Canal holiday 2006

Canal Holiday July 2006

Warwickshire ring

Back on the canal’s

Two years ago we ran our first canal holiday at Sea Scouts under the current leadership team at Sudbury. It was a great success, but as always there is always room to improve !

So on the 22nd July 2006 we put in to action the plans that we had been working on for the last year. We had booked two canal boats from Willow Wren, based at Rugby Wharf . The boats were the same two boats that we had used two years previous; Teal and Moorhen . One issue that we had on the last trip was that we were very keen to get moving on the first day, and failed to check the boats over properly before leaving the boat yard ! This time we checked it over and loaded the food on both boats correctly . The other change we made referred to the transport arrangements. On the 2004 canal holiday we had hired the mini bus from the upper school in Gt Cornard and we also had the need to run two other cars one of which was towing a trailer . However on this years trip we booked a coach with Felix of long Melford .

The trip

Saturday.

The leaders along with the other helpers, Explorer Scouts and Network Scouts met at the Sudbury headquarters at 08.00 hrs and breakfast rolls were handed out shortly after. Before long the Sea Scouts started to arrive along with our coach from Felix . All our personal, and some domestic kit, was loaded on board . We departed Sudbury just before 09.00 hrs and headed off to Rugby. We arranged with Felix to stop at the Tesco's near to the boat yard to stock up on food for the first few days. The weather was fine as we loaded up the boats, but as we moved out of the boat yard the clouds turned black and the heavens opened , great start ! Four hours in the pouring rain and over 20 miles to cover on the first afternoon . There was just one lock to work on Saturday ,we made very good time and arrived ahead of schedule at bridge 29 at Hartshill.

Sunday.

We were up and cruising by 06.45 and heading to Cheatles farm on the Birmingham & Fazeley canal we covered over 17 miles and 16 locks . The Sea Scouts also cooked a full Sunday roast with all the trimmings.

Monday.

With no need for an early start as we had made good the day before, we had a leisurely breakfast on what was set to be one of our hardest days of our trip, with over 15 miles and 36 locks that included Aston flight and Farmers Bridge in the same day ! It was important that we got to Gas street basin that night as we had booked up a visit at the sea life centre the following day . Sea Scout crews made light work of the locks, for some of the crews this was their first canal boating experience .

Tuesday.

We made the short walk across the bridges to the sea life centre. They had just over 2 hrs in the sea life centre, of course this ended in a gift shop / coffee shop . After buying some post cards to send home we returned to Teal and Moorhen . Around lunch time we set off again this time heading to Lapworth locks , heading passed Cadbury World we covered over 12 miles before arriving at Lapworth that evening .

Wednesday.

Day five of our trip around the Warwickshire Ring, the plan was to get up and moving by 05.00hrs and within a few minutes we were. There are 18 locks at Lapworth and we had finished all of them and were on our way to the grand union canal before breakfast at 07.00 hrs . Once on the Grand Union we headed for the next set of locks at Hatton. A flight of 22 locks and much bigger that the Sea Scout crews had been used too. But when we arrived we were met by a member of staff from the British water ways, who told us that the right of navigation had been closed since yesterday due to them finding a man’s dead body in one of the middle locks. Police divers and investigators were coming back this morning to remove his body after the police coroner had given the ok to move the body . After nearly two hours of waiting we were given the go ahead to slowly start making our way down through the locks . We quietly passed the point that the body hade been removed from with now only a small bunch of flowers to mark the spot. The boats we passed on our way down had been held up since lunch time the previous day . Even with some hold up we made good time and by the end of the day we had covered 9.5 miles and 37 locks and that included taking on water at lunch time and time more a much earned drink at a canal side pub ,The Cape of Good Hope, before stopping at Tesco’s to stock up for the bbq that evening.

Thursday.

The Sea Scouts were soon to be put to the test, with 17 miles to cover and 23 locks. Both boats got to lie in because of the very long day on the Wednesday , which seemed so long it was like two days in one .

Leaders and helpers helped with the first two set of locks at Fosses and Bascote. Come lunch and a stop at the Blue Lais pub sounds like a good idea, a nice big play area for the Sea Scouts and cold drinks for those that wanted . Then we had another idea, why not let the crews from both boat complete the next set of locks at Stockton eight in total . So that’s what we did, after briefing them and leaving only two Explorer Scouts to help them , keeping a safe distance away we watched in amazement as they worked like a well oiled machine through the lock and out the other side. Team work at it best ! As promised we moored up that evening next to an ideal place for a wide game ! Part of the programme that the Sea Scouts had been looking forward to all week .

Friday.

Just 19 miles from Willow Wrens boat yard we had to make a unplanned stop at another boat yard . One of the toilets on board Teal was dangerously close to over flowing and was in need of a pump out. This did not hold us up that much and once done we could turn our attentions to food and lunch. We completed the last 3 locks of our trip before stopping again for lunch and taking on more water , a daily task as the weather had gone from heavy rain to blue sky and hot sunny weather . All through the canal holiday the Sea Scouts crews worked hard at driving the boat, operating the locks, navigating and cooking three meals a day so for them to finish off the driving was not a problem. They got to Rugby Wharf, turned the boat around and moored up ready to drive straight in to the boat yard in the morning . A spot of fishing before dinner and after the last night in a beer garden at the edge of the Oxford Canal . They talked about what they had achieved over the week and for some the disappointment that things were coming to an end ! We all had a great time and came home safe and sound but ready for the comforts of being home .

I would like to thank everyone who made this camp a great success !

Rob Palmer, Sea Scout Leader.