Here we are again

Thanks for coming back, dear reader. Herbie now rests again at Iver after our latest trip which took us as far as Stoke Bruerne (just south of Northampton) with detours up the narrow arm to Aylesbury and up the Wendover arm for the Tring canal festival.

It has to be said that the weather was less than kind to us, and we have now tested our new waterproof clothing to the limit! Now where can I buy some good waterproof trainers?

Cruising statistics:

• 145 miles and 184 locks, 25 days (of which 6 were stationary).
• Fine days - 6; wet days - the rest!
• Guest crew (in order of length of service) Jacob Corbett-MacLeod (7 days) Rick Bunnage ( 5 days), Marilyn and Tim Bunnage (1 day), Andrew, Kirsty and Stephen Taylor (Kaths great nephews/ neice) (half a day).
• Wildlife spotted: Herons - about 10 a day, ducklings, goslings, cygnets, moorhen and coot chicks - hundreds, woodpeckers - 1, Kingfishers - 3.

Highlights:

Bumping into (not literally) Leon and Ray on the Old Bovine, now looking fabulous since Leon has repainted her. R&L were kind to us and Richard when his boat wouldn't start on the first day of our trip to deliver it to Huntingdon two years ago.

Hacking up the Aylesbury arm in the pouring rain with the Bunnages.

This is a relatively remote stretch and despite the weather we could see and hear lots of skylarks and near our arrival at Aylesbury we were welcomed by a brilliant flying display from dozens of swifts and swallows zooming around the boat. The canal basin in Aylesbury is run by a society who encourage visitors and have a welcome boat where they will see you have a safe place to moor.

Finding somewhere to eat in Aylesbury on a Sunday night is not easy, but we eventually found a very good friendly Indian restaurant where Rick and Marilyn treated us (thanks R&M). Next day we returned down the arm past Jem Bates Boatyard where he restores old wooden canal boats, where they have these wonderful mooring bollards in the shape of heads.

Breaking new ground for Herbie by getting north of Milton Keynes. The passage through MK is green and tranquil, you have no idea you are passing through a city. Just north of the city you pass over the Ouse valley aqueduct, which is short but scarily high,

and shortly after that pass under this nice old bridge before breaking out into the open Northamptonshire countryside.

Reaching Stoke Bruerne the famous canal village at the southern end of the Blisworth tunnel. This was on Kath's 60th birthday and Rick and Marilyn's wedding anniversary so we all went out for a meal.

Mooring at Great Linford in MK where we had our first fine day and did some rubbing down and painting on Herbie. This is a great place to stop. Peaceful and green with a pub with good food a short walk through the park. Here is the view from our side hatch. In the distance is the Nag's Head where we ate.

Taking the Taylor kids for the return trip through MK to Fenny Stratford. They had a great time and didn't want to get off when we stopped.

Spending two rest days at Fenny - a walk into IKEA for a few domestic bits for Herbie, and a good bit of rubbing down and painting. The port side gunwhale is now de-rusted, primed and undercoated and looks good - now I need to moor on the opposite side on a fine day to do the rest!

A fine day cruising from Fenny to Slapton near Ivinghoe where the countryside is lush and pretty as the canal follows alongside a winding stream. That night we explored the local pub (not as good as the guide book suggested) and then sat in the front well deck and enjoyed the warm evening. I got the fishing road out and caught some largeish bream and lost a big carp which gave me a few minutes run around.

A couple of splendid home cooked (real food) meals at our favourite Angler's Retreat at Marsworth, seen here from the bank of the adjacent reservoir which feeds the canal.

And finally, some nice weather for the last three days of the trip, when we were accompanied by a friendly couple on their boat Shallmar (their names were Graham and Sandra Marshall)

Interesting , but not exactly enjoyable highlights:

Tring canal festival in appalling weather. So bad that on Bank Holiday Monday the final day of the festival was abandoned. Such a great shame, as the festival's aim is to raise funds for the restoration of the remainder of the link to Wendover, but in the event it lost money instead.

Lastly, Jacob falling in the canal off the side of the boat as we were ploughing along. The water was deeper than him and he can swim, but was having difficulty as he was clothed and shocked. I had thrown him the life belt but he couldn't reach it. The boat has very poor brakes so he was some way behind when we stopped, so I had to dive in head first off the stern (remembering to take off my shoes and glasses first) and swim to him to help him into the side where it was shallow. We were both pretty shaken. Luckily it was a hot day and I was wearing only jeans and T-shirt. Had it been a few days earlier when I was wearing waterproofs and several layers of clothing I dread to think what would have happened. We will be reviewing safety procedures, and Jacob has readily agreed to return to wearing a lifejacket.

