Grand Union Canal, Crick and up the Welford Arm (for
Christmas)
Well here's the last write up of our last little
bit of cruising until we stop for Christmas. We've not been far, the weather
has been dreadful, weve swapped the sharp frosty mornings with the beautiful
winter blue skies and the low but bright sunshine for lots of rain and strong hard
winds, grey rumbling skies; it's been a stormy old December.
There's not many boats moving about now, the hire
boats have virtually stopped but there's a few like us, moving only a few miles
when the weather allows. Smoke billows out of chimneys as boats rock with the
wind against the banks but inside boaters are cosy and warm sheltering from the
wild weather outside.
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| Moored up at Crick, we decided to make a move... |
Thursday 12th December 2013
It was a beautiful winters day today, we've not had
many of them this year! Not too cold, sun shining and blue sky. What more could
we ask for! We moved the boat away from the bank and headed towards Crick Wharf
on the opposite bank. Here we filled up with water, and we were away. We went
at a slow speed, enjoying our short cruise to Yelvertoft in the cold winter
sunshine, taking in all the brown winter landscape around us.
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| Looking back at Cracks Hill towards Crick |
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| The landscape is bear and the reeds have all died off |
It wasn't long
before we arrived at the 14 day moorings by the water point, there was one boat,
Lady Arwen, already tied up but we slowly glided into a nice spot behind them.
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| Moored up at the 14 day moorings at Yelvertoft |
We moored the boat against the bank and chatted to the owners for a while.
After warming up with a lovely cuppa soup and lunch we took Kavk out for his
usual afternoon walk but struggled to find anywhere to walk him off towpath. So
he had to be content with the towpath. After all ,he is a boatie dog!
Back at the boat we settled in for a lovely quiet
night in. On Friday we decided to move on
straight away, we couldn't find and good walks for Jack, and we are always happiest
when he's happy! So we set off up the canal to our next destination..... we
still hadn't decided where, well know soon enough!
The sun was desperately trying to come out but the
grey clouds were winning today, it was cold and grey, but not yet windy.
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| C&RT workers hide up from the weather as they take their morning break at 9.30! |
We
started up the engine and made our way through the still waters until we came
across a CRT workboat dredging and filling in banks. But it was only 9.30am and
they were already on a tea break, sitting inside cradling mugs of tea!
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| A proper winter scene on our way up the canal to Welford |
We
headed on, hats, gloves and scarfs hiding any spare raw skin away from the
cold, and now windy, winter weather. The woodsmoke smelt nice from the chimney,
the wind billowing it around the boat sometimes sending it straight at you full
in the face!
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| Autumn leaves lay on the ground, the trees all brown and bare..... |
The countryside is brown and bare, all the colours of autumn are laying
on the ground now and covering the surface of the canal as we slowly go through
the layer of dead leaves, making our way the 3 miles to our next stop.
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| We make our way through the layers of dead leaves that lay on the surface of the canal |
There's
been no other boats moving today, not seen a soul, we like it like that!
We pulled over a few hundred yards before the huge and
very busy Bridge 30, the A14 bridge near a place called Elkington.
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| Lovely spot just before the A14 bridge, peaceful and quiet too! |
We moored up
by bridge 28. We couldn't hear the traffic from the A14, there were great dog
walks over huge hilly fields and we could park the car there too!
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| The view on one of our dog walks, the A14 road in the distance |
We can also get
Internet, telly and phone signal too! Happy days! After a great, but very
windy, walk with Jack we returned home not seeing another boat on the move or a
person the whole time.
After a lovely quiet night we were up with the frost
and out walking the fields with Jack. We headed off into Crick to do some
shopping at the local Co-op. We had a quiet day in, just nice!
On Sunday 15th December we woke early. I was going to Suffolk to watch my grandson, Jay,
perform in the local village panto, Treasure Island.
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| Jay (centre) makes his debut on the 'big stage' |
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| Jay peering out from behind the fruit filled afro |
I left early and the 111
mile journey was good. We had a lovely day, Jay remembered his lines and we all
enjoyed a mountain of pizza and chips from the local takeaway. I stayed the
night with Donna and we had a lovely day shopping in Diss on Monday.
