Saturday April 20th

There are a few themes that occur quite frequently in this blog and one of those is the weather. As we’re British, the usual opening subject in any conversation is about the weather. And, being Brits, we have so much more weather than most other countries.

We may not have the searing heat of the Sahara or the freezing tundra of the Arctic, but, by gum, we certainly get more variety than anywhere else.

On Thursday, we were sheltering from gale force winds and driving rain. Yesterday we wore several layers as the day was cool and grey.

Today, however, was one of those days that make you glad to be alive. As Pop Larkins would have said – “Perfik”.

The sun shone from a blue sky dotted with cotton wool fluffy clouds. The birds twittered, a woodpecker did a passable imitation of a Black & Decker drill, buds were springing, daffodils nodded, primroses shimmered and violets did whatever violets do. It was, in short, a perfect spring day that would have been the highlight last year if it had occurred in June or July.

It’s amazing how good everywhere looks in bright, warm sunshine. Surely even Rochdale would look inviting on a day like this.

On second thoughts, perhaps not.

What was also surprising – how often do we get a lovely day like this – was the sheer lack of boats on the move on a Saturday. We saw just seven moving boats all day, and two of those were just before we finished for the day.

When travelling to or from Birmingham from or to the south, most boaters turn their noses up at the heavily locked (and I mean heavy) Grand Union route, preferring, as we have done the last couple of years, the lighter lockage through the narrow locks of the Oxford, Coventry & Birmingham & Fazeley.

And yet, despite the hard labour involved in the drop down into the Avon valley and the climb back out again, it is a charming length of canal, utterly remote and peaceful. Apart from two main roads at the top of Stockton and one at the bottom of Itchington, the 10 miles or so from Napton to Radford Semele are amongst the quietest anywhere on the network. Only a handful of country lanes come close to the canal.

Former railway bridge near Long Itchington

We left Itchington in seeming isolation with just a couple of dog walkers for company. The short section to Bascote Locks is beguilingly attractive as the canal strides out across the embankment carrying it over the small River Itchen and under a rusting railway girder bridge that formerly carried the ex-LNWR line from Weedon Junction to Leamington and which we have been leapfrogging all the way from Braunston and will continue to.

David Blagrove in his lovely book about the last days of commercial carrying on the canals (“Bread Upon The Waters”) tells an amusing story about this bridge and a pair of unfortunate painters. I’ll leave you to buy the book and find out for yourself!

Soon, however, the peaceful idyll comes to an end and the hard work of the continuing drop to the Avon restarts. Bascote Locks come as a bit of a shock as the top two of the flight of four are in the form of a staircase.

Approaching Bascote Locks

The Grand Union locks from Calcutt to Knowle are big, deep and heavy. They have a paddle mechanism unique to the canal system where the paddle is encased in a metal case and a rod rises out of the top to signify that the paddle is raised or not. They take over 20 turns of the windlass to raise and drop but at least they do fill and empty remarkably quickly.

They were the result of the two narrow locked Warwick canals (the Warwick & Napton and the Warwick & Birmingham) being taken over by the Grand Junction Canal which was already operating a broad locked route from London to Braunston.

Obtaining a lease over the Oxford Canal’s route from Braunston to Napton, they set about improving the Napton to Birmingham section, a process accelerated by their merger with the Regent’s Canal and the formation of the Grand Union Canal as we know it today.

In the 1920’s they widened the 51 locks that took the canal to the outskirts of the second city where they developed two major wharves for the onward transportation of goods. The former narrow locks were retained as overflows for the new big locks.

The top two locks at Bascote (and I stand to be corrected here) forms the only staircase on the Grand Union system. Two further single locks follow immediately after.

Once through the locks (preferably without flooding the towpath at the staircase) a short and remote section takes us to a gaggle of locks most of which are just that irritating distance apart – a little bit too short to justify getting back on the boat for and a little too far to walk.

Despite the remoteness, there is history around us. Welsh Road Lock recalls the days when Welsh cattle drovers walked their cattle across this route to market in London. A little further on Wood lock commemorates, well, a wood, whilst Fosse Locks mark the crossing of the Roman Fosse Way as it makes its arrow-straight route from Cirencester to Leicester.

There is a lovely pair of Grand Union canal workers' cottages here dating from the lock widening.

Former canal cottages at Fosse Locks

In amongst the three Fosse locks, we took advantage of the Elsan point to empty the loos before finishing the drop down to the river by negotiating Radford Lock. This is presaged by a massive blue brick former railway viaduct (our old friend the Weedon – Leamington line) now in use as a walkway and cycleway.

