OUR LAST CRUISE

[Janet S]

Saturday 15^th Oct – Home to Lower Park and onwards!

 

5.00 – 18.00

4.3 miles, 0 locks

 

Up at stupid o'clock – very much the norm for a boat holiday start day! How on earth can you sleep when you know you're going boating? R.J. arrived at about twelve, and it wasn't long before we had the car packed and were on our way, with a detour to Tesco to stock up on one or two essentials – if you can call cream crackers, pork pies and Guinness essential? Oh yes you can! It was a pretty uneventful journey to the Marina, apart from stopping to give some poor unfortunate guy a push, as his newly purchased car had broken down right on the entrance to a roundabout and nobody else bothered to stop to offer assistance,

 

The weather was glorious as we arrived – the sun was splitting the sky – of course, we didn't expect it to last! RichardH (the hire boat company owner) was busy working on one of his other hire boats, so after a quick natter and catch-up, he handed us the keys to No Turning Back and we started to get everything unloaded before our visitors arrived. Our mission was to deliver the boat (hopefully in one piece!) to the marina in Nantwich.

 

We'd invited Agnes & Kev, from my pet brass band to join us for a cruise, They arrived early, and settled down on a bench at the marina for a cup of tea and a snack before joining us on board. By the end of the afternoon, thanks to the massive amount of storage space on the boat, everything was neatly tucked away in its own space, The boats we usually hire are between 32 and 34 feet long, so No Turning Back, at 55 foot, is an absolute palace!

 

The boat was beautifully turned out, spotlessly clean and tidy, with nice touches like fluffy towels and toiletries supplied, as well as a kitchen welcome pack, Nice details for a hire boat! On this occasion we weren't hirers though...we were delivering the boat to the Marina at Nantwich on behalf of the hire company. Yes, eight days on a boat...and they call this work? We jumped at the chance when we were offered the job, and luckily managed to get time off work together so we could do it. It's not often you get an opportunity like this!

 

We managed to make our getaway at about three, after first cruising towards Greenberfield for a mile or so to wind the boat. We weren't doing the pretty cruise to Gargrave and Skipton this time – we were heading to Nantwich on a one way trip, giving us the chance to do the Wigan flight again, We must be gluttons for punishment – the last time we did it was on a horrendously wet and muggy day, and by the time we reached the top we were barely on speaking terms. Every lock was set against us and there were problems at virtually every lock with broken paddles, leaky gates, debris in the lock chamber etc. We're hoping that our trip down the flight this week will prove to be a whole lot better experience!

 

As we aren't on one of our usual missions with this cruise, we decided to have a very short day and moor up on the visitor moorings at Barrowford for the night, mainly because tomorrow night we are planning to moor up at my favourite fishing spot at Smith's swing bridge, just outside Clayton Le Moors. I've spent many happy days there, and the thought of being moored up overnight to wake up to the early morning mist on the water as the sun comes up is just too good an opportunity to pass up. It may well mean a few longer days later on, but we don't mind that.

 

We wasted no time in getting Agnes on the tiller, and a fine job she made of it, once she got her left and right sorted out. She made a great job of the notoriously tricky sharp bend at the Anchor Inn, and was grinning from ear to ear most of the time, so I'm pretty sure that she enjoyed herself! Our normal policy is never to drink whilst cruising, although we usually allow ourselves a gin and tonic after the last lock of the day is done and dusted and we are just looking for somewhere to moor for the night. We made an exception today though, as by the time she'd negotiated some bends and faced a few oncoming boats, she was in dire need of a beer! We poured our obligatory G&T's, opened a bottle of wine for Kev, and Agnes had a well deserved beer.

 

It was really comical showing Agnes round the boat – she got so excited when she found out that we had a full sized oven and grill and a microwave, as well as a fully fitted bathroom with heated towel rail…and a bath! She was taking pictures all day, so no doubt we'll come home to find ourselves plastered all over Facebook! I can understand why she was impressed though, as it is a fine boat, and beautifully fitted out.

 

Once moored up on the visitor moorings at Barrowford, we opened a second bottle of wine, and had a couple of hours chatting and laughing before Agnes and Kev had to leave to get back home to take care of their dog. All in all, a rather good day, helped by lovely weather and good company.

 

 

After a nice dinner of pizza and salad, and a last cup of coffee sitting at the bow we headed off for an earlyish light (before midnight is early for us!) in anticipation of another day tomorrow, and more visitors. I'm determined to get as many friends and colleagues hooked on this boating lark as I can!

