Cruise Data - 2010   Yearly Total Since last update Mileage Completed 0126 0059 Locks Used 0014 012

12 March 2010

Well at long last we have made it on to the Southern section of the Oxford canal and are now moored on the summit just above Napton top lock. We came up yesterday and enjoyed a dry, but cold and windy cruise up the nine locks that make up the flight from Napton. It was nice to meet other boats moving, mostly hire and share boats but never the less it is a sign that life is returning to the system. It’s a pity that Spring is a bit slow coming, we have seen snowdrops but as yet no flowering Daffodils, and the temperature is not yet in double figures.

So what have we been up to, well whilst I was on the Ashby, I had two of our double glazed windows removed, by Channel Glaze, the seals had gone and they were filling with condensation. They came down to Trinity Marina and in a snow shower took out my windows and fitted two temporary ones.

Once they had gone I set off for Coventry, it took me a couple of days to get there and I had to break some more ice on the way. Then when I got there, there was only just room for me to moor, the basin seems to have been taken over by residential boats for the winter, not good.

Janice came back on time and then we set off for Oxford, stopping in Rugby for shopping and to fill up with coal and diesel from Ian and his coal boat. We were also pleased to see our first Spring Lambs near Old Oak Wood, and the sun was shining so it felt like one of those special moments.

The nice men from Channel Glaze came back and refitted our windows, this time in nice dry sunny conditions, which was good as it allowed the sealant to dry, so we are now dry and warm again and can see the outside world once more.

Once up the Hillmorton flight of locks we made haste for Braunston, where we stopped overnight, having visited the Midland Chandlers and given them some more of our money. We also managed a meal out in the refurbished pub, what used to be “The Mill House”, it now has a new name but I can’t remember what it is. They do “Two meals for One” and they were very good, it is all table service now, very posh.

I also managed to dispose of my waste oil at the Braunston Marina, they are very good having a waste oil tank available for all boaters, it’s just behind the laundrette.

Next stop was Napton, where we had a walk into the village to post some more birthday cards, March is birthday month in our family. The old pub by the lock, “The Folly”, is under new management but we didn’t go in.

Janice had a good holiday with daughter Wendy and granddaughter in Fuertaventura in the Canary Islands, and found it a bit cold coming back to Take Five, but she seems to have adjusted now.

Now we are heading for Oxford, but will be taking a long weekend out on the way to visit our friends Eric & Ann down south, we hire a car from Enterprise they provide a very good service, picking you up from where ever you say and returning you when you take the car back, and its all free!! (well not the hire of the car of course).

It’s four years since we last came down this part of the Oxford canal and we are struggling to remember it but so far we like what we see and from what we wrote about it the last time we were here it should be a nice cruise, lets just hope the weather gets better and we can start wearing our shorts again.

12 February 2010

I am now on the Ashby canal, having moved here yesterday, I moored up to meet Ian, the coal man and his boat Gosty Hill. at the quiet moorings on the hospital corner.

Janice has gone home again, but before she did she had to get a lift to York from her niece, to attend the funeral of one of her Aunties. Wendy then picked her up and took her on to Newcastle, where she is now waiting to jet off to the sunshine on Sunday.

This meant that I did not have to go into Coventry to drop her off to catch the bus, instead we went back to Ansty, where she was picked up, and I cruised from yesterday. Before she went we managed a cruise up to the top of the locks at Atherstone, where we winded and headed back to Ansty. On the way, we moored in Nuneaton and Janice got the bus into the town centre and collected her glasses. Neither of us is very impressed with Vision Expresses one hour service, won’t go there again.

The weather has been wintry, with snow showers and frozen canals, but a few brave hire boats are out and freeing up passage for us. The wildlife is busy, birds are starting to make nests and the ducks are still at it, maybe they are just keeping warm.

I am going to be staying on the Ashby for next week and then making my way back to collect Janice, from where I know not, but it will be good to get her back again

31 January 2010

After 33 days stuck in the ice we final got free on the 20th January, that is the longest that we have been frozen in during our cruises. We had just about run out of coal, when much to our relief we saw the coal boat breaking ice and heading towards us. So we were able to replenish both our coal and diesel supplies, before moving off to fill up the water tank, and then head off to the winding hole and turn round. That manoeuvre was not easy, as the hole was still full of ice, so we had to work Take Five hard to break it. But once turned round we headed off towards Rugby and a much needed pump-out, it took us a couple of days to get there as it was still very cold, and of course we had to break more ice. We went as far as the bottom lock at Hillmorton and turned round and went back to Rugby where we spent a couple of days shopping. It felt good to have water under us again, even though cruising was very cold on the face. Whilst we had been stuck at Ansty we had taken the bus to Nuneaton and Janice had ordered some new glasses, but they would not be ready for another two weeks, so we have had to stay in the area in order to go and get them when they are ready. So we headed back towards Coventry and stopped overnight at Ansty again, and again when we woke in the morning the canal was frozen, so here we are back where we started the year. But at least we are ok for everything, and will be able to get the bus into Nuneaton and collect the glasses. Janice is also going home in a couple of weeks for a holiday in the sun with our daughter, so we need to get into Coventry for her to catch the National Express coach home. I will then have to fend for myself for ten days until she comes back and then maybe we can get back to some serious cruising.

We have seen some wildlife over the last week, a fox running across a snowy field, a Muntjack deer, which was just sat on the bank very close to the canal and didn’t move until I stopped the boat for a better look. A Buzzard also let us see it in all its glory, it was sat on a branch close to the canal and just watched us go by, we certainly see more wild life in the winter

10 January 2010

A belated seasons greetings to you all from the crew of Take Five who find themselves still frozen in at Anstey, near Coventry. Take Five is well and truly stuck in all this ice and snow which is covering all the country, and we could be here for some time yet, according to the weather forecast.

Our Christmas went well at home with our family and the New Year with Janice’s sister in Manchester, despite the chilly weather conditions.

We are now settled down trying to stay warm and snug, although we have both caught bad colds, and Take Five is holding up well, with the stove going none stop and the engine charging our batteries so we can watch TV and play on the laptop. We have a water tap near by, which we have to keep defrosted with a kettle of hot water when we want to use it, and a bus stop with buses every hour into Coventry or Nuneaton. The nearest supermarket is only twenty minutes walk, or the first stop on the bus going into Coventry. Our supplies of coal should last another week and we know the coal boat is frozen in two miles in front of us, heading this way. Oh yes and we have a pub very close to the boat, so all in all we are well off and no doubt much better off than many other boaters out there.

Our intentions, when the ice releases us, is to head for Oxford and then come back towards Birmingham and up to the Macclesfield canal, where we would like to be in March, but it all depends on the weather.

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