LOAN 2010
by Paul C Smith
Brought to you by Living On A Narrowboat
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living-on-a-narrowboat
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:08:37 +0000
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All you need to know about living on a narrowboat
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:12:33 +0000
Everything you ever wanted to know (and a few things you didn't)
about the reality of living on a narrowboat
Have you ever considered living on a narrowboat? I mean really thought about
it? Sure, the thought of sitting on a peaceful canal bank on a warm summer
evening, gin an tonic in hand hand, without a care in the world is appealing, but
is life afloat really like that? Can living on a narrowboat be a cost effective
alternative to life on dry land? What are the costs; purchase costs,
maintenance costs, mooring costs? How easy is it to find a mooring and will
you enjoy living there when the honeymoon period is over? Will you enjoy the
long, dark nights of winter when your narrowboat is frozen to its mooring?
After your home, buying a narrowboat is likely to be your largest (and most life
changing) financial decision. A reasonably sized and equipped liveaboard
narrowboat will cost you in excess of £40,000... second hand. A new narrowboat
built to your specification and with all mod cons can cost in excess of
£100,000.
But, of course, it's not just the cost that you have to consider. Most full time
narrowboat dwellers live on board with a partner in what, to many, is a very small
space. Will there be enough space on your narrowboat for two - or more - of
you? The commitment to life on board is not a decision you want to make lightly.
You need information. You need answers to these and a hundred other questions
before you part with your hard earned cash... if you part with it at all.
Good news. You are just seconds away from receiving a truly comprehensive - and
FREE - guide to life on board.
You'll find out...

Which are the different styles of narrowboat... and which one is right for you

40', 50', 60' or more. What's the perfect length boat for you - and why big isn't
always best

How much life on board really costs and how the cost compares to life on dry
land

How much space there really is on board and whether it's enough

What licenses and insurances you need. You'll find out where to get them.

What British Waterways defines and continuous cruising. Ignore this at your
peril!
You'll learn how to overcome your communication problems...

What mobile telephone and internet services are best for you and likely limits

Old fashioned letters. How to get them delivered to your boat.
You'll gain an intimate knowledge of the British waterway network...

Detailed history of the canal network from the very first canal construction and what prompted it - to the current day explosion in the narrowboat leisure
industry

118 English canals

8 Northern Ireland canals

8 Welsh canals

10 Scottish canals

51 disused canals (and which may be reopenned)

Where the canals join navigable rivers

Where you can moor your narrowboat, how long you can stay... and who
doesn't want you if you live aboard

The best (FREE) resource for planning your narrowboat trips

Hundreds of photo's for each canal - Just one click of your mouse needed
And most importantly you will find the perfect place to live...
There are an estimated 32,000 narrowboats on the British waterways. Some journey
constantly along the canals and rivers staying for just a few days at many different
locations along the way. Most narrowboat owners though prefer a permanent home
on a canalside mooring or, more often, at one of the hundreds of marinas thoughout
the UK. Which one do you choose?

Discover the name and location of every marina in the UK

Search for the pefect marina by name, canal, cost or facility

Learn which marina accepts liveaboard narrowboat owners (many don't)

Find out which ones currently have vacancies - this list is updated every week

See dozens of photographs for each marina

Read about new marinas on the network (and register with them before they
are open to the general public

