September 17 Part 1 on the Ashby Canal

September Blog Pt 1

Someone once said...’Be careful what you wish for because . . . You might get it!!’

I can’t find out who was the first who quoted it but how true it is.

I always wanted to live at the seaside...permanently on holiday, (I thought.)

In the early 90’s we were offered a business opportunity in Great Yarmouth, within 2 weeks we had moved.. lock, stock, and barrel. After a few months, when the petrol station was up and running we had more time, I realised all the problems with ‘being on holiday all the time. It was NOT idyllic.

Holiday makers…. always in the way, parking outside of our apartment, taking my favourite seat in our local, Yarmouth always seems to have rough people there...broken noses, cauliflower ears, tattoos, beer bellies !!. . . ‘an the men are worse!!! However that is another story.

We had a holiday in 1988 on a narrow boat...The Shrewley Tunnel …..from Blisworth tunnel boats.

The love affair with the canals had begun. It took us 25 years plus too obtain our dream.

Had we made a mistake ?, Moving on to a narrow boat, I was the same age my parents were when they moved into the old folks home !! Complete change of life style, my health not perfect as we would like but life is for living .. not sitting ‘waiting for God’ !!

Too say the first year was a big learning curve is an understatement !! We lost a lot of money by lack of knowledge, and people taking advantage of our ignorance.

A lovely friend this week commented about our wonderful peaceful way of living. However as with all of life there is always stuff to do to make life happen. More about that later.

At the end of last months blog we were at Fazeley Junction waiting for Tim Davis from ‘Onboard Solar’ to fit the solar panels. Eight thirty the phone rang, it was Tim struggling to find a place to park his large motor home , but Jenny soon showed him where, and all his kit was soon on the tow path ready to start work by 9.00am. True to form and being a true English work man, a cup of tea was needed before starting (we also threw in an egg and bacon roll) we know how to treat our work men !! But, by 1.30 it was all done...panels fitted.. meters, control panels,etc. all mounted, all the fitting debris cleared away, but the best thing, the batteries were being charged without the engine running !! Starting to save money already.

2 solar panels 330w total.

Fazeley junction is where three canals meet, We have travelled down the Shropshire Union turning left onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal one goes to Birmingham the other to Stoke heading north. We are heading back along the Coventry Canal again, then turning right onto the Ashby canal. We have passed it a few times but we intend to spend a few weeks here and see the countryside in all its beauty.

Near Nuneaton, rain then rainbow.

The Ashby canal ……...It was originally built around 1790,s to join the Coventry canal and the River Trent, carrying coal from the coal mines in Leicester to wherever it was needed. Sadly it was never completed and doesn’t run though to the river, ending nowadays at Shackerstone. It used to continue a bit further but, it was closed down due to subsidence, ironically, caused by the coal mining tunnels..

Turn onto Ashby Canal

The canal is very rural, lovely open fields and the luxury of ...no locks. It is a very shallow canal and the books advise that mooring at night can be difficult due to shallow waters at the edge.

I can’t get over the amount of fields which look as if they are not being used..laying fallow is part of the farm cycle but there are no animals or crops on a lot ..why ??

Mind you, if you can claim subsidises from the government / EU do some farmers need to work ??

I wonder. 

Ashby canal pictures.....

For people who wouldn’t know canals are only about 4ft deep in the middle, and are U shaped. Tapering out to less than 2ft. on the bank side. With ‘sludge’ building up it often won’t allow you to moor. Using the visitor mooring is advised.

A lovely story on the cut is told of a holiday maker who for some reason fell off the hire boat they were on .

Splashing about in the water he was heard to be shouting out … Help!!... Help!!...I can’t swim !!

an onlooker on another boat shouted too him...’Just stand up’ !!! …..Over coming his panic, he managed to do as advised..Standing on the bottom, the water came just up to his rib cage...The look of relief, I believe, was classic.

We have had a nasty incident on the visitor moorings on the first evening. We had just moored up and a hire boat came past at full throttle...and then immediately threw it into reverse. The wash caused, moved our boat quite violently. When this happens it bangs against the armco which we are tied too. This is the only thing our dogs can’t cope with. They get frightened by the bang ...which is very loud. I went out to have a word with the driver of the boat only to see he was stuck across the canal. His nose was stuck nearly on the bow of the boat moored behind us. His stern was on the bank the other side, or rather stuck on the ‘sludge’ on the other side. He was revving the engine at virtually full throttle. I enquired if it was the first time they had driven a narrow boat ??

to which I had the retort ...what do it look like !! YES..

I commented it was canal courtesy to ‘slow down passing moored craft, because they had moved stuff about on our shelves….However ...would they like a hand to moor.??

NO THANK YOU ….glare.

So we went back into Infinity and just watched them…..Struggle. Didn’t smile, . . .Honestly !!

well not looking out of the window.

The driving of a narrow boat is totally not logical...To go right...you steer the tiller . . Left.

To go left you steer ..Right…..To move off the bank ...you drive into it (start with) before straightening up. There are other things which aren’t logical but, after a while like driving anything it comes with practise.

One member of the crew was on the bank pulling the boat (about 17 + tonnes) while the member on the back driving was reving the boll…., sorry heart out of the engine, max rev’s..with the tiller in the wrong direction ..actually pushing the boat on to the bank !!

If they had just listened, it would have been so much easier, they would have been down the pub a lot quicker. In a situation like that its logical to use the power ..wrong !! less revs is the best way, I did go out again and explained

They came over as not very nice people, very noisy on returning to their boat.. but

When Jenny took the ‘furry kids’ out for a leg lift and squat before bed, it was a good job she noticed some one had untied the bow rope. It was totally impossible for it to have come loose on its own account because I use a double clove hitch over the front mooring pillar held in place. If it had come off we would have drifted across the cut and blocked it off. I managed to re-tie before any damage was done.

There were only 2 sets of people around, one of them being us. They came back passed the next day and gave us ‘that look’ ...you know the one ?? and started laughing.

Luckily people like this a very few and far between on the cut.

We have survived hurricane ‘Aileen’ but its very windy today. The solar panels are working brilliantly. Rough working out we should recoup the investment within a year, with the saving on diesel and engine servicing costs. Well lunch time now. A cuppa soup and a cheese sandwich will keep us going till tonight. Cottage pie ..beans and a glass of red with onion gravy..loverrrly !!

Jenny has had a busy morning repainting the engine room, one of the jobs she has chosen to do while out of port. I’m doing this then I’m going to replace the wood behind the lock on the front door (which is at the back) ..or rather re-stick it as it’s fell apart, been held together with duct tape for 6 months

Part of Bilge or engine room before

and after, still got another weeks work in it....

Handing over to Jenny to put the photos on and edit before posting

TTFN

Another bit of waffle later in Sept..towards the end. We should be back in the Rugby area as I’m entertaining at a wedding at . . The Barley Mow . . Newbold -on – Avon ..

Simon and Kelly the landlord and landlady are getting married. All welcome at the pub in afternoon.