Alvecote to Polesworth - Coventry Canal

Our lovely Newly Painted Side

Passing the Samuel Barlow

We are on the move today but Kev wanted to finish painting the side of the boat before we moved so he got on with it early morning before it got too hot.  By late morning it was done and now we have one lovely newly painted side and it looks really good, he's done a grand job, next will be the roof and then the other side if the towpath swaps over or if not when we turn around.

Going under the M42

It is another lovely sunny day today and we set off along the canal, past the marina and the Samuel Barlow pub and now we have crossed the border from Staffordshire into Warwickshire, we have been in Staffordshire for many months and it is a nice county but now onto pastures new.

There used to be a Bridge here!

Pooley Country Park Moorings

We are not going far today, just a couple of miles, we went under the M42 and past Pooley Country Park and their designated moorings, we walked to here the other day and on a bit further and moored at Polesworth.  The moorings were busy but we managed to squeeze in.

Polesworth

We had lunch then walked up to the village, it has several shop including a fruit and veg shop, a butchers, Spar, Lloyd’s Parmacy and a Co-op.  The meat in the Butchers all looked very good so we bought some bacon and sausages as well as home cooked ham and home made sausage rolls.

There are some old buildings in Polesworth and the River Anker runs through the village and there is some Abbey ruins so we are going to explore all this tomorrow as we are now staying here for a couple of days.

Moored at Polesworth

Few Days at Alvecote

Monday 18^th, Tuesday 19^th and Wednesday 20^th June

Path through Nature Reserve

Info Board

We have stayed put the last few days as Kev wanted to repaint the boat and where we are moored it is a good spot for doing this as there are no houses and no other boats moored here, also the weather has been really good just right for painting.

Brightly Coloured Wheel

Pooley Country Park

Samuel Barlow Pub

We have been out for a few walks.  There is a Nature Reserve just past the marina, Pooley Pools, and a path from the towpath leads into it, so we had a walk around there and it led to Pooley Country Park which has its own moorings for visitors.  There was a tea room and visitor centre but was closed as they only open at weekends and school holidays, but it was a nice walk and there is a brightly coloured wheel there which came from one of the collieries.

Tuesday we had lunch at the Samuel Barlow pub which is by the marina not far from where we are moored.  The food was really good, I has Sirloin steak and Kev had a burger and they were both delicious, quality meat.  They have a nice selection of gins and I tried Keeper’s Strawberry and Lavender, it was so nice.

It is a nice peaceful spot we are moored in, just a few people walking by so okay for a few days.  We will be moving on Thursday.

Hopwas (B'ham & Fazeley) to Alvecote (Coventry Canal)

Saturday 16^th June

Little Market in Whittington

We are staying put today and off on the bus to Whittington and Tamworth.  We walked along the canal to the Tame Otter pub to get the bus.  In Whitington today there is a small market and Wood House Farm usually have a stall there and they were there so we bought some sausages and bacon, they are all from rare breeds.  There was another stall selling their own smoked cheese, cheddar and brie and also home-made scotch eggs, so we got some of that.  There is only four stalls but you can get good things so worth a visit.  We also bought some Cranberry and Walnutt soda bread and some peanut butter cookies.  We then got the bus back to Hopwas, dropped our goodies off at the boat, then back out to the get the bus to Tamworth.

Tamworth has lots of shops and there was a general market with lots of stalls, there is an Aldi and a Lidl.  We had a wander around and got everything we needed.  We got the bus back.  We are staying at Hopwas again tonight then off in the morning.

Sunday 17th June

Path from Canal to Retail Park

We are on the move today, so we set off about 9am along the canal for a couple of miles and stopped between two bridges.  Just here there is a footpath from the canal that takes you into a business/retail park that has B&Q, ToolStation, Sainsburys, Asda, Wilko and quite a few other stores.  We needed some things from B&Q and ToolStation and also Sainsburys.

Coming to another Bridge

It is about a 10 minute walk from the canal so nice and easy.  We got everything we needed then headed back to the boat and set off again.

