Sep 18th.  After 9 days on the Llangollen Canal we have reached the little town of Ellesmere.  The original plan had been to build a canal from Shrewsbury on the River Severn to the River Dee at Chester and on to the River Mersey and a port for Ellesmere now known as Ellesmere Port.  Sadly the canal never got built except for the bit from here at Ellesmere to Trevor just short of Llangollen but instead the naviees went east to Hurleston and hence the Llangollen Canal was created as it is today.  Did those builders ever envisage how busy the canal would become, not with working boats but holiday makers using the boats from the several hire companies along the Canal.  Even now with the school holidays ended there are still lots of boats.  We have managed to squeeze into moorings at Whitchurch & here at Ellesmere but spent 2 hours climbing Grindley Brook's 6 locks, 3 singles plus a staircase 3. The Llangollen is certainly very pretty, being largely rural with rolling hills and some wide views southward.  Now the Welsh hills are on the western horizon and we shall cross the border at Chirk on Friday.  This weekend we have had a little out and back trip with Roger's cousin John & Joy Rossington and their 2 youngest children Sophie & Thomas.  Feeding & sleeping 6 takes plenty of organising but it has been fun and the weather kind if a little cool.  Autumn is certainly on the way now and so this will be the last log for Summer 05.  The next will appear on the Autumn 05 page.          

Sep 9th.  There should be few reasons to interrupt an adventure but Roger's parents' 60th wedding anniversary celebrations had to be one.  So instead of sailing a few miles over last weekend we had a 300 mile round trip by hire car to Filey near Scarborough.  We returned to the boat on Monday with the happy couple who, well into their 80's will probably be our oldest visitors.  As planned we headed back through Middlewich, a little quieter than on the way down, and on to Barbridge Junction to continue our Shropshire Union journey.  The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness has arrived early with grey mornings but warm sunshine each afternoon.  On Wednesday night we moored at the Shady Oak just beyond Beeston and sampled the ale and food.  Having waved goodbye to the "oldies" we were joined by Anne & Doug Shields, friends from New Mills.  Sadly they brought a little rain with them so our return trip to the next winding hole was a little damp but made brighter by several kingfishers and herons plus another session in the Shady Oak.  Having discovered the Museum at Ellesmere Port has closed off access by boats for a while due to duckweed problems we have decided to tackle the Llangollen first and tonight we are moored at Hurleston Junction ready to take on the first locks in the morning.              

Aug 31st.  So after 615 miles and 486 locks in 109 days we made it to Preston Brook with some 40 hours to spare before the opening of the IWA Boat Show.  And a good show it was with plenty to see during the day and excellent entertainment each evening for the boaters and campers.  We also enjoyed meeting up with old friends Bill & Cath Bolton, Chris Daniels & partner Carol and Royal Bank Sailing Club members, and now new friends, Audrey & David Foulkes.  It was good too to see David Johnson from Matrix Controls, Les Ford who worked in Glossop for a while with Roger, Mr Phillips, Nb Tenbridge with whom we shared locks around Leicester and to put faces to several of the Residential Boat Owners Assoc. committee members.  Sadly we have now said goodbye to Tony & Val on Nb Eva & Jenny & Michael, Nb Rosalie Kate both off home to the Calder Hebble.  We first met them in Stratford.  Also goodbye to Brent & Christine, Nb Harry's Lad going home to Wigan for the winter and to Ian & Vera Short, Nb Veinarde whom we moored alongside during the Show.  We now have that deflated feeling that comes at the end of a really good holiday when you realise it will be back to routine tomorrow.  But for us tomorrow will be more cruising, at least it will after we take a weekend break for a family gathering just south of Scarborough.      

Aug 24th.  If you get the chance to take a cruise on the River Weaver then grab it with both hands.  In our opinion it rivals the River Soar as THE river to cruise.  It starts with a descent from the Trent & Mersey Canal on the Anderson Lift, one of the seven wonders of the waterways, and worth the trip just for that fascinating ride.  There follow 20 miles of river of which 17 are pretty often giving the impression of being far from anywhere.  The river is wide with a gentle flow and all 4 locks are worked by B.W. staff but with limited passage times.  After staying overnight by the Lift we headed downstream to the "end" close to Runcorn.  The last mile is interesting if not pretty with the complex pipework of the ICI chemical works off the starboard bow.  We tied up by the lock that drops into the Manchester Ship Canal.  From here we could see across the Mersey Estuary just as we had viewed the Severn Estuary on the 3rd July.  After an evening visit from Carol Trasler, our "tea lady", and a mooring watching Runcorn rowers we headed back up stream for a rural night north of Anderton before heading to Northwich on Saturday.  Sunday we had a short there and back cruise to Anderton with Maureen's brother & family, Martin, Carolyn & Fiona Taylor, then because of rain we stayed a second day in Northwich doing laundry and more provisioning.  Tuesday we sailed the final 7 miles to Winsford, which was a disappointment both in terms of moorings and the town itself, made better by another visit from our tea lady.  After a second rural mooring we are back at Northwich, our final evening on the Weaver.  Northwich is a lovely town with moorings close to the centre.  There are some interesting black & white buildings plus two big swing bridges which we were fortunate to see swing open today.  We shall have travelled some 43 miles on the River in almost seven days and enjoyed every one of them.  Do try them if you can or if you can't at least take a ride on the Anderton Lift.  We can recommend it.

