Scene and Done

Part Two, 2004 to 2017

The Shropshire Union Canal, Wales and Chester, a two-boat odyssey

In 2004 we planned our next adventure.  We decided to explore the Shropshire Union Canal, taking two weeks and with two boats in convoy.  Mum and Dad would host one boat, while Dick and I would be hosts on the other.  Rae and George, a Canadian couple who had participated in our Coast to Coast walk across the north of England in 1999 decided to join us for the full two weeks. An American couple who I knew from working at Brookhaven National Lab in New York would come for one week, and cousins Angela and Richard from Calgary, would be with us for the first week.  We decided that it made the most sense for Rae and George to be on the boat with Mum and Dad.

Unfortunately, it was not a happy pairing.  Dad was not physically able to operate the locks, so we had assumed that he would do most of the driving.  Unfortunately, George only wanted to drive and insisted that it should be shared equally.  He was a poor driver, with no sense of how the boat handled, which made everything worse.  When he was at the helm things tended to fall off shelves, and everyone on board had to hold on tight or be dumped onto the floor.  The close quarters of a narrowboat proved to be rather too confined for all concerned, and instead of enjoying some happy evenings playing cards, they all retired to their respective rooms immediately after dinner.  Dad told me that he could hear the laughter coming from our boat (as we played cards and pick-up sticks) and felt very envious!

Angela and Richard, my cousins, were great boating companions.  Dick and I had spent time with them when we were at university, and we had also lived in Calgary, so we have always been close.  We managed to gather all our crew and embarked on the two boats on time.  As we arrived at the first lock, I was surprised to see everyone on board jump off the boat and race up the hill to the lock.  This left me with nobody to untie the bow of the boat, not to forget that at 69 feet long it is also very helpful to have someone on board at the bow to signal when we are close to the upper doors and centered in the lock.  After that initial slight glitch, the whole operation went well, and we were also able to get into a routine where Dick and Richard operated the locks for Dad and Mum’s boat as well, with some help from George.

One evening we tied up in a large basin in the town of Ellesmere.  We all went off to have dinner at a nice pub on the other side of the basin.  Partway through dinner, a man came into the pub and was clearly looking for someone.  He caught sight of Dick and came over to our table.  He explained that some yobs had untied one of our boats, and were hoping to see it float away downriver, but he had managed to catch the lines, and it was safely rafted to his boat.  He told us to take our time and finish our dinner, and when we came back, he would help us untie it and get it back in place.  As we made our way back to the boats, we could see a group of young men hanging around watching, clearly hoping that we would panic and rush about and provide excellent entertainment.  They were of course disappointed.  Prewarned, we all calmly set about getting situated again, and we thanked our benefactor.  He told us that he saw us arrive and Dick is quite distinctive, and he had been confident that he would be able to find us in the pub to give us warning!

The highlight of the trip into Wales was the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.  From the Shropshire Union Canal, you turn into the Llangollen Canal and proceed northwest to the town of Llangollen.  The aqueduct was completed in 1805.  It is 12 feet wide, constructed of stone and cast iron, and is the highest canal aqueduct in the world.  There is a towpath running along one side, giving brave souls an opportunity to enjoy the view of the river valley 127 feet below.  The aqueduct was planned to be part of a major canal construction linking Liverpool with the Severn River, but after completion of the aqueduct the rest of the project was never finished.

As the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is only 12 feet wide, there is no room for narrowboats to pass each other, so it becomes necessary to take turns crossing the aqueduct.  There was quite a lot of confusion and a bit of a wait before we could go across.  I am very unhappy with heights, so I simply took the helm and tried to watch the side of the canal that had the towpath and not look down!  Dick, Richard, and Dad all enjoyed getting out, walking along beside the boats, and peering over the railing at the river below.

Once across the aqueduct you reach a large basin that was originally the terminus of the canal.  A feeder canal to the town of Llangollen was added later, using the River Dee.  This means that the Llangollen canal is one of the few canals in the system that has a current. A current of two miles an hour doesn’t sound like much, until you realize that the maximum allowable speed on canals is 4 miles an hour.  Wherever the canal narrows, for instance as it passes under a bridge, or goes through a tunnel, the flow of the water is increased.  This means that travelling against the current you need extra power, and then suddenly you find your boat leaping forward and you have to quickly back off the engines.  Travelling with the current can be even more of a challenge, especially when exiting tunnels, because you tend to pop out at speed and have only a short time to react (and go into reverse to stop motion) before hitting something.  The current was a major cause of problems for George when he was driving.  This canal is very popular and gets crowded with boaters experiencing their first narrowboat holiday.  It takes time to learn how to steer with a tiller, and it also takes time to learn the right touch on the engine, when to back off, and when to reverse.  Inexperienced boaters are as much of a hazard on these canals as the expected challenges of locking and docking.