Take advantage of special marina offers "hot off the press"
You won't find information this comprehensive and up to date on any other site and
it's FREE at the moment
Compiling the comprehensive marina listing and their facilities, layouts, prices and
offers has taken literally hundreds of hours to put together. And many more hours are
needed each week to keep it current. Within the next ten days this site will be "locked
down" and will then only be accessible by monthly subscription. Current free
subscribers (and you if you subscribe before the offer ends) will be able to keep their
free subscription for as long as they wish.
So fill in this short subscription form to gain instant (free) access to all the information
you'll ever need to know about Living On A Narrowboat...
C: wait...
I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait...
I: wait...
wait...
PR: wait...
// <![CDATA[
if(typeof(_gat)!='object')document.write('')
// ]]>
//
Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait...
Articles
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:19:59 +0000
narrowboat heating systems
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:42:54 +0000
There is some text here
Are you too wide for a narrowboat?
Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:48:50 +0000
Some text here
Guide Download
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:19:15 +0000
Just click on the link below to download your free guide. It contains all the blah, blah,
blah
Fact sheet on wildflower meadows and cornfields[1]
C: wait...
I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait...
PR: wait...
I: wait...
wait...
Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait...
What is narrowboat "blacking"?
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:54:06 +0000
In simple terms narrowboat blacking is the process of applying a protective coating to
the hull to help prevent rust.
Learn the art of tying knots for boating
Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:47:19 +0000
To knot or not to knot... that is the question! Do you know the difference between an
albright and a woggle or an alpine butterfly and a west country whipping? Probably
not. The good news is that you don't need to. As a traveller of the inland waterways
there are really only two knots you need to know, but you really do need to know
them. Let me give you an example of what can happen when you don't.
When I was seventeen (I know, I must have a very good memory - three male
friends and I drove to somewhere near Great Yarmouth to the start of our week long
narrowboat holiday. After half and hour's instructiion we were allowed out on the
Norfolk broads on our own.
By five o'clock we thought we had travelled far enough so "parked" our new toy along
a canal bank near a likely looking pub. Six hours later and a little the worse for wear,
we staggered through the driving rain through the pub garden back to where we were
sure the boat was moored.
It wasn't there!
Of course we weren't thinking straight so after a brief panic and a longer shouting
match we raced up and down the bank searching for our new home. After ten
minutes we found the boat. Actually "found the boat" isn't quite right. We hadn't lost it
at all. The idiot responsible for tying the stern mooring line (me) hadn't done a very
good job so the boat had swung one hundred and eighty degrees downstream and
had come to rest alongside another narrowboat. Of course it was very difficult to see
it in the driving rain.
[caption id="attachment_71" align="alignleft" width="256" caption="The essential
narrowboat knot"]
[/caption]
If I had known either of the two most useful
narrowboat knots we would have been spared
the heartache all those years ago. Of course,
my experience resulted in nothing more that a
minor irritation but there have been countless
cases of boats drifting away from their
moorings because of poor knot tying...
sometimes with disasterous consequences.
Fortunately for you, it's now very easy to learn these knots.
The two essential narrowboat knots are "the round turn and two half hitches" and "the
cleat hitch". The former is shorn on the left. The latter is below. The one on the left is
for attaching your mooring rope to a post or a ring and the cleat hitch. The cleat hitch,
strangely enough, secures a rope to a cleat. As you will invariably tie your
narrowboat to or from a post, cleat or mooring ring these two knots will keep you out
of trouble.
[caption id="attachment_80" align="alignleft" width="256" caption="Essential knot
number two"]
[/caption]
You can probably work out how to tie the knots
just by looking at the diagrams but, to make life
even easier for you, there's a marvelous
website which demonstrates how to tie every
knot you've ever heard of . In fact, there are
120 knots listed. All of them are animated and
very clear and easy to understand. It's a great
site... and it's free.
Newsletter
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:53:46 +0000
[gwa-autoresponder]
UK Canal Map
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:53:45 +0000
[googlemaps
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2F
maps.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fms%3Fhl%3Den%26ie%3DUTF8%26vps%3D1%26
jsv%3D212a%26msa%3D0%26output%3Dnl%26msid%3D10304994086723603580
1.000481633cedad3dadbe7&sll=53.800651,4.064941&sspn=15.299029,39.506836&ie=UTF8&ll=52.467724,1.532593&spn=0.585636,1.167297&z=9&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Warwick Ring
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:41:19 +0000
The Warwickshire ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit around the
West Midlands area of England. The ring is formed from the Coventry Canal, the
Oxford Canal, the Grand Union Canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is a popular route with tourists due to its circular
route and mixture of urban and rural landscapes.
[googlemaps
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103049940867236
035801.000481633cedad3dadbe7&ll=52.497832,1.587524&spn=0.585235,1.167297&z=9&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
The ring totals 106 miles and has 115 locks, although there are two alternative routes
through the southern part of Birmingham - from Kingswood Junction one can travel
via the Grand Union Canal to Aston Junction, or via the Stratford Canal (north) and
Worcester Canal to Gas Street Basin in central Birmingham. The latter route is
slightly longer and has more locks, but many consider it to be more scenic and
interesting.
Contents
[hide]