On the positive side, my watch is still ticking!

Three days before the mast

Just back from our weekend on the Norfolk Broads with a largeish group of friends organised by the unflappable Marilyn Bunnage. The weather was kinder than last year and the breezes were mostly favourable if occasionally slight.

The whole thing revolves around the hire of two half decker sailing boats from Martham (plus a larger live aboard sail boat and some chalets close to the Lion inn at Thurne. Much to-ing and fro-ing of cars gets all the required people to the boats in the morning and off we sail to wherever we can reach. On Saturday it was up to the huge and desolate Hickling Broad and the Ferry Boat Inn. Here are Rick, Marilyn and Kath struggling to overhaul us (not that we're competitive or anything!).

True to tradition and custom, Franks boat ran aground on the way up, and then I managed to steer her on to the mud on the way back too. Bob's bigger boat came to rescue us and we got off the mud while he then got stuck on, and so it went. All very jolly really.

Returning to Thurne for the night we have to get under the low (6ft 6in) Potter Heigham bridge which means lowering the sails and the mast and rowing through, and then putting it all back up again. By then we were beginning to work out which rope did what.

The Lion at Thurne is to be recommended if you can find it (easier by water than by land). Plenty of room, nice food and a good pint of Woodfords Wherry.

On Sunday we sailed down the river Bure to Malthouse Broad and the staithe at Ranworth in heavy boat traffic, mostly huge plastic cruisers. Biggest of all was the mock paddle steamer which seemed to be carry mostly people even older than us!

The non sailors in the party all piled aboard an electric day boat hired by David and Heather and caught us up as we approached Ranworth.

Frank got Kath to take the helm all the way back and she did so unscathed although I managed a coming together with a cruiser at one point. No damage done to our boat that couldn't be mended with a Swiss army knife!

Bird life is varied on the Braods. We saw a number of Marsh Harriers and I managed to get this shot of a reed bunting using my zoom lens flat out.

On the final day, it was back up Candle Dyke (the approach to Hickling Broad)again before returning the boats in one piece (is this a record?) to the hire base at Martham.

Lunch near Hickling Broad. The grass was too wet to sit down.

Calm waters near Hickling

Tonight we're off for an extended trip on Herbie. If we can find some wi fi hotspots we'll try to update the blog en route. Otherwise, dear reader, you'll just have to wait till we get back.

A shiny bottom

We went back to Earith to see Richard's boat Bankside with its shiny black hull. It appears that the hull is still in very good nick, which is a relief, and Graham at the boatyard had done a good job. He had waited for us to inspect the boat out of the water which gave us the opportunity to watch her being craned back in - exciting but nerve racking as she dangled from the crane. Actually it was all very smooth and controlled despite some initial creaking from the straps as they took the strain.

Despite a cold wind for the first half of the journey we had a very pleasant run back up the Ouse to Hartford. Richard's daughter Stephanie joined us for the trip and helped with the locks. I'm getting used to these new fangled locks with their strange terminology. What we call paddles, they call slackers, and the hinged gates are called Vee gates. Here you can see the control panel at Hermitage lock. The lifting guillotine gate is on a timer delay, so it opens a fraction and then waits until the water levels are close to equal before you can lift it right up. What's more it won't lift at all if the sensors on the vee gates show they are not fully closed. All very safety conscious, but very slow. It takes roughly twice as long as the equivalent canal lock.

Back at Hartford, we had a difficult manoeuvre to do, turning the boat round and backing it up in a narrow space to its mooring, all in a stiff breeze that kept blowing the boat offline. Narrowboats have next to no steering in reverse so you have to back up a bit and then when the boat goes off course, use a bit of forward power to steer the boat back on line, then backwards again and so on. Anyway we did it without mishap and Bankside is now safely back home.

A cruise on the Ouse

Richard's boat, Bankside, needs its bottom blacking so we offered ourselves as crew to accompany him on the journey from his mooring at Hartford Marina, up to Westview marina at Earith where Bankside was to be craned out. Friend Rick also joined us for the day as boat jester and as someone who understands the technical gubbinses.

The bridges and locks on the Ouse are so different from what we are used to on the canals and made a nice change. We joked that it was an old person's river really because the locks are all electrically operated (and really slow). No muscle needed. Mind you some of the lock and sluice arrangements are huge in comparison with canal stuff.

We passed through St Ives with its ancient bridge with a chapel in the middle. This years Inland Waterways Association national festival will be held here. It won't be so quiet then!

