Lowsonford (South Stratford Canal) – Saturday 15th July
We wanted to get away before the rain and the wind came in and we were actually away at 7.50am!
The sun was shining though there were some threatening clouds around.
We went over Edstone Aqueduct which is one of three aqueducts on a 4 miles length of the canal. At 475 feet Edstone is the longest cast iron aqueduct in England, (the Pontcysyllte is in Wales!) It crosses a minor road, a stream, a field and a railway line. The aqueduct was completed in 1816 and its cast iron trough is formed of 35 separate sections bolted together, which sits on thirteen brick piers, creating 14 spans. The trough is 8.9 ft wide, and 4.9 ft deep. The towpath is set level with the base of the trough, which is a somewhat unusual design feature.
We came up to Hill Farm Marina where Over the Moon is moored. We couldn’t see her. I took the first photo on the 16th July 2017 when the marina had just been started, it opened in October 2017, they must have worked really hard in that time! The second was taken today.
We had one short shower which really wasn’t anything, but the wind was getting stronger. What with the wind and the strong bywashes, it was very difficult to get into locks without banging the sides. What is a bywash? Well, an overflow is formed by diverting surplus water over a weir instead of allowing it to flow over the lock gates. It then flows via a small tunnel or behind the lock into the lower pound. All the rain on Friday has added lots of water to the canal so the bywashes are strong.
We got to Lowsonford and had the last mooring. I hadn’t felt well all day and slept for 2
hours in the afternoon which is most unlike me.
I felt somewhat better after it.
In the evening we went to the Fleur de Lys pub which is a
short walk away. We have always had a
good meal there but today sadly mine wasn’t.
I had a chicken burger which was very overcooked, and I really couldn’t
eat it. The manager took it off the bill
and gave us two ice creams free of charge.
That’s the second time in three days that I have had overcooked
chicken. I know it is better than it
being undercooked, but when you can’t get your knife through it ….. !!
7.43 miles
8 locks
White Bridge No 61 (South Stratford/Grand Union Canals) –
Sunday 16th July
We left at 9.45am – a lie in today!
I said yesterday about the bywashes, well today they were just as bad. However, our third lock was a dream! It was empty and there was no bywash, I got straight in with no banging!
The peace and tranquillity of the canals was shattered at our fourth lock as the M40 goes over the top.
I took this photo as the sun was shining and all was well with the world 😊
Along the South Stratford Canal are some barrel roof shaped cottages. These were built for lengthsmen and were that shape as craftsmen who built the house were so used to constructing barrel-vaulted bridges that they used the same technique for the cottage roof. Most of them have been extended and the cottage at Lowsonford can be hired through the Landmark Trust.
Just before the last lock were these heifers and bullocks enjoying a paddle.
We completed the 9 locks in 2¼ hours which we felt was a
good time. Some of the locks were
against us but most of them were in our favour.
We filled up with water in Lapworth Basin and then continued
onto the Grand Union Canal, where we moored up.
4.53 miles
9 locks
Cape of Good Hope (Grand Union Canal) – Monday 17th July
As we had stopped short of Hatton Top Lock last night, we had to make an early start. It is much better to do the Hatton flight earlier in the day when it is usually quieter.
We left our mooring at 8.50am! I’ll let you into a secret – I was still in bed!! It didn’t take us long to get to the top of the flight where we met The Laird, a long term hire boat with its Aussie crew.
At lock 2 we picked up a volockie who stayed with us for about 10 of the locks. It makes such a difference having that one extra person as it means that someone can go on ahead to set the next lock. It was strange as some locks were with us, and some weren’t, and we didn’t see anyone in front of us.
I would like to boost this post with all sorts of horror stories about our trip down the flight, but there weren’t any!! Everything went really well, and we completed the 21 locks and dropped down 142 feet in 3¼ hours.
These are just a few of the photos I took today.
We said goodbye to our Aussie lock buddies at Budbrooke junction as they were going into the Saltersford Arm for a couple of days while we were going down towards the Cape of Good Hope and mooring up there.
A little bit of history on the Hatton Locks. The flight was opened in December 1799 on the
Warwick and Birmingham Canal. In 1929, the canal was renamed as the Grand Union
Canal and the decision was made to widen the Hatton stretch. In order to
accommodate traders with heavy cargos of coal, sugar, tea and spices up the
flight, the locks were widened to 14 feet – allowing navigation by industrial
boats or two single narrowboats. The widening was completed in the mid-1930s
using a workforce of 1,000, and the revolutionary concrete lock system was
opened by Prince George, Duke of Kent.
The flight was known as the "stairway to heaven" due to the
difficulty of the flight and the subsequent easier journey to Camp Hill where
the workmen would receive their wages.
5.52 miles
21 locks
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