Aug 16th.  The milepost indicates it is just 64 miles down the Trent & Mersey Canal to Barton Turns, from where we set out 100 days ago.  But in that time we have travelled another 500 miles and passed through 474 locks seeing some splendid sights and having many great experiences.  Today we sailed through the middle of the Brunner Mond chemical works at Northwich.  By comparison we moored at Church Minshull about 5 miles from Middlewich on Sunday and watched the sun go down over beautiful countryside as a kingfisher and heron flew round us.  That night we moored behind Nb Snecklifter whose website www.snecklifter.com was Waterways World site of the month a while back.  Ours only got a mention in the August magazine. More welcome visitors last weekend.  Friends Carol Trasler & Geoff Shalders joined us on Saturday morning at the pretty Cheshire village of Audlem to drop down the last 4 of the 15 lock flight.  Sadly the rain came down soon after but as we moored at Nantwich the sun was trying to make an appearance.  Passing the junction with the Llangollen Canal on Sunday we turned east at Barbridge on to the Middlewich arm, sometimes called the Wardle Canal, and our second long wait of the trip at Cholmondeston Lock.  This is a popular canal at any time of year but summer holidays are definitely here now!  The 5 locks at Middlewich also created a traffic jam on Monday afternoon so we stocked up on provisions again and descended on a quieter Tuesday morning.  The next lock is the restored Anderton Boat Lift which will take us down on to the River Weaver of which more next time. 

Aug 10th.  After 2 weeks we finally escaped the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal last Friday although in part we were sorry to leave.  It has been a pleasant journey despite much of it being very wooded.  The red sandstone reveals itself in lots of rocky outcrops that form small cliffs right alongside the canal.  At Kinver we climbed up to The Edge which gives extensive views from the Cotswold Hills, round via the Malverns to the Long Mynd and northwards marking out our route into Shropshire.  Under The Edge there are houses built into the rock face, two storeys high which were occupied until the late 1960's.  How the other half lived.  Having turned on to the Shropshire Union Canal just west of Wolverhampton we have now reached Market Drayton which still has a very good, bustling street market each Wednesday.  We have stocked up on a few fresh provisions including Roger's favourite cheese, Norwegian Gjetost, a hard to find delicacy.  His sister & her husband, Helen & Alan Makin joined us on Sunday for a couple of days bringing the sunshine and warm weather with them so they can come again.  Alan is a very keen angler but we might even have persuaded him that boats can be pleasurable not just a disruption to the fishermen.  There are lots of boats about now with quite a few of the privately owned boats heading for the IWA Show so I guess we shall be seeing them regularly from now on.  We queued for about an hour at Tyrley Locks yesterday but we aren't in a rush and with the sun shining there is nothing better to be done.  There are a lot of locks ahead of us so today is a rest and recuperation day.  Such a hard life!

Aug 1st.  How should a Yorkshireman celebrate Yorkshire Day.  Well this one went boating but we have been doing that for the last 12 weeks. The school holidays have started so lots more boats about and it has been raining.  Fortunately I think we missed most of the wet stuff except on Thursday coming back up the River Severn when the heavens opened and the steerer (guess who) got soaked for about 30 minutes.  Worcester proved to be a lovely city to visit, well worth the trip back from Stourport.  The cathedral is interesting including the view from the Tower which despite the weather was quite extensive.  About 3 weeks ago I heard an interview on the radio about an intrepid boater who had taken his narrowboat across the Channel and on to the south of France.  He was plugging his new book which we spotted in a bookshop in Worcester.  Having bought the book, which at first glance looks good, the following day who should we pass on the River but the author and his boat.  Co-incidence or what!  We rested up over the weekend at Stourport (interesting canal basins, ordinary town) catching up on laundry, changing the engine oil, doing a bit of cleaning.  But on Saturday we had a ride on the Severn Valley Railway to Bridgnorth, taking the bus from Stourport to the station at Bewdley.  Both pleasant towns built around the River Severn which is shallow and unnavigable here.  The speed of flow looked quite dramatic, not a place for Ramyshome.  Tonight we are at Wolverley, back where we were on the 24th July.  Definitely heading North now.