 

 

Sunday 16^th Oct– Barrowford Visitor Moorings to Smith's Swing Bridge

 

10.00 – 17.00

13.9 miles, 7 locks

 

Awake very early, to a miserable and overcast day. One of my work colleagues was supposed to be joining us for the day, along with her young son, but unfortunately she was taken ill and couldn't make it. Oh well, hopefully she would be able to make it for tomorrow, when we do Blackburn locks.

 

We had quite a late start, setting off at 10.00am to head down the lock flight at Barrowford. Although the boat steers like a dream, there was one slight problem when it came to entering the locks – this boat should have go-faster stripes painted down the gunwhales, as even the slowest tickover was still far, far too fast. In the end I worked out that the best way to control it was to cruise along in neutral, with just quick bursts of forward for a bit of control. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I had it sussed by the end.

 

The locks were pretty uneventful, although the stiff breeze had a tendency to catch the boat and send her crabbing sideways if I wasn't careful. I'm really rather glad that I didn't have a guest to entertain, as I needed to keep my wits about me to control the boat. Cruising onwards through Nelson and Burnley was a much more pleasant experience than the last time we came through, when we caught a carpet on the prop. Although there was still the usual floating crap at the usual grot spots, there was a distinct lack of sofas, chairs and furniture, although there were several TV's bobbing about.

 

Fully expecting several trips down the weed hatch, we were pleasantly surprised to make it through both Nelson and Burnley with not a single problem. I'd heard that several boaters from Reedley Marina had been doing regular clean ups, and it certainly made a difference. As always, I enjoyed cruising through Burnley and on to Hapton, as it's my home town and it's lovely to see it from a different perspective. It was also a real highlight to spot a kingfisher flying swift and low along the bank – it always makes my day when I spot one of these beautiful birds.

 

 

For most of the afternoon we had brilliant sunshine, but it started to get overcast as we were approaching our planned mooring spot – the long disused Smith's Swing Bridge, just before Altham. I'd particularly wanted to overnight at this spot as it's the place where I taught myself how to fish, and I've spent many happy days here. It is also blessed with fabulous views over the valley to Pendle Hill, and has a resident group of swans and cygnets who were happy to feed from our hands.

 

 

The only downside about our location was the wind, which was a bit too brisk for our planned barbecue, so we resorted to Plan B and R.J. threw together a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese. The obligatory bottle of wine was duly consumed and as we sat on deck with a whisky laced coffee at the end of the evening we decided that whatever the week threw at us, life didn't get much better than this.

 

 

Monday 17^th Oct – Smith's Swing Bridge to Johnson's Hillock

09.00 – 17.20

18.3 miles, 6 locks

 

Up nice and early today ready for a quick getaway, but we had a nasty surprise in store. No power! Despite lots of fiddling with the batteries, we didn't have enough lecktrickity to start the boat. We had suspected a problem with the batteries the day before, but to find no power at all was a surprise to say the least. Oh well, nothing for it but to call Richard, the hire company owner, and seek his advice. Thankfully he was available, and we made ourselves a nice cooked breakfast whilst we waiting for him to arrive. An hour or so later the problem was solved and we were on our way again.

 

My friend who had hopefully been going to join us with her son was again unable to make it – a bit of a shame as they'd both been looking forward to a cruise and having a chance to see how locks operate, but in hindsight I'm glad it was just the two of us because it was an horrendously windy and cold day, making boating difficult in the extreme.

 

By the time we started down the Blackburn flight, it was blowing an absolute hoolie, and it proved incredibly difficult to keep the boat in a straight line between locks – on several occasions I was blown sideways and had to take evasive action before I ended up in the offside vegetation. As always, R.J. was working the locks whilst I steered the boat – we used to take turns at it, but we decided long ago that it simply was the quickest way. R.J. is younger and fitter than me, and is quite happy to work two or three locks in advance, whereas I'd be absolutely knackered with all the walking backwards and forwards. We adopted a routine where I'd descend the lock, wait for R.J. to close the gates, then reverse back into the lock entrance and try and find some shelter from the wind whilst he went ahead to get the next lock ready. Once I got the signal, then it was hell for leather with as much power as possible until I got to a boat's length from the lock. Any slower and I was simply blown sideways. I don't particularly enjoy boating in the wind, and I'm really rather pleased that I managed under such difficult conditions without bumping a single entrance!

