Sunday 21/6 Grassington, Yorkshire Dales National Park

The Grassinton Music Festival is on. Going out in the car deemed too hard. Narrow little streets hard enough to negotiate at the best of times in a small car, let alone the Mercedes we were given a free upgrade to. Then add swarms of people all,wandering down the middle of the road and streets blocked off into the mix and it all seemed too hard. So we opted for a 6kms loop walk through the countryside around Grassington which is meant to take a couple of hours but which took us about 4 because we had to keep stopping to admire the views.

 

We started off from the bottom of the village and following the discrete (so discrete that at times it was hard to find them) marker posts down Sedber Lane. A steep little path that leads from the village down to the old mill and mill houses on the River Wharfe

 

The view to the East from the path

 

 

 

The River crosses the South Craven Fault line here as evidenced by the raised rocky limestone that forms the Linton Falls

 

 

The view looking up River

 

 

Meadow flowers beside the River

 

 

Lawrence crossing a style

 

 

 

Along the River toward Lower Grass Wood

 

 

Looking across the River from Lower Grass Wood. This riverside stretch of woodland is owned by the Woodland Trust and forms part of the largest area of 'ancient' woodland in the National Park. However Dutch Elm Disease has wiped out the Elms, with ash oak now the predominant tree species.

 

 

After walking up through Lower Grass Wood we crossed a lane and entered Grass Wood. View from the edge of Grass Wood

 

 

Grass Wood.

 

 

Looking out from Grass Wood

 

 

These stone barns were built in the late 1700-early 1800s. Hay crops were grown in the small fields with the stone walls around them to keep out the stock. Once the crop was cut and dried it was stored in the nearby barns and sheep and cattle were allowed to graze the stubble. Then in winter cows were stabled in the barns and fed on the hay. Everyday the farmers walked from barn to barn milking, watering and feeding the cows the stored hay.

 

 

Our walk took us past the above barn and through a couple of fields. Looking back to Grass Wood

 

 

And looking out over the valley.

 

 

We followed this path through the fields and passed a couple of the old barns.

 

 

Then up a farm lane way

 

 

Up across another paddock and looked back to where we had come out of Grass Wood

 

 

Looking across the valley

 

 

Over another style. There were lots of different styles of styles

 

 

Looking back to Grass Wood and the fields across which we had walked

 

 

Another style to cross

 

 

After climbing the style and crossing the next field we went through a little gate onto a laneway leading back to Grassington Village. Once there we walked down through the village still seething with people. We had a quick bite in the square and listened to some music and then staggered back to our cosy retreat for a bit of R&R. Our little downstairs living room

 

 

Our upstairs bedroom

 

 

And the view of the garden from our terrace. Very nice.

 

 

We went to the local Indian Restaurant for dinner. Nothing to rave about. But it was a nice change from  pub food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday 19/6 Wychnor, Bridge 44 to Mercia Marina, Willington

Tim and Mike produced bacon and eggs for our breakfast, checking the use by dates on all the ingredients after finding some some out of date ham in the fridge, fussy buggers, it was only from the end of May! Disparaging comments about my fridge keeping aside, they whipped up a yummy breakfast. We left our mooring at 10.00am and pootled very slowly and reluctantly toward Willington and Mercia Marina.

I had a lock free last day as Tim and Mike took over responsibility of getting us safely through the locks. I have have to mention that these were the easiest locks in our journey; paddle mechanisms were easy to wind, no huge water surges and the gates swung easily - a piece of cake. Barton Turn Lock

The water has been let out and the gates begin to open as Tim and Mike lean into the balance beams

Groan, I thought these narrow bridges were only on the Stratford Canal

Approaching Tatenhill Lock and Lock House where we stayed for two nights prior to getting the boat. Peter and Julia's old working boat - restoration in progress. Note the height of the bow, nearly as high as our roof. When these boats were fully laden back back in the old days, they had only about 3-6" freeboard.

Lawrence urged me to knock on Lock House door as Tim and Mile worked the lock. I am so pleased we did. Julia was very welcoming and urged us to have a coffee so she could here about our travels.

