An Aqueduct too Far...

I was suffering badly from idle-itus, an untreatable condition that was causing my kayak paddles to go slower than normal. Luckily there was no rush, and soon enough I was at Fazeley Junction. Decisions, decisions, do I go north to Whittington, or south towards Coventry? The 10 miles to Whittington and back suddenly seemed a long way, so I instead opted to go the short distance to where the canal passes over the River Tame on a high aqueduct.

A Second World War 'pillbox' stands guard over the water here. These war relics fascinate me. This one is particularly interesting. It's a FW3 Type 26. There were less than 200 of this type built. The more common hexagonal Type 22's are dotted in their thousands across the country. This Type 26 is unusual in that it only has embrasures/ loopholes on one side rather than all four. The angle of the loophole slots would have allowed full gun coverage of both the canal and the river below all the way towards Tamworth. There are horizontal slots along the sides, with remnants of wood still in them. Many of these structures where either 'merged', or disguised, and I wonder if these wooden batons were left from some sort of cladding in an attempt to make it look more civilian in nature. For many miles this stretch of the River Tame was used as a natural 'stop line' during the war. There are pillboxes dotted all along its length as well as brick lined cutouts in the bank where patrol boats lurked ever ready under tree cover. The waterway here is only a narrowboats width, which is... narrow. The railings on the towpath side are always a worry to pedestrians with dogs or small children as there is a sheer drop down to the river.

The river looked inviting, but the thought of carrying a 20 kilo kayak laden with another 10 kilo of luggage left me feeling exhausted. It would have to wait for another day, maybe in summer when those trees are in leaf and I can tie a hammock up over the water from an overhanging branch.

Over the other side of the aqueduct was an intriguing doorway that begged to be investigated. Leaving my kayak under the protection of the pillbox, I scrambled through the undergrowth until I reached the sandstone steps.

It was a little disappointing. It was just a small storage room, fire blackened and litter strewn by local scallywags.

Back at my kayak I drank my obligatory flask of Camp coffee while contemplating the paddle home.

The Drayton footbridge was a welcome sight, although the din of the traffic wasn't. My rumbling tummy helped drown out the noise as a bacon sandwich beckoned me homeward...

Thwarted by the Thaw...

The day was sunny and warm (nearly 10c). I strapped the kayak to the car and set off. At first glance the canal didn't look too bad. On closer inspection I realised that the ice was still a good few inches thick.

A bit of melt water on top of the frozen surface gave the impression that the thaw was well underway, but on chatting to the narrow boat residents (who were furiously chopping wood for their heating) it transpired that they had been frozen in for weeks and didn't expect to go anywhere soon.

My search for liquid kayaking water was thwarted by flooded lanes. Infuriatingly the inviting blue always seemed to be in the next field.

The horse pasture was a tad damp too, although this horse was having a whale of a time kicking its way through the flooded patches.

The donkeys weren't in their normal air raid shelter hangout, and had been moved up to higher ground.

Eventually the lane disappeared entirely and I was forced to turn back. The flood was still rising and I didn't want to be cut off.

For a while it became confusing as to what was lane, field, or river, and I was glad to see tarmac again.

In my quest for a good kayak launching place I headed to a regular spot.

All the melting snow had made this normally peaceful stretch of river a bit rougher than expected. It was icy cold too.... I chickened out!

Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow...

The 'lost' channels of Armitage...

I love 'mooching' over old maps, finding old buildings and long lost roads. My search on the ground for these have led me on many an adventure. On an older map of Mavesyn Ridware and surrounding area I noticed some intriguing waterways leading from the R. Trent into the grounds of the newly built power station at Armitage, but on this later map they've all but disappeared. Were they still there, I thought?
The ariel shots on Google Earth were no help, as this area fell in the 'blurry' zone and it just wasn't quite clear enough to see. I would have to go and investigate, and this was kayak territory...

It wasn't going to be simple because there isn't easy access to the river here. Although a main road crosses the river at 'High Bridge' it is to my surprise, rather high! The route would have to be a little more convoluted. So, we ('we' being me and Jenny, she's a good sport and up for any expedition) launched our kayaks at the canal near Handsacre. Three quarters of a mile further west we had to portage the kayaks through this narrow tunnel under the railway, along the footbridge over the river, and then part way down the field. A 22kg boat starts to feel a bit heavy at this point, and now I've got to go back and fetch Jennys!

Now on the R.Trent, we paddled upstream, under the footbridge and it wasn't long before I spotted a gap in the bank on my left. It wasn't far enough up to be anything to do with the power station, but needed to be checked out. Pushing through the reeds, a pleasant channel of water presented itself. This was fun. A short paddle later and...Ooh! Tunnels. Decision time. 1.) Do I go in? 2.)Left or right. Sticking the nose of the kayak in, I soon realised that the water level in the tunnel wasn't deep enough, and I couldn't get out and explore by foot because although the water was shallow, prodding with a paddle revealed nearly 5 foot of silt. Duly marked on my Gps, I retreated.

Half a miles hard paddling against the current, the railway crosses the river. There used to be a weir here but has long ago disintegrated, leaving the fast flowing water strewn with boulders and stonework. Impossible to get a clean stroke for all the debris, we were forced to get out and 'line' the kayaks through here. Thankfully the water was low, but this stretch is treacherous after heavy rain as you can see from the height and amount of rubbish/trees wedged against the bridge footings!

The river widened out, and it was not long before we came to the first channel. We were out of luck. It was narrow, fast flowing and interrupted by lots of little weirs. It was an outlet from the power station. What we needed to find was the inlet...

A good three quarters of a mile further on we came across one. Oh no! It was gated off, all this way for nothing.

Perseverance pays. Higher up, in the shadow of the cooling towers, was another channel. Someone has foolishly left the door open...

What a beautiful bit of waterway. High banks, clothed with reeds and flowers and spanned periodically by little access bridges. I was quite hopeful that we would be able to get right under the cooling towers..got my camera ready!

Foiled at the last hour!! A gate, and locked! Beyond, an inviting body of water and the continuance of the channel. I would never know where it went...

Heading for home, I was glad it was downstream. My arms were getting tired, a coffee break was needed. We found this welcoming gravel bank which made the perfect picnic spot. Well, right up to the point, after discussing "that odd smell", we noticed the bloated sheep corpse!...Hometime!!

The welcome relief of the footbridge looming into sight was short lived, as I remembered I still had to carry those heavy kayaks uphill to the canal! But I was soon enough, back at the car, and loaded up. Sinking into a soft car seat can be the best feeling sometimes...