To complete last night's story: we gave in and phoned RCR who said that an engineer would be with us around 7:30 which we thought was rather impressive as it was almost 6.30 by this stage. However, dinner was well on its way so we opted to start on it - of course as soon as we sat6 down, the phone rang to say that the engineer was at the lock and was just checking our exact location.
He had already selected the most likely problem from the information and brought with him a couple of spares. As he has suspected, the o-ring which seals the tap at the bottom of the filter had failed and he took very little time in sorting out a suitable replacement from the dozens in his box! However, there was far too much liquid (of whatever composition!) in the bilges for him to do much about and as we were now unlikely to get much into the pumped out tray, he advised us to stop at the next boatyard which could tackle this for us. His best suggestion was Oxley Marine - we have used them a couple of times in the past.
We had planned to moor overnight at Penkridge anyway as this seemed like the best bet for a church service - we had some difficulty working out what was what in the preceding set of parishes! At least we knew when and where for this morning.
As we made our way into the village we could hear a loudspeaker and then lots of people dressed for a run. We later learnt that over 800 adults and children took part, almost all from the local community. They 'only' had to complete a two and half mile circuit of the village but the organisation looked quite substantial with plenty of marshals on hand. Later we chatted to one or two after they had completed it and they all seemed to have enjoyed taking part.
St Michael's Church is an imposing structure (we could not find a position for a better overall view) and internally they have done well to make the best of it. In fact the large chancel, obscured by an equally dominating screen, was not used at all. The service was projected onto screens and the music was supported by a small music group - keyboard, guitar and rhythm.
We were welcomed when we arrived and several people chatted to us before the start. There were around 100 people, including a number of young children, although the teenage and young adult range was hardly represented.
Today was a special occasion for them as their curate, who had been ordained here Saturday a week ago, was presiding at the communion service for the first time. His vicar kept a close eye on his protege to make sure he kept on track. (Actually, the curate looked a lot more organised than his vicar!)
They had a supply of cakes for the event as well as the usual tea and coffee but we opted to take our leave as we wanted to get away reasonably soon, knowing that tomorrow we have to sort out the bilges.
Before leaving, we phoned Oxley Marine and they seemed only too willing to help and that this was a task they are able to do - tomorrow we shall see.
The morning had been almost all dry, with just a short drizzle, but the afternoon turned very warm, almost hot one might say. Certainly, we had to turn out the sun screen for the first time in real need.
Above Penkridge Lock we stopped for a short while to use the services - during this time we were overtaken by at least one boat and only managed to get away before a further one came up. All afternoon we saw a steady stream of boats in each direction but sufficiently spaced out not to result in the build up of queues.
Both this lock and that at Gailey have a separate towpath tunnel. Just as we were leaving the lock, the same RCR engineer from last night came past on his way to another call out just before the next lock!
We gradually left Penkridge behind us and, as the photo shows, the afternoon became very pleasant indeed. Canal experts will be able to tell immediately which canal we are on (even without the clue at the top of the blog) as the bridge name plates on the Staffs and Worcs are quite distinctive.
None of the locks are immediately adjacent but equally there was never very much between them until we reached Gailey. Christine walked between a couple.
Here at Bogg's Lock can be seen another distinctive design characteristic: the shape of the balance beams with a rounded end that is larger than the gate end.
Not all have been replaced like-for-like as the next lock shows. This one is much more conventional.
There is no mistaking our imminent arrival at Gailey Lock - the castellated house beside the lock cannot be ignored!
The A5 road bridge has been much widened since the older days when, again, a separate tunnel would have been used by the horses to pass from one level to the other.
OK, so we know that you, dear reader, really wanted a fuller picture of the lock house so not to disappoint, here it is! Sadly, a momentary lapse in the sunshine left a greyer sky in the background.
From here there are no more locks until Autherley Junction, just level cruising. Many moons ago, our first few experiences of passing through Gravelly Way were not especially enjoyable. A large, dirty chemical works stood on both sides of the canal and water we passed through could not support any form of life - probably not even aliens! One side has now been levelled and the works on the other have been brought into line with modern regulations and hardly intrude on the greenness of the canal (other than a ban on mooring alongside the works)
Close by by is another large industrial unit of of unusual shape - complete with several grass sections on the roofs. (not yet found out what it houses)
We then passed through Hatherton Junction where the Hatherton Branch once carried traffic through to Cannock. The first lock can just be seen through the junction bridge. There is a restoration trust with plans to open up much more of this canal, even coping with the M6 which runs over the line of the canal a short distance from the junction.
We continued to cruise for another couple of miles in the pleasant sunshine by did not want to get as far as Coven Heath as mooring is less possible from there to the junction. In the end we spotted a place just after Slade Heath where we could have hopes of trying out the new satellite tv equipment (a better sat finder and a new freesat box to replace the one which had started to malfunction) Indeed we have a picture for the first time this trip, although the controller is doing some peculiar things. Let's hope there is something worth watching! Still, roast lamb awaits!
7.7 Miles - 7 Locks
No comments:
Post a Comment