While I’ve been self-isolating I’ve been going through pictures and videos that I took over that last couple of summers on the canals in England and Wales. I started with mostly scenic shots, lovely bridges, peaceful stretches of canal, cows and sheep on green fields, that sort of thing. But they all started running together and after a few went by they began looking all alike.

I quickly realized that it was the people I shared my adventure and sometimes my boat with that drew my interest. Some I had met along the way, often spending several days with them sharing locks and pub nights. Others were friends from home who made the huge commitment to travel to stay with me for a few days. And there were even several that I had met in 2018 that I was able to reconnect with in 2019.

So that’s the focus of these slide shows, showing some of the people that have come to mean so much to me on my canal travels, and in my life. Of course, there were many others of whom I didn’t get a photo. There’s also a few scenic pictures, of places with particular memories. If you’ve been following the blog you might recognize some of them.

Enjoy…

 

 

I’m not going to go on and on about the hardships and annoyances during this weird time. I also don’t want to minimize them, but we’ve all heard so much about it. I’m just writing to keep busy. Now, that implies that I have nothing to do…nothing could be further from the truth! I’ve got lots of cleaning waiting, I need to wax and put my skis away, I should get some exercise, the list actually is quite long. But I am getting way too used to not <having> to do anything! It’s quite freeing. Perhaps it’s not all that useful or productive, but there it is. I’m just too busy doing nothing.

I also understand that many people are still working, often putting themselves in danger in order to help the rest of us or to simply pay the bills. I honour them all, particularly those on the ‘front lines’, in the health care system, in the grocery stores, and many other places that are considered essential. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. I know we’ve all been saying that, but it’s a very important thing to keep saying and to keep in the front of our minds.

Now, since this is a narrowboat blog, I’ll talk a bit about narrowboating. The situation in the UK is a bit dire but fortunately they have an amazing health care system. I’m hopeful that this will help balance the slow start they got to help produce better outcomes. On the canals it’s a strange situation. The Canal & River Trust, the charity that administers the majority of the system, has issued instructions for boats to remain in place if possible. Only ‘essential’ movement is allowed. This is primarily moving to get water, dispose of waste, and get groceries. People that live full-time on their boats but don’t have a ‘home mooring’ are called continuous cruisers. Normally they are allowed to stay at most mooring locations for up to 14 days before moving on but under the present circumstances that limit has been lifted.

The biggest issue being discussed is use of the towpath. Over the last couple of years the CRT has been promoting the use of the towpaths by non-boaters as a healthy place to be (“Life Is Better By Water”). Walkers and bicyclists are encouraged to make use of such a beautiful resource. At this time however, they’re being discouraged from doing so in an attempt to reduce the crowding on a narrow pathway, to try to keep the boaters and themselves safer. It’s causing a lot of controversy and some heated exchanges. 

I know of a similar situation in North America, mostly concerning travel to holiday locations (such as ski hills). I hope this doesn’t turn into a ‘them and us’ situation, we’re all in this together no matter where we live (hear that Donald Trump?).

One of the things I have been doing is going through video that I’ve taken along the canals. I have no intention of trying to compete with the ‘boat tubers’ out there, many of them are very talented and work hard at creating high quality videos. I am, however, putting some crappy videos up on YouTube. It’s been fun and interesting and I thought others might get a laugh out of the attempts. My YouTube channel is, of course, called “Canuck on the Cut“. Please don’t expect much, but there is the occasional nice scenery shot.

 

 

As always, thank you for reading, keep in touch, and take very good care.

 

First and foremost, I’d like to extend the hope that my friends, family, and all of our loved ones are healthy and remain that way. All other considerations are a distant second. 

At this uncertain and increasingly difficult time, we must all pull together (with appropriate social distancing!) to get through what is a strange and scary event. I have faith in our health care professionals and the systems they are putting in place to keep us as safe as possible. If there is anything I can do to help anyone here on Vancouver Island (I’m presently still up the mountain), please let me know. And yes, I have enough toilet paper and pasta. And wine.

