Victor: Things get better

AND SO to Foxton and its famous locks, and an astounding difference—every lock gate swung with a gentle touch and stayed either open or shut; the paddles were a joy to operate and very little leakage.

For of course Foxton Flight is a showpiece for Canal & River Trust with even its own large car park, so everything must be just so—yet we were the only boat on the flight and not a single visitor.

No permanent lock keeper

But there was a volunteer, our first since leaving Sawley, but he soon lost interest as he realised we knew what we were doing, but yet again no permanent lock keeper—clearly showing, notwithstanding the promises, they had been dispensed with.

Previously, a boater on an Anglo Welsh hire boat told us he was waiting an hour and half at the top, as the three volunteer lock keepers had let two up, but instead of then allowing him down, wasted the water by letting a further two up, obviously being indecisive.

Jan told the woman on that boat that they are only volunteer lock keepers who can't make a decision, with the woman stating that she had to agree.

With not a visitor in sight getting in the way on the bridges of the flight, going up the locks was the best ever, for being the only boat there was no waiting half-way, so from entering the first lock to leaving the last it took just 48 minutes, that was a record for us.

Summit pound

Then it was the scenic summit pound, that we love so well, with hardly a boat for miles until well past the Welford Arm even though a Saturday. It was then into Sunday when on the southern part of the section that lots of both moored and moving boats appeared, mostly nice and shiny with hardly a mark, Jan believing they were obviously week-enders from the marinas.

There is a vast difference in the summit pound from when we first cruised it some 16 years ago when Crick Marina was small and the only marina on the pound, but now there is also Yelvertoft Marina as well as the 'cram-'em-in' extended Crick with its narrow berths, all bringing more and more boats, yet very few seem to venture North through Leicester, if the complete lack of boats is anything to go by.

Another marina

And soon there will be another marina, for despite objections going back many years, permission has been given for North Kilworth Marina, with work just starting, that will bring in even more boats to the summit pound, as it has permission for around 250 berths, so cruising will obviously be much more fraught than it was way back in those early days, especially if they prefer cruising South like the others.

But alas here again, very often nothing can be seen of the countryside as vegetation is rife, with the seemingly statutory setting of weeds making it even worse. Little wonder the only walkers we saw on the whole section were dog walkers, as anyone visiting the canal would be hard put to even see it, as the picture clearly shows, yet the grass has been cut for those non existent walkers.

Then it was Watford Flight with again, a quick journey down, with what we thought was a real lock keeper, but alas no, he was the volunteers supervisor, telling us he was in charge of 126 volunteers working the various locks of the area, making a point of telling that they were a good bunch who knew what they were doing working with the public.

No showpiece

But alas, Watford was far from being a showpiece, as wonky lock gate beams—the one shown above will soon be parted if the movement is anything to go by—and leaking gates obviously testified. Though the grass was mown to a hairs breath, courtesy of the volunteer lock keepers we were told.

However, the spiel given by the supervisor at Watford did not ring true when we met a volunteer at Braunston Locks, who, according to Jan, was very condescending indeed to her, and never moved from the lock where he seemed to be a fixture.

But before then it was Braunston Tunnel, where we met five boats, with one in front whose steerer  kept knocking it out of gear.  He was another one on a Kate boat, with whom we shared the locks, but he told us there was something wrong with the boat as he had trouble steering it to the right.  Jan believes that a great many hire boats are getting past their 'sell-by' date.

Braunston

The it was the joys of Braunston on a Sunday, with boats everywhere, but after the scarcity on the Leicester Section it was a joy to chat to so many fellow boaters as we ambled though, and of course hear from actual readers.  One thing very apparent was that though the hire boaters were not aware, private boaters were most vociferous about the poor state of the system. There were a great many hire boats, just about equalling private ones, as hire prices tend to fall after the school holidays.

Having our base near the junction of two rivers and sometimes cruising in winter we can get caught out by darkness, though we obviously try not to, so have navigation lights, that tend to take their toll in tunnels!  So a starboard one needed replacing after a 'pass' in Saddington, but Midland Chandlers was open, so that was quickly fixed. The score at the moment is two to Thomas and just one to Jan.

On the North Oxford, and I just cannot understand why some boaters insist upon mooring bang up to bridge holes, making it awkward for others, like Hob-Nob, especially when there was around 200 yards of free piling available. And it couldn't have been because the owner was possibly disabled as there was a very steep bank up to the bridge and neither parking or civilisation anywhere near.

Most popular

The Oxford was certainly living up to its name as one of the most popular waterways, with scores of passing boats as we were moored, with the prize for the speediest one going to Compass Rose who passed us at a terrific rate of knots, as can be easily seen from the picture, going so fast that as he turned to look at us he inadvertently turned his tiller and very nearly finished up on the bank!

One thing that I resent is this new trend of 'Tickover' notices in boat windows. Surely we get enough notices already to 'slow down', so must by now realise that that is what you do when passing moored boats, and I don't want to be constantly told to do, as I am sure are others. Experience must have shown all boaters that some slow down and some—like Compass Rose—do not.  So just what is the point?

With a scarcity of pilings amongst the miles of vegetation, the available spaces quickly filled up, as was saw on our early morning starts, with hardly a space available anywhere, showing that this part of the Oxford Canal is amongst the most popular, as we had many boats passing since being moored early afternoon.

Replacing top lock gates

Coming down Hillmorton we were just in time to see a CaRT crew getting ready to replace the gates of one of the top locks, which I thought was a little rickety, and a paddle that did not work.  At least the crew should know what they were doing unlike, in my opinion, those new contractors who are more used to building railway tunnels and high rise flats.

It was later we learned of the reason for so many boats—there had been rallies around the area, with many of the boats heading for their home moorings.

The reason why?

But once again I was taken by the complete lack of towpath visitors, for all the way along the North Oxford there were very few, just the occasional statutory dog walker. Even Rugby was deserted. But as I mentioned, if walkers can't even see the waterway, just what is the point.

Looking at the above picture, just why would anyone want to visit, when they cannot see a thing of the canal?  And not just for a couple of hundred yards or so but for mile after mile.  I wonder if those giving permission for planting all those weeds even thought of that...

Victor Swift