We saw very few other boats out, but one we did see was broken down with an overheated engine, so as they were struggling to get back to the boatyard we were headed for, we gave them a tow. Bankside's engine performed manfully under the strain, although it did slow us down a bit.

We arrived in good time and moored up against the craning yard (Richard doing a brilliant turn in a very tight space surrounded by valuable plastic boats!). We didn't stop to see Bankside being lifted out, but we hope to see her going back in when we go back to collect her after she is blacked.

On the previous day we stopped off at Marsworth when travelling up by car, and after lunch at our favbourite Angler's Retreat pub, we stolled up the canal. Kath walked right past this heron without even noticing it!

Then just a few yards further on, we saw these ducklings and couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

Out again at last

Back on Herbie for a two day trip in the sun. The spring wildlife is well in evidence now with lots of ducklings, and coot and moorhen chicks about.

More unusually, we spotted this terrapin basking on a log at the edge of the Slough Arm. We had seen one before in London, but not here.

We stopped off at Uxbridge Boat Centre to enquire about a suitable anchor and chain etc for Thames crusing - £93 ! I guess we'll have to have one though for safety reasons. Uxbridge is not the prettiest place on the canal , but once you get above the lock things become very pleasant again.

We moored up for the night in a favourite spot above Denham lock before returning next day via Denham Marina where wqe bought a new ash boat pole. Before that Kath (bless her) spent a happy half hour in the engine bay mopping up the remnants of spilt oil from our old oil leak. Now the engine floor tray is squeaky clean. Fresh newspaper under the engine tells us we still have a small drip, but nothing of significance.

Next week we're off to help our son Richard to move his narrowboat up the Ouse to have her bottom blacked, then we're off for a weekend sailing on the Norfolk Broads with friends, and then we hope to take herbie out for a longer trip. let's hope the fine weather continues.

Here we go here we go here we go

Normal life has been suspended in recent weeks in preparation for the wedding of our daughter Claire. A rare family photo (plus Joe , Claires new spouse)- our kids are hardly ever all together at the same time. Doesn't little Jacob look dapper!

Although it was only a small affair she elected to have the reception at our house, so I had to get the house and garden ready while Kath made Claire's wedding outfit. Anyway it all went off well, the sun shone and now we're back to some semblance of normality.

So tomorrow we're back on Herbie for a couple of days. We need to pick up a new boat pole from Denham and hopefully an anchor and chain etc for our forthcoming trip up the Thames. More money :-(

We have been hoping to detour down the Wey navigation and the Basingstoke canal whilst doing the Thames but they all need separate licences. The short visitor licence on the Wey won't give enough time to branch off it up the Basingstoke, or even to get straight down the Wey and back without putting in quite long days. I wish they'd get their act together and do a decent joint 10 day licence at a reasonable cost. The BW licence begins to look comparatively good value even at over 500 quid for a year. At least you get hundreds of miles of canal and free mooring almost everywhere.

Other boats

Herbie sits waiting for her spring cruise while we are busy at home. However we never seem to be far from a boat. Last weekend I was up in Galloway where I spotted this one looking in need of a bit of TLC.

On the way home I popped in to see Rick and we had a look at the impressive model he made of the Norfolk Wherry Albion.

We had sailed together aboard Albion in 1973 (Rick is seen in the centre here)

and spotted her again when we were on the Broads last year. She is a magnificent boat, built in 1898 and still going strong.

Ugly ducklings no longer

I had to go into Reading today, so I popped down to the swan sanctuary area on the Thames near Caversham Bridge. Last years cygnets now have only a few brown feathers remaining. Actually I rather like them as they are.

I couldn't resist this next photo opportunity

The river is still flowing fast, but looks more benign than last week.

This coming weekend I'm off with my pipes to Gatehouse of Fleet in Galloway, Scotland for an "empirical workshop" organised and hosted by my good friend Jock Agnew of the Lowland and Border Piper's Society. I've booked myself in to a small hotel which I discover was recently awarded the accolade of Best Pub in Southern Scotland. I can't wait!

Jolly boating weather - but not for us:-(

Here in South East England the weather has been beautiful all week. I should have been out on the boat, but I need to attack the garden while its dry. I'll probably neglect it all summer so it needs a good spring clearup to keep it in some sort of shape.

Meanwhile after weeks of wet weather, the rivers are still very high with floodwater. The Thames at Reading last weekend was all over the adjacent meadows (in this pic the actual river is somewhere in the distance)

and roaring along like a train. Footpaths become swimming pools.