Fazeley Junction

Passing the B'Ham & Fazeley Canal

We soon came to Fazeley Junction.  This is where the Coventry canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley canal and is dominated by a number of mills, left behind from the once booming textile industry for which the area became well known.  Most of these have now become housing.  It was here in the 1790s, that Robert Peel, father of the Prime Minister, in partnership with Joseph Wilkes, transformed the area, building mills and wharfs, chapels and watercourses and making it a centre of industry that was to last until the depression of the mid-19^th C.

Going over Aqueduct

Coming to Glascote Locks

We were now back on the Coventry canal.  We stopped at the water point then headed on. 

We went over an aqueduct where the Rive Tame flows underneath and then came to Glascote locks.  This is a set of two locks.  There was a boat coming down so he came out and we went in.  I opened one of the paddles and nothing really happened so I opened the other one and the lock started to fill but very slowly.  It took ages but eventually it filled up and out we came.  We went to the next lock which was ready for us and up we went.

In Glascote Bottom Lock

We then chugged on, the canal was really quiet and we didn’t see many boats.  After a couple more miles, we came to Alvecote and moored up before the marina.

Onto the Next Lock

Samuel Barlow Pub

In the evening we went for a walk up to the marina where there is a pub called the Samuel Barlow so we went across the bridge and went in for a drink.  It is a really nice friendly pub and they have some lovely gins and serve them in a nice big glass with the garnish to complement the gin.  I had Keepr’s Raspberry and Honey gin and it was delicious.

We sat outside by the canal having our drinks and there was two boats moored outside the pub with teenage school kids on.  We chatted to a couple of the teachers, they were from a school in the Newcastle area and were out for a week.  There was 18 kids!  They were all very well behaved and the teachers spoke very highly of them all.

We then walked back to the boat.  We are staying here for a couple of days now as there is a nature reserve and country park nearby so we are going to explore that and will move on Wednesday.

Moored at Alvecote

Huddlesford (Coventry Canal) to Hopwas (Birmingham & Fazeley Canal)

Inside Church

Whittington Church

Millennium Window

Yesterday (Thursday) we stayed put and just as well as although it was dry and sunny, it was blowing a hoolie.  We went out for a walk along the towpath to the village of Whittington.  We walked up to the church to do a cache and as the church was open, we had a look inside, it was /a nice church, quite small inside.  We then went in one of the pubs, the Dog Inn for a drink, then called in at the Co-op and made our way back along the canal to the boat.  We chilled out for the rest of the day.

Today (Friday) we are on the move, travelling about 4miles!

The sun was shining and the wind had dropped, thank goodness, as we set off along the canal, it was quite busy today, one boat in front of us and one behind, a bit of a convoy!

Old Wryley & Essington Canal

We passed Huddlesford Junction where the Wryley & Essington canal used to join the Coventry.  This section was 7 miles long, had 30 locks and was opened in 1797.  It has long since been abandoned although it is being restored, but taking a long time.  The first part is now used for moorings by the Lichfield Cruising Club.

Stone Marker

Bridge with Number - Coventry Canal

Bridge with Name - B'ham & Fazley Canal

We chugged on along the canal and on this section there is a stone marker which marks a strange point on this canal where the Coventry Canal becomes the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal .  This came about as the Coventry Canal Company ran out of money at Fazeley and the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Company continued the canal onto Whittington.  The Trent & Mersey Company built a linking arm from Fradley to Whittington which was later bought by the Coventry Canal Company thus becoming a detached section of their canals.  This oddity can be clearly seen when travelling along the canal as only the Coventry canal's bridges are numbered.  The bridges on the Birmingham & Fazeley canal have names.  So technically until we reach the junction we are now on the Birmingham & Fazeley canal.

We went on, past a large wood which is the Whittington Firing Ranges and moored up at Hopwas.

We had lunch then went out to do a circular walk around Hopwas doing some caches on the way.  It took us down a few lanes and along the canal, it was a nice walk and we found some of the caches but not all of them.

We are staying here tonight and also tomorrow as we are catching the bus to Tamworth to do some shopping.

Moored at Hopwas

Fradley (Trent & Mersey Canal) to Huddlesford (Coventry Canal)

Our friendly lock keeper

Yesterday (Tuesday) we stayed put, and did some jobs on the boat, Kev mended the solar panel boxes and I washed the cratch cover and swept up.  It was another warm sunny day.  In the afternoon we went for a walk down the locks, then back to the boat and chilled out for the rest of the day.

