Stuck Fast and a Quick Trip to Birmingham

It was quite a long stay in Newbury but we had a higher purpose and while we were there I caught up with Tom and Jan from NB Waiouru. We also managed to get ourselves into a bit of bother in one of the locks.

We were running a day ahead of our schedule having shortened our time on the River Thames by a day, this meant we had an extra day to spend in Newbury. The main reason for our long stay was so I could take a train to Birmingham for a specialist appointment. Newbury is a lovely town with lots of shopping so now the cupboards are bulging, not to mention our suitcases filling up with clothes and toys for the grandchildren. I was on the phone to Rachael's cousin and he mentioned jokingly that we maybe nearing the boat maximum capacity. I did take a quick glance at the Boat Registration Plate and I think we have just a little way to go!

Before we got underway today, I managed to catch up with Tom and Jan from NB Waiouru for just a short chat as they filled Greenham Lock, on the way east. Rachael had knocked on their door while I was away and mentioned that we would like to catch up, it was unfortunate I was in Birmingham over the period they were in Newbury.


We moored in the 14 day moorings for all five days of our stay. We had walked the towpath, a ten minute walk to the centre of town a number of times. Today we cruised through the centre of town giving us another perspective. We cruised by the 48 hour moorings near the park.

Across the canal from the park is now a carpark but the information boards tell how this use to be a canal basin. The building in the background, now a museum, was previously the warehouses servicing the canal.

Newbury has used the canal well with all the entertainment venues having views and outdoor areas along the canal.

It was a beautiful day for cruising and everything was going fine until...we moved out of a lock together and then came to a halt. Stuck fast in the lock, the rubber fenders acting like a cork. No amount of power forward or reverse would budge the boats. We managed to get the fender off Serafina but not Dunslavin, even cutting the rope didn't help. So, it was out with the dishwashing liquid around the fender and both boats full power in reverse, finally they were freed up and we were off again!

After around three hours total cruising (including getting stuck) we cruised into the small village of Kintbury. Just before the final lock in Kintbury we met a horse drawn boat. I gave them a wide berth as they turned and headed down the left hand side of the canal using the towpath as it was originally intended. The boat was full of elderly passengers who seemed to be enjoying their time on the boat waving furiously to us.

There was one mooring left as we arrived at the moorings in Kintbury so it was another breasted up mooring. Once moored we locked up the boat and headed into the village for a look around. It was a nice short circular walk, Kintbury's main street consisting of a church and around four shops. The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing the boat for polishing, no thanks to Tom and Jan's photo of a grubby Serafina.