Previous Year : 2003 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2005

2004 - Stratford-upon-Avon & the BCN.

Crew : Pete, Dave, John & Chris, Ernie, Stan, Geoff

Boat : Avon

From : Anglowelsh, Wootton Wawen.

Route : Wootton Wawen > Stratford-upon-Avon [w] > Preston Bagot > Kingswood > Shirley > Birmingham > BCLM [w] > Tipton > Bradley [w] > Wolverhampton [w] > Birmingham > Sparkbrook > Kingswood > Wootton Wawen.

Coverage : 124 Locks and 101 Miles.

Notes : This year, Colin was replaced by Geoff, but Jennifer decided not to come. This again left us with a crew of just seven. This trip included trips up the Bradley Branch and the newly refurbished Engine Arm. It was on the Bradley Branch where Ernie - henceforth referred to as Gandern-the-Great - did his usual magic thing on a padlock to allow us to be able to wind. Pete conspired with Ashted Tunnel to make a minor modification to the one and only remaining navigation light, and there were the 'supposed' American porn stars after Pete's body... Quite what they were going to do with it when they got it, he never found out !

Saturday 22nd May

Lunch : Wootton Wawen We had arranged to meet up in The Navigation alongside the boatyard. The boat was not ready, and we were told that it would take quite some time to be prepared, so we all went back to The Navigation for some more beer and some lunch. Once loaded, we were the last boat to leave the boatyard, and we found ourselves behind two other boats filled with total novices. Their crews seemed to assume that we were there simply to help them through the locks. Fortunately, our resident diplomat John, managed to explain in the clearest and most diplomatic of language that this was not actually the case, and that they should let us pass them, which they did. It later transpired that they thought that they were heading for Birmingham, when in fact they were heading for Stratford-upon-Avon. We wondered how far they got before they realised ?

Evening : Stratford-upon-Avon. We eventually made it to Stratford, and moored up in Bancroft Basin in front of the Shakespeare Monument. The town was very busy and rather more rowdy than we'd expected - in fact it seemed even worse than Micklegate in York on a Saturday night. Even Chris described it as being more akin to Beirut than Stratford-upon-Avon. Pete, John & Stan went to a pub, while the others went to find a curryhouse. After a few wee snifters, Pete, John & Stan rejoined the others in the curryhouse. After the curry, we then went to The Garrick. It was a completely no-smoking pub a full three years before the smoking ban would come into force in the rest of the UK, so Ernie & Geoff had to go outside for their little puffs.

The Shakespeare Monument, Stratford-upon-Avon

Bancroft Basin, Stratford-upon-Avon.

You may just be able to read the sign pointing to York - only 228 miles and 115 locks away.

Sunday 23rd May

Lunch : Preston Bagot. We set off back up The Stratford Canal, and stopped for lunch at The Crabmill at Preston Bagot. We felt decidedly out of place as we were probably the only customers not to arrive in a top-of-the-range BMW or Range Rover - our only consolation being that our "vehicle" was probably worth at least as much as anything else in the car park. After several pints in very comfy leather settees - and nearly falling asleep - we set off for Kingswood.

Wilmcote Locks

Evening : Kingswood. After several pints at Preston Bagot, we pushed on. We moored up just below Kingswood Junction for the evening where we went to The Navigation Inn for a meal, some beer and some rather nice perry. This was where we caught up with the Americans who John seemed to think were making a porno movie and wanted Pete's body... quite what they wanted to do with it all was anybody's guess - sadly, Pete never got to find out.

Kingswood Junction.

The Lapworth Link to The Grand Union Canal goes off to the left and The Stratford Canal continues under the bridge to the right.

Monday 24th May

Lunch : Shirley. We stopped at The Drawbridge at Shirley for Lunch. The pub is situated just by the titular powered bridge on quite a busy road. Boaters regularly open the bridge, and it always seem to create a queue of wonderfully irate motorists.

