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Steve Smyth

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  • Location
    British Columbia, Canada
  • Occupation
    Transportation industry
  • Boat Name
    Renter
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    all over :-)

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  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. Good luck! Good luck indeed- FWIW, this little escapde has caused me to drop AW from my list of companies I was considering-being on the other side of the Atlantic, I usually have to book a year in advance to get decent airfares Hope this works out Steve
  3. I have to put my plug in for the Admiral Rodney in Brewood. Brilliant staff and owners, great food and wonderful beer. Short walk from the Shroppie. Tell them the Canucks sent you! Steve
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  6. I had bookmarked their site at http://www.cygnusholidays.com/ and now it seems to be gone away. Anyone know where they went or if they are still in business? Any general comments on the Scottish lowland canals for holidays? Cheers Steve
  7. Any groups you can reccomend to an "overseas customer" who can only get to England every 2 years?
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  9. Finally got around to rewriting my scribbled notes from our early September trip on the Shroppie. They have been posted over in the diaries section- Cheers all Steve
  10. Day 4 Nantwich to Middlewich After being woken by the swans and ducks, we had a nice breakfast on the boat and pushed off at 8.00. After due consideration and much discussion amongst the crew, we had decided to take the Middlewich Branch for a bit of a change. Our original plan was to make it to Christleton and go into Chester. While we could have made Chester, we would have been pinched for time so we decided to see what a contour canal looked like. We watered at Barbridge in the rain after queuing up behind a Napton boat. Quite a floating palace it was too, with flat screen TV and DVD player. We decided we might have to try one of those next time. This was the first time either of us had mentioned a “next time” so obviously all were enjoying the trip. Stopped at Kate’s Canal Shop past the bridge and first locks. They were very friendly and welcoming and we spent a bunch of money on souvenirs and other bric a brac. We moored up for lunch on the path above Church Minishull and although it was really windy, we enjoyed an absolutely wonderful view as we dined on the boat. Steering in a contour canal proved to be a bit more interesting and required more direct attention than in the straight wide cuttings and embankments of the Shroppie. We arrived at Middlewich in the early afternoon and planned to go through the Wardle lock and use the Trent and Mersey canal as a turn around point. Because of the high winds, there were boats blown around everywhere and about 6 boats waiting in line waiting to go back up the Middlewich branch. Kent executed a perfect turn in horrible conditions but unfortunately didn’t realize that the other boats were waiting their turn to go back up. In order to not appear to be jumping the line, he tried to move back to the opposite bank but got caught in the wind. He ended up drifting across the pond and almost banging into a new boat moored up at the boatyard across the pond. The young lad working at the boatyard offered his help and stayed with them until it was his turn to come back across. He said he’d been pretty much doing that all day long because of the wind. Alice and I stayed on the Wardle side and helped with ropes and offering help to the boaters still coming off the Middlewich and to those coming in off the Trent and Mersey. After an hour or so of this, Kent brought the Ulfy back up the Wardle and we all jumped back on happy to be back underway. We moored up for the night and hiked back into town for dinner. Tried the Kings Lock but it was much too smoky to eat in so we ended up at the Narrow Boat Inn in town. My Uncle and cousin and their spouses joined us for dinner and we had a lovely meal. More Marstons for all and a cheery evening followed. We all walked back to the boat for a few “cans” and afterwards, I escorted the family back to the road. We went to sleep knowing that that was the end of any new territory to explore and knowing that we had to start the return journey home in the morning. Day 5 Middlewich to Audlem Woke up at 7.15 am and had breakfast on the boat- pushed off early. There were a lot of Claymoore and Anglo Welsh boats heading for home so we left early to avoid as many lock line ups as possible. This “strategy” seemed to work as there were no long line ups to speak of. Middlewich has very deep and for the most part, very beautiful scenery around the locks We stopped and bought fresh eggs and a few veggies form the fellow at Bridge 8. It was very civilized, you just moor up and ring the bell and an elderly gentleman comes out to see what you need. We stopped at Kate’s’ again for a few more supplies for the rest of the trip. We stopped and watered up at Barbridge again. The weather was much nicer this time and the wind had finally subsided. We noticed a great many Black Prince boats headed west now we were back on the Shroppie main line. Handed off the Captains chair to Kent after Barbridge and intended to have a bit of a nap in the afternoon. Slept all the way to Hurleston Junction and awoke feeling a bit sheepish as I hadn’t meant to sleep quite that long. We discussed stopping at Hack Green but we were making such good time that we pushed on. We moored up for the night in a nice pound at the top of Audlem bottom lock and walked into town for a few pints and a snack at the Shroppie Fly. Not so noisy or crowded this time so we enjoyed our evening immensely. Marstons Pedigree and Flowers Traditional are rapidly becoming firm favourites for me. Of course, these are the beers I can’t get at home. I am really going to miss the pub