Saturday 17th August 2013 Ramble 21: Bridge 46, Warwick to Kingswood Bridge (No. 65).

Saturday 17^th August 2013

Ramble 21:  Bridge 46, Warwick to Kingswood Bridge (No. 65).

The weather was, as yesterday, unsettled when we set off again along the towpath with John, Julie, Peter, Sue, Bill, Mary, Hugh and Margaret.    Being a Saturday, there was much activity turning around the hire boats in Kate’s Boatyard immediately by the start of our walk. 

Aboard a narrowboat, by the first lock we came to, a 90 year old was celebrating her birthday. Just by the lock is the Cape of Good Hope pub and restaurant and the Get Knotted rope workshop, making boat fenders (what names!). 

We passed the entrance to the short stretch of restored canal that is now the Saltisford Arm of the Grand Union Canal and went under the A46 road before reaching the first of the locks of the Hatton flight. This is an amazing sight, even though you cannot see all the locks at once and we were not in a boat having to face the prospect of climbing the 21 locks in less than two miles. It was originally opened in 1799 with narrow locks, but in the 1930s, with a workforce of 1000 navvies, the locks were widened to be able to accommodate two single narrowboats.    It was called ‘the stairway to heaven’ by boatmen due to be paid at Camp Hill not much further along the GUC in Birmingham. 

We just strolled up the rise of 45m to a café, in a building where horses were once stabled overnight. The five teabags came in a small teapot with plenty of jugs of hot water and we were left to make five suitably strong cups of tea. This whole area is lively with walkers, cyclists, tourists and boats. There is plenty going on, exhibits to see and information available. 

 

Walking on further we went through a lovely section of embankments with views and a well-wooded cutting to get to the Shrewley tunnel. Recent work had obviously been carried out to clear the area around the tunnel entrance and a clear footpath led up and over the tunnel. A hill on our normally so flat path! After crossing a road with houses directly over the tunnel (!) we came down to besides the canal again. This entailed going through our own dark, steeply down tunnel where some of us spontaneously burst into song. 

The M40 motorway noise was apparent at some points along here and we saw brief glimpses of the railway line that we were due to travel on later, back to Warwick.

A brick wall by an overflow outlet provided a good picnic/lunch spot and although the skies threatened rain, very little fell.

We carried on past the village of Rowington and stopped at Turner’s Green to admire a farmhouse very close and lying low to the canal. It was as if time had stopped still here; with a hand water pump in the garden and no modern features on the old beamed house. 

After passing a goat farm we came across more information points with maps. Bill provided the power for the audio presentations.

At Kingswood Junction, where the GUC joins with the Stratford-on- Avon canal, we stopped on the bridge to feed the young ducks who appeared exceptionally keen on pieces of bread. 

At the next bridge (No. 65) we turned off towards the railway station. We were pleased to have completed another 10 miles of towpath walking. Our goal of reaching Gas Street basin in Birmingham seems to be within our grasp, if all goes as well as it did this last couple of days.

Friday 16th August 2013 Ramble 20: Long Itchington to Bridge 46, Emscote Road, Warwick.

Friday 16^th August  2013

Ramble 20:  Long Itchington to Bridge 46, Emscote Road, Warwick.

When we set out on this 8 mile long towpath ramble with John, Julie, Peter, Sue, Bill, Mary, Hugh and Margaret, the weather was rather unsettled. We soon met four walkers, wearing cricket attire and sporting Goochie moustaches, who were aiming to walk along the canals from Edgbaston to The Oval in 7 days for charity. After wishing them luck and posting donations into small blue plastic cricket bats, we continued over the River Itchen and past the flight of locks at Bascote. Unusually, here there is a pair of locks joined together to form a staircase.

  The idyllic Warwickshire landscape seemed to be summed up by a seeing a nonchalant duck hitching a ride on a piece of floating greenery. We noticed that the hedgerows were already laden with harvests of plums, apples and sloes. Although huge and shiny ripe, the blackberries seemed a bit tart in the mouth!







We passed big patches of arrowhead plants with a few late whorls of flowers. A source (Google) says they were introduced from US (where their tubers are eaten by beavers and Red Indians) and are considered invasive here. Other books say they are native (any thoughts, Anne?).