Eventually we reached the incredibly pretty town of Llangollen.  Unfortunately, even then it was a very popular destination (and what I have read suggests that it is an absolute nightmare today).  We could not find anywhere to tie up, and had to turn around and head back down the canal for quite a distance before we found an open place.  The reason why that spot was still open quickly became abundantly clear.  High weeds obscured the bank, which was steep at that point.  We managed, with great difficulty, to get in and tied up, and had to use a gangplank to get on and off the boat.  Here is a quote from a current canal guide that describes the challenge:

>>As night approaches you’ll see boaters with anxious faces hoping there’s still a berth near town—and you might be one of them.<<

We spent time exploring the town, and we also took a boat trip on a horse-drawn narrowboat.  It was interesting to experience canal boating as it was before engines provided the propulsion!

The return from Llangollen included the excitement of arriving at speed in the basin above the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, and then having to avoid several boats captained by newbies, that were bobbing around, trying without success to dock and generally impeding traffic from both directions.

We returned to the boat hire base, and changed crew on our boat, with friends Marilynn and Winkie arriving, and Angela and Richard departing to visit relatives.  We also arranged to drop off the TV sets from both boats.  These were tiny and sat on a high shelf above the dining table.  There was nothing to watch anyway, and the sets had proven to be rather too lively… that is, they had a disturbing tendency to jump off the shelf when the boat stopped suddenly.  Fortunately, no damage had been done, but we decided that it would be better to remove the risk for the rest of the trip.

We set off north towards the historic town of Chester.  Marilynn and Winkie slipped straight into the routines of locks and bridges and were great companions.

We arrived in Chester, which has long been a favourite destination for Dick and I for shops, restaurants, and even an excellent zoo.  The canal goes right through the centre of town with the Roman wall forming part of the cut.  In the middle of town there is a three-lock flight.  Arriving at the top of the flight, we were surprised to see a group of about 30 children, all in school uniforms and about 7 years old.  Their teachers were delighted to see us, as they were on a day trip to learn about the canal, and had not expected to be able to see an actual boat transiting and operating the locks.  After a nod to the teachers, I suggested to the children that perhaps that man over there (Dick) would appreciate some help in moving that heavy arm to open the lock doors.  Hands shot up and there were cries of “Me please Miss, me please!”  We managed to accommodate all the children who wanted to participate, since there were three locks and two boats.  Everyone was delighted with the adventure.

A few days later, we returned through Chester, and were amazed to find another group of children waiting patiently at the locks for us.  The teachers explained that the earlier encounter had been so successful that they had made a guess at when we would return and brought another class in hopes of seeing us.  They were very lucky with timing!

The terminus of the canal is at Ellesmere Port, where the canal joins the Manchester Ship Canal.  There is a large wharf with an outstanding canal museum, which we all enjoyed tremendously.  The museum has taken over many of the old buildings that were warehouses in the heyday of canal shipping.  A section that I particularly enjoyed was a number of rooms that had been set up as homes of the different decades of the canals.  The earliest had stone floors and few comforts, and the story progresses until the last one could have been my grandmother’s lounge in the early 1960’s.

Our return to base was mostly enjoyable and uneventful, with pretty scenery and nice villages and pubs.  It was somewhat stressful for me, because relations between my parents and their crew on the other boat continued to deteriorate, so I worried about them and also had to offer a suitably sympathetic ear as tales were told and resentments detailed.  Mum even took to hiding the bananas because she thought George was eating all the fruit!  Our own boat was stress-free, as Marilynn and Winkie made great boating companions.  In due course we returned to the boatyard and everyone went their separate ways.

I was surprised to realize the other day that this trip was in fact Dick’s first on a narrowboat.  He certainly enjoyed the trip, and today if you ask him, he will wax lyrical about the pleasures of canal boating in UK, but back then he was not so sure.  I found a quote from our Christmas letter that year, “I still prefer my adrenaline rush from sea spray over the rails rather than from cranking up lock paddles, pushing open gates, and struggling with manual lift bridges…”

Kennett and Avon Canal, a second trip

In 2006, friends from our Prague days, Deanna and Bill, joined us for two weeks on the Kennett and Avon Canal, along with my Dad.  We made the usual arrangements to meet the day before at a Bed & Breakfast near to the boatyard.  In the afternoon we got a phone call from Bill to let us know that due to a snowstorm, their flights had been delayed.  They managed to get out of Denver, but ended up being rerouted, and would not arrive in UK until the next morning.  This was proof that staying overnight locally allows a contingency cushion, especially when participants are arriving from overseas!