environment when we return to Canada. Every time I come to England I marvel at the atmosphere and congeniality evident in most pubs there. When I compare them to our loud, noisy and overcrowded bars back home I wonder what part of the formula we don’t seem to be able to get right. Nice evening walk back to the boat in time for a good nights sleep and to build strength for the locks tomorrow. Day 6 Audlem to Anchor Inn This morning, we discovered the meaning of “raining stair rods”. We awoke at 7.30 to buckets of rain falling on roof. We tried to remain optimistic but why today of all days? I think the wellies are finally going to get a good work out today. After a watering up in the rain at Audlem and a stop for a few pictures, we were away. It took 3 hours to complete the Audlem flight as there were not very many boats coming down. We had to waste quite a few locks because of it. Rain lasted until lock 9. Alice and I had become a lean, mean locking machine by this time and we were able to really fly compared to our speed coming down the flight. Kent piloted Ulfy up to lock 15 and then we switched. There were quite a few more boats coming down through Adderley and Tyrley which help speed things up immensely. Learned all about allowing for by wash in quite a few of the locks. Just when you thought you had the bow lined up, it would push it off to the left and you’d be trying to realign the bow in the last 15 feet, sometimes with limited success. The cry of “brace for impact” rang out more than once. It started to rain and blow again much to our dismay. Woodseaves cutting was quite challenging in the wind and rain. It seemed that every time we were at a narrow spot, we came up against a boat going down. No major calamities ensued as we had gotten reasonably adept at steering by this time. We moored up one bridge short of the Anchor Inn at High Offley. We had been told that we must experience this pub while on this particular canal. It was quite amazing to see Olive trudge up and down the stairs with her plastic jug and drawing ale directly from the cask. The place was first opened in 1826 and looks like little has changed since then. There were no pumps, no cash register and definitely no fruity machines. We asked her to open the shop so we could do some browsing which she kindly did. We purchased a few t shirts and had a few pints of 6X and Scrumpy in order to celebrate Kent and Alice’s wedding anniversary in fine style. I guarantee that they won’t forget this particular evening. Back to the boat for a snack and a few more pints then off to bed. What a great day of cruising, locking and sightseeing but we were feeling a bit sad as we realized we only had 2 nights left on Ulfy. Woke up at 7.00 to a lovely blue sky and warm sunshine. After a nice breakfast, we set off on our last full day of cruising. It was a pretty uneventful and peaceful day. The canal really does look different from the other direction. The scenery around Norbury, Gnosall and Shebdon was really quite lovely. I think I was so nervous and wound up on the way out that I didn’t really notice it at all. We stopped at Norbury and watered up Ulfy for the final time. Alice ran over the bridge and purchased some more water for us as well. We stopped back at the Hartley Arms in Wheaton Aston for a lunch and wow, was it ever great. Good pints, lovely food and large portions for all. We waddled back to the boat at 2.00 and pushed off through our last lock together. On the very last lock, I finally nailed it. I went straight in with very little to spare on either side and didn’t touch once. Luckily, this was the lock that Kent chose to video with his camera so I end look like quite a boating whiz on the clip. The 4 of us know that this was not always the case but what happens in the cut, stays on the cut. As we were coming out the lock, we met a large boat full of fellow Canadians who were just finishing up the Four Counties ring. We exchanged pleasantries and discovered they had had just as much fun as we had and they too were sad to be finishing up. We sailed through the crowd of boats moored at Brewood and turned at the winding hole at Bridge 9. Kent again proved to be a veritable maritime master as he spun the boat around with no problems whatsoever. We moored up for the evening and wandered into town for a nice evening meal. Unfortunately, every single pub in Brewood was packed to the gunwales and unable to accommodate our little party. So we had to walk back to Ulfy and devour our leftover beer and food supplies. We had quite a shock when we got back as the back end of the boat had pulled free from her moorings and drifted out almost blocking the whole canal. At this stage, we just laughed it off and pulled her back again. While not quite the gourmet meal we were hoping for, it was fulfilling none the least. Crackers, biscuits and a can or two of tuna fish were all we had left. Drinking the last of our supplies, we toasted each others company and the success of our maiden voyage. All of us suggested that it had been everything we had hoped for and made a commitment that one day, we would be back to try it again. We awoke the next morning early and puttered back to Countrywide to return our trusty boat back to William and his crew. The handover was quick and painless with no additional charges levied for the broken glasses and the one bowl we broke at Audlem. Kent and Alice piled in with their family and headed off for the south of England. Marsha and I were picked up by my uncle who took us back to Warrington and then on to Northern Ireland. The boat was flawless and comfortable and performed every task we asked, including a few that we shouldn’t have asked. It was a wonderful trip filled with scenery, good company, good beer and only a few mistakes and just enough crabby people to make them amusing. The Shroppie and the people on it gave us everything that we wanted and more and proved to be an excellent choice as a route for first timers. We feel we got the whole canal experience.
