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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour
Tour 2001
Fenland Tour Summer 2001
33 - Northampton to Weedon - River Nene (inc Westbridge Arm and Upper River Nene), Northampton Arm and Grand Union Canal.
Monday 30th July 2001
That morning we started off at 09.05. We went up The Upper River Nene first. It
was a bit bumpy
over the gravel just after the by-pass bridge. The river was very clear and hardly any flow, so
we could
pick our way through the trolleys. It was still fairly deep under the railway bridge, so
we carried on until one side of boat rode up over something serious! We waited for
the water to clear, then we could see two lines of thick timber piles about 18 inches
below this low water level, stretching out beyond the remains of next old bridge
base / wharf.
After extracting ourselves from on this pile we crept up between
the line of piles until we started to ride up something else.......Linda said
definitely no more fiddling about to get passed this. We then reversed back to
junction with Westbridge Arm, as the B&Q pontoons are set at the only point
where a 60ft nb could wind!
We stopped on the pontoon and popped into B&Q for Evo
Stik. Amazingly they had not sold out of this as Colin was sure the kids last
night were stoned out on it! We then started up the clear Westbridge Arm - this
had more flow on it than the Nene. It was fine going under the new footbridge.......then
we spotted a willow tree half way across the river.
This was just before the
Carlsberg outer piled bend side. In 1998 when Beatty was last here there was an
island on the inside of this bend! This has either been washed away or removed
by EA.....anyway bloody shallow. We managed to just get round the edge of the
shoal / willow, but then Neil started to get aggressive, to make for an easy
return passage.
We then reversed back to the main section of the fallen willow trunk (9 inches diam) and Neil got out new, donated electric chainsaw.
Neil sawed out 8ft of the trunk nearest the outside of the bend and tided up overhanging bits.
He chucked all this
stuff on bank, but had to leave marooned large section of the branch where it
lay, in the shallows.
It was a relatively
easy but slow passage up to the new road bridge. We were expecting to bottom out here
(2ft 2ins draught) but managed to just creep through, with out too much rattling
or bouncing off the bottom. Slow stoggy plod up to small “Pizza Hut”
footbridge, then ground to halt on predictable trolley reef.
The EA had been
buggering about with the flood wall and the riverside path and this bridge was
officially closed. We had to move three trolleys to the side then got through,
then OK up to the clear winding point. We went round the corner nearly to the railbridge then
attacked the overhanging willow tree with chainsaw (this gets in the way when
reversing off from the wind........it don't no more!)
Earnest got under the railbridges to
be greeted by serious clay bund and the river drained beyond. EA contractors
were
everywhere, one said that they are widening channel / strengthening the undercut
bank through the Council Depot
section and this would then be reconnected. (It has been reported that the sharp
corner will be tighter and even a 60ft narrowboat may not be able to get round
this.)
It was an easy wind with pole and power (70ft
would go round) Much faster extraction and the cut down tree channel proved deep
and free of branches. This little lot took us 2 hours.
We started up the Northampton
Arm of GU at 11.15. We still caught up with NB’s “Touchstone” and
“Emile” by lock 7 of the Rothersthorpe Flight (started off from Noirthampton10 minutes before
us!), so we stopped in lock 6 for lunch.
We turned right at Gayton Junction at
15.00. Now there seemed hundreds of boats about. At Bugbrooke we caught up with
SLOW!!! CAnaltime boat. They attempted to send a hotel boat pair up the bank,
but came off worse. Neil then took over for a while and eventually they gave up
and waved us by.
Still a bloody hot afternoon, the overcast morning gave way to
blue sky and we sweltered again. We gave up for the night at Weedon (17.30), past
the bridge. The “Ming” Chinese was closed as it was Monday night. We went
out to Heart of England for pint and pub grub in garden. Well basically the
Heart of England was totally crap. The Pedigree was off and the
food.............yuk!
Going up to Northampton Bridge. River Nene.
Above Northampton Bridge. Northampton. River Nene.
Westbridge Arm goes of to the right. Northampton. River Nene.
The B&Q pontoon. Upper River Nene.
Northampton. Upper River Nene. The A5123 Bridge.
Northampton. Upper River Nene. looking back at the B&Q pontoon.
Northampton. Upper River Nene. Footbridge.
Northampton. Upper River Nene. Railway Bridge.
Northampton. Upper River Nene. We grind to a halt above the railway bridge.
Northampton. Upper River Nene. Reversing back down.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Starting up - the new footbridge.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. The downed willow tree on brewery corner.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Passed the old gas works.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Passed the old gas works.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. A 43 Bridge.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. A 43 Bridge.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. The end for us, bund put in for EA river
works.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Looking back under the railbridge from our
head of navigation.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. The winding point.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Looking above the winding point.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Looking back down
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. The wharf by the closed nightclub.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Pizza Hut footbridge.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Pizza Hut footbridge. Trolley shoal can
just be seen!
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Coming back to the new A43 bridge.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Old gas works.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm.
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. looking back at the removed, willow branch
Northampton. The Westbridge Arm. Coming back out onto the River Nene.
Looking back downstream, just before we entered the Northampton Arm of the
Grand Union Canal. River Nene.
Starting up the Grand Union Northampton Arm. Cotton End, Northampton.
Looking back at the River Nene. Grand Union Northampton Arm.
Bottom Lock No17. Grand Union Northampton Arm. Cotton End.
Looking back at bottom Lock No17. Grand Union Northampton Arm. Cotton End.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Cotton End.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Cotton End.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Looking back at railbridge from Hunsby Lock
No16
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Looking back at railbridge from Hunsby Lock
No16
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Hunsby Lock No16
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Looking back at Hunsby Lock No16
Grand Union Northampton Arm. looking across the Nene Valley at the old
Express lift test tower.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. looking across the Nene Valley.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Hardingstone Lock No 15.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Hardingstone Lock No 15.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Hardingstone Lock No 15.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. A45 Viaduct over the canal and river.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Grand Union Northampton Arm. Looking back at
Hardingstone Lock No15.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. New houses below Wooton Lock No14.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Wooton Lock No14.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Lock No13.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. M1 Tunnel and Rothersthorpe Lock No12.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. M1 Tunnel and Rothersthorpe Lock No12.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. M1 Tunnel and Rothersthorpe Lock No12.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Lock No12.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Looking back at Rothersthorpe Lock No12.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight. Bridge No4 and Lock No2
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight. Lock No2
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight. Top Lock No1 and lock
cottage.
Colin and Linda. Grand Union Northampton Arm.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight. Top Lock No1 and lock
cottage.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight. Top Lock cottage.
Grand Union Northampton Arm. Rothersthorpe Flight. Looking back at Top Lock
No1, lock cottage and new winding point.
Gayton Junction. Grand Union Northampton Arm.
Leaving the Grand Union Northampton Arm at Gayton Junction - now on the main
line.
Bernie Morton's Narrowboat "Lexa".
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