As we were having breakfast, a somewhat bedraggled Deanna and Bill arrived, with only their carryon luggage, and dressed in the clothes they had put on 40 hours earlier.  Showers and naps were much appreciated, and there was plenty of time before we collected the boat in mid-afternoon.

Luggage was a different problem.  Bill spent a great deal of time on the phone trying to trace it, and eventually learned that some of their checked baggage had gone to Heathrow, and the rest to Gatwick.  The airline delivers late baggage, but the challenge was explaining that we were on a boat and moving, so we could not simply give a hotel address.  We needed to know exactly which day the luggage would be delivered, in order to provide an address.  Ultimately, they would not accept a canal location, so we had to give the address of the pub where we had reservations for dinner.  As we sat down, I explained to the landlady that suitcases would be arriving (and why).  She was somewhat surprised, but took it all in stride, and in due course Bill and Deanna were reunited with their possessions.

The Caen Flight was again a highlight of the trip.  On this occasion, we were able to find another boat to go up with, but they did not have the same skillset as my previous experience, and they ended up taking turns to enter and exit each lock.  We still had the advantage of multiple helpers for the paddles and gates, and Dad thoroughly enjoyed being at the helm for the flight.

We continued along the canal, planning to stop and turn around at Newbury.  The plan was to return through the Caen Flight and proceed to Bath, and possibly Bristol, before returning to the boatyard.  As we set off for dinner in Newbury, Bill caught sight of a notice on a board that said that the Caen Flight was closed.  That certainly got our attention!  The next day we made phone calls and learned that it had indeed closed shortly after our transit.  Someone had slammed into one of the lock doors so hard that it was damaged and the whole flight had to be shut to await repairs.

The situation caused great difficulties for the many hire boat companies, who ended up with their boats trapped on the wrong side of the flight, and for private owners, who also could not move.  Hiring a company with a suitable vehicle and crane to lift boats out of the water and put them back in on the other side of the broken lock was possible, but ruinously expensive, so most owners had to just sit and wait.

Our boatyard set up a complicated arrangement whereby their guests would be collected by van, with all their luggage and food, and transported to another boat past the damaged section of canal.  It was agreed that we would simply continue our rental and complete our two weeks above Devises.  They would collect us at the end and return us to our vehicle at the boatyard.

The sudden re-jigging of my carefully arranged plan was a surprise, but we enjoyed the trip regardless.  We were able to get into the Thames and head south as far as Henley, and it was a very interesting trip.  The weather was kind, and we had blue skies and perfect temperatures.  Newbury, Hungerford, and Sonning were highlights, as well as seeing all the rowers on the Thames at Henley.

Cliveden House is visible overlooking the Thames past Maidenhead.  It was built in 1666 by the Duke of Buckingham, as a gift to his mistress.  For over 350 years it has been a magnet for powerful personalities, iconic parties, and scandalous affairs.  It was destroyed twice by fire, but always rebuilt with even more luxury and ostentation.  In 1893, the house was purchased by William Waldorf Astor.  During World War I, the house was offered to the government for use as a hospital, but it was rejected as being too difficult to convert.  Undaunted, Waldorf Astor offered it to the Canadians, who created a hospital in the covered tennis courts and the bowling alley.

Between two World Wars, the house was visited by many famous people from all walks of life, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, and George Bernard Shaw.

Cliveden’s most famous affair began in 1961, on a hot summer day, when 19-year-old Christine Keeler, was cooling off (naked) in the new swimming pool.  She was attending an exclusive party hosted by Lord Astor.  Another guest was John Profumo, an up-and-coming Secretary of State for War.  The two began an illicit affair, which was later denied by Profumo in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963.  A known Russian spy, Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, was also suspected of having an affair with Christine, and attempts were being made by MI-5 to turn him into a defector and double agent.  Soon after Profumo’s statement to the House of Commons, a police investigation proved that he had lied, and the resulting scandal forced the Prime Minister to resign and brought down the Conservative government. 

Today Cliveden is a very expensive country house hotel. I visited a few weeks after this trip with cousins, or rather, we visited the gardens and the tea rooms.  From the cars parked in the courtyard, Rolls Royce, Bentley, and Maserati, if you have to ask, you can’t afford to stay here! 