I'd promised the boys I would pick them up from school
but at 3.20 pm the sky turned the darkest grey I've ever seen, came over as
black as night time. But I couldn't let them down, off I trudged down to the
school and yep, we got drenched! Soaked right through. Only one thing can make
that right, a hot steamy bath. And it's already been run for me! How lovely is
that!
I left Donnas after my bath and a good warm up and
went to see my son Deane, had a lovely couple of hours with him and my two
other lovely grand kids, Lexi and Leo.
I eventually got home at 11pm, Paul had walked Jack up
to the car to meet me, he was so excited (so was Jack!!!).
On Tuesday 17th December, after a good night's sleep, we walked Jack up the hilly pheasant
laiden fields, although there had been a shoot the day before and there wasn't nearly
as many birds about.
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| The sun came out and so did the remaining pheasants hiding in this field! |
But Jack still managed to find a few stray ones hiding out
in the hedges. The sun was shining and the canal was quiet and calm, so
tempting, too nicer day to sit here, we wanna cruise!
So we decided we'd set off for Welford.
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| Looking back into the low winter sunshine at the beautiful glisten on the water |
It was a
beautiful cruise, the contrast of the weather the day before was massive, this
was a cruising day for sure!
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| Going under the busy A14 with a cute canal bridge in the distance..... two different worlds! |
We left about 11pm, sun shining, cold but stunning. The
fields are all planted with crops now already sprouting through the soil, hills
spring up from around corners, reeds that line the banks have all died back now
and landscapes can be seen through the once leaf laiden branches of now bare
trees and hedges.
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| One of the beautiful old bridges makes a lovely winter scene |
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| Its a lovely day for December |
After a mile and a half, just before the Welford Arm
junction, we spotted a boat we thought we recognised. I slowed Happy Daze down
to tickover just to be sure .... and it was! Our friends from Willy Watts
marina at Ringstead, Mo, Ricky and Poppy their little dog! We pulled over and
were immediately invited on their boat for coffee. After a couple of hours
catch up we set off again on our way, waving frantically back to our friends, none
of us knowing when we'll see each other again, but sure we will one day.
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| Our friends, Mo and Ricky peer out the side hatch as we leave for Welford |
It was
cold now, the sun was still shining, but this time of the year doesn't give us
much heat. We wrapped up again and a few minutes later we were at the junction turning
right down the Welford Arm.
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| We turn right heading down the Welford Arm .... |
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| ... the faded sign shows the way |
It's only a mile and a half to the end but it's a beautiful
part of the canal.
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| Trees line the canal here, the sunshine finding its way onto the canal |
It's even more beautiful in the low winter sun shine, shadows
and sunshine making patterns across the water as the sun goes down behind the
landscape of the now bare trees lining the canal.
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| The little lock at the end of the arm is only about 3' deep, grassy meadows surround the canal now |
As we get to the end of the arm it's all familiar to
us, we spent a bit of time here last year and had a bit of work done on the
boat at Welford Wharf, highly reccommended!
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| And above the lock its just as beautiful |
We only met one boat all day today, it's very quiet on
the canals. I do the turn around at the end of the arm and reverse into one of
the two 48 hour mooring spots.
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| We moor up in the 48hr moorings but its quite close to the 'poo dump' station |
Once we'd settled in, Paul's brother, Hugh, came over
on his way to work and took him to Crick to pick up the car.
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| We left the 48 hour mooring, in the distance is Happy Daze on the 14 day moorings! |
We stayed at the 48 hour moorings for a couple of days,
getting water on our way to the 14 day moorings (these are 48hr moorings in the
summer but change in October to 14 days) in Welford, only 50 yards away! Here
we settled down, we weren't going anywhere this side of Christmas!
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| Settled in our little spot for Christmas, we're not moving far for the next two weeks! |
Over the next few days we food shopped in Lutterworth
and went to Rugby to do the last of our Christmas shopping. Boats came and
went, a few hire boats having an alternative Christmas on a boat!
The weather is pretty horrendous most days and nights,
we were getting beaten up by the wind and rain most of the time. The boat banged
and rattled against the side, stuff on the roof safe now with extra bungee
straps holding down the solar panels which were flapping up and down in the
gale force winds. Paul even had to get up and go out in the middle of the night
to put extra fenders down!
On Sunday 22nd December
I left the boat (unfortunately Paul had to stay on the boat to look after Jack) to go and have Sunday lunch with the sibs.