1 Route
o
1.1 Grand Union Canal
o
1.2 Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
o
1.3 Coventry Canal
o
1.4 Oxford Canal
//
[edit] Route
There is something of everything, in canal terms, around the Warwickshire Ring.
There are wide beam and narrowbeam locks; there is idyllic open rolling countryside,
and the grimness of industry, some of it removed, some of it improved, and some of it
still there in all its awfulness. There are tourist honeypot sites, like Warwick Castle,
and there are world class attractions like Drayton Manor Theme Park.
[edit] Grand Union Canal
Starting at Braunston, the route heads west along the Grand Union Main Line for five
miles to Napton Junction, through pleasant farm land. At Napton Junction, or
Wigram's Turn, it turns to the North to the first of the locks at Calcutt. The original
narrow locks, replaced by three wide beam ones in the 1930s, are still there
alongside.
Turning westward, the canal heads towards Stockton locks. These eight locks carry
the canal downhill to Long Itchington. After few more isolated locks, there are the
Bascote four, with the top two being operated as a staircase. Three more locks take
the canal on to the floor of the Leam (pronounced "Lem") and Avon valleys. Royal
Leamington Spa and Warwick both have major tourist attractions.
The climb out of the Avon Valley begins at Cape Locks, where the Cape of Good
Hope pub serves a locally brewed ale called Two Locks, on account of the
brewhouse being two locks down from the pub. The locals call it "Twollocks".
The route then turns right onto the line of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal, later
forming part of the Grand Union Canal. To the left Saltisford Basin is run by a Canal
Trust: this is the nearest point to the town of Warwick.
After climbing a few of the 21 Hatton Locks, the view opens up to show the enormous
locks climbing the hill in an unbroken line skywards. Although heavy to operate, the
locks fill and empty quickly.
From Hatton top, there is a ten mile respite from locks. At Kingswood Junction, there
is a choice of route. For those intending to go to Gas Street and Birmingham city
centre, the narrowbeam Stratford-on-Avon Canal offers fewer locks and a quicker
passage, but for boaters going straight round the ring, the main line route is shorter
and quicker.
Keeping to the main line, Shrewley village sits on top of the canal above a tunnel,
with a horsepath which comes up to the surface right in the middle of the village.
The five locks at Knowle raise the canal to its summit. The journey through Solihull is
in a deep leafy cutting, shielding the boater from urban views.
The Camp Hill locks are narrow beam and the canal is surrounded by urban traffic. At
the bottom, the Warwickshire Ring turns right at Bordesley Junction. Ahead is the
route to Digbeth Basin: in the 1930s it was the Birmingham Hub of a national canal
transport system. There are bonded warehouses, an ice house, a major Fellows
Moreton & Clayton warehouse, a banana warehouse and in Typhoo Basin, a tea
warehouse.
From Bordesley Junction, Saltley Cut was reviled as the filthiest place on the whole
canal system, with gas works, a power station, railway works and a chemical works
all generating or receiving cargoes, and discharging waste into the canal. It has been
cleaned up now, and there is new housing facing the waterfront.
After crossing an aqueduct over the River Tame, the Grand Union Canal reaches
Salford Junction, where it meets the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and the Tame
Valley Canal, underneath the road decks of spaghetti junction piled high above the
canal.
[edit] Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
This section uses first-person ("I"; "we") or second-person ("you")
inappropriately. Please rewrite it to use a more formal, encyclopedic tone.
(September 2008)
You turn right on to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, the canal squeezing
manfully through an impossibly narrow gap between the motorway and the backs of
factories. A major electricity high voltage distribution centre, flashes and buzzes
fitfully beside you, making the whole surface of the boat fizz. The gap gets even
narrower, and the canal eventually gives up and dives beneath a factory seeking
refuge in the noise and the dark. They build Jaguars here, and they used to build
Spitfires. Mr Dunlop built himself a Fort!
Eventually the canal re-emerges into the comparative calm of Minworth - a place
whose historical claim to fame is that it was the largest sewage farm in Europe. Oh