Evening : Birmingham. We continued up the North Stratford Canal to King's Norton Junction, turned on to the Worcester & Birmingham canal and headed for Birmingham. Just beyond King's Norton Junction, we got stuck behind a really slow boat, about 1.5 mph all the way from Bourneville to Edgbaston and chucking out loads of black exhaust smoke, until he finally let us past. We moored up at our usual spot by the NIA in Birmingham, and went to The Prince of Wales for some beer and Shimla Pink's for a curry.

Central Birmingham.

The BCN Main Line to the right goes to Wolverhampton and the Oozel's Street Loop is straight ahead under the green bridge

Birmingham - Old Turn Junction.

Central Birmingham.

Looking from Cambrian Wharf towards Broad Street.

Tuesday 25th May

Morning : Water at Farmer's Bridge. We took on water at the top of Farmer's Bridge. Stan then had to reverse back to the main line and then reverse around the roundabout.

Stan reversing from the water point at Farmer's Bridge back to the main line.

Oozel's Street Loop.

Lunch : The Black Country Museum. After taking on water at the top of the Farmer's Bridge flight, we toured the loops and the newly improved Engine Branch, then went on to The Black Country Museum. This time, some of us actually went for a walk round the museum instead of just sitting boozing in The Bottle and Glass all day long.

Evening : Tipton. We moored up and went off in search of a pub. The first one we found had big screens, loud music blaring out, no real beer and unsurprisingly, no other customers. After discerning the situation, we left without ordering anything. The landlord then followed us out to ask us why we didn't want to stay... so we explained, much to his dismay. We went for a curry, but no one can remember exactly where it was, and whether or not we found another pub afterwards

Wednesday 26th May

Morning : The Bradley Branch & Tipton. We decided to cruise to the end of The Bradley Branch. Why, you may ask.. Because it's there of course. On the way up it, we passed a boat reversing out of the branch. They said they couldn't turn their 60' boat at the end. Oops ! - did this mean we going to be stuck and have to reverse out too ? When we got to the end, we also found we couldn't turn, but there was a small basin behind an apparently locked gate. Whilst there was a padlock on the gate, Ernie tried it and found that the padlock wasn't actually locked. We opened the gate, reversed into the basin, ropes off and spun the boat around within it's own length and reversed out of the basin. We soon passed the other boat again. They were astonished that we had managed to turn. We offered to take them in tow to speed up their progress but they declined the offer. We eventually moored up and went to a pub at Tipton that Stan knew, but it was more like a working men's club than a pub. It did have some rather nice Banks's Mild, but no one can remember either the name nor exactly where it was.

Evening : Wolverhampton. We most likely went to The Great Western.

A coot on the Bradley Branch.

Thursday 27th May

Lunch : Birmingham . Arriving a bit later than usual for a lunchtime, we left the boat on the disabled mooring just by the water point at Farmer's Bridge, and went to the Prince of Wales for a quick couple of pints. We then set off down Farmer's Bridge and across the Digbeth Branch toward the Grand Union Canal. It was in Ashted Tunnel that Pete made a minor alteration to the one remaining navigation light. He hit a bit of rubbish in the water which bounced the front of the boat over into the tunnel wall, and ripped the navigation light off. He did however keep most of the remaining bits in a bag just in case the boatyard wanted them back.

Evening : Camp Hill & Sparkbrook. Once on to the Grand Union canal, we moored above Camp Hill locks near the railway station. We were at first concerned about a bloke hanging around near the boat. It turned out he was waiting for us to go so he could do his exercises. We went for an excellent curry but couldn't find a decent pub.

Friday 28th May

Lunch : Kingswood Junction. We continued along the Grand Union to Kingswood Junction, and went to The Navigation Inn again for more beer and even more of the nice perry.

Evening : Probably Wootton Wawen - but can't remember exactly, most likely due to the surfeit of perry at lunchtime.

Saturday 29th May

Morning: Home via The Karachi and the Al Halal supermarket.

Previous Year : 2003 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2005