The End of our Journey and a Well Deserved Rest for Sammy Jo

By Thursday 22nd we were at Bulbourne where BW make lock gates. Just after lunch I was given a present. The chap from "Moonriver" was passing us, we first met when they helped us in the wind at Calcutt and we'd been leap frogging and chatting ever since, and stopped to give it to me. He had had a new boiler fitted and gave me a brand new glow plug that he now no longer needed for his new boiler, knowing it would fit mine. I also made some more Crab Apple Jelly and a small batch of Rosehip and Crab Apple to try. Friday we hardly moved, we had a lovely walk into Aldbury a pretty village, and managed a pint and a coffee in the Greyhound pub as well. When we got back to the boat in the late afternoon we were high and dry as the water had gone down quite a bit in the pound where we were moored. We sorted this by letting 2/3 lock fulls of water through the nearby lock, then we moved through the next lock to get out of that pound, which obviously had a water level problem.

By Saturday we were at Berkhampsted where on a recommend we had some great fish & chips, Sunday conscious of the need to press on we had a long day and ended up doing 16 locks which took us to just beyond Hemel Hempstead. Monday we did another long day so that we would have a couple of days in hand to polish the boat and do some touch up painting, we ended up doing another 14 locks leaving ourselves just 3 more before we get to Harefield. By the end of Wednesday we had washed and polished the boat and I had rubbed down below the gunnel and spot primed and glossed both sides. Thursday I started early 7.45am, and caught the train back to Frampton on Severn to collect the car. Not a straight forward trip, I ended up going via High Wycombe, Banbury, Birmingham, Gloucester, Cam & Dursley then taxi to the car, arriving back at the boat at 4pm. Tomorrow we move into the marina and sort out the boat and pack the car ready for our trip home on Saturday morning. The tenants are moving out by 11am and we need to be back by then to approve the inventory. That leaves us 10 days with Joe before he sets off on his travels for the next year.
So another voyage is complete, we have had a great time and will have completed 447 locks, 6 tunnels and about 700 miles, with the majority of our travel on 6 rivers.

Sunday 11th to Wednesday 21st September

Running every other day now but after Friday I took it easy and only ran for 25 min. After that we didn't set off until 11.30 and stopped a couple of times to avoid the showers but ended up at Long Itchington by 5.30 pm. Looking out for a chandlery so I can replace the headlight that we broke in a lock on the River Avon as we have a couple of long tunnels ahead. Monday 12th it was really windy, the remains of the American hurricane, apparently and we had the Stockton lock flight to do. A flight of 8 locks all quite close together which means that in the short pound between locks it's difficult if you have to wait for the lock or if another boat is coming out. Normally you can just hover until the lock is ready but with high side winds this is not possible as you get blown to the side and once there it's hard to get away, you need a good deal of speed to overcome the wind but before you know it the lock is looming.

Once complete we had a break and a late lunch before moving on to the 3 locks at Calcutt, just completing them before they shut at 4 pm due to water restrictions. It was still windy on Tuesday so we didn't rush, I did a 55 min run with not too many after effects, and we moved on to Braunston in a stop start fashion to avoid the rain again, and on Wednesday I got a new headlight at last and fitted it after a struggle as everything seemed to be slightly different to the old one. While we were there I picked some Hawthorns ready to make some Hawthorn Jelly, something I'd not done before, I didn't even realise that they were edible. As our time on the boat is coming to an end we needed to crack on a bit as we still had about 170 lock/miles to do (a lock is reckoned to be equivalent to a 1 mile) so about 90 odd miles and about 70 locks before we get to Harefield, 20 mls NW of London, our chosen winter mooring for Sammy Jo.