really? How fascinating! People have written books about it.
The M42 motorway holds your hand through Curdworth Locks. Here, there is an
amazing water park, and a children's farm - PYO? At Fazeley, the canal runs right
alongside Drayton Manor Theme Park. If you have children on board, you will be
hard-pressed to pass this one by.
[edit] Coventry Canal
In the shadow of a mill that makes red tape, we turn right onto the Coventry Canal
and head south. They used to build the Reliant Robin at nearby Tamworth, right
alongside the canal, but all trace of the activity has gone. It is almost as if they are
ashamed of it. Tamworth has a Snowdome where you can ski on real snow, and a
castle with a fantastic garden and a big shopping mall.
A big flight of narrow locks lifts you up to Atherstone, the hatting town. They made
hats here from Tudor times and at one time, every army in the world was wearing
Atherstone hats. Towards the end of the last century, hats went out of fashion, and
the town just died. They are still in mourning for it really. Everyone either worked at
the hats or knew someone who did. They used mercury to make certain types of felt.
It is very toxic, and destroys the brain. The expression "Mad as Hatters" was based
on truth.
It is hard to imagine now that all the marinas through here are occupying what were
once the loading basins for collieries, for we have now entered the Warwickshire coal
field, which has been completely cleaned up. Coal blackened boats with coal
blackened men and women would barge and bang each other out of the way,
cursing, in the clamour to get cargoes to carry to London or to Birmingham. This was
the infamous "bottom road" out of Birmingham. Polesworth, a once proud mining
community is now a rather characterless commuter town.
Approaching Nuneaton, the canal skirts around huge holes in the ground left by
quarry workings, and is criss-crossed by now silent stone conveyors passing
overhead.
The old engine house, the gracefully curved bridge and the Greyhound pub tell us
that we are now at Hawkesbury Junction. All we need is some smoke wreathed
around the boats and we could be back in the nineteenth century. For the
Warwickshire Ring, we should turn left here for the Oxford Canal, but we are going to
make a short detour down what the locals call "The Five An 'Arf", the five and a half
miles of canal into Coventry. This is a flagship of urban regeneration. The towpath
has been cleaned up, resurfaced, lit, policed, purged of drug dealers and addicts and
adorned with sculptures and other works of art, and is now a thoroughly pleasant
place to walk or cruise. The journey is like a catalogue for a historic vehicle rally, for
manufactured here were Daimlers, Rileys, Hillmans and Humbers - and a Coventry
Climax is not at all what you might think.
An impossibly tiny bridge hole admits you to Coventry Basin, beautifully and
sympathetically restored, with new retail units blending seamlessly with buildings
from another era. But somehow, it does not quite seem to have worked. There never
seem to be any shoppers here other than those who arrive by boat and the retailers
have a general air of desperation about them. The focal point is a more than life
sized statue of James Brindley standing in the centre. It is a powerful piece of work,
and he seems so real, you almost think he will answer you if you talk to him.
[edit] Oxford Canal
From Hawkesbury Junction, the Oxford Canal twists and turns while generally
heading south east. This was a canal that followed the contours of the land. In the
1830s, it was straightened and shortened by creating cuttings and embankments to
make it a better competitor to the railways, and the route to Braunston was almost
halved. Where the original meanderings remain, the towpath is carried over the
junction on exquisitely engineered cast iron bridges, made at Tipton in Staffordshire.
At Newbold-on-Avon (yes the same Avon as Stratford) there is a new 1830s tunnel.
Someone in sandals in head office has evidently thought it a good idea to install
some pretty coloured lights through it.
The canal keeps the town of Rugby at arm's length, circumventing it on a huge
embankment that never approaches closer than a mile, which is a shame because it
is a nice old town.
There is quite a community of boaters and businesses at Hillmorton Locks, that were
duplicated in the 1830s to alleviate congestion. The 820 feet high Hillmorton Wireless
Aerials, built in 1924, had global capabilty in the days before satellite communication.
