Hatton Station (Rain, training courses and a memory of evacuation)

We woke to strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday morning; the wind was so strong it was making waves on the water and it was like we were moored on a river.  Although the wind died down, it continued to rain all day.

View from our bedroom on Wednesday morning after the wind had died down – not really enticing us to venture outside

We didn’t go for any long walks because of the weather so ended up staying in most of the day.  It meant I could get on with booking some of the courses we need to do in order to get the necessary qualification of competency to cruise in France.  One is the Code Européen des Voies de Navigation Intérieure or CEVNI as it is known.  This qualification is achieved by sitting a multiple-choice test on the lines of the British driving theory test, but water rather than road based of course.  As we are British, a pre-requisite for sitting the CEVNI test, is gaining the British Inland Waterways (IW) Helmsman certificate which is set by the Royal Yachting Association.

There are many places around the UK where we can get the IW certificate but, as there is a centre in Warwick, it makes sense to get the certificate there before we set off on our travels again in a few weeks.  So, we are now booked in for a two-day course using our own boat at the beginning of April.  This means the French expenses have started and, I must admit, this first step is not a cheap one, so it proves we are serious about it😉

On Thursday morning we left the boat early and drove up to Yorkshire to spend a few days with my parents.

Leaving the boat on Thursday morning – Hatton station in the distance and the rain had stopped!

We tried out an Airbnb cottage that we haven’t stayed in before.  It was in Wycoller which, although it’s in Lancashire, is just on the borders with West and North Yorkshire.  Wycoller is a true hamlet as it does not have a church. Only residents are allowed to bring their cars in so it’s very quiet; tourists have to park about 1/3^rd mile outside and walk in.  As we were renting one of the dozen houses that make up Wycoller we were able to drive in.

Wycoller grew up as a farming and weaving community but became derelict, like other settlements, when the large weaving mills were built in the surrounding area.  Fortunately, it has now been restored and is also a real tourist trap because of it’s past.  Penelope Keith (of Hidden Villages and The Good Life fame) restored a barn here about 25 years ago and the house is currently for sale.  More details here - sorry, it’s the Daily Mail 😉

 

There are six crossing points of the beck that runs through Wycoller – two road bridges, three footbridges and a ford.

A pack-horse bridge, one of the three footbridges

We loved the worn footway across the bridge

A clapper bridge, another one of the footbridges

The ford with the remains of Wycoller Hall behind

On the other side of the ford are the remains of the 15^th century Wycoller Hall.  It’s amazing it hasn’t been completely plundered for stone over the years especially as it is in the centre of the settlement.  The Brontes lived in Haworth (another town we have stayed in recently) which is only a few miles away.  Apparently, Wycoller Hall is the Ferndean Manor of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.

Wycoller Hall

Massive fireplace at the hall

Dad was still in hospital on the Thursday but was transferred to a care home on Friday.  We spent a lot of Friday settling him in and transporting personal items from his house about ¼ mile away from where Mum still lives.

Before we came home on Saturday we took Mum up to see Dad and, whilst we were there my youngest brother, Richard, and his family turned up.  They had come down from Scotland for the weekend so Dad wouldn’t be short of visitors.  We have to admit that Dad seems very comfortable and happy now he is out of hospital and the staff and nurses are very attentive.

The care home is one of a group of buildings established around a mill on the River Aire at Gargrave; the mill is now converted to apartments.  My dad was evacuated in WWII and, coincidentally, was evacuated to one of the mews houses which join the mill to the care home.  I say coincidence, but the reason my parents bought a house up in the Dales was because of my Dad’s fond memories of his childhood when he was evacuated there.  So, it’s not really a coincidence but he and the family are all happy that he is settled in to where he has his happy memories.  He is also happy because it means we can take Buddy in to see him which wasn't possible when he was in an NHS hospital.  We have to watch the staff though as they were all keen to give him biscuits (Buddy not my dad).

I mentioned the other day that we will need modifications to the boat in order to use her in France.  As we will be cruising around Yorkshire over the coming summer we decided to book her in to a boatyard in the area to have the mods done whilst we have a summer holiday.  We have now booked her in for the works (and to get her hull blacked) at the beginning of September.  We have also arranged to leave her at the boatyard for September and October whilst we are having a little holiday in Italy 😊

Buddy was happy in the cottage we rented – just like being at home on the boat

Depending upon the weather, we may have a little cruise back towards Lapworth tomorrow as we are meeting up with friends at the Tom o'the Wood for lunch.  Wendy, a boating friend of ours, has sent me some information on the two derelict working boats that I mentioned in the last blog entry.  I’ll include some of this information in the next blog entry.

Hatton Station (Back on the Grand Union)

Monday wasn’t really a boating day: having got all the washing done in the morning, I took Buddy into Leamington.  All of my parents’ children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are gathering in the Yorkshire Dales to celebrate my dad’s 90^th birthday at the end of February.  We have taken over the entire Youth Hostel in Malham but, unfortunately, they don’t allow dogs.  So, I was taking Buddy to meet a new dog-walker/sitter.  She was a lovely lady and Buddy was very happy with her and her home, so we’ll be happy to leave him there for that weekend.  It’s best for him anyway as he doesn’t travel well and it’ll be boring family stuff all weekend.