 

It stayed very cold and windy all day, until eventually we arrived at Johnson's Hillock Locks. We had been intending to go down the locks before mooring up for the night, but after the long day we'd had and the fact that the light was going, we decided to moor above the locks and pay a visit to the Top Lock pub. After all, if someone had been kind enough to place a pub right next to our boat, then it would have been rude not to! Baked potatoes were quicky put in the oven and we went off to sample the delights of this CAMRA award winning inn. My tipple for the night was Galaxy 55 – absolute loopy juice and by far the nicest beer I think I've ever tasted., R.J. went for Silver Stallion – again, a very nice brew.

 

We were about to head off back to the boat after our first pint, but suddenly the heavens opened – as we hadn't brought any brollies with us, we decided that the best course of action was to have another pint and wait for the rain to abate…unfortunately we had absolutely no excuse for a third pint!

 

The BBQ was again postponed due to the adverse weather, so we had baked potatoes with pork medallions served with peppers and mushrooms in a red wine sauce. We're pretty good at improvising when it comes to meals! A quick couple of games of backgammon were soon wrapped up, then it was time for bed – we needed to get some sleep if we were going to attempt to tackle the Wigan 21 the next day!

 

 

Tuesday 18^th October – Johnson's Hillock to Scotsman's Flash

 

08.30 – 19.00

12.7 miles, 30 locks

 

Despite feeling a little the worse for wear, we were still up early, although not quite as early as we'd planned. Whilst R.J. got the boat ready for setting off, I took a walk round the lock to investigate the shower facilities. I should have taken my coat! By the time I got to the facilities block, hailstones were coming down so thickly it was hard to see where I was walking! I dived into the loo to get out of the shower, only to find that once in there, I couldn't get out again! No matter what I tried, the door just wouldn't open. I tried banging on the door and fiddling with the Yale lock and the other bits and bobs, and just I was about to start shouting for help, thankfully managed to twiddle something the right way and escape…not a good start!

 

Despite the icy cold and the rain, we had no option but to set off, so breakfast was a quick bowl of crunchy cereal with thick and creamy yoghurt and then we were on our way. We had much the same problem with the locks as yesterday – horrendous wind once again making it difficult to keep the boat going in a straight line – it really was a test of my boating skills.

 

As we cruised along, we chatted about what we had planned for the rest of the day – to do the Wigan 21 or not…the weather wasn't exactly conducive to working a long flight of locks and also the light would be against us if we started too late. A decision was made that if we made it to Wigan top lock at or before 1.00pm, then we'd go for it. Any later and we'd just moor at the top and start fresh the following morning.

 

As luck would have it, we arrive at four minutes to one, so that was the decision made for us. We were hoping to be able to share with another boat, but none was forthcoming so we had to head off down on our own. Very strange – we'd find one lock set ready for us then the next would be empty. It really was most peculiar. Again, the wind was horrendous, and we had continual heavy rain and hailstone showers. Thankfully they were interspersed with patches of blue sky and sunshine, but by half way down we were feeling the cold and the strain was beginning to tell.

 

 

Just as we recalled from the first time we did the flight, there were several problems with faulty paddles, stiff gates etc, so by the time we were three quarters of the way through, we opted to stop for ten minutes so that I could stretch my legs with a walk to the local shop. Standing in more or less one position for three hours was playing hell with my feet and back. I arrived back to find that R.J. had already got the boat into the next lock – and he hadn't even put the bloody kettle on! Honestly, you just can't get the crew these days!

 

It was with a sense of relief that we finally exited the last lock, and made our way on to the Leigh Branch, only to remember that we still had another two locks ahead of us! By this time the light was starting to go, so we only cruised on for a short time before mooring up for the night. Our first attempt didn't go too well, finding ourselves slightly grounded, so we attempted to try the offside where there was a good concrete banking – nope, that wasn't working either, so it was back to the towpath side and use the gangplank! I'm sure the carp angler who was busy setting up for an overnight session thought that we were barking mad! Still, Scotsmans Flash proved to be a rather nice mooring spot, as I found out the next morning when I awoke to fabulous views over the water.

 

Dinner of burgers, oven chips and beans was quickly thrown together, along with a nice bottle of wine, and we finished the evening on a high note where I finally managed to win a couple of games of backgammon! All in all it was a long and exhausting day, but a nice sense of achievement at the end of it.