They are a significant landmark for miles around.
The next significant landmark tells us we have completed our trip around the
Warwickshire Ring. It is the very distinctive spire of Braunston Church that has been
a homing beacon for canal boaters since the canals were first opened.
Canal Route
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:16:08 +0000
The South Oxford Canal
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:22:34 +0000
One of the finest rural waterways in Britain, passing through consistently beautiful
countryside as it follows its restful route to the Thames. Climbing the famous Napton
Locks the traveller reaches the remote and winding summit, with stunning views over
rich Warwickshire farmland. At Claydon the Canal starts its descent to Oxford,
passing through historic Cropredy and then to Banbury to join the river Cherwell.
Adopting not only its route but also some of its flavour the waterway glides gracefully
through the Cotswolds to the Thames.
The Warwick Ring
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:30:10 +0000
We are fortunate that our base lies on one of the few circular cruising routes which
can reasonably be completed in a week. Following the Four Locks Route to join the
Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury leads in turn to the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal at
Fazeley Junction. A gentle climb through the splendidly isolated Curdworth Locks
ends amid backdoor Birmingham; an area rich in industrial heritage and intriguing in
the manner peculiar to the 'BCN'. Turning south the route heads for Hatton and then
the final climb to Calcutt.
Circular route via Braunston, Coventry, Birmingham and Warwick: 1 week (for
energetic crews) or 2 weeks to include the Ashby Canal.
The Warwickshire ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit around the
West Midlands area of England. The ring is formed from the Coventry Canal, the
Oxford Canal, the Grand Union Canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is a popular route with tourists due to its circular
route and mixture of urban and rural landscapes.
[googlemaps
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2F
maps.google.co.uk%2Fmaps%2Fms%3Fie%3DUTF8%26hl%3Den%26vps%3D2%2
6jsv%3D212a%26msa%3D0%26output%3Dnl%26msid%3D1030499408672360358
01.000481633cedad3dadbe7&sll=53.800651,4.064941&sspn=15.299029,39.506836&ie=UTF8&ll=52.444292,1.533966&spn=0.401792,0.878906&z=10&output=embed&w=640&h=480]
The ring totals 106 miles and has 115 locks, although there are two alternative routes
through the southern part of Birmingham - from Kingswood Junction one can travel
via the Grand Union Canal to Aston Junction, or via the Stratford Canal (north) and
Worcester Canal to Gas Street Basin in central Birmingham. The latter route is
slightly longer and has more locks, but many consider it to be more scenic and
interesting.
//
Route
There is something of everything, in canal terms, around the Warwickshire Ring.
There are wide beam and narrowbeam locks; there is idyllic open rolling countryside,
and the grimness of industry, some of it removed, some of it improved, and some of it
still there in all its awfulness. There are tourist honeypot sites, like Warwick Castle,
and there are world class attractions like Drayton Manor Theme Park.
Grand Union Canal
Starting at Braunston, the route heads west along the Grand Union Main Line for five
miles to Napton Junction, through pleasant farm land. At Napton Junction, or
Wigram's Turn, it turns to the North to the first of the locks at Calcutt. The original
narrow locks, replaced by three wide beam ones in the 1930s, are still there
alongside.
Turning westward, the canal heads towards Stockton locks. These eight locks carry
the canal downhill to Long Itchington. After few more isolated locks, there are the
Bascote four, with the top two being operated as a staircase. Three more locks take
the canal on to the floor of the Leam (pronounced "Lem") and Avon valleys. Royal
Leamington Spa and Warwick both have major tourist attractions.
The climb out of the Avon Valley begins at Cape Locks, where the Cape of Good
Hope pub serves a locally brewed ale called Two Locks, on account of the
brewhouse being two locks down from the pub. The locals call it "Twollocks".
The route then turns right onto the line of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal, later
forming part of the Grand Union Canal. To the left Saltisford Basin is run by a Canal
Trust: this is the nearest point to the town of Warwick.
