Wednesday 27th
March 2019
We hung on at the moorings to time our arrival at Streethay Wharf in
time for their postal delivery, and hopefully the TV cable would arrive.
We have been binge watching the TV series “Vikings” after having
finished “The Last Kingdom” series prior to this. Pretty apt we feel,
considering how much this period of history had impacted in the area around
Lichfield and Tamworth. We watched another episode and then left at 11:30.
We arrived at Streethay at the same time as the postie and the cable
was delivered and is the correct one. That’s good. Now we can start moving
again.
We bought oil and parts for the engine service due in about …… hours.
Oil, oil filter, a fuel filter and a spare. Unfortunately, they didn’t have an
air filter. We spoke with Gareth and the boat has been booked in to have the
roof repaint on 9th September. The job will take about 2 weeks but
it is OK if we drop the boat off the week before. This means now, that we can
book a holiday.
At present, the roof is painted with a non-slip grey paint but only a
couple of months after the build, the roof started to turn black in patches
with mould. We have tried all sorts to get rid of this, but after a few weeks
it would return. We are having it painted with gloss paint which will mean we
won’t be able to walk on it for fear of slipping, especially when damp, but it
will look a lot better.
Beyond Streethay we passed the new marina at Kings Orchard and then
came to Huddlesford Junction, becoming quite excited about moving. It was a
lovely day, although chilly, and we passed just three other boats moving.
At Whittington we saw a canal marker for the Coventry Canal actually
in somebody’s garden. How good to have a piece of history like that in your
garden. A few hundred yards further on we came across a stone marker showing
the Coventry Canal in one direction and the Birmingham and Fazeley in the
other.
Coventry Canal and Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Markers in Whittington
As we said earlier, the Coventry Canal was supposed to run from Coventry
Basin and join the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley. However, the Coventry
Canal Company only got as far Fazeley and ran out of money. The through canal
was completed by the Birmingham and Fazeley building the canal from Fazeley
Junction to Whittington and the Trent and Mersey completing the route to
Fradley. The Coventry Canal Company later bought the section built by the Trent
and Mersey but the Birmingham and Fazeley held onto their section, so the
section of the “Coventry Canal” from Fazeley to Whittington is still actually,
a part of the Birmingham and Fazleley Canal and this is what these old markers
show. A fascinating story.
Beyond Whittington the canal is very isolated and rural. However, the
railway line is never far away. Many of the canals in Britain were to be used
as defence lines in World War II in the event of invasion and there are many pill
boxes in this area, not all being very visible. However, there is one in a field
between the canal, railway and the River Tame that is stuck out in the middle
of an open field with no cover whatsoever. Curious that one would be built in
such a vulnerable position.
We had two “encounters” at Hopwas Wood within a few hundred yards of
each other. At Tamhorn Park Bridge there was another boat coming towards us but
we were far closer to the bridge so, strictly speaking, we should have had
priority. However, approaching the bridge hole it became obvious that this guy
had no intention of slowing down or giving way at all. I had to go into reverse
and increase reverse power more and more to avoid a collision which we did with
little more than an inch of clearance. The other boat just steered a line as
though there was nobody in front of him and he blanked us completely. A tinky,
uncared-for boat with an unkempt guy on the boat on his own at the tiller. It
is very rare I lose my temper with other boaters but I really did with this
guy, and he completely ignored us. Twat.
Just after this confrontation, we came across two women who had lost
their Jack Russell. We had seen him just before, running loose in the field
across the canal. It turned out the dog had fallen in and swam to the other
side and couldn’t find his way back. We manoeuvred the boat so she was right
across the canal with the bow against the far bank but a reed bank was
preventing us from reaching the bank itself. I had to put the gangplank from
the bow to the bank and walk down it to reach the dog. The poor little thing
was terrified and shaking. But all ended well and our good deed for the day.
Only once we had rescued the dog did we notice a boat had come around the
corner and was waiting. The angle he was at he couldn’t have seen what was
going on, and would only have seen a boat right across the canal. He must have
thought of us as right prats until we explained what had happened.
We duly arrived at Hopwas where we intended mooring and were indeed,
lucky enough to moor right next to the Lichfield Road Bridge and between two
pubs. We had the beer garden from one across the towpath from us and the beer
garden from the other across the canal. Heaven!
The Tame Otter on one side and The Red
Lion on the other.
Heaven!
We went for a pint in the Red Lion across the canal with the intention
we would acquaint ourselves with the other tomorrow. When we returned to the
boat one of the women whose dog we had rescued earlier was in the beer garden
next to the boat and she completely ignored us. There are some strange and
ungrateful people about.
Weather: a bit chilly but a lovely sunny day.
Day Total: 0 locks; 6½ miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0
Boat Lift; engine running hours 3.8
Overall Total: 352 locks; 773 miles; 32 tunnels; 11 Swing Bridges; 2
Boat Lifts; engine running hours 498.2
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