A delightful run to the top

Wow!!  We had a great day on the Chesterfield......

First of 23 locks

And another in beautiful rural surroundings

Some signs of habitation by a couple of the locks

It was the best day we have had on this canal, the locks are just delightful and doing 23 didn't seem like hard work at all.  Half way up we stopped to have coffee and a rest and whilst there along came Trevor who is the linesman for this length of canal. 

Coffee break turned out to be much longer than anticipated as Trevor had lots of interesting tales of the canal.  He worked on it for 30 years before retiring and now he looks after this stretch and a couple of feeder reservoirs nearby.

Whilst chatting to Trevor we had a couple of visitors fly overhead.

The locks are some of the best kept we have seen on the canals and with only a couple of exceptions all the paddles are easy to operate

And so to the top and the final staircase of 3.

After reaching the top there is about 1 1/2 miles to the limit of navigation.  It is quite narrow and twisty BUT none of that awful blanket weed we have been wrestling with since we came on this canal.

                              

Part way along we passed the old loading quay where they used to load the stone stone that was quarried a few miles away.  This was where the stone came from for the Houses of Parliament (so we are told)

                                         

The sign opposite the old dock

Near the end now

The last bridge

We both agreed it had been a wonderful day and ALMOST worth the struggle to reach here.   We are glad we have done it but are not really looking forward to the return trip, mainly because of the weed.

Still another `Head of navigation` to chalk up

We meet another boat!!

Yes we actually met another boat on the move today!
We set off just after 8 with the intention of reaching the summit(what did I say yesterday about having goals!!!).. 6 locks, 1 1/2 hours and 1.3 miles later.......the rain came.  We decided that we had not struggled all this way to get to the best bit and then to do it in the rain.  There are 23 locks to the top and the forecast for tomorrow is much better so here's hoping.

Not so much weed today, tranquil countryside and well kept locks.   Here we are passing under the busy A57 but most of the locks are just in the countryside.

Notice the well kept gates and restored bridges.

The boat we met today was on his way down from the summit, a single hander in a strangely shaped Sea Otter...forgot to take a picture........

He didn't mention anyone else was up there so we shall see tomorrow.

Onwards we plod.........

The goal today was to have a longish day and reach Shireoaks...one must not have goals, especially on the weed ridden Chesterfield!!!

We left at 0830 and went through the last of the Forest locks.  Barney and I then had a couple of miles walk as far as Ranby and thereafter it was a slow plod, interspersed by several stops to clear weed from the prop, and in one case to remove part of a knitted jumper.

It is undoubtedly very peaceful countryside and the locks are well maintained BUT the enjoyment for us is ruined by the weed and this constant feeling it is hard work .

Church at Scofton

Pumping station south of Worksop

We had been warned that Worksop was `a bit rough`so had not planned to overnight there but we stopped just after town lock to get the paper.   It is very close to a shopping centre which had a lovely M&S simply food.   We attracted lots of gongoozlers as we came up the lock!

As we approached Morse lock we could see an obstruction in the water just outside the lock so we knew we would have to pause.   A BW boat then came down the lock and proceeded to do a clearing job.   They said there had been a lot of stuff thrown in over the weekend...there was a festival of the Chesterfield Canal Trust at Worksop last weekend....

We turned off the engine and had a late lunch whilst there did their clearing job.

Entrance to Morse Lock

Off again after lunch and the clearance job only to encounter further trouble at Stret lock the next one.

We couldn't get into the lock...I jammed about 2/3 of the way in!!   BW were still around and asked us how wide we were..........apparently this is the narrowest of the locks on this canal........however it was then discovered that there was a small piece of wood catching on the side and that just made the difference between getting in or not...

I backed out to allow it to be removed and the game was on again........however by the time we emerged Geoff decided he had had enough aggro for one day and since there was a suitable place to moor we decided to call it quits for the day.

We are close to a pub and a Sainsburys so we are all set for an early start tomorrow to try and reach the end........over 20 locks!!!!!what did I say about having goals???

