Whaley Bridge - a lesson for future adventures. . . . . .

Thursday 28th - Sun 1st July 2007

We spend these days quite enjoying ourselves. Day after day people come along the towpath and mutter about how it hasn't been this bad since the last floods - well, no I don't suppose it has. We are stunned to hear that there are plans afoot to build houses on the field that is now a lake. Even at the best of times it is only 2 ft above the river and now it is more like 2ft below it. The local residents are sure that this isn't a good idea - we agree.

As Wych Way is set up for living aboard we are in many ways independent so our only concerns are the toilet tank (which we emptied a week ago and therefore in theory will last us another 2 weeks) and fresh water. Luckily the moorings are a few hundred yards away from a decent water point. Unluckily our hose is only 50 metres long. We enlist the assistance of a long standing friend who lends us a 25 litre water container and a very handy trolley. A couple of trips each day sees our fresh water situation taken care of. We run the generator a time or two and it copes with the washing machine nicely leading to numerous "You've got a washing machine ?" comments from nearly as many boaters as land lubbers. The fact we also have a tumble drier seems to really stun them. All of this leaves us in a nice frame of mind. The moorings are nice, the weather is nice, the village is nice. We settle down and take each day as it comes, I go to work and return and all is well with our world. We are very aware however just how lucky we are.

We can seriously recommend the butchers in Alrewas. They are fantastic with a massive range of produce (not just meat) of unmatched quality. We were regular customers and highly commend the Aberdeen Angus burgers. Not cheap but taste superb, don't shrink when cooked and aren't full of fat. Worth every penny. The service there is first class too.

Thank you BWB!. BWB take some stick but I'd like to make it very clear that we think they did a brilliant job at Alrewas. After a few days of waiting we phoned and expressed concerns that sooner or later we were going to need to pump out our holding tank. They apologised for not having a 'lavender boat' but when we explained that we could self pump, given something to pump into they duly arrived with a load of 5 gallon drums which they promised to pick up next day. They also collected rubbish from all of the boats in the queue and took away, emptied and returned toilet cassettes with marvellous efficiency. True to their word they collected, emptied and returned 'our' drums each day.

Moday 2nd July 2007

Having watched the river level drop for a few days now we decide to take a gamble with where to leave my car. I have a few lessons today and decide to park up afterwards at Barton then walk back to the boat via the towpath. That way IF the river opens later today we can cruise down beyond the river section to Barton (appx 30 mins) and moor there overnight. I can go to work next day then leave the car at Barton, take the boat back to base then use the family car to go back and collect the 'work car'. If the river section doesn't open I just have a 1/2 hour walk to start with next day.

At just gone 7pm our friend the lock keeper arrives and unchains the gates - FREEDOM! Down the lock, through the river section, on down through Wychnor lock and we're away. We are going well and decide that if we just keep moving we could be back at base by around midnight. Keen to be back now, we cruise on. The night skies are overcast but as it is only a day or two past full moon and we are never more than a few miles from 'civilisation' there is more than enough light to cruise home with. Many a curtain twitches as we drift by but by half past midnight we are safely back at base.

Did we enjoy it ? Too damned right we did!

We met some nice people, became better acquainted with boaters we normally only wave to as we go past and made some new friends. Now then . . . where shall we go next ?