Tag: Northamptonshire

The New Plan A

It was a ridiculous sense of relief to have, having finally given up on the East Anglian Adventure. We were back on the Grand Union and had a plan, not one we were going to allocate to the second half of the alphabet, this is the New Plan A. We are now heading towards Gloucester and Sharpness. We will enjoy the journey and embrace all the new opportunities it throws at us. The DIY tweaks and improvements intended to be done whilst close to home (and Eric’s much missed workshop) will get tackled another time. We’re heading west, towards the sunset.

As we’d only just come down the Grand Union, we decided not to dwardle on this section of our journey. Although we did take time to pay hommage to our two service heros deep in thought at bridge 21. I dont know if they have official names but we call them Tim and Prue, always impeccably turned out, although missing a large glass of red today.

Tim and Prue marking the 80th anniversary of D Day at Bridge 21

We struck lucky at the bottom of the Buckby flight by meeting a lovely couple renovating an old boat. They had minimal boat handling experience but were happy to follow our routine.

Company up the Buckby flight


Experienced or not it still makes double locks easier if you can share the load. As we gazed longingly at the lovely cottage a at Norton Junction a familiar face approached us, well familiar to me, unless he can magically see out of the TV not my face to him as it was Robbie Cummings from the Canal Diaries tv show.

Norton Junction

We didn’t stop to exchange autographs although I thanked him for an entertaining show. The storm clouds were gathering so we opted for a good nights sleep before doing the Braunston tunnel and flight. As luck is now on our side we buddied up again for the locks into Braunston

And found a mooring before the next storm clouds hit

We’ve spent many an hour mooching around Braunston, it’s got history, culture and butcher who sells the Best Braunston Bangers.

Braunston marina

However, we might be in good spirits but what had happened to summer.

Somewhere around Bridge 100, the meeting point for many marina dwellers over a weekend G&T


But when dark clouds amass, the only thing to do is get the knitting out and try a bit of reverse psychology. Having knitted a boat chicken for Firecrest,

Meet Nen the Hen, knitted in Northampton where the Nene is known as the Nen

It was time to finish a wooly jumper for me in case the weather never improved

But you know what they say, it only rains when you forget your umbrella. Let’s hope the weather warms up

And sure enough we woke to blue skies and the temperature soared.

And he marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again.

Do you ever get the feeling we should have seen the writing on the wall. We’d moored up in Northampton, keen and eager to get into East Anglia, ready to enjoy some river cruising on the Nene. The drizzle had stopped so we set off on foot to speak to the team in the Enviroment Agency office around the corner at Northampton Marina …..as we were stepping off  Firecrest we could see someone “doing something” at Lock 17. That “doing something” turned out to be turning the boards from green to red, indicating strong flow, navigation not advised. Undeterred we started a conversation with the man who just so happened to be from the marina office. We picked his brains as we walked along hoping to glean some local knowledge…. the board would probably be up for 4 or 5 days depending on the weather, and Warmington Lock (between Oundle and Peterborough) was closed for winter maintenance until 30th of May although that was likely to be extended and Salters Lode lock was closed for the foreseeable, at least all summer,  meaning we wouldn’t be able to get to Ely or Cambridge, both being anticipated highlights for our summer. As we returned to the boat through the town it appeared that the “whole” of the centre was being dug up, there were barriers “everywhere”, not somewhere you’d explore for pleasure.  We felt totally dejected. I didn’t even take any photos. At least the red boards would give us some thinking time and Aldi and B&Q were only 5 minutes walk from our mooring.

Looking towards us at Cotton End, Northampton


It wasn’t all bad, the train station was also convenient and I’d got chores to do in the Lakes so I could go home from here

Home sweet home


But as they say, it never rains but it pours. A CRT notification arrived by email, the beam at Lock 11 on the flight has suffered a catastrophic collapse and there could be a major delay in its repair. So now we were well and truly stuck, can’t go forward and can’t go back either.

I wonder when this was last inspected….

Fortunately CRT was actually on the ball and once they had done their assessment, they instigated an emergency evacuation plan before they shut the whole flight down in order to do a full repair. There was a very helpful CRT officer called Abby who was keeping us personally informed. By this time Eric and I had decided to cut our losses and make a run for it.
1)We couldn’t leave Northampton whilst the boards were red, and talking to locals it seems there were only 2 people authorised to make decisions about the river levels so if they weren’t on duty, the red boards got left up longer than necessary.
2) we didn’t know how long it would be before Warmington Lock winter maintenance was complete, for that matter when would winter be over
3) we wouldn’t be able to get to Ely or Cambridge at all, because the “authorities” were playing politics
4) and now we risked potentially getting trapped by the Northampton Arm closure, because the oak beam had rotted through.

So we turned around, this time going up the locks

Lock 16

Back under the M1

Back through the well rotted lock 11, which instead of being airlifted by helicopter, CRT had actually cobbled together quite a substantial temporary fix,

Functional for now

Then traipsing through the long grass offside to work the locks Come on CRT,  you might claim this is nature friendly, but this is not boater friendly, it’s downright dangerous: the ground is uneven with rabbit holes, you can’t see the bollards or the edge of the lock, its swarming with bugs that bite in the sun and soggy and wet in the rain. It might be due to lack of funds but its neglect, and negligent. And no, more signage warning us of potential trip hazards isn’t enough, one strip of mowing would suffice, then boaters and wildlife will happily share the space.