We all enjoyed that trip tremendously, so 6 years later, in 2012, Dick and I planned to do the Grand Round with Deanna and Bill.

Grand Round, second trip

We met as on the previous Grand Round in Stoke Bruerne.  On this occasion there were no problems with flights or luggage, so everyone was in place and ready to go when we collected our boat.

I had some difficulties with the planning of this trip.  In 2003, the Grand Round was quite simple to schedule for a 13-day itinerary, but this time, when I put the dates and other criteria into Canal Plan it didn’t work as expected.  Essentially, the suggestion was that the full circuit needed at least 14 or 15 full days of travel.  The reason for the extra time was the increasing popularity of the canals, and the number of boats that are permanently moored.  You have to slow right down to pass moored boats, so the time to transit the canals is much increased.  I worked the plan and eventually came up with an itinerary that would get us back to our starting point in time to hand over the boat.  Keep in mind that of the four of us, I was the only one who had previous experience with this circle.  Dick leaves all the canal trip planning to me, and as far as he was concerned, the timing had worked before so it would work again.

Well, my crew came perilously close to mutiny!  If I could have set them to walk the plank I might have done!  Dick was the main instigator.  He was not yet retired, and even on vacation he always needed to keep up with his job.  His normal routine at the time was to get up fairly early (6am) and spend at least two hours with his computer.  In fact, this is still his normal routine, but these days he is not having to deal with work issues!  Then there needs to be breakfast.  We were taking this trip in early October, so sunrise was about 7am, and sunset 7pm, giving us 12 hours of daylight.  Knowing how pushed we were going to be, I tried to persuade the crew to be ready to set off at first light, but I was entirely unsuccessful, with Bill and Deanna following Dick’s lead in refusing to move out early.  We managed to make up some of the time, because we were all very experienced with locks and bridges, and we finished each day with time to relax with a beverage before dinner.  I had made reservations at each stop, so all our dinner plans went without a hitch.  In fact, by the beginning of our second week we were well into the Thames and slightly ahead of schedule.

We stopped at the public mooring at Hampton Court.  Dick stayed on board to catch up on work, and Deanna, Bill, and I paid our entry to the palace and enjoyed a wonderful half day of exploration.

Hampton Court was transformed from a country house into a palace fit for a king by Cardinal Wolsey, who planned to entertain the king and his court there, as well as diplomats and even monarchs from across Europe.  He invested huge sums of money, and was so successful in impressing his king that Henry eventually decided to take Hampton Court for himself.  For 15 years Wolsey was Henry’s closest advisor, and was responsible for much of his diplomatic success.  However, by 1525, after being married to Katherine of Aragon for over 20 years, it was clear to Henry that she would never bear a son to be his heir.  Wolsey was charged with arranging the king’s “Great Matter”, a divorce, so that Henry would be free to marry Anne Boleyn, who had arrived at court and attracted the king’s interest.  Katherine refused to accept her fate and retire quietly, and Wolsey was unsuccessful in persuading the Pope to grant an annulment.  By 1529, a disgraced Wolsey turned over his palace to the King and retired to York.  He was later accused of treason and died as he travelled back to London to face charges.

Henry VIII was the second son of Henry VII, the first Tudor king.  A diplomatic and dynastic marriage was arranged for Arthur, Henry’s older brother and the heir to the throne.  Katherine of Aragon was 15 years old, a pious, orthodox Catholic princess, when she was sent to England with a huge dowry to marry Arthur.  Shortly after they were married with great pomp and circumstance, Arthur died.  There was, and still is, a question of whether or not the marriage was ever consummated.  Katherine, to the end of her days, said not.  If the widowed princess had returned to Spain, as would have been expected, not only would the second half of her huge dowry not be paid, but the first half would have to be returned.  Her father-in-law hated that idea (as he was the one reaping the benefits of all that cash, lands, and incomes), so he decided that a solution would be to have Katherine marry Henry, now the heir, who was six years her junior.  A Papal dispensation was required, and by the time she was 18, Katherine was once again betrothed, to a handsome, precocious boy of 12.  They were married in 1509, as soon as Henry became king, and were married for nearly 24 years.  After the birth of a daughter, Mary, there were only still-births and a boy who lived just a few weeks.  By the time Anne Boleyn arrived at court to be one of Katherine’s waiting women, Henry was desperately looking for a solution and a way to marry someone younger who could give him a son.  Katherine refused to accept divorce, not only because it would mean telling the world that she had lied about her marriage to Arthur, it would also make her daughter Mary illegitimate.