The fellas joined us after taking Aqua Life down through the lock and we had coffee in Julia's private sitting room. You will never guess what was taking up wall space, in pride of place - a beautifully restored penny farthing. As you can imagine canal travels took a back seat to the stories of the bicycles.

Coffee finished we bade a reluctant farewell; the fellas had left Aqua Life on the lock landing (very bad form) and we still had quite a few miles to go. Julia walking back up the towpath after waving us off.

The view from our lunch time mooring looking out over the National Forest of Needwood! Once one of the largest Royal hunting grounds.  Tim and Mike whipped us up a surprisingly nice lunch from the fridge remnants that weren't out of date.

Tim, his mind not on the job at Branston Lock

Tim, his mind now back on the job

Lovely countryside

The obligatory canal photo

Dallow Lock, our last on this trip and the last of the narrow locks on the Trent and Mersey Canals journey to Shardlow.

We have watched, from the canal, the change of seasons. Pasture is now starting to go to seed

The Elderflowers are in full bloom, the blackberries are about to burst into flower, the yellow iris are nearly done and the hawthorns are starting to set berries

Aqueduct over the River Dove which started life in the Peak District and here is less than a mile from its meeting with the River Trent

And finally, the last miles done at 'tick over', we could no longer delay the inevitable. Having come full circle we moored up for the final time,  at Aqua Life's home berth about 5.30pm having completed 386 1/2 miles, 295 locks and 14 swing bridges at a scorching average of 2.77mph (not counting lock time).

Mercia Marina and the restaurant across from our mooring where we enjoyed a last supper together.

Today's journey 13 miles, 5 locks, 6 hours.

That's all folks. Tomorrow we are off to Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales for a few days before flying out on Wednesday.

PS. we still love each other and we still love narrowboating

Thursday 18/6 Hopwas Hays Wood to Wychnor, Bridge 44

Tim was up at 5.30 to make us all tea, unfortunately the rest of us weren't awake to drink it. I was next to emerge at 6.00, then Mike about 7.00 and Lawrence a laggardly last at quarter to eight.

Looking down on the River Tame from the towpath in the early morning sun

Tim and his tea and our little red BBQ

By the time our Captain had arisen, abluted and breakfasted it had clouded over and was bloody cold as we got underway at 9.15. We had to continue on a further mile down the Coventry Canal until we could turn the boat around at the winding hole.

Looking westward toward Hints. The tall transmitting tower was erected in 1956 to broadcast TV to the West Midlands. It is as old as me, but has kept its slender outline.

This boat with its man ans 4 dogs made it difficult for Lawrence to begin his turn at the winding hole, however with the aid of some deft reverse thrust he managed it very well.

He was growing lots of strawberries on his roof

Turned around we started to retrace our steps to Fradley Junction.

Passed where we moored last night and there was our evening visitor

Hopwas Wood and military firing range was verdant in the returning sunlight.

Lawrence decided we should stop at The Plough for lunch seeing he missed out yesterday.

Passed this continuous cruiser who must be very tall to see over all the stuff on his roof which included a good crop of greens, peas and herbs

Hunts Lock, the last in a flight of three going down from Fradley Junction, where we stopped for our LAST waterfill and some more unholy swan food.

Through the pretty village of Alrewas, our chosen destination for the night.

Unfortunately we missed the only mooring left. A cottage getting a new thatch roof

So we had to continue through Alrewas and lock down onto. For a very brief period, the Rover Trent

Aqua Life got the bit between her teeth and fairly flew down the 200 metres before the River left us and we were back on 'the cut'

A black headed gull, just to give you all a change for swans and ducks

Past water meadows

And at last we found a mooring and slipped in in front of this boat about 7.00pm

Whose occupants, I must say, with such an auspicious name, were not open, friendly, warm and welcoming (like someone else we know with the same name) but who took one look at the riffraff mooring in front of them and promptly shut their doors. Mind you, we are starting to look a tad unkempt and rough around the edges - well, more so than usual.

12 miles, 6 locks, 7 hours