It was very mild on Tuesday morning and I set off for Hatton station straight after breakfast.  First, we had to get to the end of the Lapworth Link to the junction with the Grand Union canal.  I can’t believe it’s well over three months since we were last on the Grand Union canal.  In that time, we’ve travelled the North Stratford canal to Kings Norton; been into the centre of Birmingham on the Worcester & Birmingham canal and, on the same canal, been as far south as Alvechurch.  We had a bit of to-ing and fro-ing on the way and travelled 62 miles through 50 locks and ten tunnels – that’s only one mile and one lock every two days.  Before Karen went back to work when we used to cruise most days we averaged just over four miles and four locks a day!

Getting ready to turn right onto the Grand Union canal

Birmingham left – Warwick right – Stratford Canal back where we had come from

Just before we left, Buddy met up with Brodie and was able to have a good run around before sitting on the back deck for the cruise.  We stopped at The Tom o’the Wood pub moorings at Rowington to top up with water.  Being by the pub reminded me that we’re meeting Mike & Lesley and Chris & Sue there for lunch this coming Sunday, which should be good fun.

At the water point – in the summer, moored boats will stretch as far as the eye can see and around the corner

It was quite windy so I struggled for quite a while to get the boat moored up securely.  I managed in the end, but it did get me a bit worried about mooring up at Hatton station.  The spot we like is a little exposed and I knew the wind would be cutting across the fields.  To make it trickier, there is no Armco so I would have to use mooring pins.  Knocking pins in takes a while and therefore gives more chance that the boat will drift away from you.  I decided not to worry about it and, when I got there, if I felt it was dangerous I would turn around and come back to some Armco right by the station. 

You may ask why I didn’t want to moor right outside the station anyway and it’s because it’s next to a couple of houses and we would rather be away from anybody.  Also, it is a popular spot for ccers to moor as it’s right next to the station, so we would be bound to have a neighbour over the next week or so.

The Grand Union is generally wider than the Stratford canal and does cater for broad beam boats by having double width locks practically all the way to Birmingham from London

I always like cruising through Rowington cutting because of the proliferation of Hart’s Tongue fern that grows on the steep banks.  I also always marvel at the thought that the cutting was dug without mechanical aids.

Hart’s Tongue ferns in Rowington cutting

Coming out of the cutting sees a dramatic change as the canal then winds over the massive Rowington embankment which overlooks some of the old farms in the village.

 

Between Rowington and Shrewley there are two old working boats which have been derelict for years.  These are probably the most photographed non-working working boats in the country, but I make no apologies for taking yet another picture.

Tuesday 23rd January 2018

When we went past them on 12th August 2015

Just after the working boats, Shrewley tunnel appears in the distance.  Again, other than Standedge tunnel in the Pennines, this is probably the most photographed canal tunnel.  This is because it has a separate tunnel built for the towing horses and is still in use as the towpath today.

Silt is constantly being washed down the old horse tunnel and drips into the canal creating a massive mud overhang which gets knocked off every few years.  It is now so large that boats are bound to knock it off when it gets busier later in the year.

The flow-mud overhanging the entrance to the boat tunnel

Canal tunnels generally have fluorescent markers showing the way to the nearest exit and at the centre, there are usually arrows pointing both ways.  Most longer tunnels also have markers at every 100 yards or 100 metres, but not Shrewley, it’s too short I suspect.

The centre point

We then arrived at Hatton station – the moorings on the Armco were free but I decided to carry on to our spot.  As it was, I managed to moor up OK but used plenty of pins as there are storms forecast for Wednesday again.

Buddy just sits in the mud whilst I moor up

After a late lunch I walked Buddy down to the Hatton flight which, just like everywhere else we have been for the last few weeks was devoid of boat movements.  There are two locks closed in Warwick for maintenance over January which will be stopping through traffic, but I’m surprised that no one has ventured out from the moorings at the Saltisford Arm in the centre of Warwick in the opposite direction to the closure.

At the top of the flight is a mile post confirming the length of the Grand Union as 136 ½ miles from Brentford (at the River Thames) to the centre of Birmingham.

 

We will stay here until the weekend after next.  There’s no point moving down the flight before then because of the lock closures in Warwick, but we will have to go down on the weekend they reopen as the Hatton flight itself is closing for six weeks from the following Monday.  Last time we did the Hatton flight I put my back out when single handing the first half dozen locks at the top and a few times previous to that, Karen did the same.  Fortunately, Mike and Lesley want to help us down so we’re not going to say no 😊

If we need water or a pump out before doing the locks I will spin the boat at a winding hole just in front of our mooring and go back to Lapworth and then return again.  It’ll take a good few hours as it’ll be a nine-mile journey but at least it’ll be a pleasant cruise.  In the evening, Karen suggested we do that at the weekend anyway as we are meeting friends back that way.  So we will stay here until Saturday and then, on Sunday morning, cruise back to the Tom o'the Wood for lunch.  We can then stay overnight there and I'll bring the boat back here to Hatton station next Monday.

Winding hole just up from our new mooring

Walking back to the boat – not a soul around – just as we like it 😊

There are a lot of mallards courting on this stretch and also a couple of cormorants that keep swimming past the boat.  As this is such an open mooring it is also great for watching buzzards that constantly wheel in the air whilst mewing.