Onley Prison

Used to be youth offenders, or YO. Now housing offenders from London.

Onley Prison

I’m located just off Onley Lane, not far from a village called Barby.

It’s about 1/2 a mile from the prison and equestrian center, who I can often hear with their events for dogs and some such going off on a Sunday. Lots of shouts and encouragement.

  • Barby Straight Bridge (77)
  • Bye bye to the mobility scooter
  • Ex-signal
  • Spot the Bonnie
  • Ex-safe
  • Fresh blackberries
  • Houseboat
  • Sunset….

As I get closer to Rugby, the things they’re pulling out of the canal, become more suspicious; such as this broken safe and stolen mobility scooter.

Looks like someone has taken the mobility scooter for the batteries.

The safe was cracked open with a hammer, then thrown into the canal from Onley Lane road bridge.

Parking

Is alright. Fairly close to the boat. Unlike Longdown Lane, the place isn’t full of boaters and there’s plenty of space to park.

Longdown Road

I’ve decided to come down this way, as last year I went up through the Watford Gap, past the UK’s oldest motorway service station down to Crick.

The mobile signal ain’t that great down there and there’s the constant moan of the motorway when the wind is blowing in the right direction.

Longdown Bridge

In the name of change and a new exciting experience, I’m heading up to Rugby, as far as Hillmorden Locks to see how the land, or more the canal lies down in this direction.

North to Rugby

Walking

Along the towpath, Olney Prison and young offenders unit is about 1 mile north, close to the new marina Hillmorton Pools…

I rang them the other day. They’re designed by the same group that run the Eden Project in Devon, or so it says on their website.

Kept on getting hit in the face by brambles as I went on my night walk.

I won’t be going up there again.

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Kinver Canopies Cratch Cover

A Cratch Cover is like a pram cover for the front of a boat.

It covers the whole of the sunken bow area.

Cratch cover
A cratch cover

The reasons for fitting a cratch cover may be:-

  • Increased living area: Having a warmer area protected from the elements means the living space of the boat has increased. It may be more pleasant and convenient to eat drink and relax in this space as opposed to other areas of the boat.
  • Better insulation: The fire pumps out heat which duly disappears through the front doors and windows into the wilds of Northamptonshire. Now it will be escaping into the covered cratch area and staying there, at least for some time.
  • More space: Very useful for stowing all those bits and pieces and more you’re trying to cram onto your boat.

Crick Boat Show

I took advantage of the fact that Crick was only 6 miles down the road when the show was on in May to get an idea of the prices and companies that were offering these devises. £13.60 to get in.

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Mooring in Flecknoe

Now in Rugby district of Warwickshire.

Initially tried staying in a previous location close to the Flecknoe station road. There were so many boaters there, and the mobile signal wasn’t that great.

I decided to re-trace my steps a little, which involved turning the boat around.

Oxford Canal like the M1

Turning the boat around turned out to be no joke.

The traffic on the Oxford canal is like the M1. Just so many boats, in either direction.

Usually, I can just nip the boat around, no problems, as long as the canal is wide enough.

Unfortunately, it was slightly windy, and that, added to the sheer number of boats moving made it difficult to do anything that wouldn’t involve blocking the canal for the moving traffic.

In the end, I had to go right the way down to Lower Shuckborough, which is about 2 miles away. Then come back.

The mobile signal is better here. It doesn’t drop out.

There are fewer other boaters. It’s closer walk to the car.

A bit more out in the wilds. Which suits me better.

  • Moonlight view over Flecknoe

Locking restrictions

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