I ended yesterday somewhat cryptically referencing a post box. I turns out you can do most business oriented tasks online and remotely. Except for the times when the HMRC insists on a personally signed form to be posted. So this meant I needed to get stamps, envelopes and be close to a post box. The easiest place to achieve this was Rugby, where the visitor moorings are very convenient for a large Tesco.
But first, Sam needed to have a bit of a run around before being stuck on the boat for a few hours. Whilst exploring the field next to the canal, we came across a Newt fence. I honestly have little idea of the real purpose of such a fence. Are these newts a protected species who need to be prevented from entering an area that’s about to be developed? Or are they so destructive, that they need to be stopped from destroying something precious inside the fence. I have to say, the field did not look special, neither did it look overrun by newts. Perhaps that’s an indicator of its success.
Back to the boat to install Sam on the roof of the boat. After 15 minutes or so she is very happy up there. There’s less noise than on the rear deck, and the view is much better. She gets to look longingly at sheep, cows, ducks, actually anything that it wouldn’t be appropriate to chase. She get compliments from boaters and walkers alike, which she responds to with frantic tail wagging. She’s really happy, except for the indignity of being hoisted into the air to get up there.
Between me and my goal was several miles of canal and the 3 double locks at Hilmorton. You really begin to notice the difference in style between the North and South Oxford Canals now. Whilst the South Oxford retained its original contouring line, the North Oxford was massively upgraded to straighten it out. This was done by creating cuttings and embankments, cutting out the most extravagant twisting sections. Whilst the South Oxford lost out to the Grand Union as a route to London, the North Oxford still had a role linking the industry and coal fields around Coventry to the rest of the network. The biggest contrast and first real evidence of this is the Barby Straight, around two miles of arrow straight canal.
I have passed through the Hilmorton locks numerous times in the past. I always remembered them as being next to the famous Rugby Radio Station. The huge masts there were part of a VLF transmitter system for a standardised time code system, that allowed things as diverse as scientific experiments and kitchen clocks to be automatically synchronised. Well, the advent of GPS started to take away the need for it and then the contract was lost, so now all the masts have been demolished. Apparently, the whole area is about to become an industrial estate.
So far, I have been very lucky to find help at most of the locks I have negotiated. And Hilmorton was no exception with helpful fellow boaters at the top and a friendly CRT volunteer at the bottom lock. There’s no more locks now until the Coventry Canal, where they will start to come thick and fast. Hopefully the help will continue.
I was apprehensive when arriving at the Rugby visitor moorings having read Paul Smith’s description of them as “appalling” on his livingonanarrowboat.co.uk site. Whilst they are not the best, they are certainly not the worst. The offside moorings are quite pleasant for dog owners, having easy access to a little park, which Sam and I took advantage of immediately. She needed a bit of wearing out, because there was no way I was going to be able to take her shopping with me. By the way, this shopping trip had now expended beyond stamps and envelopes, to include food and a printer. As a result, I discovered the limit of what one person can easily carry for a mile or so.
Yes you probably noticed I sneaked a printer in there. In only 4 days I have needed to print 2 things already. Despite wanting to go completely paperless, it just isn’t practical yet. The ridiculous thing was the printer cost less than the ink and paper I bought to go with it. Truly, printers are now just delivery platforms for consumables.
So shopping done and mail posted, the end of the day was taken up with topping up the water tank, experiencing one of the shortest tunnels at Newbold (this trip will also include one of the longest at Harecastle) and struggling to moor in the rain. I seemed to have chosen a very nice location whose canal bank is primarily rock with a thin layer of soil. Banging mooring sides into hard ground is very good exercise for the end of the day.
Now I need to plan a meet up with Heather for Saturday. Main requirement seems to be a pretty location close to pub where she can leave her car in overnight.