Here we met a familiar boat from our meanderings on the BCN. ‘Glenfield’ and its single handed skipper had left Brum after the BCN Society clean up weekend on the Stourbridge Canal last weekend. He usually could only move the boat at weekends although he had got this Monday off. In that time he hoped to get to Marsworth (near Tring) and then down to Little Venice in London the following weekend for the Canal Cavalcade Rally. Single handed as well! Good luck to him.

Usual mooring site at Radford Semele



When we utilise this route to Birmingham, we normally stop at Radford (or Radford Semele to give its full name) and then have a relatively easy trip into Warwick the next day. However, the day was so fine and we were enjoying it so much that we decided to continue despite the knowledge that Leamington awaited us.

The first major road crossing since Itchington heralds the long entrance into Leamington through the parts of the town that the local Tourist Board don’t normally advertise or want you to see. Drab, featureless estates lead you into the old industrial quarter of the town. Although the old gas works are a thing of the past, Rangemaster’s seemingly derelict and crumbling factory takes the whole concept of grottiness to a new level. Despite this, the visitor moorings just about opposite were quite full for once.

The part of Leamington Spa the Tourist Authority don't want you to see!

The only 'pretty' bit of Leamington the canal passes through

Without passing through any of the “popular” areas of the Georgian and Victorian spa town, we are soon leaving the place through a litter strewn cutting. A large new supermarket has sprung up since our last visit, partly built on the site of the recently demolished Ford Motors factory.

Just about sums this country up. Demolish places that make things and replace them with little boxes called houses or retail parks.

A twist in the canal marks a new channel dug some years ago to allow for road “improvements” before the canal enters the upmarket suburb of Myton. It was a shame to find that the Myton Alpacas had left their canalside paddock.

Myton eventually comes to an end with an aqueduct over the railway line before it passes over the Avon. Despite being only a mile or so away from Warwick Castle, the river is decidedly not the river of the Bard of Avon, with an electricity sub-station (the remains of Warwick’s erstwhile power station of Warwick Light to the boatmen) prominent to the southwest, the view being curtailed by a grotty rusting railway bridge.

A canalside Tesco (built on the site of the power station – there is a theme developing here) precedes a sharp bend that takes us into the built up suburbs of Warwick itself. This was the site of Emscote Mills and former mill buildings are still in industrial use today. A long line of moored boats mark the adjacent yards of Delta Marine (specialists in construction of broad beam craft) and the main hire base of Kate Boats.

There was the usual jumble of boats outside the latter made even worse by a couple of boats being “tied up” across the canal “so we can take on supplies” as the skipper of one of them said. A channel just wide enough to pass was available and then only at the risk of scraping your blacking against the concrete towpath edges. Just as well we weren’t on a broad beam craft.



Approaching the Cape Locks, Warwick

A pleasant stretch follows where you can admire the efforts people are putting into their back gardens before the new Warwick Hospital comes alongside. A couple of siren blaring ambulances taking their patients into the Accident & Emergency Unit made us think a bit.



The final locks of the day now came into view – the start of the ascent out of the river valley. There are two Cape Locks and we were pleased to see the bottom one was empty. As we slowly rose in the lock, the crew off two boats just leaving the upper lock came to help. I was pleasantly surprised to be hailed by name by John Dodwell, a C&RT Trustee who was out with his wife on their boat.



Climbing Cape Locks

The Cape of Good Hope pub

Once through the locks and past “The Cape Of Good Hope” the adjacent well known canalside pub, we were now on the last stretch. The Warwick & Napton Canal that we have been travelling on makes an end on junction with the Warwick & Birmingham Canal close to the latter’s terminal basin. As a road bridge crosses right on the junction (a right-angled one), horns are the order of the day.

We turned left and headed into the erstwhile terminal arm of the Warwick & Birmingham Canal now slightly foreshortened. After falling into dereliction the bulk of the arm was taken over by a group of boaters – the Saltisford Canal Trust – who over several decades have turned the dead end into a thriving boating community. There are long term moorings, residential boaters and all the facilities any self-respecting boater could want.

There is a good length available for visitors and we have availed ourselves of this peaceful haven each time we have come through this way. The site manager, Ian, made us welcome in his usual deadpan  Brummie way, and we started to unwind and relax in the afternoon sunshine, taking the opportunity to plug into the electric.

Our mooring in the Saltisford Arm, Warwick

We shall stay here until Tuesday when we start the assault up Hatton flight of 21 big and ugly locks (including the infamous section known as the Stairway to Heaven), hopefully in the company of a hireboat with 8 hulking great rugby players on.

We should be so lucky.