Reading Sarah Henshaw's Bookbarge that Floated Away and other canal books and magazine articles, my "Dartford to Dartford by Dudley & Devizes" voyage all too often seemed to go against the literary flow.
In Waterways World May 2022, J.F.Fox took the Staff. & Worcs. from Stourport to Great Haywood. There are two Staffordshire and Worcestershire canals. Diametrically and dramatically different. Northerly. Southerly. Fox went Northerly. Pentargon went South.
Others always seem to take the cut less travelled. Rob Pearson's hilarious Wrong Way Round said it all. Rob had a plan and he bowed to expediency when things went awry. My plans however are guided by a water sprite named Sadbh. (Say Sive as in HIVE). I just bow to Sadbh and follow instructions that waft in to me. You can meet Sadbh on the Home Page
In Waterways World May 2022, J.F.Fox took the Staff. & Worcs. from Stourport to Great Haywood. There are two Staffordshire and Worcestershire canals. Diametrically and dramatically different. Northerly. Southerly. Fox went Northerly. Pentargon went South.
Others always seem to take the cut less travelled. Rob Pearson's hilarious Wrong Way Round said it all. Rob had a plan and he bowed to expediency when things went awry. My plans however are guided by a water sprite named Sadbh. (Say Sive as in HIVE). I just bow to Sadbh and follow instructions that waft in to me. You can meet Sadbh on the Home Page
Hugh Malet's original plan was to reach Liverpool. That was my original plan too ... but somewhere near Tamworth Sadbh advised veering towards Stafford and Dudley to fetch up at Bristol in case the sands of my year spilled away before I completed my circuit.
Malet and I shared many waters on our ways. He navigated by Jupiter and his Bowler. I chose Manannan Mach Lir and my Sabdh.
Hugh went up from Gravesend under his own steam and a running tide. I went up from Dartford under my own steam and the same tide sixty years later. Malet's 'steam' was petrol. My steam was diesel.
Hugh elbowed into Regent's Dock under cover in 1958. I went in to Bow Lock brazenly in 2016. Later, Hugh would enter Limehouse for the Regents and his Hat. I went out of Limehouse for Brentford without a hat. Malet crossed London to Bull's Bridge by the Regent's and the Paddington Arm. He did the "LondonTwelve" getting his Bowler Hat at Noel Road while I did the "Hanwell Twelve" by taking the Thames Tidal and saving four days of angst in the process. Our spirits would meet up again at Bull's Bridge to traverse 100 miles and 100 locks together and timelessly over the Chilterns through Buckby to Braunston. Our spirits shared the haul across the Chilterns. Both of us worked a hundred locks to Braunston, where I veered onto the Oxford while Hugh followed the mainline. Separated awhile at Braunston, our spirits would meet again oppositely, as he sought the Shropshire Union at Oxley Moor while Sadbh was steering me towards Stourport and the mighty Severn for the Bristol Channel.
Hugh went up from Gravesend under his own steam and a running tide. I went up from Dartford under my own steam and the same tide sixty years later. Malet's 'steam' was petrol. My steam was diesel.
Hugh elbowed into Regent's Dock under cover in 1958. I went in to Bow Lock brazenly in 2016. Later, Hugh would enter Limehouse for the Regents and his Hat. I went out of Limehouse for Brentford without a hat. Malet crossed London to Bull's Bridge by the Regent's and the Paddington Arm. He did the "LondonTwelve" getting his Bowler Hat at Noel Road while I did the "Hanwell Twelve" by taking the Thames Tidal and saving four days of angst in the process. Our spirits would meet up again at Bull's Bridge to traverse 100 miles and 100 locks together and timelessly over the Chilterns through Buckby to Braunston. Our spirits shared the haul across the Chilterns. Both of us worked a hundred locks to Braunston, where I veered onto the Oxford while Hugh followed the mainline. Separated awhile at Braunston, our spirits would meet again oppositely, as he sought the Shropshire Union at Oxley Moor while Sadbh was steering me towards Stourport and the mighty Severn for the Bristol Channel.
Sarah Henshaw, she of "The Bookbarge that Floated Away" went up the Bristol Channel to Sharpness carrying her books, her pilot and her reputation to Gloucester. I came down from Sharpness carrying my mud and my memories to Bristol. She had previously punched to Reading against a flowing Thames to enter the Kennet. On another day I went down the Reading gut at speed. I may go against the literary flow betimes, but never will I knowingly go against Sadbh or flowing water.
I always let the wind and the tide do the hard work for me at sea, enabling their united or opposing endeavours to put me where they want me to be when they want me to be where they need me to be.
Wind and Tide are my friends and I remain their humble servant. I never fight flowing water but gracefully go along with it.
If I brought nothing else in from the salty I brought the belief that flowing water may be treated as a friend and a howling wind can make its own arrangements.
Dartford to Dartford by Dudley and Devizes was always going to be interesting. First glance showed it would make great sense for me to avoid the Menace of the North. I love Brummagem and all Brummies but you can keep your filthy stinky canals. Life is too short to be peeed on from above or have half bats or bags of chips dropped on your head from duskfallen canal bridges
The challenge I had set myself was to complete the -longest solo ring ever completed on UK inland waters.
Dartford to Bow made a good start. Exiting Limehouse later for Brentford got some more tidal time in. I went with the flow under Tower Bridge and all those lovely bridges. Twenty six, starting with the spectacular Tower Bridge and ending with doughty Kew. [P] Grand Union Mainline to Braunston and the [North] Oxford past my old Hillmorton haunts took me to Sutton Stop where I waved at Coventry and turned for Fradley Junction and Great Haywood. A fortuitous "delivery" from Macclesfield to Penkridge while my own boat was parked near Tamworth allowed me to taste the Trent and Mersey before turning South through Tixall.
Wind and Tide are my friends and I remain their humble servant. I never fight flowing water but gracefully go along with it.
If I brought nothing else in from the salty I brought the belief that flowing water may be treated as a friend and a howling wind can make its own arrangements.
Dartford to Dartford by Dudley and Devizes was always going to be interesting. First glance showed it would make great sense for me to avoid the Menace of the North. I love Brummagem and all Brummies but you can keep your filthy stinky canals. Life is too short to be peeed on from above or have half bats or bags of chips dropped on your head from duskfallen canal bridges
The challenge I had set myself was to complete the -longest solo ring ever completed on UK inland waters.
Dartford to Bow made a good start. Exiting Limehouse later for Brentford got some more tidal time in. I went with the flow under Tower Bridge and all those lovely bridges. Twenty six, starting with the spectacular Tower Bridge and ending with doughty Kew. [P] Grand Union Mainline to Braunston and the [North] Oxford past my old Hillmorton haunts took me to Sutton Stop where I waved at Coventry and turned for Fradley Junction and Great Haywood. A fortuitous "delivery" from Macclesfield to Penkridge while my own boat was parked near Tamworth allowed me to taste the Trent and Mersey before turning South through Tixall.
Once Stafford was past the die was cast. The Staff and Worcs would float me up hill and down dale to Stourport where Pentargon would drop into the freshwater Severn and downriver join the tidal Severn eventually fetching up at Gloucester for the Ship Canal and Sharpness. Plain sailing then. There are two ways to get from Sharpness to Dartford by boat and Dudley is behind.
Let's look forward and figure ... WHY
Let's look forward and figure ... WHY