As for my cruising plan for the UK (since that’s what this blog is about, after all!), it’s completely up in the air. The original plan was to go over in early May but it’s likely that’ll be delayed if not cancelled all together. Right now the issue is that at present I’d have no health coverage since the Canadian government has issued a warning against all international travel. It’s a strange situation; my insurance will not cover me even though I bought my tickets and the insurance before the announced restrictions, but I can’t get my money  back for the insurance that I may no longer need and won’t even cover me! Hopefully they’ll figure that out.

Now, in addition to all that, Mt. Washington has just suspended its ski season. It’s not likely they’ll open again but as always, I live in hope. It’s more than a bit disappointing as the weather forecast says it’ll be the best spring skiing in years! I’m very thankful for the last few days with great friends and awesome conditions, and for a successful season (no injuries). This sudden closure is just another aspect of a very strange winter. I’ll be staying up here since there’s nowhere more beautiful to be anyway. I’m getting significant pressure from some old friends to go mountain biking with them, and I’m running out of excuses! Maybe the next post will be about a different sort of mountain sport. Or I’ll be back on my favorite crutches.

As I said, it’s so beautiful up here. When I got up this morning and looked out, the moon was hanging over the sun-touched mountains and it took my breath away. I never get used to it, and I never take it for granted.

Finally, here are some memories of the season…

 

 

I hadn’t planned on doing another blog post until I was closer to returning to the boat, but here is short one. I’m presently still on the mountain, skiing each day and looking forward to returning to the canals in the UK. Cool Change has been blacked and serviced and will be back in the water and ready to go when I return in early May. More on my plans later…

What I’m writing about today is concerning an interview that I did with the lovely and talented Annamarie and Kath, vloggers who are known as The Narrowboat Experience on YouTube. It’s a fantastic channel, with informative and interesting videos about life on a narrowboat and many other subjects. In this case, they have a series where they talk to various people about what life on the canal is like and how they began their journey. They called me and asked if I’d like to participate as my story was a bit unusual. I was quite willing since I never really mind talking, as many of my friends will attest to.

The resulting interview has now been published on YouTube. I think they did a great job of editing and producing it, it’s not as embarrassing as I thought it might be (not because of them, but because I hate seeing myself on camera).

Having said all of that, I’m writing now to thank everyone that has recently read, subscribed, and commented on my blog and the interview video. There are so many nice people out there, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed. And thanks to Kath and Annamarie for making it fun and easy. Sorry about the lousy tea.

In addition to making great videos (with Kath) and being an awesome cat mom, Annamarie is also a watercolour artist. They have the website ArtbyAnnamarie.com and I highly suggest you check out her beautiful paintings and their other items.

As for my 2020 cruising plans, that’ll have to wait. There have been some major storms throughout the UK this winter, causing considerable wind and flood damage. At least one major canal is completely blocked, likely for a year or more while it is repaired. As I had hoped to go through that area, a rewrite of the plan is underway!

(photo credit: David Thompson)

As always, I try to answer all the comments I receive here on the blog so please keep in touch and give me feedback whenever you like. I also post occasionally on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I hope you continue to enjoy my meandering writings…

Stay tuned…

I haven’t posted much lately, it was a bit of a slow homecoming. I knew I’d have over a month before the ski season started, which turned out to be true, but it was a long month (and turned out to be even longer than that). I moved up the mountain right away and it was fantastic weather for hiking and scenery but not so good for the ski season. There was no significant snow until well into December so opening day was a couple of weeks late.

Mt. Washington Resort has installed snow-making, but even with the cold temperatures not much snow was produced. Like so often happens in construction, they had to  wait for several inspections and certificates. Once that occurred, they were able to make some snow but it had started naturally by then.

Meanwhile, I’ve got lots of writing done, been looking at the piano occasionally, and have bought a gym membership. Maybe I’ll even go there today. Or tomorrow. Ya, tomorrow…

With some poor weather now and then, I’ve been going through my photos and videos. Up to now I haven’t posted many videos, mostly because I’m not good at taking and editing it! I do have quite a bit, some of it quite interesting so if anyone would like to suffer through it let me know and I’ll post some on my YouTube channel.

I’ve also had an article published in Waterways World, check out the February issue. There might be more to come.