Further back at one of the locks we chatted to a group of walkers going in the opposite direction to ourselves.  They said they had seen several boats heading in our direction....they would have been the first of the day as we have not seen a soul.   In most parts we are very glad as passing in some of the narrow and shallow stretches would have been interesting.   We still didn't meeet any...

Also chatting to one of the BW men (a lot of chatting goes on on the canals!!)  he said that this was a bad time for the weed....it multiplied several weeks ago and will die down again come September.......so we have obviously mistimed our visit!

Forest Locks

Dentist successfully over...no injection.....one problem solved but had to have an xray for another potential problem..however she has given me antibiotics and this may hold off further action....here's hoping.....

Departed Retford just after 3 and had quite a pleasant run up to the 4 Forest Locks.  For a short distance the canal seems a bit deeper and we felt we were making more progress but it soon reverted to being shallow and we had to stop in the second of the Forest Locks to take off a load of weed......not Geoff's favourite job.   It is very gentle countryside and the picture below shows the first of the Forest locks...in the middle of nowhere.

The locks all seem very well maintained and Geoff reports that they are easy to operate.......and of course since Retford Town Lock we are back to narrow locks.    There are very few boats around.

When we reached the third lock where the sani station is situated there were two 24 hour spaces for visitors and the rest were permanent moorings, about a dozen boats.  One of the residents told us to moor on the lock waiting bollards above the lock as it was extremely unlikely anyone else would be coming through.  So here we are for the night and will have a reasonably early start tomorrow to try and make a bit of mileage.

Retford

Move on we did!  All of just over 4 miles and 2 locks in just under 3 hours.   Maybe we are out of the habit of being on narrow canals but this canal seems slow going.   There was a brief attractive stretch just before Retford yesterday but the canal still has not made an impact on us.  However we found a reasonable enough mooring place just above town lock and just along the towpath is entry into a large park with pleanty of area for Barney to run in

The town itself is better than when I visited by bus.  I think it is something to do with coming off the water and not having to get involved in all the traffic snarlups.  When I came by bus last week for the dentist the bus was 15 minutes late arriving due to road works so I had to call and tell the dentist I would be late...I think this coloured my first impressions of the town.

Town Hall & War Memorial

We are moored just by an ASDA which is also very convenient.  Dentist this afternoon after which we hope to move on a bit unless the forecast heavy rain has arrived.  So far we have been lucky today, the forecast was not good but it looked as though we were on the edge of the worst area, so I am hoping our luck holds.

On the Move again

We hope to move again today.
Our mooring in the middle of nowhere has been very pleasant.  It was partly dictated by visitors Maggie & Wally who were staying in a nearby B&B on Thursday and Friday.  We had a good visit, eating in the Boat Inn at Hayton on Friday evening where the food was OKish   Pub grub.
Under normal circumstances we would have moved further on Sat but I have a dentist appointment in Retford on Tuesday so we didn't want to get too far away.   
We had found the local church which did not show the times of it services but did give the number of the Rector.  He told me that the service was 9.15 at Hayton which was a combined service with nearby Clayborough.   Sunday dawned wet and windy and since it would be a 15 min walk along a partially overgrown towpath I let Geoff go alone........ he was very disappointed (not to say a little grumpy!!!) to find the church all locked up and no sign of anyone...........
We decided against the roast in the pub which is our normal Sunday...Friday's meal had not been brilliant......
So Retford beckons today.   Whilst we have been moored here there has been some sunshine but also a lot of rain, one huge thunderstorm and some windy days, one day (Thursday I think) exceedingly windy.  

In the middle of nowhere!

