For us, the Leicester Ring begins at Fradley Junction. It has taken until late today for us to get to it.
Yesterday I wrote that we were aiming for a favourite spot at Tixall Wide. We had already heard that there were no mooring spots at Great Hayward. That didn’t bode well. Tixall Wide is a favourite spot for many narrowboaters, and it was a summer Saturday evening. Tixall Wide is just a short jaunt up to Staffs and Worcester from Great Hayward Junction. We turned under the attractive junction bridge and took our chances. Well let’s say we moored on the narrow part of Tixall Wide. Not what we wanted but a decent spot. It didn’t really matter in the end. The heavens opened almost as soon as we stopped.
This morning, it was the reverse of the short jaunt back to the junction to turn south on the Trent and Mersey again. The Staffs and Worcester passes over the River Trent just before the junction, yet another reminder that this end of the T&M shares it’s route with the river. Hayward Lock was followed by Colwich Lock and then almost 10 miles of lock free canal through Rugeley and Armitage. You can really tell the holiday season has started in earnest. Lots of boats about. That can be good and bad. Good, because it makes locks faster when there’s lots of help about. Bad, because the rude and inconsiderate boaters are out as well. But more of that later. (Warning: rant coming)
When entering Rugeley, the canal goes over the Trent again before passing the site of the Bloody Steps. The body of murdered Christina Collins was found in the canal at this point and was carried up these steps. She was travelling from Liverpool to London by canal boat and two boatmen were convicted of her murder and executed. This true story became the basis of the plot of and Inspector Morse story.
This part of the canal network is one which we have experienced often, but not so much in the last few years. My sense of familiarity keeps being jarred. I passed this way last year and commented about the number of new housing developments next to the canal. Between Rugeley and Armitage was further
evidence that these changes continue. I suspect further changes are to come. The route of HS2 will also share this part of the Trent Valley.
The Armitage “Tunnel”, used to be a tunnel, but the roof was removed. Now it is just a very narrow section of canal passing under a main road. It is only wide enough for a single boat to pass through, and it has a kink in it, so you cannot see all the way through. Considerate boaters check to see if anyone is waiting their turn to go through and considerate boaters respect convention that the boat waiting the longest goes through first. They don’t just sound their horn and power on through just as the boat in front is leaving the narrow section. And to the two successive boats that did this to me today, with no apology or shame, that’s why you didn’t deserve the cheery greeting I reserve for considerate boaters. Rant over.
After Armitage, we are back in glorious English countryside on the way to Fradley Junction. The straight section at Ravenshaw Wood on the run into Wood End Lock is another favourite mooring spot. We remember mooring there on our first canal holiday, one October half-term in the late 1980’s on a hired boat from Burton on Trent. Perhaps we’ll stop here on the way back.
Fradley Junction is always busy, and today was no exception. Lots of boats passing through the locks watched by gongoozlers. The junction to turn onto the Coventry Canal is right before one of the locks and right in front of a famous canalside pub, The Swan. They have cunningly-placed tables outside, so beer-drinking gongoozlers can watch the entertainment. Today it was provided by Pippa, the little black dog who decided to bark at everyone and everything, and sometimes nothing!
Since leaving the locks at Fradley we are now on the Ring proper. We have only been round the Leicester Ring twice, the last time was 10 years ago. This means we are suddenly on much less familiar waters. We’re having to resort to looking at the map to know what’s coming next. I do enjoy cruising familiar canals, but there is something special about not knowing exactly whats around the corner.