For my boating readers, my apologies for no boating talk. I miss the boat, and the canal life, more than I thought I would. It’s become such a big part of my life that I feel strange being back on land for so long. But skiing daily helps, I love this part of my life too.

One more thing, if you’ve read this far please leave me a comment or message. It would really help me if I knew that there are still people interested!

 

Here I am, at altitude at last. Mt. Washington has been a wonderful place to return to, every day sunny, the nights cool, with old friends nearby. Having said that, it’s not all perfect. I’ve actually been thinking a lot about the differences between summers in the UK on a narrowboat, and winters in Canada on a ski hill (or ‘mountain’ to those overseas).

The obvious differences aside, it’s mostly the little things that I tend to think about. I have a dishwasher again. I have a washer and dryer at hand. I have 500 channels on the TV, unlimited hot water (or simply unlimited water for that matter), all the A/C power I want without worrying about whether the sun is shining, and easy access to groceries any time I want.

On the other side, I’m not able to just move my home to the next quiet, serene location should I choose to. I’m not meeting new and wonderful people on a daily basis, although I suspect this will change when ski season starts. There’s a distinct lack of local, traditional pubs to explore, or pubs at all. I’m suddenly spending much more money on fuel as the roads have many more uphill sections than the canals (not counting the locks) and the distances in Canada tend to be much greater. Travelling at 110 km/h instead of 5 also influences that one. Mostly I’m missing the friends I have made ‘over there’. I’m rapidly making up for that one with some great visits with my Canadian friends all over the Island but those in England do seem very far away.

 

Back in September I had a great few days with Rich and Jane, they had hired a boat on the Llangollen and we cruised together down onto the Middlewich Branch. As they were continuing on a section I’d already been on, I stopped short and enjoyed the scenery and isolation.

As September became October I noticed a distinct change in daily life. The nights became very cold, necessitating turning on the central heating earlier and more often. The wood stove was great but didn’t tend to last all night, and didn’t heat the bedroom very well all the way at the stern. Also the solar became much less reliable. Even if the sun did shine (not that often), the angle was low enough and the hours few enough to not be sufficient. I had to start up the engine once or twice a day in order to keep the batteries charged and not do damage to them (if they ran down too far). And of course I had to be quite circumspect with power use.

Shortly before flying home, I moved the boat into a marina, which eased many of the issues significantly. I now had as much water as I needed, lots of power from the mains plug, and easy access to groceries via delivery. I also had some great company as I had met several people on nearby boats. I soon joined their daily yak sessions on the dock, discussing the weather and politics, but mostly talking about boats, with the occasional pub visit.

The time in the marina was quite uneventful, mostly getting the boat ready for winter and waiting out rainy days with the wood stove going. However, Phil took me to my first Rugby League match, which happened to be the National Final, and was at Old Trafford (a very large and very famous stadium). Huge fun!

Eventually the time came for them to pull Cool Change out of the water for the winter. They did that shortly after I left as I was catching an early train to Cornwall for a quick visit before heading to Gatwick Airport. Leaving was bittersweet, hard to say goodbye to a life I’ve come to love but anticipating some great skiing back home.

So now I’m back to where I started this blog post. Up the mountain waiting for the next season to start. Life couldn’t be much better, and I’m truly thankful; for my friends, my health, and for the life I’ve fallen into.

There’s been a surge of interest lately for ‘living small’. Tiny homes, RVs, repurposed shipping containers, all have seen innovations recently to become more liveable and practical. And it’s trendy so what’s not to like? Living on a boat, particularly a narrowboat, is very much in this category, with some added issues.

First, a little history; narrowboats began as work boats, delivering the goods and supplies that fuelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the 18th century. A single horse-drawn narrowboat could supply as much as 50 times the tonnage that a horse and cart could deliver, albeit at about the same speed. In the early 1800s boat operators began to bring their families aboard, partly to save on rent at home, and partly as ‘free’ crew to help with the work. Of course, living space on the boat was at the expense of profitable cargo space, so the ‘boatman’s’ cabin’ was tiny. Usually about eight feet long, and often housing a family of five or more, it was a model of compact efficiency.

Eventually railways took over the majority of the cargo-carrying business throughout Britain. By the early 20th century commercial use of narrowboats was rapidly fading out although some small vestiges (including a few horse-drawn ones) continued into the 1960s.