When Papal permission was not forthcoming, Henry declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, diverted money that was formerly paid to Rome into royal revenues, and declared his marriage annulled.  He married Anne Boleyn in a secret ceremony in 1532, and in 1533, once she had become pregnant, they were married again in London. Anne was crowned Queen in June, 1533.  Elizabeth was born shortly after, and accepted by the King as a promise of a son to come in the future.  When Anne miscarried a son, late in her next pregnancy, her fate was sealed.  This time, instead of a divorce, Anne was accused and tried for treason and was executed in 1536.

All six of Henry’s wives spent time at Hampton Court, and a visit brings their stories to life.

As we made our way around the palace, we heard the sound of loud argument approaching.  Shouting over her shoulder, a gorgeously dressed Anne Boleyn rushed through the room and out of the other door, closely followed by Henry VIII, who was calling out, “Why won’t you just stop and TALK to me?” We were completely surprised, and the tableau was so well done, it really seemed as though we had been transported back to1535.  Later we came into another room to find Henry surrounded by courtiers, having a serious discussion about policy.  Several young boys (visitors) started creeping towards Henry and trying to touch his sleeve.  One of the courtiers stepped forward and said very loudly, “Do not touch the King!” The boys were quite startled and scurried away!

Since that visit I have been to castles where attempts have been made to dress up students to pretend to come from the period of the castle heyday, but unfortunately, summer students with minimal costume budgets don’t manage to be believable, and the whole effect is just silly.

Further along the Thames we stopped at the town of Cookham.  The weather deteriorated and we had a lot of rain overnight.  The rain continued for the next few days, although, as is typical of English weather, there were periods of sunshine in between the rains.  We saw rowers at Henley, and enjoyed exploring the town of Sonning.

The beautiful red brick arched bridge that crosses the Thames at Sonning, was  built in 1775, replacing an old wooden bridge.  There is some evidence that the Saxons built a bridge over the Thames at this point as early as 1125.  The first documented evidence of a bridge dates from 1530, and it was rebuilt in 1604.  Dick Turpin, the famous highwayman, was said to have escaped by fleeing across Sonning Bridge.  Turpin began life as the son of a butcher, eventually joining and taking over his father’s business.  He became involved with a gang of poachers, that later moved on to robbery and violence.  When the gang was finally smashed, Turpin turned to highway robbery.  During his career as a highwayman, operating mainly in an area south of the Thames, the stories say that Turpin used Sonning Bridge as a route to Oxfordshire to escape capture.

Sonning Bridge is the only bridge to cross the Thames between Henley-on-Thames and Reading, but it is too narrow for modern vehicles to pass each other.  Traffic lights are used to control the traffic, and there are large queues in each direction every day during rush hour.

Our Grand Round was proceeding on schedule, until an officious lockkeeper told us he would not put us through.  The currents on the Thames were high due to the heavy rains, and no rental boats were allowed to proceed without specific permission from the boatyard.  It was a Friday afternoon, and nobody at the yard was willing to give the go-ahead, so we were stuck for three days.  At last, on Monday, I was finally able to speak to a man who remembered me from the initial handover and brief instruction when we collected the boat.  He had commented that he had rarely had a renter who was so obviously experienced, and never a woman.  We were at last allowed to go on our way.

Our problems were not finished.  When we arrived at the lock where the Thames is joined by the Oxford Union Canal, the lockmaster refused to let us go on.  He had just put through a narrowboat heading downstream that had nearly gone over the weir above the lock.  The boat had been bought by a young man, who was bringing it to London, helped by his father, and neither of them had ever driven a narrowboat before.  Going downstream with a strong current means that you have far less control than when you are driving into the current (which we were going to be doing).  The two men were terrified, and the lockmaster was absolutely not going to take the risk that we did not know what we were doing.  It took several hours and a number of phone calls before we were allowed through the lock.

There is a very sharp turn to get into the Oxford canal from the river above the lock, and even on a good day it would be quite tricky.  I managed to time the turn perfectly and slid into the canal without even a nudge on either side.  Yes, I was proud of myself!

