Next message: Rosalie B.: "Pontcysylite Aqueduct was Re: lv-ab: Living Aboard a narrowboat in England (for the weekend)"
On Sun, 04 Aug 2002 11:11:03 -0400, you wrote:
>Bob and I just came back from a trip by air to England. Primary goal of
>the trip was to see our daughter and grandson that we haven't seen for 2
>years because they are over there on a job exchange.
>Friday - July 26:
> to Dunhampstead where the boat hire place was. We
>parked in the last two places (free), and had the boat tour including
>important lock information (don't leave the paddle winder in the lock
>mechanism - it will jump out and doesn't float), boat running information
>(check the sump every day, don't let the rudder catch on the lock sill or
>the sill will damage the rudder - £££), stove running information (hold the
>stove knob on for 30 seconds), and toilet running information (normal head
>operation except that it was a fresh water flush directly into the holding
>tank - Bob says they were SeaLand toilets).
>We decided to go down to Worcester and come back instead of going to
>Birmingham because the route to Birmingham included among other things the
>Tardebigge Locks - 30 locks in a row, and we didn't want to expend that
>much effort. Plus, Birmingham isn't exactly a prime tourist destination.
>
>But there were no tunnels on the route, and I wanted to do at least one
>tunnel, so we went up toward Hanbury Wharf first, and went through the
>Dunhampstead Tunnel (236 yards long), through Shernal Green, and turned
>around at the Droitwich Junction where there is a defunct canal. The canals
>are too narrow to turn except at junctions or turning points.
>
>We could have had dinner at the Eagle and Sun pub, but it is apparently so
>popular that we'd have to have reservations and besides it was too early
>for dinner and too late for lunch. The boats used to be towed by horses,
>but there was no towpath through the tunnels, so the horses were led around
>and the men 'legged' the boat through the tunnel - lay on their backs and
>walked the boat through with their legs on the sides or top of the tunnel.
>
>Bob steered, and turned us around (the boat is 43 feet long, not quite 7
>feet wide, and doesn't steer well in reverse) without any apparent
>problems. It was like our boat, except half as wide and with no mast. The
>boat steers by a long tiller and the helmsman stands on a little deck on
>the back with no railing, and not enough room for another person. When you
>reach into the cabin to change the engine setting (3 cyl. diesel), you have
>to be careful not to honk the horn which is in there.
>
>Then we went back down through the tunnel again, past the hire office, past
>Oddingley with its ancient half-timbered manor house and tiny church (with
>several murders to its credit) to the free public moorings in Tibberton -
>distance of perhaps 7 miles in all.
>
>We moored below the bridge and went up to eat dinner there at The Bridge
>pub (we actually had a choice of two pubs) outside overlooking the canal.
>I had rib eye, new potatoes, salad and raspberry rhapsody, Dave our SIL had
>lemon sole, chips and veggies and blackberry pie and ice cream, Matthew had
>sausage and chips which seems to be his favorite meal, Debbie had spinach
>and ricotta lasagna and veggies and Bob had cottage pie, new potatoes and
>salad, and both Debbie and Bob had knights in white satin for desert, which
>turned out to be chocolate fudge cake with white cream icing. We drank
>variously tea, Guinness, coke and sprite. Then we had a peaceful night.
>
>We had a small boat, and after the entrance at the stern, the next thing
>after you go down two steep steps was a fixed double which was so narrow
>that Bob and I had trouble both lying flat without overlapping. Also one
>side was against the bulkhead. Then there was a galley (gas stove with
>igniter built in, and an oven, sink and under the counter refrigerator),
>and a small table and 2 seats opposite. This table and seats make into a
>single bunk. Then the head and shower area - shower and sink on one side
>and toilet on the other. THe shower has to be manually pumped out. You
>can pull the doors shut across the boat to make the bathroom private or you
>can just use the head and people can still walk through. Then a couple of
>long benches, which make into a larger than king-sized double or two
>singles, and a place to put a larger table that we could all sit at in the
>middle. Then the doors to the small bow area where 2 people could sit.
>
>July 27 - Dave got up and ran up to the tunnel and back, then he got a
>local paper and a national paper in Tibberton and showered. We were off
>before 9. Right after Tibberton, the locks start. There were 14 of them
>between Tibberton and the Severn River in Worcester. First were the
>Offerton Locks (6). We were following another boat which also had first
>time hirers. Another boat following us was more experienced.