As the canals themselves fell into disuse, many intrepid volunteers began to resurrect the waterways and the boats for recreational use. The ‘modern’ narrowboat is typically 50-70 feet long, built of steel, and has a diesel engine. But it’s still less that seven feet wide (hence; narrowboat) in order to utilise many of the narrow locks and has retained some of the historical compact efficiency. Most have all the usual modern amenities; central heat, refrigerator, shower, etc. However, there is a big ‘but’. Even though the modern narrowboat has many 21st century conveniences, they often come with significant differences from shore-based homes. I’ll go through them one at a time, although they are often inter-related…

Power

Since my boat has a reasonably powerful diesel engine, raw power isn’t usually a problem. There are two alternators to charge a bank of four high-capacity batteries for running all the electrical (and electronic) devices on board. As with many things however, it’s not always that simple. Lead-acid batteries (the usual car type) are quite finicky with their charging regime. They like to be kept charged up, and will break down and fail if they’re run down past about 50% of their capacity. So it’s vital that close attention is paid to them. I’ve recently installed solar panels, which has helped immensely over the summer (not so much now that autumn is upon us). They supply enough wattage that I don’t have to start the engine for days on end if I’m not travelling. Most of my equipment on board is 12 volt so I don’t need to run the inverter to convert to 240v AC except to charge my laptop (I’ll be investing in a 12v charger this year). The inverter itself takes significant power so it reduces the efficiency of the system. I try to only run it when the engine is running (to charge my ‘Hoover’ for instance).

Water

My boat, like most narrowboats, has a large-capacity water tank. I can go many days or even weeks without needing to refill it, and there are numerous water points around the system so obtaining the water isn’t a big problem. But again, careful watch must be kept. I’ve only run out once, and it’s a pain. In a house the supply of water is generally seen as an endless thing, not to be worried about (except in an ecological, save-the-planet sort of  way). I’ve grown very accustomed to only running taps, including the shower, as needed. Wet down, turn tap off, shampoo and wash, turn tap on to rinse. This actually goes double for hot water. The only ways to get hot water are by running the engine (cooling water is cycled through a ‘calorifier’ or hot-water tank) or the central heating system that runs radiators throughout the boat and also cycles through the tank. It’s well insulated so I have at least 24 hours of hot water after only a short engine run but it’s definitely something that has to be thought about daily.

Waste

Now we’ve come to perhaps the biggest issue on narrowboats. Get two boaters together for more than 5 minutes and they’ll be debating the issue of toilets. Mine is a pump-out type, with a large holding tank, but there are several others, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. I won’t get into that here, google it to learn more than you would ever want to know about them and what can cause an argument on a narrowboat online forum.

I have found that I can go several weeks without needing to pump out, and almost every marina has a facility so that hasn’t been a problem. I’m quite stingy with how much water I use to flush, as I am with water use in general. Again, it must be thought about and monitored, much different from living ashore.

Groceries

Lots of people, on shore, tend to do a reasonably large shop for groceries every week or two. They have a freezer for much of it, a large refrigerator, and lots of cupboard space. On a narrowboat this isn’t often the case. I have a small bar fridge, with a tiny freezer section, so I really do have to be careful how much I buy at one time. Even space to store dry goods is at a premium. To complicate matters, access to a grocery store is a bit hit-and-miss. Often a selected cruising route doesn’t go near a town or village for many miles (which translates to many days at 3 miles per hour). Careful planning is necessary; I’ve learned to keep certain things handy in case the fresh food runs out, like pasta and jars of sauce, beans, soups, etc. And, really, there are always pubs.

Fuel

This really comes under the title of Power. The diesel engine supplies not only propulsion, but also hot water and electrical power. Even the central heating radiators are diesel fired. In a house, these things are just sort of ‘there’. Gas (petrel) stations are everywhere for the car, hot water just comes out of the tap, and stuff works when you plug it in. So keeping an eye on the fuel level is important. Having said that, I fill with fuel nearly every time I pump out the holding tank (usually a marina will have both together) so it’s not a big problem, just another thing to think about.

