A bad case of wind...

....of the meteorological type of course. The last couple of days have been hard going in the strong winds. At least we can wrap up warm and it has remained dry. Luke and Annabelle have been great company and are leaving us in the morning. They have been a great help at the locks and have made wonderful breakfasts the last couple of mornings and Luke has kept the fire in well.

The Soar has been very quiet but enjoyable. As we approached the junction with the Trent, we passed James and Amy on nb Willow http://severnerwillow.wordpress.com/ travelling in the opposite direction. They read our blog and it was a shame we couldn't stop and say hello...maybe some other time. We were glad to finally moor up at Sawley cut for the night and enjoyed a lovely homemade chilli. 

Lovely view of the church at Normanton-on-Soar

This morning the wind was just as strong. Louise decided to walk the dogs up to Derwent Mouth rather than ride the waves of the river. We had a brief respite from the wind at Weston as we passed below the Ukranian Centre but unfortunately it was short lived. At Stenson, Luke and Annabelle stopped off at the coffee shop for hot chocolate and cake and we continued on to Findern and moored behind Nadee again and tonight we have enjoyed a fabulous Indian meal. 

Tomorrow we plan to call in at Midland Chandlers at Mercia Marina for some bits and bobs as they have 20% off everything for the day, before we head to Branston to meet up with friends for a few beers. Let's hope the wind finally relents and we can have some enjoyable cruising.

On home territory.

A pleasant couple of days cruising on the T&M. The weather has been cool, but the sun has shown its face and the wind has been light.

We left Alrewas on Saturday morning breaking a wafer thin skimming of ice and were soon on the river section to Wychnor. A breakfast break at Barton before heading through Burton on Trent where we called in at Jannel Cruisers to pick up a bag of smokeless fuel. A few changes since we last called in, including a cafe. 

We moored up mid afternoon at Findern behind Nadee Indian Restaurant in lovely sunshine. We didn't eat there on this occasion, but we can certainly recommend it for a meal. One of our favourite local such establishments. Instead, we ate on board and welcomed our good friends Dave & Sally over for a few evening drinks. We were accompanied by some very loud Bhangra music from a function at the restaurant. It even had the windows vibrating !! 

This morning we woke to the canal being quite solidly iced over. We took a walk down to Stenson Lock coffee shop and enjoyed a latte and by the time we got back to the boat a few had started moving and breaking the ice. We left just after midday and soon encountered some valuable Health & Safety advice from an elderly lady enjoying a walk. "Don't fall in it's icy. You'll catch hibernation" she said. I know what she meant...I think ?? We enjoyed the trip down to Shardlow. We know this section intimately. We often walk the dogs along various stretches and John grew up fishing at Stenson, Swarkestone and Shardlow. Louises uncle and aunt live in a house that backs onto the canal just above Weston Lock and she spent a lot her childhood here too. 

Moorings at Shardlow were full so we carried on and moored just above Derwent Mouth Lock before taking a walk down to Sawley to check on river levels...everything just in the green and falling which is good news. 

I was shocked tonight as we walked through the fishery beside the M1 (for which I have had a ticket for 35 years). Like boaters, there are varying types of anglers. Personally, I like to out think fish and be active in catching them, altering tactics according to conditions etc. Over recent years the carp angler has gained popularity, especially those who sit in a tent and wait for a bite alarm to tell them a fish has taken the bait. Not much skill in that is my humble opinion, but to see the 'bivvies' by the lake with a digital TV aerial protruding out of the top is a whole new dimension !!! 

Tomorrow our peace will be shattered as our youngest son and girlfriend join us for a few days. It was nice while it lasted...

Drought..........Are you sure ??

Our first trip of 2012 at the end of April saw us head off for the River Soar, intending to travel to the northern outskirts of Leicester. Much of the country was in drought with hosepipe bans, and the GU was due to be closed to through boating traffic on 13th April.

