We had a good response to our last request for your input into our decision on a new colour scheme for the forthcoming re-paint. Could we ask for for your help again? We have recently seen some boats with a contrasting colour name panel. We quite liked the look of it so I mocked up
After 30 days, 200 locks, 231 miles of canals and 216 miles of rivers we are back where we started. We were slightly delayed as only 2 miles and two locks from home we encountered a queue of about 10 boats. A tree had fallen across the canal yesterday, but the C&RT workmen only turned
Back on home waters of the Staffs & Worcs. After two days of early starts we had a lie in this morning and a leisurely breakfast at about 9:00. Then at 10:00 we went to the Black Country Living Museum. This is a large site of reconstructed buildings depicting life in the Black Country from
We are moored outside the Black Country Living Museum. It’s been a long day with lots of contrasts. We started out early again, before seven o’clock to try to beat the weather. Three more locks of the Birmingham & Fazeley canal and then we turned onto the Tame Valley canal. This junction of the Birmingham
A long day today. We were out of bed by 6:20 and on the move before dawn at 6:35. The weather forecast wasn’t good, but it wasn’t raining so we thought we’d get going while it was dry. I was glad we had got across the Trent yesterday as this morning it was in the
Between Wychnor and Alrewas the Trent & Mersey canal crosses the river Trent “on the level”, i.e. the two join and follow the same course for a few hundred yards. After a few days of heavy rain this stretch is prone to flooding. The weather forecast was warning of severe rain for today and tomorrow,
Woke up to a complete change in the weather, cloudy and grey. It stayed overcast until 2:15 when it started to rain. Several boaters we spoke to said that really heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow, so we pressed on until just after 4:00 then stopped for the night. Yesterday Heddi hurt her back while
We awoke this morning to sunshine and a clear blue sky. The moorings outside County Hall in Nottingham are excellent. There’s lots of room and they’re free. The whole of the riverside area is well maintained and an excellent resource for the locals and visiting boaters. Other city councils should take note (Yes Worcester I’m
We are now moored on the Trent in Nottingham just a few yards from Trent Bridge Cricket ground. Today has been cold and wet. Mostly drizzly rain, but standing out in it for over over 7 hours wasn’t particularly pleasant!The Trent has lots of bird life. Today we have seen ducks (tufted & mallard), geese
A long, cold, wet day today. We locked out onto the river at 8:00. This was just as the tide was rising, the idea being that this would push us up river all the way to Cromwell, so avoiding the overnight stop at Torksey. Well it certainly pushed us! At times we were doing just