Bartimaeus

A lot of locking is standard for any of my visits to Bartimaeus. This visit so far has been no different. I met Clare and Shane at Rugby on Wednesday and we set out with plans to get through the Hatton flight by next Tuesday.

On Thursday, the sun was out and scorching hot - a surprise, since I have a reputation for bringing cold whenever I visit. The locks were in no short supply, and we worked hard to get through as many as possible within the limited locking hours that have been put in place to conserve water. These locks came in pairs, and with there often being one boat in each lock, and another boat trying to get in alongside us, that meant four boats trying to navigate at each lock cycle, leading to some tricky manoeuvring.

At the end of the day we found ourselves by a pub, and I contemplated (aloud) going in for a cold drink. Shane looked at a map and found that there was another pub whose food was well reviewed ten minutes walk away, and we set off for that one. On our arrival, the sign outside informed us that booking was essential for food.

The woman running the bar explained that this is because she was running it by herself and needed notice so she could get someone else in to cook while she served drinks. However, as it was only us in, she was happy to whip something up quickly. We settled down with drinks - Clare and Shane tried a local beer called "Goat's Milk" - and we were surprised at how quickly food came out as well as delighted by the quality. It was a disappointment to hear that the pub was closing soon, meaning that there would be no chance to visit on a future trip.

Friday brought another hot day and plenty more locks. The locks along this stretch of canal have an unusual design, where most locks have a ratchet to stop the gates from closing by themselves, these ones have a small metal semicircle on a short chain with an indent in the side that fits snugly around the axle. As the gate falls, the axle spins, the chain is pulled tight, preventing any further turning. This is less secure than a ratchet, as wiggling the windlass (often required to pull it off) can shake it loose.

Partway through the day we stopped for a pump out, but were told unfortunately that the pump out machine was broken. They were working to fix it though, so while we waited I took to a local shop for an ice cream. After a false start, we were able to get the pump out, and were even given it free of charge for allowing our boat to be used as a test drive for the pump.

We continued onward and moored shortly after Long Itchington Bottom Lock (Itchi Bottom for short). From there, seeking refreshment we headed into Long Itchington and visited a pub called the Duck on the Pond, which felt thematic. Appropriately, they served a beer with a duck on the label, which Shane said was good.

Our plan had been to cook dinner on the boat, but we'd noticed that this pub was also an Indian restaurant, and the smell of curry was wafting to us on the wind. Out of curiosity I looked at the menu and found an interesting array of dishes beyond the standard fare, which was enough to change our plans. While we waited for the food, I went to get more drinks - they were out of the duck beer, and offered one with a cow on the label instead. Luckily, Shane was happy with this too, completing a trio of barnyard themed beers.

Saturday was cooler than the past couple of days. As we set off toward the Hatton flight we were told that we wouldn't be able to make it - a lock before the flight had been closed for repairs, with CRT saying they would have it fixed on Monday. With a train to catch on Tuesday, this threw a wrench in our plans. As we pondered alternative plans, we resolved to get close to the lock so that if it was fixed on Monday morning, we would be able to get through it and make some progress before Tuesday.

This resulted in a fairly short day of cruising. We shared double-width locks, paused to get water, and eventually moored up a short distance from the out-of-commission lock. From there we took a walk down the towpath to investigate the lock in question and whether there were good moorings available beyond. On our way we found other damaged lock gates, including one with a hole you could peer through, and two replacement arms on standby.

When we reached the closed lock, it was clear what was wrong, one of the arms had been lifted up, probably by a boat drifting under it while the water was rising. We found a good mooring spot for tomorrow, hoped it would be a quick fix, and settled back in Bartimaeus expecting a lie in and a slow day the next day.

I was woken up the next morning by Clare and Shane rushing to get the boat moving. The lock had been fixed ahead of schedule and the way forward was clear. I jumped out to help out and we moved forward, eager to get through in case the lock was closed again for further work. Once we were safely through, we settled in for breakfast and discussed our new plan, which was now roughly the original plan.

After we finished breakfast, we powered on, hoping to get through as many locks as possible before locking hours were up, taking turns to eat lunch so we could keep moving constantly. We successfully reached the Hatton flight and got partway up, leaving us in the clear to get the rest of the way on Monday.

That is, assuming our plans don't change.