I pity those poor souls who keep there boats on the river. I don't know how they sleep when the river is so full. Is the boat tied up securely enough? Will it be deposited on the bank when the floods susbside? I'm very glad we're safely tied up on a canal where the level rarely goes up or down by more than an inch, and there is no current to speak of.

Tale of Three Cats

They say things come in threes. Well, they did in the last couple of weeks. Three totally separate cat related events. The first was amazing, alarming and somewhat stressful.

In the gales we lost a tile from the roof at home and because it was out of sight from the ground, we didn't know until the rain started dripping though the landing ceiling. A quick nip up to the loft spotted the hole and later that day the tile was replaced. End of story, or so we thought. It wasn't until a few days later that we heard a cat meeowing and scratching over the back bedroom (which has a flat roof).

Next evening we heard the same and it became apparent that the cat was somewhere in the loft, although a search through all the boxes and stuff revealed nought. Then I spotted some cats poo on top of the loft hatch. It must have got in when the tile was off and became trapped when it was replaced.

Next time we heard the noises we could tell it was not in the open part of the loft but behind the plasterboard in the void over the stairs. A search with a torch revealed how the pussy had tunnelled through the fibreglass insulation down into the void. Here you can see the tunnel.

We had visions of the poor thing starving to death and me having to cut holes in the wall to retrieve the body. Calls to the RSPCA were disappointing to say the least. I have to say we were not impressed by their lack of response. They seemed more interested in getting my name for their fund raising mailing list. Suffice it to say I shall not be making a donation.

Anyway, we put a nice smelly tin of tuna in the loft and next morning it had all gone. So at least we knew the cat was able to move about and we could keep it alive. It was now over a week since the tile had been replaced and still we hadn't seen the cat, although every night it made a racket and ate our food, and every day it went quiet. We left the loft open with a ladder in place constantly, but to no avail. Then, on Thursday, twelve days after the incident began it decided to show itself at the loft hatch, meeowing loudly. With a piece of tune in one hand to entice it, several attempts were made to grab it until at last Kath managed to seize the cat, receiving a nasty scratch in the process, bring it down. It was a sizeable tabby and despite our fear, it looked in good health although it was obviously hungry. Here it is on our doorstep. I turns out it belonged to a neighbour round the corner who was used to it disappearing for days at a time.

The second cat belongs to a boat which moors near Herbie. It paid me a visit yesterday when I was aboard and wouldn't go away. Not that I mind a friendly cat, but after our recent experience I didn't want to inadvertently trap it aboard Herbie when I locked up and went away for a week! Every time I put it out the back door it would sneak back in the front. Needless to say I did a thorough search before locking up.

Finally, our new ship's cat for Herbie. No problem this one, it just lies there curled up. Well there's not much else a cat made of cardboard and rabbit's fur can do.

This one is a copycat, being a replica of the famous Mrs Chippy, the cat that accompanied the Shackleton expedition to the South Pole.

Navigation by pubs

I just came across an amusing waterways map of the greater London area on the web site of the London Waterways Recovery Group. I'll leave you to follow the link rather than risk infringing their copyriht by putting the map here. Suffice it to say I like it very much as it uses pubs as the only landmarks and copies the familiar London Transport map style.

Here's a picture of another pub landmark lurking behind a weeping willow.

The Rising Sun heralds our entrance to Berkhamstead, a town well endowed with pubs, none of which (amazingly) we have yet sampled! Must put that right this year.

Time and (Semi) Tide

Signs of spring and thoughts of trips to come. March 1st and the daffodils are out on the roundabouts and roadsides near us. British Waterways is nearing the end of its annual stoppage programme and we'll have a free run up the canal again.

I've been researching the journey up the Thames to Oxford and beyond. We have to buy an additional visitors boat licence for this, costing £75 for 15 days. Ouch! Should we wish to venture up the Wey Navigation (belonging to the National Trust) on our way past, that would be another £26 for 3 days or £51 for 7 days. Hmmm. All that is on top of our standard BW licence which this year is £540 odd. At least with the BW licence you can moor overnight almost anywhere on the canals for free. On the Thames you often have to pay a few quid.

Just before we enter the Thames from the canal, we go through a short stretch described as "semi tidal". I had to find out what this means. The Thames itself at Brentford is fully tidal and sealed off from the canal by a lock. Surplus water in the canal spills over a weir alongside the lock. When the tide below the lock goes out, the level in the canal stays at the level of the weir, but when a high tide comes in, it overtops the weir and raises the level above the lock. Semi tidal - geddit? Beyond the next lock further up the canal the tide has no effect.

Once we get on to the tidal Thames we dash upstream an hour and a half to Teddington, where there is a big lock above which the tide cannot reach.