Lots of phone calls liaising with our visitors re somewhere for them to B&B Thursday/Fri.   No nice pubs west of Retford on the canal doing B&B,, found two places close to the canal, but one was full and the other wanted £90 a night each....they need 2 singles....
Eventually they settled for a night north of here Thursday and a night at The Boat at Hayton Low Bridge.   Only £25 for Fri, fully booked Thurs.
Consequently we modified our plans to be west of Retford.   We also have to consider the fact that I have another dental appointment in Retford on Tuesday...so we have slowed down considerably.   The mooring places we have passed so far all say 24 hours only and there are not many casual stopping places to just pull up.  The banks are very overgrown and the weed is worse at the edges.  However, just before Hayton, Geoff spied a possibility ans there is a metal bank to tie our chains to.  We have cleared the entrance to front and rear of Petroc and are quite comfortable.   It has lovely open views and good TV picture.
We are a 15 min walk along the towpath to Hayton and the Boat Inn.
Maggie & Wally arrived last night for supper on board and we had a good time catching up.  They will drive over today and check into the Boat Inn and we will eat there tonight.
The bus to Retford goes hourly and Geoff walked in yesterday to do some shopping and caught the bus back.   Unlike my first impression of Retford he thought it was OK.  Perhaps my feelings were influenced by the fact that I was visiting the dentist!   Maybe it will appeal more if the sun is shining when we reach there......

Drakeholes via weed

The beauty and tranquility of the Chesterfield has not grabbed us yet.  We had a very frustrating morning with 4 stops to clear weed from the prop. 

These almost complete houses are just before the Low Misterton Lock, our first of the day.  Apparently they cannot be completed as there is no access!!!!   Some wrangling is obviously going one, but what a waste....

In Misterton Low lock looking ahead to Top Lock. 

We thought we were in for a nice gentle life back on a small canal.  We had been warned about the weed but didn't expect it to be this bad.   There are two weed boats somewhere on the canal, they must have their work cut out.  The canal is quite shallow and we are not looking forward to meeting a boat in the other direction.   We have discovered that the Chesterfield Canal Trust are holding an event in Worksop this coming weekend but at the rate we are going we wouldn't get there even if we wanted to.............

We called it quits about 1330 as rain is forecast and we had had enough........however I have just looked at the forecast and heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow and Thursday.........what joy.   We would like to get to the other side of Retford by Thursday teatime as we have visitors coming......

Stopover for the Dentist

Several phone calls after an Internet trawl allowed me to acquire an appointment in Retford.  A 40 minute bus ride from West Stockwith....thank heaven for the bus pass!!
I had a wander round Retford afterwards as I had a longish wait for the return journey, sussed out the mooring possibilities for when we come through but was not very impressed.....it looked like a place to stop and shop if necessary but not for overnight.....maybe it will look better when we approach on the water.
The stopover was not unwelcome as it was a rainy dull day, we are hoping for better tomorrow but the forecast shows unsettled for the rest of the week...we shall see....

Sunday at West Stockwith.

West Stockwith Canal basin

This morning we took a walk down to the lock entrance about 9am to see if we could view any boats entering and see how expertly they negotiated the entrance.   However we were disappointed.  All we saw were 3 gas guzzlers going by, obviously en route to Torksey or Cromwell Lock

There is a large sign which tells them to slow down to 5 knots going past the entrance and this one certainly did, but the next on did not!

I am glad we don't have their diesel bill!!

After that we walked into Misterton for Communion at 1045.  The temperature is much more manageable today although the wind is stronger.  A lunch time drink in the Waterfront pub followed by another lazy afternoon....how do we cope with this life??

The pub is one of those ¬No No pubs.  There are notices everywhere saying `don't do this` or `don't do that`.  There was not a very friendly welcome either, so we were glad we were eating aboard and not going for our usual Sunday Roast.

Annoyingly I have lost a piece off one of my teeth which is causing a sore tongue and difficulty eating so I shall have to find a dentist.   An hour has been spent on the computer looking up Denplan Dentists, the closest of which is in Retford, and the means of getting there.   It all depends when I can get an appointment as to where I shall go from, I shall be on the phone at 9am tomorrow.

On to the Chesterfield Canal

We were out of Keadby Lock at 0610 on a beautiful morning,.  We knew the procedure now for coming out into the tide.....let the tide take you before you begin to gently turn.....not too much power to start with, so all went smoothly and we were soon passing under Keadby bridge.   Now that the Navvygator program is working properly it is useful at times like this as we could keep an eye on our speed and adjust accordingly to reach West Stockwith at 0810, which we had been told was slack water.

