Planning an epic adventure

Skiing is now done for the season, and what a yawner it was. Days and weeks of sub-par conditions, it never truly took off. The resort did do an amazing job with grooming and snow-making just to stay open, especially in December. And, as always, a bad season skiing is still better than any other season. Although this boating season might just rival it…

My planning has been more extensive and detailed this year than ever before. I usually just have a vague idea where I will go and when, but this year, May in particular, is planned almost to the day.

The intended route will take me south from Nantwich, skirting around Wolverhampton and Birmingham, traveling on the River Severn for a time before turning east on the Droitwich Barge Canal. This section includes the famed Tardebigge flight, a series of 30 locks that need to be done in a single day (no space to stop and moor). The whole area has a lot of locks, so I’ll be busy. A few days later I’ll be on the Grand Union Canal, in an area I have been on previously but it was way back in 2018, my first year on the canals. I’m curious to see if I remember it the same now that I have more experience, it might not seem so interesting!

I’ll have some company on these sections, Rianne’s mum and niece are joining me for a few days, including the River Severn, and good friends from 2018 (Kennet and Avon canal) Guy, Bob and Cate are going to help me through the Tardebigge locks and get me home from some pubs!

Soon after that I’ll turn onto the Oxford Canal (actually still the Grand Union but it’s called both). From there it’ll be through Braunston, left at Norton Junction and north to the Crick Boat Show.

I was at the boat show in 2018 and 2019 but (for reasons you can probably guess) I haven’t been back since. This time I plan on taking full advantage since I need a few parts and some work done. Hopefully I can find some deals and the appropriate skills while they’re all in one place. Also, the music should be somewhat better this time. Fleetwood Bac and Young Elton John versus Abba and Dolly Parton look-alikes. I’ve also just heard that my oldest canal friends Chris and Julie are going to be there, I haven’t seen them for a couple of years and we’ll have a great catch-up! We actually met while camping next to each other at the same boat show in 2018.

Once all that is out of the way, I’ll be heading south toward London. On the way, I’m hoping to stop at the Natural History Museum, Bletchley Park, and a few other spots of interest. The highlight of this section is the Universal Studio in Watford, where Harry Potter was filmed. It’s an amazing tour, lots of the sets and props are there and it should be a good time. The best part however, is that’s where I’m meeting up with Rianne and her two sons! We’re planning about 10 days of visiting, including a week in London itself. I’ve booked moorings for us in Paddington Basin. You can’t get much more central without spending hundreds of pounds (per night) on a room. Plus it gives us the ability to eat aboard whenever we want, saving even more. We’re going to see at least one show (Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, of course), several museums, a traditional pub lunch, and many architectural highlights.

The boys have to return to Canada for other summer fun but Rianne’s staying on and we’re planning to go on to the tidal Thames. This is a huge waterway with lots of large and fast vessels so it’ll be exciting, to say the least. Normally narrowboats go in guided flotillas but due to our timing, there’s no chance of that. One of the boat club experts has offered to join us as we cruise past all the iconic locations in central London. The Tower and the Tower Bridge, Parliament, the Eye, London Bridge, the Millennium Bridge, and many others. A very close family friend is going to join us for this section we hope.

Once off the tidal portion at Teddington, we’ll cruise upriver. This is much more sedate and passes both idyllic countryside and very posh estates and royal lands, including Windsor Castle. When we reach Oxford, Rianne will have to fly home, leaving me to head north to my winter mooring and get back to Canada to enjoy some summer at home as well.

Sorry if this isn’t all that interesting, I’ve written this as much as a confirmation of my plan and almost like a diary entry. It will be very interesting to see how close the actual summer adventure follows it.

Projected totals: 450 miles, 394 locks