  11. Day One- We begin After the prvious days festivities at the beer festival (Yay!) at Codsall, we were off to Brewood to begin our adventure. Lunch at the Admiral Rodney in Brewood, Great lunch, great beer, great staff- I made a comment about my buddy being a pilot and that we should have the Spitfire ale and all of a sudden, the Landlord gives him a free t-shirt, pump handle plates and all sorts of goodies. He was pretty chuffed and left happily with all his swag after a great lunch. It became the standard which we compared all the other pubs too for the rest of the week. We left at 2.00 for Country Wide to pickup Sir Ulfius. They were very busy with loads of turnarounds but did their best to get us away on time. We stowed our groceries and beer (natch) and picked out our cabins. Sir Ulfius (referred to hereafter as Ulfy) was a lovely boat as promised with loads of room for four people and mechanically sound. William gave good solid instructions and the handover was complete by 4.00 pm. Marie stayed with us as we weaved our way down the canal to Wheaton Aston. The tiller steering proved to be a bit more difficult than I had imagined and I used all of the Stretton Aqueduct getting across the road. As you can tell from the pictures later, I looked pretty intense at this point in the journey. My buddy Kent, as mentioned before, is a pilot and quite used to rudders and things so he took to it like a duck to water. At this point, I wondered if I would ever begin to get the hang of steering it in a straight line. Marie braved her way through the drizzle and potential disasters and showed us through our first lock at Wheaton Aston- by this time we decided that we should pull over for a nice nap and good nights sleep. We moored up on the path just past Dirty Lane Bridge and ambled off to the Hartley Arms. Seemed to be about 90 degrees in the pub and very crowded but the snacks were good and the ales went down nicely. We walked back to the boat in the dark with our new halogen flashlites for our first night afloat. After 3 years of planning and anticipation, it was great to be underway at long last. Day 2- Wheaton Aston to Market Drayton We awoke at 7.00 am to a calm and clear day by ducks quacking and by the sound of boats put-putting by. It was time for the first full day of “The Canal Experience”. Had a nice breakfast on the boat and away at 7.45 am. Lots of moored boats so we couldn’t make very good time but I was beginning to realize that really isn’t the point of the whole trip. Steering was still difficult for me and I had to take myself off to the side and give myself a good talking to. The idea was to relax and feel the boat and adjust accordingly. After realizing this, I was willing to give it another go. We stopped at Gnosall and walked into town to get more bottled water. Lovely little village with good supplies available at the Co-op. The bank machine was also handy for filling up on cash as we were still having problems using our non-chipped North American credit cards. Set off again and ran into quite a crowd at Norbury Junction. It was a bit unnerving steering through such tight confines so I let Kent take it most of the way. Feeling a bit more confident but to be safe…. Woodseaves Cutting was very narrow and crowded. A few bumps resulted at one place but no damage done to either boat. Scenery is exquisite and exactly what we were expecting from the English countryside. It was easy to pretend we were in another century until the British Telecom van went over a bridge in front of us and reminded us all that we were in the 21st Century. Tyrely Locks went remarkably well once we remembered the order in which to open the paddles and flood the locks. There were a large number of people watching at the top lock which was a bit intimidating but we soon were through and heading into the lovely lower sandstone cuttings that formed the bottom locks. The Shroppie was proving to be a good choice of canals. We stopped up at the BW garbage disposal at Market Drayton where a fellow was selling “canalia” . Marsha wanted a painted water bucket but I had to remind here that she would have to carry it home so she purchased some small souvenirs to take home. Walked over the bridge to the Talbot Inn for dinner- food and service was slow and poor- Advertised as real pub food but everything was overcooked and cold. Service was bad- We learned the meaning of the great British word “naff”. Beer was off as well, all in all a good day of cruising with a poor finish. Had some Banks on the boat, played a few games of dominoes and had my first shower on the Ulfy. This presented a bit of a challenge but after getting the hang of it, we were off to bed to prepare for the Audlem flight the next day. Day 3- Market Drayton to past Nantwich Up at 7.15 and off we go to the locks. Pouring buckets by the time we reached Adderley Locks. Worked our way through in fast order and worked up quite a sweat. Sun cam out-rain gear went off; rain came out-rain gear back on. After doing this 3 or 4 times, decided just to keep rain pants on. I worked up a very good sweat underneath the pants. Turned out to be quite embarrassing when I removed them to find my pants soaked through to the crotch. We had first and only run in with a Challenger boat at Adderley bottom. He was clearly tied up and so I closed the bottom gate for the boat behind us- as we were moving away- he started gesturing rudely that we had