The trip down was pleasant enough apart from the aggravating fact that the wind was against the tide making it slightly choppy.....there is not a vast amount of interest down the river.  I had hoped that going so early the wind would not have had a chance to get going but this was not the case.

We were doing a little over 6 1/2 mph ground speed most of the way and reached West Stockwith at about 0815.  We checked with the lock keeper as to the state of the water.  She said it had ceased flowing but advised us to turn into what little was left anyway so we took her advice.

Once turned around for the approach it was evident that it had not ceased flowing and the approach was not as easy as we had anticipated.  However Geoff managed it OK with only a small bump of our front fender on the wall as we coaxed Petroc to turn in.   The tide was nowhere near as much as Selby had been, but we did not have the gentle straight in approach that we had been led to believe would be our lot if we timed our arrival.

Still we were in and it was a smooth ride up to the West Stockwith basin and the start of the Chesterfield Canal.......lovely canals for a few weeks.

Sue, the lock keeper said it was Ok to stay here for the weekend and directed us to a linear mooring on the offside just through the bridge. 

We then had a very lazy day after our somewhat early start, even for us!  Geoff walked into nearby Misterton, about a mile, for the paper and to suss out the Church for tomorrow.   There is a Church here in West Stockwith but no service tomorrow.

The temperature was quite high so most of the day was a case of finding the coolest place and I had to resort to two cold showers to revive myself!    I decided I could not cope with the oven on in these temperatures so we went to one of the local pubs for a meal.  Not the one in the basin as we had been told it was expensive.   The other one was OK but nothing to write home about....However I did not have to cook it so that was a big plus.

Return to Keadby

Off at 8 this morning as we had a longish way to go...well for us anyway.  Just after Barnby Dun we took the right fork for the Stainforth and Keadby canal.  It is a wide canal with long straight stretches.  Lovely day but gradually became hotter

The railway follows the canal for a large part of it's length

There is heavy undergrowth along a large part of the banks with little patches mowed clear.  I saw them strimming these areas the other day and couldn't work out why........it's for the fishermen!

Just before reaching Keadby there is yet another swing bridge, we have had numerous this morning.  On one of them the gate was so stiff Geoff couldn't move it back on his own, so I had to bring Petroc over to the opposite side to try and help....to no avail until I went to the other end of the bridge and pushed from there.   All this time a car had been waiting to cross, but he was very good natured about it and we had a good chat when we had eventually closed the bridge.

The last one precedes the sliding railway bridge at Vazon where our accompanying railway crosses sides.

And so to Keadby.  We had not been impressed when we came through despite having a good facilities block.  I felt happier with the mooring this time but Geoff took a walk into the town and said it was very dispiriting.

This closed pub says it all

Keadby Lock

I watched several boats depart through the lock this afternoon.  We are scheduled for a 6am departure.

This was one of the big ships going down the Trent, hope none of them are awake at 6 tomorrow!!

Tesco at Barnby Dun!

A domestic day today, I had my hair cut in the village but Geoff was not so fortunate.  The barber he had used last time was away on holiday for a week...Geoff was cross!!!  Worked on Gile's accounts all morning so felt very virtuous.

We took ourselves through the lifting bridge to be in a better position to receive our groceries from Tesco.    This was only the second time we have tried it and it worked well.  We had booked a time slot of 12-2pm wand  they texted me a refinement of 12.20 to 1.20 during the morning and he was there a little before 12.  We like shopping as we go but this is a great way to get the heavy articles...like beer and dog food!!   Beats even the shopping basket on wheels which Geoff dislikes so.......only because of it's psychedelic colour.......

4th visit to Barnby Dun!

After our exciting arrival at Selby, we were both shattered.   It was not so much from physical exercise as mental trepidation!
Tuesday was a delightful day as it was lovely to be back on a canal again, albeit a very weedy one.  Before leaving we walked into Selby and visited the Abbey which was well worth the visit.

The town was also well worth the walk.  Shopping was good with a good burcher and baker as well as a Sainsburys.   The baker was the same chain as the one in York where I had found lovely buns for our morning elevenses!!!! 