 

 

Wednesday 19^th October – Scotsman's Flash to Ye Olde Number Three

 

10.00am – 06.30

25.3 miles, 0 locks, 1 lift bridge (Plank Lane)

 

We woke up to not too bad a day today….a little bit of mist and drizzle, but mainly sunshine interspersed with squally rain showers, none of which lasted for very long. Cruising past Pennington Flash was lovely, with brilliant sunshine and blue sly which continued until we were almost in Worsley, one of my favourite places.

 

Barton Swing Aqueduct was a highlight for us…we'd previously only been across it on Wet Betsy, our inflatable dinghy and outboard, so it was a rare treat to cruise across on a narrowboat – it was also a much better view!

 

 

 

After the crossing, we moored up shortly after so that R.J. could visit the Trafford Centre for a Christmas present for one of his friends at work, whilst I concentrated on at least making a start on our cruise log.

 

We didn't have to wait for long when we reached Plank Lane lift bridge. There was another boat waiting in the entrance, but he was simply filling up with water and going through the bridge to turn round, which he did most elegantly in the huge new marina which is currently under construction.

 

We cruised on into almost darkness, as we were on a mission to reach one of our favourite pubs for overnight mooring – Ye Olde Number Three at Little Bollington. After mooring up at 18.30, we were in the pub at 18.50! I've never seen R.J. tie knots as fast! The beer was nowhere near as good as the beer at the Top Lock at Johnson's Hillock, so we had to try a couple, just to be sure!

 

Dinner was pork medallions with peppers in a red wine sauce again, as the meat had defrosted earlier than intended, but the third pint in the pub meant that it wasn't cooked quite so well!

 

We poured ourselves into bed well before midnight, in preparation for an early start in the morning. Having moored up in the near dark, we had been unable to find anywhere to moor before the pub, so ended up at the end of a long line of boats, encroaching onto the water point. Although we'd left enough room for boats to pull in, we thought it best to make a quick getaway the next morning.

 

 

Thursday 20^th October – Ye Olde Number Three to Marston

 

09.00 – 16.15

21.6 miles, 1 lock

 

I woke to an absolutely fabulous, if frosty morning. There was a gentle mist rising from the water, and the street lights by the pub were still on, casting a lovely light, just in time for me to see a flash of brilliant blue as a kingfisher flew low along the water's edge.

 

After a small rain shower as we set off, the weather stayed absolutely wonderful all day. Clear blue skies, fluffy clouds and sunshine made it the most pleasant cruising day of our trip.

 

We met a welcome sight along the way – Water Womble clearing debris from the canal – it looked as though they'd been busy, judging by the amount of crap they had in their hold.

Our timing couldn't have been better as we arrived at the entrance to Preston Brook tunnel with one minute to spare before the cut off for passage – the sane with our next tunnel, again arriving just as the deadline approached.

 

Our one lock of the day, Dutton Stop Lock was rather entertaining. It was my turn to do the locking, so I duly raised the paddles, opened the gate and stood taking in the scenery and the wildlife. It was then that I noticed R.J. making some rather interesting hand signals…try as I might, I couldn't figure what he was trying to tell me…then it dawned on me….I'd only opened one gate…and we were back on a narrow canal! Yes, stupid-R-us!

The cruising was absolutely idyllic all the way, with fabulous views over the valley and down to the River Weaver. We'd been discussing what we were going to cook for dinner, as we'd decided to stop early and try and take advantage of the fine weather for our first barbecue. The one thing we were short of was fresh vegetables…not for long! As we cruised under a bridge I spotted a dozen or so stems of sweetcorn at the corner of a harvested and bare looking field. Hmmm…they were on the offside…no problem! A quick bit of reversing and I was left on the boat whilst R.J. leapt ashore.

 

We must have looked a right sight to the boat that came round the bend as I hovered close to the bank. I quickly assured them that no, we weren't having problems, and I was simply waiting for R.J. to liberate dinner!

Unusually for us, we moored up very early, but it was a good move as we were able to relax on the bank with a couple of nice cans of Guinness and enjoy the last of the evening sunshine before firing up the barbecue. The sweetcorn was delicious and sweet, made all the more tasty because we'd picked it ourselves.

