From brucep@netscheme.co.uk Fri Sep 24 09:58:55 1999 Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 11:53:18 +0100 From: Bruce Peckett Reply-To: Canals To: Canals Subject: Badger to Worcester via Stafford - part 1. Stage 1 of what may not be the most meritorious voyage to the National but which promises to be one of the most complicated ..... Friday evening: Glen and I arrived at Gayton, dumped a load of gear onto Badger and headed up the GU to The Wharf Inn at Bugbrooke. No sooner had we tied up and retired to the pub for grub etc., than it started throwing it down. Real rain this, the sort that bounces a foot back up off the carpark! A few jars of ale and back to the boat for a drop of the hard stuff by way of a nightcap and off to bed Saturday morning: Dawned bright and clear. A perfect morning for signwriting the remaining cabin side whilst Glen pottered about on odd jobs that needed doing such as screwing all the bits and pieces back on that had been removed for the repaint. By some strange coincidence, the signwriting and scrollwork was finished just as the pub opened so we decided to have a quick 'un before heading off again. Saturday afternoon: One quick 'un was followed by another. Then another. That one was in danger of getting lonely so needed some company. By three in the afternoon, we realised we'd better get going otherwise we'd be in for a long day on the morrow. A good run up to the bottom of Whilton Two (Long Buckby Bottom Lock to the unitiated), stopping at Norman Millers to fill up with gas oil then up Whilton and Buckby with a hire boat - a decently proficient crew and very nice people to chat with too Emptied loos, dumped rubbish and filled the water at Buckby top lock. That's everything that should be full, full, and everything that should be empty, well, empty! Miracles do happen - I can confirm this without a shadow of a doubt 'cos we set off again without setting foot in the pub aiming to tie somewhere short of Braunston Tunnel. Went on another 20 minutes or so and tied up in the middle of nowhere about 2 foot from the bank - that pound is bl**dy shallow at the sides, even a Springer can't get right in in a lot of places. Miracle number two, early to bed and not a drop of alchohol partaken! Must be getting old. Well, it is my birthday. 30 something again. Up and away reasonably early next morning. Lots of boats tied up, not much moving. Nice boat called Ben just getting ready to let go as we pass him. Follows us through the tunnel some way back so we wait for him in Braunston Top. This was supremely good move as Ben's crew know what they're about and we see off the Braunston flight in no time with no trouble at all. Grab packet of fags and two tomatoes from shop at bottom, say cheerio to Ben (heading for Oxford) and set off through the Braunston traffic calming scheme (getting on for two miles of moored boats!) yelling "Morning Draco" which caused a certain Wooding type person to emerge to exchange greetings Glen takes the tiller and I head for a below decks watch to prepare breakfast. Bacon butties for Glen, bacon on bread fried in bacon fat with a cheese topping for me (cooks privelage - a standing Badger rule!). Hillmorton soon looms over the horizon and we descend with minimal fuss - good locking so far on this trip, no hassle at all. On we go on the run to Ansty with Glen finishing off various jobs including, at last, the eyelet and chain to keep the water can from vanishing. Spot Laplander with doors open, Sean jumps out and walks along the towpath as we hold a moving conversation for a few minutes. Not much excitement along this pound. Until we get to Stretton Stop. Footbridge over the stop is closed, Glen jumps off to open it and leaves it that way as a boat is less than a 100 yards away coming the other way and there is another boat behind us. Bloke in boatyard promptly closes it again and walksa across! To be fair, Glen thinks he shouted across to someone else to re-open it again but I can't help wondering if they habitually leave it shut these days - come along in the dark as we did last Christmas and you might not spot the thing at all if you didn't know about it! At Stretton we were buzzed by a Douglas DC3 and two DC8's. It's Coventry air show apparently. One of the DC8's had a *very* near missed with a single engined job I couldn't identify which had to pull up extremely sharply to avoid a mid-air collision. Seems we're right under a holding area as a DC8 continues to circle around over our heads for quite some time. Arrived at Ansty about 4:00pm and just squeezed in on the 14 day moorings on the embankment behind a hire boat which had plonked itself *right* in the middle of the length. Get the gear together just as our transport arrives in the shape of Steve and Mandy Moreley. Plan is to head off to the Shoulder of Mutton at Welford to see Mikron. We arrive to find the pub won't open for another two hours so pop over to Foxton for a pint. Back to Welford and just time between pub opening and performance starting to wolf down a very nice bacon baguette The Mikron show is a particularly good one - they're always good but this one appealed to me more than most. And so to home, to bed and the prospect of a weeks work before the fun starts again. Steve and Mandy will take the boat on from Ansty to Stafford on Thursday and Friday. -- Regards Bruce Email: bruce@netscheme.co.uk Web: http://netscheme.co.uk/index.htm --- The UK Waterways Network - http://www.ukwaterways.net/ * bringing the inland waterways community together * You are currently subscribed to canals as: george@adiva.com To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-canals-407N@ukwaterways.net