After that, the trip continued in glorious weather and we enjoyed the stunning Oxfordshire countryside, but we had lost too many days on a very tight schedule.  We eventually had to call the boatyard and tell them to come and get their boat.  They were, to put it mildly, not best pleased!  However, in response to their blustering, we pointed out that they had held us up for three days, and we could not be held responsible.  The upshot was that they sent someone to collect the boat, and we were not charged for their costs.  On the other hand, they did not reimburse us for the extra fuel we had to use, but that was a relatively small penalty.  Dick and Bill took a taxi back to the boatyard to retrieve our car, and our trip was completed.

Would I do the Grand Round again?  Perhaps, but I would want at least 3 weeks to complete it, to make sure of a more relaxed schedule.  I would also be booking in September, or even August, since the chance of poor weather increases as you get into October.

The Avon Ring, 2017

Lesley, an Australian friend who we knew in Kuala Lumpur had hoped to do a narrowboat trip for some years.  Eventually we were able to put together a trip, with Lesley, Dick, and myself, and we were joined by Jeanne, a friend from Idaho.  We decided to do the Avon Ring.  This trip started south of Birmingham, and followed the Stratford-on-Avon canal to Stratford-on-Avon, then the Avon River until it meets the Severn River.  You turn into the Severn, and follow it north to Worcester and then join the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to return to the starting point in Alvechurch.   We chose our favourite Goose model, the perfect size for four of us.  What we did not know, is that some of the locks on the canals in this area are slightly shorter than usual.  Even the standard 72 feet leaves little space between the doors when you fit a 69-foot boat into the lock.  On several occasions we had to push the bumper that protects the bow of the boat to one side to get the doors open.

The length should not have been an issue on the route we had chosen, but there was a problem with our boat.  Clearly, over the season, renters had managed to hit the cill (the step at the upstream end of a lock) in the short locks with the rudder, and had damaged it.  I noticed that there was a problem as soon as I went out for the initial orientation at the boatyard.  I found it very difficult to steer, and while I managed, I was surprised that what had been so effortless in the past was now so hard.  The first few days of the trip were all right, but once we got into the rivers I found it increasingly hard to drive and Dick had to take the helm for much of the time.  When we returned the boat to the yard, we reported the problem, to be met with shrugs and the comment that they do not pull boats out of the water during the season, even if problems are reported.

Apart from the difficulty of handling the boat, we had a lovely trip.

Dick had prepared for two weeks on a boat with three women by purchasing a t-shirt.  It depicts a skeleton, sitting in a bar with a skeleton dog, both with pints of beer.  The caption is, “We are going to sit here and drink beer until we understand women!”

In the evenings we played bridge.  Jeanne had prepared by bringing along a tablecloth with bids and conventions, and we enjoyed our games.  The pubs were good, and it was easy to keep to the planned schedule.

Stratford-on-Avon was, as expected, a highlight.  We all enjoyed the bustling tourist town.  The basin was full of narrowboats, but we were able to find a spot.

On the Avon River we stopped in Evesham and were reunited with Peta and Graham, who are friends from when we lived in Kuala Lumpur.  Graham took us sightseeing in Evesham and also in Worcester, and we enjoyed dinner in their home.

In Worcester, we visited the museum attached to the factory where Royal Worcester china had been made since 1751.  The museum was fascinating, and I even recognized some pieces that my mother used to have.  The cathedral was beautiful.

Once we were back in the canals, we were faced with many locks to bring us back to our starting point.  A new experience for us was the presence of volunteers, who are available to help with the locks.  One of these volunteers enjoyed Jeanne and Lesley’s company so much that he carried on far past the point where he usually turned around.  When Jeanne asked him a question about the village we were passing through, his response was, “I have no idea, I have never been this far before!”

The Tardebigge Flight is a 30-lock flight, just south of Alvechurch, so it was the challenge for our last day on the canal.  Our usual routine had been for Dick to operate the locks with help from either Lesley or Jeanne, while I did the driving.  It was agreed for this long flight, that Lesley would work the first 10, and then they would switch places, and Jeanne would work the next 10.  After Lesley had finished her turn, she went below to have a break.  A little later, the volunteers showed up for the day.  Lesley came up from below with a cup of tea for me, and the volunteer said to her, “Have you just got out of bed then?” In spite of Lesley’s spluttering and our assurances that she had already put in several hours of hard work, it was clear that he did not believe us.  He was heard to tell Jeanne, “Your friend is awake now!”

This was the last narrowboat trip we have taken, as we began the Great Loop on our boat Nine Lives the following year.  Now that our Loop is completed, and Nine Lives will go to a new owner, we are ready to think about narrowboats again.  There are a few places we would like to explore.  The Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Yorkshire, and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal in Wales are both of interest.  Do we have any volunteers to join us?