 

After dinner we adjourned for showers and then curled up to watch a DVD – not something we normally do when we're boating, as whenever we hire we always have the TV removed. By the end of it we were both exhausted, so after a coffee with a dash of whisky sat by the last glow of the barbecue, we were tucked up in bed by ten o'clock!

 

 

Friday 21^st October - Marston to Church Minshull aqueduct

10.00 – 16.30

15.4 miles, 6 locks

 

We had a nice leisurely start this morning, with a fried breakfast to get us going. The day started overcast and stayed that way all day. Apart from tantalising glimpses of blue sky and sunshine in the distance, it remained resolutely grey, although thankfully there was little wind and it wasn't too cold. Several layers of clothing were required to keep the chill at bay though!

 

The cruising was pleasant, but we were glad to reach a lock at last. Long days without locks are OK for a while, but we prefer the interest of the locks. Turning onto the Wardle Canal (all 47 yards of it!) were soon heading for the first lock on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union.

 

Although there weren't too many locks, the cruising was interesting, with lots of twists, turns and blind bends, caused mainly by the encroaching bankside vegetation. The Big Lock at Middlewich threw us a bit….a wide lock on a narrow canal? Must read up on that when we get chance. There must be a reason for it, as I'm sure it wasn't simply built for fun, but whatever the reason, it escapes us!

 

As we were cruising gently through beautiful wooded areas, we twice saw what we think were owls, one in the woodland and one being harried by smaller birds. In order to try and see them at closer quarters, we decided to have a reasonably early finish and tried to moor up by a lovely offside wooded area, but found it too shallow, so kept going until we found the rather nice visitor moorings at Church Minshull aqueduct, where we tied up swiftly and sat on the bank for a well deserved Guinness or two.

 

Dinner was a home cooked curry, made by R.J., the domestic goddess, accompanied by a nice bottle of wine and followed by several games of backgammon, where I managed to lose dismally after my successes on previous evenings, Try as we might, we were starting to flag, so ended up in bed at half past nine – a record for us! Still, it was a good idea, as over dinner we'd formulated a punning clan, and had decided to take a little detour up the Llangollen for our last day of cruising. Just four locks up, then turn the boat at the next winding hole, then back to our eventual finish at the marina in Nantwich,

 

Saturday 22^nd October – Church Minshull to Nantwich via Langollen

 

09.30 – 16.15

9.9 miles, 10 locks

 

Another leisurely start today, after a very refreshing ten hours sleep! I never sleep well at home, but on a boat? I sleep like the proverbial log! Whilst sitting on deck with a cup of tea I was treated to the sight of yet another owl, this time being chased by what looked like jackdaws, After a nice fried breakfast and a quick tidy/wash up, we were on our way for our final day of cruising.

 

The weather was fabulous – clear blue sky and brilliant sunshine, although there was a distinct nip in the air and the wind caused a few problems. It wasn't long before Hurleston Locks appeared, and our quick trip up the Llangollen. I was beginning to wonder quite what I'd let myself in for with the horrendous wind. They should rename them "Hoolieston Locks", as it was blowing an absolute hoolie all the way up and again on the way back down.

 

 

At the first lock I was delighted to see a kestrel hovering nearby – the closest I've ever seen one…unfortunately I had the wrong lens on my camera and no time to nip down below to change it. It taunted me for ages, but I had my work cut out handling the boat against the wind. The locks were as busy as any I've seen, but it wasn't long before we were through and cruising along in the sunshine.

 

Despite my misgivings, I managed to turn the boat ok when we'd reached the limit of our cruising….well, when I say OK, I mean sort of OK. My elegant (and imagined!) three point turn/pirouette turned into a 73 point turn with a bit of reversing, but eventually I had it sussed and we moored on the towpath for a quick trip to the local shop for fresh milk. The milk we had on board had gone off with the fluctuation in temperature in the on board fridge.

 

As we returned to the boat, R.J. joked…"I hope this thing starts…" Famous last words! As he turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. Nothing, not even a little blip to give us some hope and encouragement! Ooops! Still, he lifted the boards on the back deck, fiddled with some bits and pieces and thankfully the engine roared into life on the next turn.

 

 

Going back down the locks was as eventful as going up, with horrendous winds and lots of boats ascending and descending. Once again I was treated to the sight of the kestrel, and once again I failed dismally to have the right camera and lens to hand….oh well…better luck next time!