The Selby canal is possibly not the most picturesque on the system but compared to the tidal Ouse it is sheer bliss.........We stopped at Haddesly flood lock to clear the weed and continued down to moor above Pollington Lock on the Aire.
We are retracing our steps now so I don't have the incentive to take photos!
Today, Wednesday we had an early start as there was rain forecast later.   We traversed the New Junction canal yet again with Geoff and Barney walking most of the way between the swing and lifting bridges.   It was extremely windy...on the nose....
We reached our intended destination of Barnby Dun by 1130 and found a mooring space.   We had to use stakes as we were beyond where the mooring bollards are.  However we felt we were securely tied on with 3 stakes and we were between two other boats.
What a mistake.........the HUMBER PRINCESS is normally the only big boat to go through and she is normally going quite slowly as she approaches the lifting bridge, so although we have moved around a bit there has never been a problem.
We were just finishing our cup of coffee when HUMBER PRIDE rumbled along, somewhat faster than we had anticipated.  Her wash succeeded in pulling out all 3 of our stakes as the ground is too soft.  It also pulled out the boat in front and behind.   There were a few exciting minutes as we both tried to hold Petroc and stop her going into the little plastic job in front........only just managed it......
The moral to this story is that one should not moor anywhere on these rivers where commercial boats ply, unless you are securely tied to bollards.......live and learn......
Shortly afterwards Geoff disappeared to catch the bus to Doncaster and I went into the shower.   We did not anticipate a return for at least a few hours as she goes all the way up to Rotherham.  As I came out drying myself I saw a boat leaving a space that was on the bollards, so hastily put some clothes on and moved Petroc up in safety.  Feel much happier now.

We have checked with the Keadby Lock keeper and it looks like 6am Saturday is a good time to leave for West Stockwith, so we shall stay here tomorrow and travel down to Keadby on Friday prior to tackling the tidal Trent.  We will be on neap tides so he says it is the best day.    Later in the week it is coming up to some of the highest spring tides of the year so we are keen to avoid them.........

Tidal Ouse to Selby

Whew!!!!  Done it.................
We sa1d goodbye to Epiphany this morning after a great weekend with Fi & John.  They set off for the sedate trip to York and in the afternoon we set off for the trip back down the tidal Ouse.  The weather was reasonable but quite windy in parts, luckily not as windy as yesterday.
The trip itself was uneventful, 5 boats came out and we were 3rd out but number 4 obviously wanted to be ahead so we let him pass.   Not too unhappy about it as you can only go up in two's at Selby and at least he had done it before so we thought we could follow his tactics.  We , in our ignorance, did not realise that we would be punching the tide for the first 1 1/2 hours.  We expected to race down all the way at a ground speed of 8 knots which was what we were close to on the trip up.  Not so on the trip back....3knots Ground speed said the GPS, so the trip took 3.1/2 hours.  This did include having to gill around just downstream of the entrance whilst the first two boats went through.
As briefed we went a short way downstream and turned, which was quite exciting, and came back close into the shore.   I thought Geoff executed the approach quite well despite have a small bump.......it is not an easy entrance and despite being almost down to neap tides the current was running quite strongly.
However it's all over now and we are on a nice sedate canal.........for a short while anyway.......

Weekend in Naburn (again)

 Nighttime view from our moorings in York

So it was goodbye York and after a quick visit to town to buy the paper and sticky buns for elevenses we set off for the short trip to Naburn where we had planned to meet up for the weekend with John & Fi on Epiphany. 

We stopped just short of Naburn to take on fuel and I am still trying to fathom out why we took on so much.   On the engine hours done what we took on gave us a much higher consumption rate than normal.   Where we would normally expect to use 1.1 or 1.2 litres an hour this worked out at about 1.9..............shall be very interested to see at the next fill up.

As it was stll only late morning when we reached Naburn we had our pick of moorings.   I had looked at John's clever site for finding the line of sight for the satellite aerial, so we already knew roughly where we wanted to be to get a good picture for the tennis in the afternoon! 