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| My 'sibs' and their offspring.. from l to r ... Jack, Milly, Courtney, George, Pete, Bev, Mark, Matt, Jo and me! |
We all had a brilliant
time, great food, good banter, fantastic company even though I was nick named
'Mrs Brown'!
After coffee and cake at Milly's I headed back to
Matts in Cambridge where I had left our car and drove back to the boat from
there.
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| Wind and rain lashed down on the boat, bashing it against the side of the canal |
Monday and Tuesday bought more gale force winds and lashings of rain. It's a stormy old
winter that's for sure. Boat bashing about again, more fenders down the side! Paul
went to see his son and we all went to visit his mother and brother.
Christmas visiting done for now we had a relaxing Christmas
Eve in the boat having visited the local pub, the Wharf Inn, for a burger and
chips dinner.
Christmas Day arrives along
with more wind and rain, more huge storms today. We set off early and walked
Jack over the sheep meadows and by 9am we were ready to make the 111 mile
journey to Donnas for Christmas. Car packed to the top with presents and food
and drink and Jacks stuff and duvets and pillows, we set off.
We had a good journey arriving at the prearranged time
of 11am.
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| Presents still lay under the tree all in their pretty christmas wrappers |
The boys waited until we got there to open their presents, which
seemed to go on all day.
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| The boys opened their main presents, a laptop and an ipod! |
We had a fabulous dinner, huge and Christmassy!
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| Plates piled high we enjoyed every mouthful, Donna cooked an amazing dinner! |
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| Even Jack had some presents to open! |
We ate
too much, drunk too much and by the evening we had piles of lovely presents and
then the Guitar Heros came out! We had a lovely day, Donna did us proud.
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| Paul getting into the spirit of Christmas with Guitar Heros |
On Boxing Day we went
to visit Deane for the morning, more lovely presents and a very excited little granddaughter,
Lexi, opening her 'nanny boat' presents.
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| Lexi trying out her new roller skates .... |
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| ... and Leo trying to make his escape from Grandad Grumps! |
Leo was about most of the time, crawling
about and getting into everything, hes only 7 and a half months old! When we
left Deanes we went to Millys and had the afternoon with her, more food and
another excited little boy, Jack 5, surrounded by opened presents!
Friday we got all our
stuff together ready to leave.
We were taking Yogi, Donna's little chihuahua/Pomeranian
doglet home with us for a week while Donna visited some Scottish relatives on Calvin's
side. We made the 2 hour journey home in the afternoon and arrived back in
Welford at the boat just before it got dark. First job, light the fire, get
some heat in the boat. After unpacking the car we sorted the dogs out and
settled back in.
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| Little Yogi settles in after a long car journey |
The weekend bought more wind and rain, the boats moving
about bashing on the side, rain hammering on the roof of the boat. Yogis
nervous at the best of times but the noises freaked him out, shaking and
looking very worried!
Monday 30th December we
had to go to the supermarket, stocks were low and we'd eaten all our Christmas
chocolate! We went to Rugby and got home in a couple of hours.
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| A rare sunny and frosty morning as we take the dogs over the sheep meadows |
Dogs exercised,
fridge is full, wind and hammering rain outside again but the boat is warm and
cosy. Sorted!
We went off to see Les at Welford Marina, he did some
work on our boat last year and was brilliant. We'd spoken to him about needing
a BSC, we needed to find an examiner in the next few weeks and he sorted it all
out for us.
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| The sunset looks beautiful over the now still and calm waters.... but for how long? |
On Tuesday there was a knock on the
door at 8am and it's Les letting us know that Monty the Boat Saftey guy would
be with us by 10am today! How's that for service! I took Jack out for a walk
and Paul did the nessesary checks before he got here. He was only here about an
hour and after checking everything possible he let us know the boat is safe for
the next 4 years, it passed first time! Yeha!
Several boats have left their mooring spots, a few
have slotted into their spaces. It's quiet here, peaceful and friendly.
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| ... and here's a little robin to wish you all a Very Happy New Year! |
We stayed in on New Years Eve, watched the amazing
fireworks on the telly from London, raised our glasses at midnight. Then went
to bed!
Wednesday, 1st January 2014 ..... Happy New Year!!!!
