Septembers journey was a total of 157 miles and 124 locks. It was this month that Sue flew off to Spain to walk another section of the St James Way with her pal Jan (more of that later).
We were very happy about being back on the canals proper but a little sad that for some while we would be travelling over old ground for much of the month but we needed to be where Mark could easily reach us by public transport (he was crewing for me while Sue was away) and where Sue could also access public transport to get to Essex.
For some while our roof flue collar had been showing signs of distress, water seemed to be getting under it causing rust to form thus lifting the collar slightly which allowed more water under it etc., etc,. We met a chap in Yorkshire who was a narrowboat handyman on his way south to refit a boat for a marina on the North Oxford Canal so when we bumped into him again at Brinklow on said North Oxford Canal we asked him if he would re-fit the collar and do another couple of small jobs that needed doing but that I couldn’t be a**sed to do.
All the jobs took just a couple of hours and we left pleased that we could in due course light the stove without worrying if the roof collar would give problems.
The start of the rusting can quite clearly be seen to the left of the embossed “BOATS” and to the top opf the collar. It was far worse by the time it was removed and remedial work carried out.
We were soon at Calcutt Locks where we had arranged to meet Paul Smith, the man responsible for both our living on the canal system and, indirectly, for us buying NB Fantasma. Paul did two jobs, Monday to Friday he worked as a “groundsman” caring for the extensive grounds of Calcutt Marina and on Saturdays and Sundays he holds “Experience Days” on his gorgeous 62′ traditional style narrowboat Orient.
Our experience day was on a very wet and windy November day when we were amazed that Paul remained totally calm and unperturbed as I helmed NB Orient the whole blustery day and loved every minute despite the appalling weather. Paul in chatting about his home mooring talked about Calcutt Marina and while exploring their web site I stumbled upon the brokerage page, saw the advert for NB RoJo and made arrangements to view her and go for a test cruise.
We had decided to put in an offer for NB RoJo but, after these two photos were taken, decided at the last minute on a final winter in Portugal before Brexit. Unfortunately for the world the pandemic hit and, unlike some narrowboat brokers, Calcutt Marina followed the Covid rules to the letter so that the end of the first lockdown they still had RoJo on their brokerage list we put in an offer which was accepted.
Coming back to the present we had a splendid evening with Paul and what he describes as his companion/girlfriend, Indi, a pleasant meal, lots of wine, lots of chat and a two day hangover.
Having transited the three Calcutt Locks we were now on new territory, Sue leaves for Spain in just seven days and we have to get to Royal Leamington Spa where Sue will get a train south to London and then Essex while Mark, who is going to crew for me while Sue is away, will get a train from Leicester.
With just 10 miles and 22 locks to Royal Leamington Spa and a week in hand we can afford to take our time, which we did, taking a whole four days to cover those ten miles.
With Sue away in sunny España Mark and I plan to take NB Fantasma through Birmingham and on to Stoke-upon-Trent where in nine days we are due to collect Sue from the railway station. The distance is 83 miles with 79 locks.
The first twenty one of the locks comprise the Hatton Flight also known as the “stairway to heaven” due to the difficulty of the wide lock flight. We were fortunate in that as we approached the bottom lock the skipper of a moored boat hailed us and asked if we were planning to ascend the flight and if so could she – a single hander join us for the assent, we agreed and Joyce a live aboard teacher joined us in the first lock. Mark was on winch handle duty and closed the lock behind us, opened the paddles, ran to the next lock, which was set for us so he opened the gates came back opened the gates on our lock and set about closing the paddles. I took NB Fantasma into the next lock and waited for Joyce to join me, once out of the first lock Mark would close the gates and come to the lock we were now in and the whole process would repeat, except that Joyce did not bring her boat out of the first lock and into the second. The wait seemed interminable but eventually Joyce slowly appeared and piloted her boat into the second lock followed quickly by Mark who started operating the lock.
As Joyce was preparing to leave the lock she had the misfortune to loose her footing and finished up in the canal.
Every canal boater knows that canals are filthy places and if you go for a swim a hot soapy shower and a complete change of clothes is essential after any such incident.
After operating seven locks Joyce swapped places with Mark and did the next seven and after that we swapped around again and I did the next six with Joyce insisting she do the very last in the flight while Mark and I piloted the two boats to the Hatton Flight visitor moorings.
21 down only 58 more locks to go.
The following day was quite a long one – 7.5 hours – but only five locks so not too exhausting although it must be said that the mooring we chose for the night at Camp Hill Top Lock Winding Hole Visitor Moorings did not fill us with confidence for a quiet and peaceful night. It was obvious that vandalism was a problem and there was not another boat in sight, despite being on what was listed in our canal guides as “ . . . visitor moorings with full facilities . . . ”. The facilities it turns out had been closed several years previously, the reason quoted as being “ . . . repeated vandalism . . . “
Wonder of wonders!! We had a super peaceful night and woke refreshed and ready for whatever the new day would bring.
Having, despite our misgivings, spent a pleasant night and set off the next morning to get ourselves through Birmingham full of enthusiasm. We had wanted to go under the Gravelly Hill Interchange better known as Spaghetti Junction, which Wikipedia describes thus:-
“ . . . The asymmetrical junction provides access to and from the A38 (Tyburn Road), A38(M) (Aston Expressway), the A5127 (Lichfield Road/Gravelly Hill), and several unclassified local roads.[3][4] It covers 30 acres (12 ha),[5] serves 18 routes and includes 4 km (2.5 mi) of slip roads, but only 1 km (0.6 mi) of the M6 itself. Across five different levels, it has 559 concrete columns, reaching up to 24.4 m (80 ft). The engineers had to elevate 21.7 km (13.5 mi) of motorway to accommodate two railway lines, three canals and two rivers . . . “
but had we actually gone under the junction we would have had to go a very long way beyond it through lots of locks before being able to turn around and rejoin out route so we had to be satisfied with looking towards it and taking photos in the junctions’ general direction.
The remainder of the journey was mainly over old ground and quite uneventful until we got to the section of the Trent and Mersey canal that passes within yards of Stoke on Trent railway station where we had arranged to meet Sue.
There was absolutely nowhere to moor.
After studying both the Pearson and the Nicholson canal guide books we found the best alternative pickup place was on the Caldon Canal just yards from a supermarket and a short taxi ride from the station.