We set off at about 1.30pm on Saturday 31st April . The weather was cold and some wintery showers accompanied us as far as Alrewas. We managed to get a mooring near to the footbridge in the centre of the village. We intended to visit the Crown pub in the village for dinner, but on ringing to book a table, we were told that they weren't doing food that night ???? What a shame as the last time we visited, we had a lovely meal there. We settled for a Chinese from the local takeaway - and very nice it was too.

Alrewas

The following morning we were up early and greeted by quite a hard ground frost. We walked as far as Wychnor before returning for breakfast and then setting off about 10.30am. A few boats moving, but we weren't held up. We made contact with Louises's cousin Paul who planned to meet us at Barton and travel with us for the day. We duly met up with him about midday and enjoyed his company to Findern where we moored behind the Nadee restaurant and were met by Paul's wife Annette. We were tempted by the thought of a curry and it is one of our favourite local Indians, but a friend was due to visit us here and she had already eaten, so we ate on board.

Tattenhill Lock

Monday saw us travel down to Swarkestone where we met up with another friend of Louise. Debbie eventually managed to find us !! She then stayed with us down towards Weston-on-Trent before the thought of the distance back to her car at Swarkestone got the better of her and she hopped off to make the walk. We continued on through Shardlow as far as Sawley Cut and again ate on board.

Weston Lock

Tuesday was forecast to be wet after lunch, so we had a quick walk into Sawley to post our Easter cards before we set off for the Soar. The cloudy skies became darker as lunch approached and we decided to moor up at Zouch cut before the rain came. Once it started it kept coming, and rained almost continually for the next 30 hours. We had a nice meal in the Rose & Crown at Zouch.

Wednesday saw us stay put. We ventured out around tea time on Wednesday evening to find the water level below the lock well into the amber -  a rise of a good 2-3 feet from Tuesday. Hopefully it wouldn't go any higher !!

Mooring above Kegworth Deep Lock

Well into the red !!!!

We got up on Thursday morning and the rain had subsided. I walked to Zouch Lock to find the water level right on the border between amber and red !! A quick decision to turn back as quickly as possible and get off the river before it got any higher. We set off towards Normanton on Soar and were horrified to find the current of the water flowing over the weir just beyond the road bridge looking very menacing !! No turning back now, so full throttle and we got across the top of the weir quite easily, but the feeling in our stomachs was far from easy. We winded by the boat club at Normanton and then headed back to Kegworth. The flow meant we travelled at tick over.......I say 'we'.....that would be Moonie and I, as Louise decided it would be safer to walk !!! When we got to Kegworth I had a look at the water level indicator below the lock and it was a good two feet in the red - didn't expect that!! We moored up in a lovely spot above Kegworth Lock, the only boat there and had a good hearty breakfast, and there we stayed waiting for the level to drop. That afternoon we walked the 3 miles or so to Redhill. The flood lock was closed and the traffic lights were on red for boat traffic travelling onto the Soar, although green if going out onto the Trent. We walked back and into Kegworth village to get some provisions before returning to Moonie.

A beautiful frosty morning in April !!

Friday morning saw a drop in the water levels and we decided to leave our moorings at Kegworth. Our eldest son, Liam, was home from university in Cardiff and he had rung to say he was going to catch a bus and meet us at Shardlow. The water levels were safe enough to proceed and we met up with him at Derwent Mouth Lock. We travelled up to Weston for lunch and then on as far as Findern where we couldn't resist the temptation of Nadee and enjoyed a good indian meal. Liam decided to stay the night with us. The following morning we travelled up to Willington to make use of the services and then had a good breakfast before Liam got a taxi home and we continued towards Burton. We travelled as far as Wychnor and moored just above the river lock in a spot we had liked the look of on the way down. It proved popular with other boats, but despite being close to the A38, was really quiet and peaceful.

We had a good breakfast on Sunday before making the trip back to Kings Bromley. No real queues to contend with and we made our way up through Alrewas and Fradley and then back to base. A nice trip out but thwarted by the weather and we didn't get as far as we hoped, but then again does it really matter ?

Total 75 miles and 54 locks.