closed the gates in his face. So, being a genial sort of fellow- I ran back and opened them for him. The fellow behind us happened to see the performance and gave the Challenger fellow what for at the next opportunity. Only overheard something about “bow thrusters and big heads”? :-) The rest of Audlem was pleasant and orderly. One boat up, one boat down was the mantra we had been told and even on the busiest locks, it worked out well. The weather improved nicely so we stopped at Audlem for a pint or two. We tried both the Shroppie Fly and Bridge Inn and both were nice-music was a bit loud at the Shroppie so we preferred the Bridge. Marstons and Flowers quickly becoming fast favourites because of flavour and consistency. When we came back to the boat we found the pound had been lowered and we were hung up on the ledge. We broke a few wine glasses and a bowl when we jumped on because everything slid off the ledge in the galley. We headed for the water point below Audlem where we ran into another Mr. crabby pants who insisted we pinched “his” lock even though he was clearly moored up (at the water point, I might add) when we looked over and decided to flood the lock for ourselves. After this incident, we made fine time through Hack Green locks and fine sailing to Nantwich. It was a bit windy as we sailed through Nantwich and very busy also. There was no where to moor up until well past town. We mugged and waved for the web cam as we sailed past. After seeing the views from this camera for so long, it was a strange feeling to see what was beyond the bridge and the canal junction and marina. Moored up at bridge 96 for the night and enjoyed dinner and Banks’ on the boat. All in all, a great day of cruising and we went to bed tired and very happy indeed.
  12. Here's a list of things I discovered on our first ever canal boat trip. I'd like if people (new or "experienced") added to it- 1) The canal, the bridge holes and the aqeducts all seem wider on the way back than on the way out. 2) Canal water is not really water-rather a semi organic collection of water, weeds, runoff, crisp packets, dead rabbits and other unmentionable materials 3) A 10 ton boat will not suddenly stop because one man and a rope want it to stop-It will end up stopping about 25 yards past where you originally intended. 4) Halfway through the Audlem flight is a bad time to ask your crew who picked this canal 5) On every trip- at least one "lock troll" will accuse you of pinching "his lock" even though he was clearly moored up a the watering point below it. (Audlem town lock-in front of the Shroppie Fly- 2 weeks ago-you know who you are "-) ) 6) Said 10 ton narrowboat will be affected by the wind MUCH more than you ever thought it would be. It is possible to navigate a canal at almost a 45 degree angle becasue of the wind- you also have to be ready for when the wind suddenly stops 7) Swans, although quite majestic, are the equivalant of water borne gangs. If you sneak up on them, they are likely to be lounging about looking quite sloppy. Suddenly, when they see you, it's almost as though one says to the other "ere then 'Erbert, put out that fag and look majestic, theres another boat!" They then scramble for the middle of the canal all wings and legs and assume the "position" in order to look for food offerings. After you go by, they assume the sullen yob look again until the next boat goes by. 8) 50% of dog owners can't read and/or don't know what dog "foul" is on a cartpath 9) For the most part, Rental/hire boats seem to slow down more past moored boats. Maybe they don't want to be yelled at by the others 10) finally- it is the best, most addictive, most worthwhile vacation I have taken in my life. If the airfare from Canada was more reasonable, Id do it annually- as it is, I may have to wait another year or so for the next trip. Cheers to all Steve NB Fond Memories
  13. We're probably going to have to stay at Norbury on the first night, do you know how the Junction has been recently? We last had a meal there in June and the less said about it the better. Has it improved since, or are we better putting our walking boots on and walking down to the Navigation, or the Boat Inn at Gnosall? " The Boat Inn was very nice last month- Also, The Hartley Arms had a lovely selection of ales and a generous sized, nicely cooked lunch menu. I'd stop there again in a heartbeat. Only bad thing was trying to find a decent mooring at either." Steve
  14. Just wondering if anyone has any information on countrywide cruisers based at Brewood. We are thinking of hireing from them next year. Just came back from a week on Sir Ulfius- it was fantastic- everything was in order and we were treated very well- William had the groceries and the boat ready and in perfect order and Marie treated us newbies to some good instruction as far as Wheaton Aston. Next year we are looking at the start of June so fingers crossed for a dry week. I was told the weather is part of the "whole canal experience" I do like the idea of the price you see is the price you pay with countrywide. As did we, no surprises- i highly recommend them Steve
  15. They sell Red Bull and Vodka in the bars here as well. I'm told the kids drink it so they can stay up and dance longer. Not going to be much dancing on Sir Ulfius- maybe a few lively games of dominos though! Thanks for the advice all- see you on the Shroppie!
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