Laundry

This isn’t really a make-or-break subject, but it is certainly much different than in most homes on land. Very few narrowboats have a washing machine on board (although more and more are installing them), and even fewer have a dryer. The power and water needs make this simply impractical. They also take up considerable valuable space on board. I have found that simply having many more pairs of socks, underwear, and t-shirts helps to solve this. The number of  ‘launderettes’ in Britain is declining like everywhere else so some planning is involved. If I’m going near a village or town, the first thing I check for is a pub, the second is a grocery store, and the third is a launderette. Finding one has become a reason to celebrate and often I’ll stay an extra day to clear up the backlog of clothes, linens, and towels that need washing. I do have a clothes drying rack and will wash things in the sink if necessary but that hasn’t been much help this summer as it’s been raining nearly every other day since June!

Life in general

I’ve had several wonderful visits aboard this summer, and I start each one with some instructions. First is that “There are no secrets on a narrowboat”. We will all know when you go to the bathroom, whether you snore, what you like to eat and drink, and many more intimate details. But that’s also part of the fun! Acquaintances become friends, and friends become family. All it takes is a good attitude.

Within the limits of reality life can be very relaxed and carefree on the ‘cut’. Where you take the boat is completely up to you (and your guests) as long as you stick to the canals. I have made some side trips on land as well, and with the great public transportation system over here, almost all of the country is within a few hours of a canal. There is lots to see and do.

The pub culture is alive and well so it’s not always necessary to cook for oneself. However, I have found that when sitting out a rainstorm, cooking dinner is a great way to pass an afternoon. Who knew? With a bit of planning I’ve found that I can produce a pretty good meal, if I do say so myself. Most often in a frying pan, but I’ll move on to the oven some day. I’ve recently discovered that I have one of those…

So with all this taken together, life on a narrowboat (or any boat) isn’t very difficult but isn’t for everyone. The advantages, for me, far outweigh the disadvantages. The freedom to roam or stay, the inexpensive lifestyle, and a wonderful community of people have all contributed to me absolutely loving this life. I’ve lived on my (former) sailboat for an extended period and it was nice but not the same. It was a much bigger issue to cast off and move to another location, there was much more planning involved with tides, charts, weather, and all that stuff. Many of the issues were the same (water, pump outs, power, fuel) but for the most part narrowboating is simply much easier. And I have the advantage of returning to ‘real’ life every autumn! I’m looking forward to seeing many of you soon, and will miss those I’m leaving behind.

///boats.rely.defectors

So I’m still on the Llangollen Canal. I’ve now been over the Pontcysyltte Aqueduct eight times! I do love it up here but it might be time to explore further afield. I’ve also loved the time with all my guests, including the latest, Mel and Kate. They are fellow Snow Hosts from Mt. Washington (or, as my son calls us: The Walmart Greeters of the Mountain) and stayed with me on the boat for several sunny and fun days. I’ve actually posted my first YouTube video, a side-trip we did on a steam train:

Click here to watch Llangollen Steam Train on YouTube

Don’t judge it too harshly, I had to use a tablet and it was very slow so didn’t do a lot of editing.

We also did all the usual stuff, including the Chirk Castle, pub(s), a BBQ, and of course some cruising…

 

The end of this season’s cruising is fast approaching. One more adventure (weather-dependent) before getting into the marina for a mandatory inspection (mostly gas safety stuff) and winterising. I’ll also have a few days for some sightseeing before flying home, so maybe there’ll be another blog post. I hope everyone is getting ready for a great winter, THINK SNOW!

///cringes.twitches.cement

There’s not much to report these days, the weather has been a bit up and down so I’ve been moving only when it looks like I won’t get soaked. I haven’t always been successful but since I’m not in a rush I’ve stayed pretty dry. There has also been some wind, but that doesn’t pose any issues (as long as I’m not trying to maneuver too much). Last night, for instance, I was very glad to be on the canals and not anchored somewhere on the ocean. I didn’t feel any affects in terms of the boat moving but it was loud enough to keep me awake for a while. Apparently I was hearing the remains of Hurricane Dorian that had decimated the Bahamas last week. It’s a nice spot however, I’ll be staying an extra night here.