 
 After passing under the Fosse Road Bridge, where the Exeter to Lincoln Roman Fosse Way is now the B4455 road here, we approached the Fosse Locks. A family of swans joined two canal boats in the first lock and gracefully glided out as soon as the lock gates opened, just as if it was normal practice.

 We decided to have a break by the lock for picnic lunch and then continued our way through the peaceful countryside with the skies looking brighter. This was not before another group photo was taken (Ian setting up the camera with bigger-than-usual equipment that caused amusement).

There were many boats on the water, most with a dog aboard and a cuppa (or perhaps stronger drink) is a must for the tiller-person!

The high railway bridge 33A was a great sight and near to here is a cooperative share vegetable farm. It is from the towpath near here, too, that you can just spot the top of the rebuilt Radford Semele Church that was burnt down in 2006.

As we approached the environs of Leamington Spa, more cyclists passed us, (the towpath is part of the National Cycleway No 41) and gradually the surrounding busy-ness increased. Eagle-eyed people at the head of our party (or was it those with attuned hearing for a jingle) located an ice-cream van parked in an adjoining industrial park and we all formed an orderly queue.

It wasn’t long after that, and sensing the end of the walk was near, we again took a few steps off the towpath to sit down with a drink at The Mooring PH, with its intriguing ‘New England’ style décor and unusual art pieces.By this time the weather was bright, sunny and beautifully warm and we must admit to lingering a bit.

 
When we did leave our outdoor seats we passed over the main Birmingham to Marylebone railway line and River Avon aqueduct (which leaks from the underside!) before leaving the towpath at Bridge 46 to walk to our B&B in Warwick.

Friday 26th July 2013 Ramble 15A: Gayton Junction to Northampton (ie the Northampton Arm).

Friday 26th July 2013

Ramble 15A: Gayton Junction to Northampton (ie the Northampton Arm). This walk we estimated to be about 5 miles.

I shan’t list the walkers in this case. Here is a group photo, so that you can work it out from that. The weather was overcast most of the time, but quite hot when the sun did come out.

I started from Gayton Junction, with a view to turning right onto the Northampton Arm. However, this was not possible, because The Grand Junction Boat Co was occupying that bank and the towpath was on the opposite bank. I had to go round and find a bridge to cross and then return to the junction on the other side of the canal.

It was useful to end up on the opposite bank though, because I was able to take this picture of what used to be the toll house for the arm.

The Northampton Arm was built to provide a link between the Grand Union Canal and the navigable part of the River Nene. This means that, having travelled the Northampton Arm, it’s possible to use the Nene to reach The Wash and then go via Kings Lynn onto the Great River Ouse.

Once I started off, it was only a few hundred yards before the towpath reverted to the right hand side, so that I then had to cross back again.

On the left bank was Alvechurch Boat Centre. They had a big crane, complete with chains to be able to lift boats in and out of the water.

Shortly after that, there was a new house being built; a lovely location, apart from the constant noise of the nearby A43 trunk road!

It was not long before I came to the first lock of the descent into Northampton. The Rothersthorpe Flight consists of thirteen locks. The locks on the Northampton Arm are only wide enough for one narrowboat at a time. The locks are unusual, in that they have a single gate at the top end and pair of gates at the other end, the reason for which escapes me.

There was a bit of a shortage of birds and other wildlife on the Northampton Arm, but there were a lot of butterflies most of them white. I rather liked this meadow brown and the large bindweed flowers

There are a few drawbridges on this stretch of the canal, which have been renovated, but not put back into use. They just seem to hang like Swords of Damocles, as though they might pounce on an unsuspecting boater who might leave the lock gates open!

After the M1, it was terribly overgrown between the towpath and the canal, so that I couldn’t see the canal at all for quite a bit of the time. In one place, boats could not pass at all without going through weed!

 

Along this wild stretch of canal, I came across an aqueduct for a wide stream coming from Shelfleys Lake. This view is looking down from the canal.

 

Near the end now, where there are some large blocks of modern flats.

Finally, lock 17, the gateway to the Nene Navigation.