Napton Jnc near, Braunston, left for London right for Oxford

Braunston Turn, left to Rugby and Coventry where Lady G was going and right to London for us

Early morning mist

Thus on Thursday we set off quite early and had a long day doing 6 locks, a 2 km tunnel, 7 more locks and then a few more miles to get away from the incessant roar of the M1. In these last few days we've passed three junctions all quite close together, Napton Jcn where the South Oxford canal leaves the Grand Union, then Braunston Turn where the North Oxford canal leaves towards Rugby and Coventry and then Norton Jcn where the Grand Union Leicester section joins the Main line. A bit further along we passed Gayton Jnc where an arm goes into Northampton. By Friday 16th we were moored just short of Blisworth and we had a lovely walk to a litle village called Church Stowe along part of the MacMillan Way and even managed coffee and scones, yum. Ahead, tomorrow is the Blisworth Tunnel, and at 3054yds is one of the longest on the network, and Margaret has just informed me that she might take Charlie over the top, the way the horses used to travel all those years ago.

Norton Jnc, left to Leicester (the Leicester section of the Grand Union) straight on for us towards London

Did we buy the wrong boat!

Left to Northampton

That's what we did, but not until 11am as we had to wait for the rain (large amount) to stop. At 12.10pm I moored at the other end of the tunnel and waited...and waited....and waited for Margaret who didn't turn up until 1.20pm because she got lost. So after coffee and a late lunch we moved about 500yds and went to the canal museum at Stoke Bruerne. As we hadn't got very far this day we motored on and did the 7 Stoke Bruerne locks with a break in between 6 & 7 for the thunder and lightening and rain to stop, but we were rewarded with a rainbow, so that was alright!

In

Out

To make up for yesterday, on Sunday 18th we left by 9am with a short stop for a walk round Cosgrove we went right round Milton Keynes with only a brief Tesco stop (and not a concrete cow in sight) and to be fair I thought it was quite pleasant from our viewpoint, and ended up just before Fenny Stratford, putting 7 hours on the engine clock. By the end of play on Monday we were just short of Leighton Buzzard and moored up right outside the Globe Inn where we treated ourselves to meal. Tuesday and Wednesday did more of the same and ended up at Marsworth Jnc. By then I had at last confirmed our winter mooring at Harefield Marina. Not a lot at Marsworth but we spent all day there, we walk Charlie to the navigable end of the Wendover Arm. It is currently being restored but only 1 1/2mls of it's 6 3/4 is usable. After that we cycled down the Aylesbury Arm intending to go right to the end (6miles) but ended up only doing half. We had been into Aylesbury on a boat before when we were looking for a mooring spot for Zenobia, our old boat, when Sam was going to live on it while he was at furniture college 18 years ago, but we didn't remember anything!

A horse tunnel, so they could get to the stables

Most of the locks on the grand union used to be single locks but they built double ones alongside to cater for the increased traffic and the single ones have disappeared hence the double arches on the bridges

First time we've seen a cow on the tow path, last year we saw a sheep!

The Aylesbury Arm

The Start of Our Last Month

I collected the pump spares and noticed that there were several wild plum tree by the station so we picked a load and made some plum jam ready for our fund raising craft fair for Kidney Research on the 5th Nov. First time round I failed on the pump as I discovered that I needed a 1/8 Allen key and I only had metric. A couple of days later we caught up with Sue and Clive again and he had one, so now the pump has been overhauled. That was on the 5th Sept and we were at Lowsonford. The next day we finally got our replacement cratch cover fitted by Wilson's and although I had to pay I kept the other one so now we have 3 including the really old one that had seen 12 years service. Once the cover was done we followed Lady G to our next stopping point which was to be Rowington and the pub called Tom 'o the Wood for our farewell dinner with them as we were parting company on Thursday morning.

