Lurching through London

Lottie Lurcher is about to star in her book

Lurching through London

The voyage of a narrow hound on a narrowboat

Lottie Lurcher has only been with her new owners for a few days when they take her cruising on their narrowboat.

Training her owners is tricky. Sometimes they forget what Lottie has taught them but she adores them and tries different tactics to win them over. Unfortunately her strength and enthusiasm lead her into trouble.

Will her new owners take her back to the dog rescue or will she persuade them that she is the perfect hound for their narrowboat?

Bsck to reality

The Gatehouse

The day was dry but windy. We had a pleasant cruise round to Tixall, following a narrow boat that pulled out in front of us. Perhaps we were hidden by the tall reeds. We passed a trailer park and I noticed one had giant gnomes in their tiny garden all lined up so that they faced the trailer’s windows. I would get a fright if I opened my curtains to find a three foot high gnome staring at me.

boats moored on Tixall Wide

We had a short wait at Tixall lock and followed one boat down at Great Hayward with only ten minutes wait. Then we arrived at Colwich lock to find three boats ahead of us. It took over an hour to enter the lock. The problem was it fills slowly and only has one ground paddle. The long boats coming up couldn’t open the gate paddle until they were half way up or they could flood their boat, but it seemed to take forever. After half an hour Lottie barked as if to say “why are we waiting?”The Captain waited for his lunch stoically and chatted to the other boaters. It is in the lock queues that you hear all the canal news and meet interesting people so even a long wait can be fun.

the stables from Tixall Wide

We finally had lunch at the mooring round the corner, knowing there were no more locks to do.

The final cruise back to our marina was trouble free, the only delay being a short wait for boats to clear the tunnel. Now all we have to do is pack up and maybe tackle some more things on the boat maintenance list.

Viking confusion



tree stump art by the canal

We set off fairly early to make the most of the good weather and soon caught a Viking afloat hire boat doing the same. He was a  little bit slow but we were happy to follow him.
At the next bridge on a blind corner he told an oncoming boat that there was nothing behind him. They accelerated through the bridge believing it to be clear and nearly collided with us. We soon caught him up again and he waved us past, but the canal was too narrow with him in the centre of the channel. With the bends coming up we remained several boat lengths behind. The Captain declined which was just as well as a boat promptly appeared round the corner.

round weir typical of this canal

Having got past the boat the Viking Afloat hire boat charged for the bridge blowing his horn. A horn blared back throwing him into confusion. He reversed frantically, signalling us to go back. The Captain did even though there was plenty of space and ran aground. As he regained deeper water the Viking Afloat shot through the bridge hole.

approaching Gailey Lock

Having had the signal to wait we did. Nothing came through. Slowly we edged forward with me on the bow sighting through the bridge hole. The other boat was waiting by the bank with three more queuing behind him. Slowly The Captain eased our boat through and Lottie leapt off to go for a walk. I followed and ended up walking past the boats.
The boaters told me the Viking Afloat had forced his way through driving the boats to the side then yelled “there’s another one behind.” The poor boaters waited for us to zoom through the arch while we were waiting for them!

We finally moored at Lottie’s favourite spot above Gailey lock and watched the Viking afloat hire boat try to return to its base above the lock. It took them ages as the next boaters to come up the lock told us there were six cruisers and three narrow boats waiting to lock down. Of course one of those was the Viking afloat hire boat that was only trying to return to base three hours late.

hire boat base by the lock

After lunch we decided to join the lock queue and fill with water at the water point which lay between the lock pins and the moored boats. This is a good use of time while queuing as you can watch for the next boat round the corner and leave the water point before it arrives.

However by the time we reached the water point only one boat was queuing although the lock-side was bustling with volunteers.

boat ahead descending

The Captain was quick with his hose and by the time the boat ahead was in the lock the tank was full. I went to prepare the lock while the Captain coiled his hose. As the boat sank down the volunteers set to work on the top gate two people with white paint and two with black.

The boat ahead left the lock gates open even though no boats were waiting below.

“Aren’t you going to close up?” I asked the crew. They ignored me.

I struggled to close one heavy bottom gate and wondered how I would do the other as the only way across was blocked by busy painters. Thankfully one of the volunteers closed it for me saving me from walking across the half painted upper gate. He then asked me to pass him a windlass so that he could work the far paddle to save me crossing over.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon with enough cloud cover to give respite. After watching the long queue at lunch time it was surprising that we didn’t queue at the following locks. Better still we arrived at several just as a boat was leaving so were able to drive straight in.

We finally moored at Acton Trussell after completing six more locks.

Beating the rain

in Bumblehole Lock

Although rain had been forecast for later in the day it was a clear bright morning. We woke early, had a speedy breakfast and set off to get a few hours cruising before the expected heavy rain hit us.
 

I walked to the first lock which was waiting empty, nice to start on a good note. It was lovely and warm with fluffy clouds. Only a few privateers were around so early.
 



middle lock at The Bratch

The second lock was full but I didn’t mind as the Captain was working that one. As he worked it a ewe and two lambs popped out of the field through a gap in the fence.

“Woof!” said Lottie. Instead of retreating into the field they ran past her. Fortunately the Captain had grabbed her collar. They stopped below the lock but an approaching jogger sent them trotting further from their field. Why didn’t they go back where it was safe? Perhaps they wanted an adventure. I pity their farmer when he does the role count. The last farmer we met on the tow path was herding three calves that had travelled several miles.
 

The staircase lock was set for me when I arrived with the bottom lock empty and the top one full. All I had to do was open the gates. As the boat rose in the first lock children from a boat moored at the top came along and helped. In under an hour we had done four locks and the sun was still shining.