Going back a few days, after leaving Natwich and the Food Festival I headed south as I had heard about a ‘secret’ bunker that was now a visitor attraction. The Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker is anything but secret, even during the cold war! It’s a large building, and a huge radar installation, visible for miles around.

Although much of it is underground, it wasn’t a bunker in the sense of people sheltering there, apparently it was a control centre in the event of a nuclear war. It was well worth the visit though. It was operational from the advent of the Cold War until 1992, and is stuffed with military memorabilia and equipment. The feeling of impending doom that must have pervaded the place, and the people, is still palpable.

Just south of Hack Green is one of the most beautiful mooring locations I’ve found. It’s just a long stretch of open canal, but has picnic tables and BBQ stands all along. The area is quiet and rural, there was even a fishing competition getting set up. Each village has a team and they compete against nearby villages (this was actually just a ‘practice’ apparently).

As I’ve mentioned before, there is still lots of evidence of the long history of the canals visible, particularly from the time when the boats were drawn by horses. I’ve seen old stables converted to holiday homes, caves converted to stables, and many instances of the ropes used to tow the boats leaving a lasting imprint on the bridges. In this case, cast iron protectors have been added that only just managed to save the brickwork. I can’t imagine the number of horses that plodded by this spot in order to cut so deeply into solid iron.

And that brings things up to date. I’m presently back on the Llangollen Canal (again!), making my way to pick up some visitors. As anyone that has been keeping up on the blog knows, I love showing people this stretch of canal, it’s got everything: remote rural scenery, locks, aqueducts, tunnels, pubs, and even a castle.

They don’t arrive for a few days though, so I’m taking my time and enjoying some quiet days. If it rains I light the fire and relax, if not I get a bit of work done on the boat (and the blog). I hope everyone has had as good a summer as I have, and all are healthy and happy. Please don’t hesitate to comment or send me a message, I still love hearing what you’re all up to!

///qualifier.homelands.baffle

Chester is an ancient city, established by the Romans around 74 AD. It’s situated on the River Dee, although in Roman times it was a shipping port as the ocean came much closer to the city walls. Surrounding nearly the entire city is a high stone wall and walkway, the most complete in all of Britain. It’s approximately 3 kilometres around, broken only for about 100m. There are seven gates into the city, and several towers. The Eastgate Clock is the second-most photographed clock in Britain (after only the Elizabeth Tower – Big Ben – in London). There, some facts to show I’ve done my homework.

In addition to the famous wall, Chester is known for it’s ‘rows’, covered walkways with storefronts. Shoppers can walk long stretches of the main streets one floor up and completely under cover…a nice touch in this often rainy area.

While I was in the area, I left the boat in a marina and was treated to a visit with Wendy in Birkenhead (across the Mersey River from Liverpool). I got to visit her lovely family and friends, did some sightseeing in Liverpool, and finally learned how the scoring in cricket works! Some of it anyways. Oh, and don’t let the apparent sunshine and blue sky in Liverpool fool you, it rained at least twice that day.

Upon my return to the boat, I headed back south along the Shropshire Union canal. At one of the locks I happened to notice a memorial bench, and had a closer look…

I guess it’s a popular spot…

Further on I was fortunate to find the last mooring spot near the town of Nantwich. This is a remarkable and beautiful town, full of crooked but well-maintained Tudor buildings. And lots and lots of pubs. While I was there, they had an amazing Food Festival on, hundreds of vendors with marquees everywhere. The parish church was also one of the most elegant I’ve seen, called by some the finest medieval church in all of England. Originating in the 14th century, much of the woodwork in the quire is original. The stained glass isn’t however, most of  it was lost during or after the reformation.

Just a final note, I’m embarrassed to say that I now have a new phone, and with it a temporary number. Once I get a SIM sent out I’ll be able to go back to the same UK phone number I had before (in case anyone tries to call or WhatsApp). I seem to have a sad history of chucking phones into the water off the stern of boats. That’s three now, although I did two at one time previously. I’m still in the process of recovering photos and video from the cloud, luckily they were all uploaded in real time. I’ll post more pictures as I download them. If anyone wants me to contact them with the new number, just leave a comment.

///peach.darkest.wisdom