Once we saw the first boats heading for the lock we went to wait for Epiphany to appear.  I then went into photographer mode to get some shots of their arrival.

Epiphany approaching Naburn Lock

Epiphany rising in the lock

Epiphany on the left coming out of the lock

When Epiphany arrived together with several other boats there was plenty of room to moor, but by later in the afternoon, as had happened 2 weeks ago when we were here, we were inundated by big plastic jobs, some of them looking very expensive.

A big one came up behind us and asked if we could move forward a little so he could get in behind, which we duly did, only to move back to our original place once he was in..........and he still had space to spare....he obviously didn't know the length of his own boat....

We had Fi & John on bard for supper a a good evening of catching up.  

Saturday was gentle with some work for me in the morning, accounts and Parish News whilst John and Geoff went off for a longish walk to the pub on the other side of the river.   Fi & I then watched quite a dull ladies final at Wimbledon.   The men came back hungry in the middle of the afternoon as they couldn't bring themselves to pay £6 for a baguette in the pub!!

Supper with Epiphany and we sat outside to try out ther new picnic table which was exceedingly pleasant.  We made it a slightly earlier night as church the next day was at 8.30am.   

Much to Fi's dismay we set off at 0745 for the walk to the village, but the incentive was cooked breakfast in the pub after church!

Naburn Church

Another tennis afternoon and we rounded off a very pleasant weekend with another visit to the Blacksmiths Arms.  On a Sunday evening they serve 10 BBQ steak with a help yourself carvery with salads, vegetables roast potatoers, chips and fried eggs!!  All for £8.95 and the steaks were excellent, thoroughly recommended.

The tidal Ouse beckons tomorrow, departure from here about 2pm, which I am not looking forward to as I did not enjoy the trip up.  We have had very strong winds today but they are forecast to decrease somewhat by tomorrow....hope the forecasters are correct.......

4 days in York

We have spent 4 very pleasant days moored here on the river.  If you look carefully or blow the picture up you can see Petroc's blue hull.  We have been partly tourists and partly boaters relaxing.  The weather has been very warm, although we have had just a little rain.

We have walked over a fair bit of York, the moorings are very central.  needless to say Geoff has done more walking than I have.  He went on a 2 1/2 hour guided walk which he said was very interesting and he learnt lots about the city.

We shared a ticket on one of the open topped buses for the tour of the city.  I went in the morning and Geoff later on as it is one of these hop on/off tickets valid for 24 hours.

Geoff visited the railway museum (free) which he enjoyed as much as when we were here about 15 years ago.

Together we visited the Castle museum which we both enjoyed as much as 15 years ago.

On Tuesday we went to Solemn Eucharist at the Minster when they were celebrating their Patronal Festival.

We did NOT visit Bettys the famous tea shop as we were too parsimonious!.  Full tea with small sandwiches , scone and cakes cost £15.95 and the deluxe version cost £40 for 2.   If I had had a girl friend to go with I might have succumbed but there was no way Geoff would!  I was tempted on the morning Geoff was at the railway museum and I was wandering around town, to go in just for coffee but I looked at the prices for that and coffee itself seemed to be over £4 so I gave that the big swerve also.  Instead I visited a nice bakers where I had seen lovely iced Chelsea buns for 60p and treated myself to that and went back to Petroc and drank my own coffee........very nice it was too.......

During the relaxing times on the boat you can watch the pleasure trips going up and down, and in the evenings the rowers come out.   There are always lots of tourist sitting or walking just above where we are moored but because we are so low down it was not a big problem.  Groups of young people were around in the evening but none so far has caused any trouble  (1 night to go!)

One of the downsides of York is the litter in the streets.  They don't seem to have an effective method of cleaning up and the streets themselves look as though they could do with a good hose down.  A great shame as the city has such a lot to offer.

Barney has enjoyed it (I think) as just along from the moorings is a huge recreation field so walks include his ball...the down side for him is that because we are along way down he has a huge jump to get on and off the boat......but he has coped OK.  So tomorrow it is an early start for the 4 miles to Naburn and to refuel on the way.