After climbing a few of the 21 Hatton Locks, the view opens up to show the enormous
locks climbing the hill in an unbroken line skywards. Although heavy to operate, the
locks fill and empty quickly.
From Hatton top, there is a ten mile respite from locks. At Kingswood Junction, there
is a choice of route. For those intending to go to Gas Street and Birmingham city
centre, the narrowbeam Stratford-on-Avon Canal offers fewer locks and a quicker
passage, but for boaters going straight round the ring, the main line route is shorter
and quicker.
Keeping to the main line, Shrewley village sits on top of the canal above a tunnel,
with a horsepath which comes up to the surface right in the middle of the village.
The five locks at Knowle raise the canal to its summit. The journey through Solihull is
in a deep leafy cutting, shielding the boater from urban views.
The Camp Hill locks are narrow beam and the canal is surrounded by urban traffic. At
the bottom, the Warwickshire Ring turns right at Bordesley Junction. Ahead is the
route to Digbeth Basin: in the 1930s it was the Birmingham Hub of a national canal
transport system. There are bonded warehouses, an ice house, a major Fellows
Moreton & Clayton warehouse, a banana warehouse and in Typhoo Basin, a tea
warehouse.
From Bordesley Junction, Saltley Cut was reviled as the filthiest place on the whole
canal system, with gas works, a power station, railway works and a chemical works
all generating or receiving cargoes, and discharging waste into the canal. It has been
cleaned up now, and there is new housing facing the waterfront.
After crossing an aqueduct over the River Tame, the Grand Union Canal reaches
Salford Junction, where it meets the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and the Tame
Valley Canal, underneath the road decks of spaghetti junction piled high above the
canal.
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
You turn right on to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, the canal squeezing
manfully through an impossibly narrow gap between the motorway and the backs of
factories. A major electricity high voltage distribution centre, flashes and buzzes
fitfully beside you, making the whole surface of the boat fizz. The gap gets even
narrower, and the canal eventually gives up and dives beneath a factory seeking
refuge in the noise and the dark. They build Jaguars here, and they used to build
Spitfires. Mr Dunlop built himself a Fort!
Eventually the canal re-emerges into the comparative calm of Minworth - a place
whose historical claim to fame is that it was the largest sewage farm in Europe. Oh
really? How fascinating! People have written books about it.
The M42 motorway holds your hand through Curdworth Locks. Here, there is an
amazing water park, and a children's farm - PYO? At Fazeley, the canal runs right
alongside Drayton Manor Theme Park. If you have children on board, you will be
hard-pressed to pass this one by.
Coventry Canal
In the shadow of a mill that makes red tape, we turn right onto the Coventry Canal
and head south. They used to build the Reliant Robin at nearby Tamworth, right
alongside the canal, but all trace of the activity has gone. It is almost as if they are
ashamed of it. Tamworth has a Snowdome where you can ski on real snow, and a
castle with a fantastic garden and a big shopping mall.
A big flight of narrow locks lifts you up to Atherstone, the hatting town. They made
hats here from Tudor times and at one time, every army in the world was wearing
Atherstone hats. Towards the end of the last century, hats went out of fashion, and
the town just died. They are still in mourning for it really. Everyone either worked at
the hats or knew someone who did. They used mercury to make certain types of felt.
It is very toxic, and destroys the brain. The expression "Mad as Hatters" was based
on truth.
It is hard to imagine now that all the marinas through here are occupying what were
once the loading basins for collieries, for we have now entered the Warwickshire coal
field, which has been completely cleaned up. Coal blackened boats with coal
blackened men and women would barge and bang each other out of the way,
cursing, in the clamour to get cargoes to carry to London or to Birmingham. This was
the infamous "bottom road" out of Birmingham. Polesworth, a once proud mining
community is now a rather characterless commuter town.
Approaching Nuneaton, the canal skirts around huge holes in the ground left by
quarry workings, and is criss-crossed by now silent stone conveyors passing