Bratch Toll house

The Captain worked Bumblehole lock swiftly with help from boaters who arrived just after us and we cruised on. I’d love to know how Bumblehole lock got its name.
 

We arrived at the Bratch locks and I surprised the lock keeper at his desk reading his paper. Well it was only 9.30 but he had been on duty since 8.00. Again we ascended swiftly with his help tackling several more locks.

At one lock the water beneath the lock surround whistled then shot a cold fountain up through the grill by the ground paddle while the Captain was working it. At the next Lottie Lurcher was standing over the grill when the water exploded upwards. She shot across the surround dripping, her dignity dented.
 

We moored at Wightwick for an early lunch with the wind picking up as the Captain was peckish. Although we only stopped an hour for refuelling the weather was on the change as we set off.
 



rising in the middle lock

At the first lock was a hoard of picnickers with food on blankets by the chamber. Lottie Lurcher got excited by the food but fortunately all she got was some spilt crisps before I shortened the lead. Several adults were telling the children how the lock worked and they pushed the gates open and shut for us. It was just as well they helped as the hound had her eyes on the blankets and wasn’t co-operating with me.

As we left the second lock of the afternoon it started to rain. By the time we had reached a nice mooring the rain was falling steadily.

Gates between top and middle lock

Within half an hour it became heavy so that was the end of our day’s cruise though various boats passed us in varying wet states. One hire boat with soggy crew pulled up and moored in front of us, clearly fed up with the rain.
 

The Captain took the hound out during a lighter bout but it grew heavier while they were out. Lottie Lurcher returned wet but happy having found a path across the fields to explore. Having been towelled dry she scoffed her dinner and spread out on the sofa for her after dinner sleep.

boating mistakes

 dwelling by the canal

hire boat coming out

It was another pleasant morning, a nice surprise as the long range forecast had not suggested good weather after the weekend.

We passed the other two hire boats at our first lock one moored below and the other above.

As we were leaving the lock a privateer pulled out ahead of us and we followed them to the following lock where there was a queue.

tiny tunnel

tree tunnel

It was a busy time on the canal, but lots of boats stopped at Kinver. A hire boater messed up his attempt at mooring and drifted across the canal stopping the traffic.

I felt for the tiller-man - it’s not funny when others are watching your mistakes. After getting stuck on the mud bank he managed to moor on his second attempt.

We also moored up above Hyde lock but without visiting the mud bank.

through the trees

our second tunnel of the day

After lunch we cruised on enjoying the canal’s contours dominated by the steep hills.

Fortunately there were no queues at the locks. However a cruiser was slow on the way down. The boat was new to its elderly owners and they were having trouble steering. However some walkers, a mother and daughter, had joined them as crew and worked the locks for them in return for a somewhat erratic cruise.

no way through



the lock pins

On leaving the lock the elderly helmsman got confused and steered into the brambles hanging from the cliff, but managed to push off and wiggled on his way. I wonder how far the temporary crew went before they left the boat and walked home.

We finally moored up at Swindon which is a lovely quiet spot with a great takeaway.

old bridge with original bridge sign

Rock dwellings

rock face studded with post holes

Wolverley's picturesque pub

As promised after breakfast the Captain took us up the hill to the church. It was the one we remembered.


We looked inside, wandered around the church yard and studied rectangular caves - the remains of rock dwellings. The rock was also scarred with square post holes where houses had used the rockface as their back wall. 

old cottages climbing the hill

Afterwards we headed into the village. It was pretty with white cottages tumbling down the steep lanes, a hidden piece of rural England.

After refreshments the Captain cast off and we cruised into Kidderminster. We met loads of boats including a fleet of boat shaped cruisers from a cruising club that were travelling together.

Cyclists whizzing by Kidderminster lock

We had a near collision going through the tall arch of a railway viaduct with a boat that swung towards us as if we were invisible. Too late we realised that the other skipper was watching a steam train crossing the viaduct. 

The Captain was disappointed not to have caught the train on camera but he had been too busy reversing.

“What are the chances of seeing that on our way out,” I asked, wondering if the steam train made several trips each day.

“Nil,” he replied.

old industrial buildings

We stopped for lunch just outside Stourport in case we couldn’t moor in the basin. We couldn’t! There were only two visitor moorings there and they were taken.

leaving Kidderminster

mooring for supermarkets

Stoically the Captain stopped at the water point. While I filled our tank he visited the nearby chandlery and took photos of the basin.

During this time a hire boat company released its three boats with new-to-canal crews. By the time the Captain cast off for our return journey we had to queue behind the last of the three hire boats and a young single handed privateer who had a boat full of passengers.

A rock sided lock

The privateer did everything at the lock while five of his six passengers sat in the boat. The sixth had to be told how to attach the windlass to the paddle gear so the privateer did everything himself.

The young helper told me they were just visiting his uncle and that they had never been on a canal before. While we were locking up they all said goodbye and he set off ahead of us just as we left the lock.

Rather than stop at the Stourport mooring and walk a long way to the shops the Captain decided to return to Kidderminster and shop at one of its canal-side supermarkets.

Stourport basin

We helped the single handed privateer at each lock by closing up for him. We were rewarded by the sight of that steam train crossing the viaduct as we rounded the corner. In spite of its age the beast moved swiftly, the Captain only just snapped it as the engine chugged behind a belt of trees. how amazing to see it twice.

We follow a boat to the lock queue

After shopping we cruised out of Kidderminster even though it was 6.40 as it was a lovely evening and lovely rural moorings were less than an hour away. We passed one hire boat moored before our last lock of the day. They told us it was their first time on a narrow boat and they were loving it!

We moored above the lock and cooked an easy meal- pizza!

Catch that train!