Idiot boater(s) and a bit of a rant about cyclists

Saturday 24^th October; Perdiswell Park to Dunhampstead

The hire boats from Lowesmoor Basin started passing soon after first light, but we had shopping to do before we left.  We thought, let them all get clear of Offerton locks before we arrive!  Dave went to Halfords, then took Meg over to the park, while I trekked up to Sainsbury’s.  They were doing 25% off 6 bottles of wine, so it seemed sensible to take my shopping trolley.  We didn’t hang about when we were back at the boat, as the weather forecast for the afternoon is not good.  We knew the locks would probably all be against us, but by Tolladine (the second one) the first boat was already coming down.  They told us an ABC boat had passed them at 7pm last night, going too fast, and in the dark.  At TIBBERTON! That is 4 miles and 8 locks from where they would have passed us yesterday. They must have started the Offerton flight in half-light and finished in darkness, not something we would contemplate in a month of Sundays.  They (or one of them) had probably got a schedule and wouldn't compromise for the sake of safety.  Maybe they didn't realise the dangers of locking in the dark?

At Offerton bottom lock, the towpath is closed for widening and ‘improvement’ as far as Tibberton.

It says ‘no access’ but there is just room to get round to operate the lock.  The hirers must have been told it’s OK to go through, as no-one was waiting.

I saw a poster advertising a circus as I walked to Sainsbury’s, and there it was in the Rugby Club car park, looming up behind the trees.

We caught up with the last of the ABC boats, a delightful family of first-timers, doing everything properly, though they still wanted reassurance that they were doing ok and not holding us up.  Then a volunteer arrived from the top, helping them through and raising a paddle to turn their lock ready for us.  With this little bit of help we made the top lock before the heavy drizzle softly closed around us.

We continued damply through Tibberton, where the towpath with the long visitor mooring was fenced off leaving space for just one boat.  I imagine the ‘improvement’ is so that more people can feel ‘better by water’.  The stoppage notice says it is for 'widening and improvement', with an all-weather surface and access improvements. Although there are a few dodgy bits, most of the towpath seemed fine to me, apart from a few puddly bits between the locks and TIbberton.  I think there are more important things for the money to be spent on.

 It will probably mean a lot more bikes.  Families and ‘leisure’ cyclists are fine – they don’t speed, often use their bells to warn of their approach, and say ‘thank you’ as they pass.  It’s the ‘serious’ cyclists that annoy me.  Why is it so sissy to have a bell and ring it?  That’s what I was told once.  I want to tell them to go to Birmingham, where they will find that 90% of serious cyclists do just that, with the result that walkers and runners move aside without breaking step, and the cyclists pass easily and safely with minimal reduction in speed. It also means you don't jump out of your skin as one of them flashes by - if there is noise from the wind, trains, cars etc you can't hear them coming! 

Rant over! Perhaps I might get round to contacting CRT.

Anyway, we went as far as Dunhampstead where we moored for a late lunch.  Luckily I had bought some tasty snacks in Sainsbury’s to keep us going as we travelled, so that was not a problem!  There was a dry spell as we moored, and we got the tonneau cover on before lighting the fire and enjoying being in the warm and out of the pouring rain.  And for once I got a blog posted before tea – veg and bean stew with dumplings – yum!

4½ miles, 8 locks