overhead.
The old engine house, the gracefully curved bridge and the Greyhound pub tell us
that we are now at Hawkesbury Junction. All we need is some smoke wreathed
around the boats and we could be back in the nineteenth century. For the
Warwickshire Ring, we should turn left here for the Oxford Canal, but we are going to
make a short detour down what the locals call "The Five An 'Arf", the five and a half
miles of canal into Coventry. This is a flagship of urban regeneration. The towpath
has been cleaned up, resurfaced, lit, policed, purged of drug dealers and addicts and
adorned with sculptures and other works of art, and is now a thoroughly pleasant
place to walk or cruise. The journey is like a catalogue for a historic vehicle rally, for
manufactured here were Daimlers, Rileys, Hillmans and Humbers - and a Coventry
Climax is not at all what you might think.
An impossibly tiny bridge hole admits you to Coventry Basin, beautifully and
sympathetically restored, with new retail units blending seamlessly with buildings
from another era. But somehow, it does not quite seem to have worked. There never
seem to be any shoppers here other than those who arrive by boat and the retailers
have a general air of desperation about them. The focal point is a more than life
sized statue of James Brindley standing in the centre. It is a powerful piece of work,
and he seems so real, you almost think he will answer you if you talk to him.
Oxford Canal
From Hawkesbury Junction, the Oxford Canal twists and turns while generally
heading south east. This was a canal that followed the contours of the land. In the
1830s, it was straightened and shortened by creating cuttings and embankments to
make it a better competitor to the railways, and the route to Braunston was almost
halved. Where the original meanderings remain, the towpath is carried over the
junction on exquisitely engineered cast iron bridges, made at Tipton in Staffordshire.
At Newbold-on-Avon (yes the same Avon as Stratford) there is a new 1830s tunnel.
Someone in sandals in head office has evidently thought it a good idea to install
some pretty coloured lights through it.
The canal keeps the town of Rugby at arm's length, circumventing it on a huge
embankment that never approaches closer than a mile, which is a shame because it
is a nice old town.
There is quite a community of boaters and businesses at Hillmorton Locks, that were
duplicated in the 1830s to alleviate congestion. The 820 feet high Hillmorton Wireless
Aerials, built in 1924, had global capabilty in the days before satellite communication.
They are a significant landmark for miles around.
The next significant landmark tells us we have completed our trip around the
Warwickshire Ring. It is the very distinctive spire of Braunston Church that has been
a homing beacon for canal boaters since the canals were first opened.
Site-Map
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:12:11 +0000
Calcutt Boats Marina Photo's
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:08:05 +0000
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[album=2,compact]
Download your FREE guide to Living On A Narrowboat PLUS descriptions,
locations and photo's for every UK canal
Wigrams Turn Marina
Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:28:54 +0000
Wigrams Turn Marina, at the junction of the Grand Union and Oxford Canals, was
built and completed three years ago and can accomodate 220 narrowboats.Wigrams
Turn is probably the best mooring site in the country. At a canal junction choices
abound going North, South, East or West. The marina is within 20 minutes drive of
the M40, M42, M1 and M6.
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Turn
Marina"]
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Calcutt Boats Marina
Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:05:58 +0000
Peaceful Moorings in the Heart of the Country. The Locks Marina was opened in
1988 and covers approximately 4.5 acres, with moorings for a maximum of 100
narrowboats (room to water-ski - but please don't!). Fully fendered piers of varying
lengths are generously spaced so that each berth can be vacated without the need to
move other boats. In 2006 the Meadows Marina opened with room for 140 more
boats.
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[caption id="attachment_319" align="alignleft" width="600"]
Calcutt Boats Locks Marina[/caption]
Calcutt Boats Marina Review
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD9e1d3nwoM&fs=1&hl=en_GB]