The RST Stratford

Leaving Stratford Basin

A typical Stratford split bridge, a gap in the middle, to allow the tow rope to pass through

One of the many lock keepers houses with barrel roofs that are unique to the Stratford Canal

We did go through there! onto the Grand Union

On route we changed canals, at Kingswood Junction we left the Stratford and joined the Grand Union. It is on this canal at Harefield, about 20 miles NW of London, that we are going to leave Sammy Jo for the winter. Unfortunately the pub was closed for refurbishment and so we created plan B, which was to stop in Warwick and have meal there even though the town was a bit of a walk from the canal. Before that though we had the Shrewley Tunnel and the Hatton Flight to contend with. The tunnel is only 433 yds long but we had broken our headlight in a lock on the Avon and still had not managed to buy a new one so we intended to follow Lady G in the tunnel in case my temporary repair of a couple of 10w bulbs from the lounge failed. The flight consists of 21 locks taking the canal down into Warwick, and we decided to try a new (to us) technique and lashed the boats together so one of us...Clive, drove the boats leaving three of us to operate the locks, so while the boats were coming down in one lock the next one was being readied by the third person. It worked very well and we moored up at the bottom of the flight for lunch 2 hrs 40 mins later. After lunch and 2 more locks we were moored up in Warwick and ended up in Wetherspoons for our meal.

The first of the 21locks

Thursday morning we said farewell to the others and after walking Charlie we went to visit Warwick Castle. Friday I did another run of 4 miles and contrary to my other runs I came back absolutely crackered, and couldn't manage walking into Warwick leaving that to Margaret. I did however join her later and we visited Lord Leycester's Hospital, not a medical hospital but a hospitality establishment dating back to 14th century also housing the museum of the Queen's Own Hussars. Saturday 10th we moved on a bit further and had a look round Leamington Spa and the pump rooms and a large open air food festival, part of the Heritage Weekend which is a national event, and for lunch we chose a falafal wrap, tasty!

More visitors to finish off August

Monday 22nd we set off early heading for Pershore where we had decided to meet Amy and the children. As it was Lottie's birthday (5) we had decorated the boat with balloons as we did when Emmy came for hers. We also managed a birthday dinner on shore as the weather was fine and at Pershore we were moored right by the recreation ground. Her first choice was roast chicken but we managed to downgrade that to chicken goujons which was a bit more manageable. On Tuesday the ladies & girls went shopping and the men & boys went Geocaching finding 2 out of 4. We also managed a trip to the play park which they all enjoyed, it was hot and they had a water play area....squirting fountains and sprays etc which they all had to do in their undies as we were not prepared.
By Wednesday we were in Evesham and they had an even better and bigger play park. On Thursday while we entertained the children Amy borrowed a bike and cycled back to get her car as they were leaving first thing in the morning.

That left us with 2 visitor free days before Sunday when Caroline - my niece and her family, 2 a & 3 c, arrived. We moved on to Stratford-upon-Avon and awaited their invasion....oops arrival. Plenty to entertain us all in Stratford on a bank holiday and a fairly crowded sleeping arrangement, especially as the dog, who had obviously eaten something horrible, needed to go out at 3.30 am. After a river trip on Monday they all went home so after a fairly hectic August, Michael and the boys, our trip to Ireland, a 30th wedding anniversary in Potrsmouth, a hospital appointment in Kent,Luke and Harry, Amy and the girls and Caroline and family, we have finally got our boat back to ourselves and can think about how to spend our last month of this years voyage.

We stayed in Stratford until Thursday 1st Sept. One reason was an ailing water pump, and I had ordered spares to be delivered to a marina in Stratford and also so we could take in a couple of plays. We watched Pygmalian in The Attic Theatre at Cox's barn. A cosy little theatre with just 3 very comfortable rows of seats, which was excellent, and The Homecoming by Harold Pinter at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which was weird and left us wishing we'd spent the £50 on something else. A tour of the RST was very interesting though. Sue & Clive in Lady G had left us on Tuesday as they had a family thing on at the w/e so we said our farewells in case we don't see them again this year. By Thursday night 1/9/11 we were in Wilmcote 4 hrs and 16 locks from Stratford but still without the water pump spares hopefully they will arrive tomorrow and we are moored right by Wilmcote station so a trip back to Stratford is on the cards.

Jago found the hook I cut the stick and found the fishing line and Nick caught the fish with a worm that I dug,