 

At one point I ended up completely grounded on a ledge in the pound in between locks with the boat listing rather alarmingly…only a short time ago I would have been totally panicked at something like this…now I take it as par for the course and simply waited for the boat exiting the lock below to go by and then reversed out into deeper water as they passed. I was informed that this is a known problem, but there is nothing to warn boaters. I really feel sorry for the first time hirers who were following us, but we did warn them of the potential problem, so hopefully they survived!

 

I switched places with R.J. in the last lock, knowing how busy the canal was, and what a tight turn had to be performed in the wind…I'm not daft…if anyone was going to make a prat of themselves in front of all the oncoming and passing boats, it wasn't going to be me! True to form, he performed the exit and turn beautifully, and picked me up under the bridge without even having to slow down.

 

The short cruise to our final destination at Nantwich was pleasant but uneventful, and we eventually moored up on the towpath just a couple of hundred yards short of the marina, just in time to catch the last rays of the evening sun. There's a good reason that it's called the "golden hour", as the light was beautiful and it was so good to sit at the front of the boat with a well earned gin and tonic before starting to pack all our stuff away ready for our trip home in the morning.

 

 

All in all it was a simply fabulous week…and they call this work? All we need to do now is to win the lottery so we can do this full time!

 

Janet

Edited October 30, 2011 by Janet S

[AlanM6]

Wonderfull post and pics really enjoyed it The pic of the guinness is now my desk top wallpaper

Thanks

[Guest]

That is a great post and some realyy good pics.-

 

Oh the lens issue ain't that a pain - I'm afraid that is one of the reasons why my dSLR never gets used much, I've lost count of the number of times I've missed a great shot due to not having the correct lens on at the time.

 

Thanks again for posting...

[Janet S]

I used my Olympus dSLR for most of the pics during the trip, with my Samsung compact camera as back up.

 

Unfortunately I'd been playing around with some old manual focus lenses whilst we were cruising and had a 50mm MF lens on at the time...it was impossible to use manual focus whilst steering against the wind into a lock! If only I had more hands....

 

If I'd had my 40-150mm lens attached as I normally do, I would have got some cracking shots as the kestrel hovered no more than about twenty feet away.

 

Oh well...I don't need photos to remind me...I can just shut my eyes and I'm back there...

 

Janet

[tree]

wonderful piccies and comments janet

[Janet S]

Thanks Tree...I could only add a few piccies as I reached the limit for the thread!

 

Janet

[RLWP]

Thanks Tree...I could only add a few piccies as I reached the limit for the thread!

 

Janet

 

Add them now. It's a limit on a post, not a thread

 

Richard

[JerryP]

Great article Janet ,I really enjoyed reading it ,and the piccies are great

[NB Willawaw]

Really nice photographs.

[safsnowball]

Some say boating blogs are boring, I loved it. Thanks for sharing.

[muddywaters]

Great post Janet and sounds like you had a great trip.

Oh and loved the pictures

[boatchad]

Bloody marvellous post Janet, you have a real talent for canal travel writing. I was so immersed in your post I could feel the movement of the deck under my feet to say nothing of the taste of that Guinness

[Janet S]

Thanks for that. Glad you enjoyed it. It's always fun to come home and put it all together with the photos and gives us something to look back on.

 

Janet

[RichardH]

I am just very jealous I didn't have the opportunity to do the trip myself (well apart from Wigan in hail....)

[Janet S]

You wouldn't have enjoyed it Richard. It was horrible, really horrible, honestly it was! You had a lucky escape...

...much better that you get us to do it instead!

 

Actually, the hail in Wigan wasn't too much of a problem...it came on so suddenly after a burst of sunshine that all we could do was laugh. R.J. was working the lock and I was on the tiller as it bounced down...a lady gongoozler looked at me as though I was mad as I bobbed around in the lock and laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of it all!

 

The weather was very strange on that day, and there was simply no way to anticipate it...one minute we were in blazing sunshine, the next in horrendous wind, rain or hail...

 

No matter...it was an absolute blast!

 

Janet

Edited November 1, 2011 by Janet S

[muddywaters]

Tell you something Janet, the like of canal boat magazine and other waterway publications are missing out on a good writer.

[Janet S]

Muddywaters, thanks for that comment! Sorry I didn't reply sooner...I've only just seen your response.

 

Glad you liked it.

 

Janet

[Blue Star]

Thouroughly enjoyed reading your Post, and the photo's were great!

Im a Newbie and im hooked!

 

Rgds Blue Star.