Waiting our turn at the lock

Down we go

We are on the move today and have two locks to go down.  There were quite a few boat moving so we left our mooring about 9.15am and waited for the lock.  There was one boat in front of us and one coming up.

Out he comes

In the next lock

There was a lock keeper on the lock so he did one gate and I did the other.  We were soon through the first lock and onto the next.  There was a lock keeper on that one as well so he got the lock ready for us and Kev brought the boat in.  The lock keeper said he would finish doing the lock so I walked on down the towpath, went over the bridge to the Coventry canal. 

Fradley Junction

Kev came out of the lock to the Junction and turned off the Trent & Mersey canal and onto the Coventry canal.  There is a small swing bridge at the entrance to the Coventry canal, so I swung it open and Kev chugged through, I then shut it behind him.  We moored at the water point to fill up with water.

Turning onto the Coventry Canal

Going through the swing bridge

We then chugged on along the canal, newish territory for us having only done this once before a few years ago.

Chugging on the Coventry Canal

The Coventry Canal Company was formed in 1768.  The construction of the canal took just over 20 years and the complete line finally opened in 1790.  The canal was profitable, shipping coal north via the Trent & Mersey canal and south via the Oxford canal.  In fact, commercial traffic continued to flow north until  June 1960.

We chugged on along the canal for a few miles and moored at Huddlesford.

Lovely Iris on the Canal

When we were moored up, we had our number taken by a Canal & River Trust Inspector they do this so they can keep a record of where boats have moved to, usually they are on foot or on a bicycle, but this one was in a canoe, that was different, not seen that before, nice way to travel and do your job at the same time though.

An Inspector Calls (by boat)!

We had lunch then went for a walk up the lane to Wood house Farm and Garden, it is about a 20 minute walk.  It sells Rare Breed Beef and pork and fruit and vegetables and eggs.  Unfortunately it wasn't open today, it is only open Friday and Saturday 11am to 4pm but we will be back up this way later in the year so will call there again on one of the days it is open.

We walked back down the lane past The Plough pub which is just off the canal.  It looked really nice so we will pop in there tomorrow for a drink.

We are staying here tonight and also tomorrow, then off again on Friday.

Moored at Huddlesford

Handsacre to Fradley (Top of Locks) - Trent & Mersey Canal

Yesterday (Sunday) - We are staying put today and it is another sunny warm day.  We chilled out in the morning and in the afternoon we went for a walk along the towpath and did a few caches.  In the evening we had a BBQ as it was such a nice evening.  We are staying here tonight then off in the morning.

Today (Monday) it was another beautiful sunny morning as we set off from our mooring, under the bridge and past The Crown pub and on along the canal leaving Handsacre behind us.

Under the Bridge we go

Passing The Crown pub

We chugged on and came to a huge weeping willow tree hanging right over the canal like a curtain, under the branches we went.  There was a few boats coming the other way, the canal is quite busy today.

Going under the Weeping Willow

Queue at the Lock

After a couple of miles we came to Wood End lock and was dismayed to see a queue, there was five boats in front of us this is going to take a while.  I walked down to the lock to give a helping hand and I think that’s why it was taking so long as not many people were coming down to help. There was a nice lady at the lock who lives at Handsacre and it was their first boat and first ever lock but she was keen to help and learn.

That's us at the Back!

Into the Lock at Last!

There was a few boats coming up, so one down then one up and eventually it was our turn and by this time another three boats had turned up behind us but guess what when it was our turn to come into the lock the people off those boats were nowhere to be seen, typical! 

Kev and I did the lock on our own and it was only when I was opening the gates they started to come down to the lock and opened the other gate, I left them to shut the gates as there was nothing coming up and really it was the least they could do and we went on our way and moored up at the top of the Fradley locks.

Cafe at Fradley

We had lunch then walked down the locks to get rid of rubbish and empty the Elsan.  We stopped off at the cafe on the way back, then walked back up to the boat.

It did go overcast and humid during the afternoon, but then the sun came back out and it was a lovely evening, 

We are staying here tonight and also tomorrow, then down the locks and turning off this canal and onto the Coventry canal on Wednesday.  We have only done this part of the Coventry canal once a few years ago so we are looking forward to doing it again.

Moored at Fradley