Tuesday, 27th March
We stayed at Tixall Wide for another night, and enjoyed the peace and quiet, catching up on jobs on the boat.
Wednesday 28th March
We went for a walk today, in to the village of Great Haywood. As we walked back to the canal, we found a cafe, right by Great Haywood lock, and had an excellent lunch there, watching the boats come through. A bit of a busman's holiday, really, but it's nice to look at it from 'the other side'. Our plan was to stay at Tixall Wide for another night, but we heard that the forecast for tomorrow is not good, and we need to be in King's Bromley marina tomorrow. So we went back to the boat and set off.
It was a lovely trip, and we stopped about a mile short of the marina.
Thursday, 29th March
Around lunchtime, we went on along the last mile and into King's Bromley Marina. The people here made us very welcome and we were generously given a 'super mooring' as there weren't any ordinary moorings left. Trev backed in with panache--no that's not a method of steering--and we were soon hooked up to electricity, and I got the washing machine pounding away. (By the way, when we were in Llangollen and hooked up to electricity, we were known as 'umbilicals' by those boaters who think it's only wimps who have mains electricity.)
I asked a nearby boater how we could get in and out of the main gate when the marina was closed at night. He told me we needed a key, and then asked,
"Is that your boat with all of the wood on the roof?"
"Er, yes."
"You can't have wood on the roof here, nor coal, nor anything."
"Oh dear," I said. "Well we're only here until Monday, and I don't think it's worth taking it off just for a few days."
"You can't hang washing out here either."
I thanked my lucky stars that our laundry was on the other side of the boat, and he couldn't see it! Looking round at the boats moored here, I realised that none of the boats had anything on the roof, apart from a tv aerial, boathook, barge pole and gangplank. We were certainy lowering the tone!
We had visitors coming to see us this evening, and, as there was a car park right by the boat, I asked the same person if that was where our friends should park.
"Oh, I don't know about that," he said. "That parking is for super moorers only!"
Wow, super moorers were obviously a very special crowd. We were jolly lucky to have been allowed anywhere near in our rough old boat with wood and coal on the roof!
"And you have to get permission for visitors to come in!" I was told.
"Where do I go to get permission?" I asked.
"To the manager's office."
"But it's after 6.00, they won't be there now."
"Well you need to get permission."
Actually, our friends were moored here too, as they were taking their new boat up to Swanley Bridge Marina where it was to be moored, and had left it here on the way. So we thought that really they didn't count as visitors and we wouldn't be thrown out for not obeying the rules!
Our visitors, Colleen and Steve, arrived later in the evening. We had never met them before, but I had talked to Steve by email. He had found my website and got in touch because his boat was being fitted out by the same boatfitter as ours. They had brought it from Braunston to King's Bromley, and left it there whilst they had to go back to work, and then were coming back for it at the weekend to take it to its new berth at Swanley Bridge Marina. We spent a pleasant evening with them, and they took us to see their new boat, which was a delight.
Friday, 30th, Saturday, 31st March and Sunday 1st April
We left the boat at King's Bromley Marina and hired a car from our favourite firm--Enterprise, who are excellent and even pick you up at the beginning and drop you off at the end, all for £36 from Friday at 10.00 a.m. to Monday at 10.00 a.m. We had business to attend to in Coventry, a social 'do' and a day in Llangollen and got back to the boat around midnight. (We parked on the super moorers' car park overnight--naughty, eh?)
Monday, 2nd
It was a good job Trev had backed in because there was a strong wind blowing on the Monday morning when we left, and it wasn't easy to get out forwards. It would have been a lot more difficult to get out backwards. We were delighted with the marina and the service we received, and would certainly use it again. It felt very safe and the super moorings were actually great, despite my joking, because you get a pontoon on each side of the boat, which means you can walk along either side to access the boat and clean it.
We travelled to Fradley Junction and turned right on to the Coventry Canal. It's getting busier on the canal now, more boats about, including many hire boats. Generally these are well steered, the hirers being very careful. There are just the odd one or two, almost always with a group of young people on board who have started on the lager before I've had my breakfast, and are going too fast. The worst place to meet them is on a bend as they speed round on the wrong side. Several ended up in the hedge as they realised they were on a collision course. Tonight we moored at Whittington, having travelled seven miles and done three locks.
