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Appendices
- Trip Reports 2010.
| Alvecote
to Braunston & Return. April 2010.
Report by Barry Adams. |
The
boats needed to be moved from Alvecote
to Braunston to have
the new gunnell’s fitted to Brighton.
The crew, which consisted of Trevor
Winterbottom, Steve Smith, Laurie Atkinson
and Barry Adams, assembled
at Alvecote on Friday
9th April, after getting cars in the
right place. As the Samuel
Barlow pub was not doing
food we went to the Pretty
Pigs that is close by
and has a very reasonably priced carvery.
After dining we went back to the Barlow
for a few pints of liquid refreshment.
Saturday morning came around and off
we went nice clean smooth getaway from
the mooring and on to the Coventry
Canal past the dry dock at
Grendon and then the
locks at Atherstone.
We were met by the welcome sight of
John Bull, John Fevier and
Peter Wardill.
Twelve locks later we were on our way
to Sutton Stop, what
a change from the last time I was there,
large audience to see us round the turn
but they were disappointed, as I used
a line of the T-stud and the bollard
which is placed for this purpose and
we went round in one and in full control.
Moored a little way down from the junction
and walked into the new to me development
to find the shop and then to the pub
for a well earned pint. Went back to
the Greyhound
for another couple, still very busy
and also the first time I had ever been
in there. Reasonably early start and
a run to Braunston
the wind got up a bit and following
a very slow boat or two in front of
us, we arrived at Braunston
late afternoon. Put Brighton
alongside Beetlejuice
and walked into village to collect my
car, back to the boats and then the
return to Alvecote.
Into the Barlow for
orange juice and coffees and after that
the M1 and the journey back to Kent.
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Two
weeks later; Braunston to Alvecote,
Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th April.
The
new gunnells fitted and the need to
get the boats backs to Avecote,
for more work on the pair, including
the much-needed complete re-paint!
The crew this time being Laurie
Atkinson, Chris Bassett (a new
member but used to boat with me for
many years) Steve & Barbara
Radford, new-ish members and their
first time out on the Trust's boats
and myself.
As Laurie, Chris & I all
lived within a reasonable distance of
one another, I collected them all and
drove up Friday morning. We got to
Braunston early afternoon and
after giving Laurie and Chris
a quick run through on the engine, I
went to Alvecote to
meet Steve and Barbara. They
ran us all back to Braunston
and time for a chat with Peter Boyce.
He said that he would not be finished
until 7pm that evening, so we had plenty
of time for a chat. We moved Peter's
boat alongside Nuneaton
and then reversed back
to be opposite the wharf. Next was the
job of swapping the boats over and also
moving Brighton
down the Oxford for
a few yards to enable us to wind her
in the junction. That done, off we went
and a short run to the next pub - a
Green King and a 'family' establishment
- enough said!
We had a dinner already done so it was
just a question of a reheat and then
into the pub.
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Early
start on the Saturday and soon Hillmorton
came and went. Same method
of getting round Sutton Stop
as last time it really does
make it easy: line of the T stud and
counter steer the butty and round you
go, onwards to Atherstone, Arrived Atherstone
in plenty of time to eat and then a
short walk into the town to the Market
Tavern? Nice range of
different brews to sample and a
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local
radio station gent recorded some words
for his station. A few beers later we
set off back to the boats but the Chinese
by the pub meant a wait for some chips
to be consumed on the way.
Nine in the morning soon came around and
off we set to tackle Atherstone,
the welcome sight of Steve Smith
coincided with the first of the locks.
We had a reasonable run down the locks
Barbara doing sterling work on
the butty and Lawrie on the motor.
We reached the bottom and then just the
run back to Alvecote.
All to soon it was time to cloth up the
motor, make final checks and run Steve
Smith back to his car in Atherstone.
It rained quite hard for a little while
and that delayed us a bit but the Barlow
was open!
The last task being to load the bags into
my car and then back to Braunston
to drop Steve & Barbara off
and then the run back to Kent. |
The
Narrow Boat Trust is a charity registered
in England under number: 288243
The
Registered Office of the Narrow Boat Trust
is at:
23 Redway Drive, TWICKENHAM TW2 7NT
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