Where are we supposed to walk

But despite my grumbles it was a very pretty journey back up the flight

And we ended the day feeling more confident now we were back on the main canal network

Spitting distance

After sitting down last December and deciding to purchase a gold licence so we could spend the summer in East Anglia, we are on the final few days of our very protracted and frustrating journey,  we set off with spring in the air and a spring in our step.

near Bugbrook on the GU

Only to have it clouded over by the time we reached Gayton Junction. We picked up some fuel from Blisworth Marina, (about 15pl cheaper  than nearby marinas ) and off we set up the Northampton arm.

Gayton Junction going onto the Northampton Arm


Only 17 locks down

Top lock, 16 more to go

The first 12 are a flight so easy for Eric and I to work as a team,  I set the lock, he cruises in, whilst I walk on to set the next one, by the time he’s let the water out I’m usually back in time to close up as he cruises on. And thankfully there’s only one lift bridge which is usually raised.



And as we were working our way down the flight, my adventurous Sister in Law was in South America ticking off her bucket list visiting the Iguaçu falls in Brazil, Lock 9 did its best to impress….

We offered to swap,



There’s some interesting art work along the 5 miles between Gayton Junction and Northampton

I’m not sure what he’s pointing to.

And the M1 motorway thunders overhead .

And another friend was visiting Chelsea Flower show as we made our way down the flight. Sometimes simple is just as good.

And we made it. Well almost, the heavens opened just as we reached Cotton End in Northampton, which is still on the canal, and under CRTs management and there were rings so we moored up. Our final, lock, Lock 17 is within spitting distance .  Once the rain stopped we thought we would take a walk up to the Marina office and talk to the Enviroment Agency about river etiquette, buy ourselves the required access key, and prepare our anchor etc ready for the River Nene after a good nights sleep…..

Cotton End Moorings, Northampton

This is a trip of 165 miles, 1½ furlongs and 137 locks from Macclesfield Visitor Moorings (Pontoons) to Northampton Lock No 17. And had we cruised for 7 hours a day (which admittedly we wouldn’t even contemplate let alone achieve) we could have done it in a fortnight. (Screenshot swiped from AC Canal plan)

A Creative Week in Weedon Bec


Heading south on the Grand Union Canal, below Whilton Marina

We had almost reached our summer destination; East Anglia, albeit a good 2 months later than we’d planned, so what would it matter if we dawdled in Weedon Bec for a week. Theres a lot of opportunity for creativity here, and I had friends close by, so with us bagging a mooring in full sun,  ie good solar power, and no need to run the generator..

A misty morning but by 10am the sun was cracking the flags

…Eric took the opportunity to return home, to do some essential house maintenance, leaving me to play. There is a brilliant quilting shop in Weedon called the Bramble Patch. It stocks even more fabric than I have in my stash back home.  Inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee, I bought myself a little pattern, some coordinated fabric to make a summer sunhat. This sewing machine rarely gets used on the boat, and even though it’s the tiniest of models I was debating whether or not it earnt its storage space. Its won a reprieve for now.



Weedon also has a creative hub housed in the Depot. The Depot was built during the Napoleonic war by George III to house the English ordinance, (gunpowder) in a more central location away from the south coast, in case Napoleon invaded.

Looking towards the clock tower at the Depot


Nowadays the historic warehouses, which have seen a variety of military use right up until the 1980s are home to antique warehouses, offices,  classic car showrooms and bike showrooms, book stores and cafes.

We might live life in the slow lane, but I’ll always hanker after a sports car,

But my favourite is the Riverknits studio. Home to Becky and Marcus, who have created an artisan yarn brand, which they dye themselves. They regularly hold open days and knit and natters, and the week I was there there they hosted a mini yarn festival with a host of other independant yarnies. I met up with friends and we were in our element.


And yes I bought wool and a book.


Weedon Bec is a great place for a boats to stop. It’s simple and non fussy, but there’s 2 good convenience stores, a revolution outdoor laundrette, a variety of eateries, but sadly no dedicated boating facilities such and water, bins or fuel. But there’s plenty of mooring, and the neighbours are cute

Even Louie the sidecar dog in my header photo has his own website http://louiethesidecardog.com/

Remembering

We spent Remembrance day in Yelevetoft, the next village beyond Crick. It’s little more than a main street but there was a good turn out at the cenotaphWe spent a few days in the village, it has a Deli butcher who is enthusiastic about local produce. So we indulged in some good food. And I took advantage of the local footpaths to burn off some of that indulgence. I set out walking in the sunshine,but got drenched on my way back. Although that Oak tree made a good shelter.

Crick in November

I think most boaters have been to Crick at some point on their canal adventure, not always by boat, and usually over the May bank Holiday weekend when the annual Crick Boat show takes place. The Marina and surrounding fields are ideal for hosting this inland waterways festival, we spent many an hour, and a pound, meandering around show boats and accessory stalls dreaming of what life could be like afloat.However this time we emerged from the Crick tunnel and made straight for the Moorings pub for a pie and a pint. (Or in my case a rather tasty mediteranian fish stew)We had plenty of time to explore this pretty area, while we took a few days to use of the Poste Restante mail service offered by the post office. The young farmers put on their annual bonfire and fireworks display for us. I harvested some crab apples from the millennium woods and made some jelly. And we met up with our new “best friend” the fuel man Mark on Calisto. Hopefully he’ll be keeping our tanks topped up over the few months. And finally here are our neighbours for the week.