Tuesday, 3rd and Wednesday, 4th April
We travelled past Fazeley Junction and Tamworth, crossed the county border and were back in my home county of Warwickshire, having done ten miles and two locks. We moored up at Polesworth for two nights and did a walk on Wednesday, which turned out to be a lot more difficult than anticipated due to the farmers having ploughed up the paths and planted crops. But the countryside here is delightful, long wide vistas which give such a feeling of space. We had a good pub lunch at The Fox and Dogs in Warton.
Thursday, 5th April
We went on through Atherstone, where we shopped, and then up the Atherstone flight of eleven locks. We were lucky as the locks were in our favour. They're very slow to fill, but well maintained by the local BW staff, who take a pride in their work. The lock cottages at the top lock are nicely kept and there are always a few jokey things around. Today there was a man upside down in a hole--well there was a pair of wellington boots sticking out to represent it. We moored up just before Valley Cruisers, Hartshill, north of Nuneaton.
Friday, 6th April Good Friday
We stayed on the mooring for a second night, and did a walk round Hartshill, Caldecote and Weddington. It was a lovely day and we enjoyed being out in the countryside. The fields were brilliant yellow with oil seed rape, bees were busy, the blossom was out and the birds sang for all they were worth.
We had a pleasant surprise today. Friends Val & Graham who live in Nuneaton had heard on the grapevine that we were near and rang to see if they could come and see us. They arrived on their bikes, complete with a delicious carrot cake, and we spent a very pleasant hour with them. Thank you for coming, we enjoyed it!
In the evening Alan, a friend of Trev, picked Trev up and they had a drink together. And that's when I got some time to start this page of the website!
Saturday, 7th and Sunday 8th April
We had a lovely cruise today. The weather has been wonderful for days, and we did ten miles and one lock, to reach Ansty, NE of Coventry. On the way I did two loads of washing, and we each had a shower as we watered up at Hawkesbury junction. There were lots of boats around today, and there was a queue at Hawkesbury lock. However, the difference in levels is only a foot, and so we were soon through.
Then on down to Ansty, where we wondered if we would be able to get in. It's a popular mooring, especially at Bank Holidays. Well, we had an unusual experience here. Just before the moorings there is a water point and there was a boat moored up there, filling up. The man was by the boat but wouldn't have eye contact. Almost every boater one meets waves and says hello. I got off the boat to go ahead and look for a mooring and yes there was just one left. So I walked up to check that it was long enough and found a woman there, "keeping the spot". I didn't twig at first what was going on and said we were looking for a mooring for a 70' boat.
"Well, we're 47' and my husband is just coming along with the boat--I don't know what's happened to him."
Oh," I said. "Well there won't be room for the two of us here. I suppose as you're keeping the place we'll have to look elsewhere." To which she made no answer.
Meanwhile, Trev, having seen there was a space, was coming along slowly to moor.
"This woman is keeping the spot for her husband," I called. "You'll have to back up."
Trev hadn't quite sussed the situation. If he had he would have come and taken the mooring, as it's quite out of order to stand and reserve a place.
However, Trev backed up only to meet "the husband" coming along behind him. So we really were there first. The husband wouldn't have eye contact again, and then I realised that this was the same man who'd been watering up and ignored us as we passed. I'm a bit slow some times. Trev was cross with me for not being more assertive, and indeed I was cross with myself for not realising sooner what was going on. I would love to name and shame, but may be not!
We stayed at Ansty for two nights and were spoilt rotten by friends. On Saturday Alan came and fetched us and took us to his home for a lovely meal and an evening with his family. Then on Sunday, more friends took us out. Hay and Uschie fetched us and took us to the Axe and Compass at Wolvey for an excellent Easter Sunday lunch. Thank you to all of you for being such good friends--we enjoyed every minute of it.
(Run the cursor over the pictures for a description.)
Click here for more pictures of our Easter Sunday--if you can bear it!
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