>
>Since we were all going in the same direction, that meant the first boat
>wound open the top paddles, and after the lock filled opened the gates, Bob
>(or later Dave) steered into the lock, and then the crew closed the top
>paddles and gates. Opened the bottom paddles, and after the lock emptied,
>opened the gates, and exited the lock, closing the gates and paddles
>behind. Then we had to repeat the same procedure at each lock unless we
>met a boat coming up, in which case they would fill the lock and leave the
>top gates open. It was easier with two people to work the locks. WInding
>the paddles down required some muscle.
>
>At one point, the people ahead didn't shut one of the bottom paddles all
>the way so the lock wouldn't fill. The lady in the boat behind us pointed
>that out. After we got done with those locks, Dave started steering the
>boat and Bob and Debbie worked the locks. We passed under a railroad
>bridge, and intended to go into the Viking boat basin to get water, but
>decided to go all the way down into Worcester almost to the Severn River
>locks (the last 2 on the canal) and get water and turn around in the Diglis
>basin ready to come back.
>
>Bob took over running the boat in Worcester, and as we approached the
>Sidbury Lock which was the last one we were going to do in that direction,
>we saw a lady and a little girl in US type colonial costume feeding the
>ducks in front of the lock. We came in to let Debbie and Dave and Matthew
>off, and apparently one of the ducks got between the boat and the brick
>side of the canal and was killed. The lady had a fit. But as the boat
>yard manager said - you can't maneuver an 18 ton boat that precisely, and
>also you can't see from the steering position exactly what is in front of
>you because there's a big blind spot caused by the cabin.
>
>It left a bad taste in everyone's mouths because we all felt that the lady
>who was feeding the ducks had caused the problem and she was very officious
>and said she would report it to the RSPCA and there would be a big fine,
>and some guy (presumably her boss) wanted us to stop for us to talk to him
>in the middle of locking down, or under the bridge which was next to the
>lock which we couldn't do of course, and then came down and told us it was
>a protected duck (!!!) and endangered etc. They asked for the boat number,
>which was written in LARGE numbers on the side of the boat, along with the
>hire companies phone number which he ostentatiously wrote down.
>
>So we continued down and got water (it carries 140 gallons), and tied up
>below the lock instead of above the lock where we would have been closer to
>town as we had intended. The total distance was less than 6 miles. We got
>off the boat and went into town and ate a late lunch at Charlie's Cafe
>(Matthew had sausage and chips, I had quiche and salad, Dave had steak and
>ale pie, Bob had a tuna sandwich and Debbie had a cheese potato and salad).
>We didn't want to eat at the King's Arms with a view of the canal at that
>point.
>
>It was too bad that we didn't walk up into the cathedral first to eat
>because they were having a food fair. We toured the cathedral (King John
>is buried there) and Dave and Debbie and Matthew went up into the tower.
>We got to hear the jazz ensemble rehearsing for the 1600 performance while
>they were doing that, and also the bells were rung.
>
>Bob and I walked to the Royal Worcester factory, and I bought a plate for
>my mom. Dave and Debbie took Matthew to get some soccer spikes for camp
>this week, and then they went to the Royal Worcester factory too.
>
>Dave wanted to go to mass either Sun morning or Sat evening, so Debbie and
>I had researched all the Catholic churchs in Worcester. (The Cathedral is
>COE of course.) St. George's was not too far away which had 6 pm mass, so
>they walked up to it, and Bob and I napped a bit on the boat, and then met
>them at bridge #3 (we were moored right opposite the Royal Worcester
>factory at bridge #2, but there was no access from the canal to bridge #2)
>and then had dinner at Ye Old Talbot. (The food fair was over at 5:30 pm).
>I had the lamp chop special, Debbie had the lamb joint which was more fat
>and had bones, and Bob and Dave had steak and ale pie, which neither one of
>them thought was as good as previous ones they had. Matthew had a
>hamburger and chips for a change. Debbie and Matthew shared a chocolate
>torte, Bob had lemon Brule (which was excellent), and I had a blackberry
>pie for dessert. Dave had another Guinness.
>
>I have finally gotten resigned to the fact that lemonade means Sprite here,
>and hot tea is too hot for me to drink right away if I am thirsty, so this
>time I ordered pineapple juice and got about half a glass of it. So I
>ordered tap water in addition.
Photos of the inside of boat, tunnel, locks down to Worcester, cathedral
and dinners are at:
http://photomail.photoworks.com/sharing/album.asp?First=1&Key=4750338768400402
This includes a photo of the lady who was feeding the ducks before she
started feeding them again.
Have not heard anything about that BTW
grandma Rosalie
S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/_wsn/page2.html
___________________________________________________________________________
|| The Live-Aboard List : send a "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" request ||
|| in body of message to: ||
