Gralyn Travels

To get from Stockport to the River Thames we are taking a convaluted route. We start off by going to Chester with our friend from the North Cheshire Cruising Club (NCCC) by traveling down the Macclesfield Canal to Kidsgrove then down the infamous Heartbreak Hill on the Trent and Mersey canal to Middlewich and cross over to the Shropshire Union canal at Barbridge. Then it is a run North down the wide locks of the ‘Shroppie’ into Chester, where we will spend a few days.

After our stay in Chester we set off for the Thames propper and head South to the end of the ‘Shroppie’ at Autherly near Wolverhampton. This is to be the location of this years IWA festival. We turn North onto the ‘Staffs and Worcester canal’ and head for the junction with the ‘Trent and Mersey’ at Great Haywood. We then head for Fradley junction and turn onto the Coventry canal to Sutton Stop where we join the Northern Oxford canal passing through Tamworth and Atherston on our way. We will stay on the Northern Oxford passing through Rugby untill we reach Braunston where we turn right and head for Napton Junction and the Southern Oxford canal. After the locks at Napton and Marston Doles the canal twists and turns untill you reach Fenny Compton and then it is through Cropready and into Banbury. After Banbury there are several deep heavy locks on the way down through Aynho and Thrupp to the junction with theDuke’s Cut and on to the Thames.

 Once on the river the locks are worked for you by lock keepers who use long poles to open and close the opposite gates on the wide locks. We will make our way up to the head of Navigation at Letchlade. From Letchlade the run down river is through Oxford, Abbingdon, Goring, Reading, Henley and Windsor where we may take a break to attend a wedding in Norfolk. Then it is on past Runymead and Shepperton to Hampton Court and Teddington. We will visit London and have a go on the London Eye from one of these locations before we set off back to Stockport. Route at the moment yet to be planned.

We thought that getting ready fo 3 weeks holiday was time consuming, this extended cruise is taking lots more planning. It started last November when the engine came out for a major overhaul (I wanted to be sure that everthing would be working OK). Thats been done now and a new “hospital silencer” fitted. The next thing is to sort out the boat licence renewal that happens in the middle of the trip. I have spoken to BW customer services and arranged to pay in advance.    We have also been creating space for all the things we need to take so lots of stuff that has not been used for several years or we have more than enough of on board has been taken off and put in the loft. In april the boat will be taken out of the water and have the hull cleaned and repainted.

I have set up this blog to record the trip to the River Thames in my narrowboat Gralyn. We will be making the trip after I have retired. I will start tonight with an account of the preperation for the journey.