July 25th  You need a strange imagination to see the BCN as pretty.  It's a canal network that is there to be done and over the last week we have "done" just about every inch of the north western section.  For those able to follow the journey on your own maps we headed north from Dudley Museum to Tipton taking the Main Line as far as Deepfields Junction.  Turning around there we headed back down Factory Locks at Tipton taking the second turn right onto the Gower Branch.  Up Brades Hall locks and left to retrace part of Sunday's journey along the Old Main Line via Oldbury to the M5, the next turn was right to climb the 6 Crow Locks of the Titford Canal.  Having turned round in the "Pool" at the end we had an excellent, secure mooring for the night at Titford Pumphouse on what is left of the Tat Bank Branch.  Wednesday it was back down to the Old Main Line turning right to go as far as Spon Lane Junction where a sharp left turn took us down 3 locks to the New Main Line again.  Second left this time to travel through the 3000 yrd Netherton Tunnel from which we emerged into a much greener landscape.  A left turn took us along the Dudley No2 Canal to the end at Hawne Basin passing through the very narrow & very low Gosty Hill Tunnel.  Returning to moor overnight at Windmill End it was on to Parkhead Junction where we walked up the 3 locks to the southern portal of Dudley Tunnel.  Now it was downhill on Dudley No1 Canal staying overnight above the Merry Hill retail complex then on down the 24 Delph & Stourbridge Locks before taking the arm to Stourbridge.  Here we were joined by daughter Heather & friend Chris Thorpe for the final 3 miles of the Stourbridge Canal where we turned south onto the Staffs & Worcestershire Canal.  A total of 35 miles, 50 locks and only an occasional trip down to the prop shaft to clear plastic bags, etc. but a fascinating five days which we can recommend to anyone who fancies a change from pretty canals.  Tonight we are just outside Stourport ready for the trip to Worcester and back.

July 18th  The next time you turn off the M6 onto the M5 heading for the West Country, as you travel between Junctions 1 & 2 have a thought that directly below you may be canal boats.  Between Birmingham and Wolverhampton there are 2 canals called the Old & New Main Lines.  New relates to the first half of the 19th Century so no longer that new.  This trip we followed the Old Main Line which climbs up 20 feet via the 3 Smethwick Locks and then after a brief "green" section slides between the motorway supports.  For the next mile or so we weave back and forth across the carriageways, pass another canal junction and under 2 or 3 original canal bridges all now in the shadow of the concrete and steel high above.  On our way into Birmingham we gave a lift to friends John Willis & Penelope who travelled all the way from Portland, Oregon just to see us (well maybe not just us!).  We are now in the Black Country and today have enjoyed our visit to the Black Country Living Museum including a trip into the Dudley Tunnel aboard one of the Dudley Canal Trust's electric trip boats.  Ramyshome, with its diesel engine is not allowed to enter this fascinating tunnel with its huge underground caverns but there is limited secure visitor mooring at the museum and excellent BW facilities including showers, laundry & more basic services.  All in all a place we recommend whether coming by boat or car. 

July 14th  Of course when we said R & R we meant re-stocking the larder, re-painting the boat & doing the laundry.  So now we have sparkling clothes, a very shiny boat but we won't mention bellies!  We are only some 5 miles further along the Birmingham & Worcester than we were on Sunday.  Racing along!  We laundered at Alvechurch having watched another brand new boat being lowered into the water.  Where do they all go.  Now we have been 2 nights at Hopwood which some of you might know as the M42 Motorway Service Station - we are a mile to the North just about out of earshot.  It has been an excellent spot to do some re-painting covering up those scratches that we have acquired over the last 10 weeks.  Tomorrow we head through Wast Hill Tunnel, half an hour in darkness trying hard to avoid making new scratches.  What's the betting.  After the tunnel we arrive back at King's Norton Junction.  Last time we came up the Stratford Canal from the South on our way into Birmingham.  This time around we hope to pick up two extra crew members on the way into town.   The Worcester & Birmingham Canal has been a pleasant change after the three rivers.  The countryside, once out of Worcester is full of trees and quite hilly but the memory I suspect most of us take away is of the 58 locks.  We can recommend a good pair of lockers!!

July 10th  Sailing on to a mud bank in the River Severn is not to be recommended.  Getting stuck there for 4 hours brings forth feelings of frustration, embarrassment, annoyance & finally boredom as we await the arrival of the rescue service.  Of course just as they appeared on the bank a tug came up river and managed to drag us back into deeper water.  Quite what the rescue team intended to do with their little dinghy & outboard engine we never got to find out although it was comforting to know someone was on the way.  At least their time wasn't wasted as a cruiser broke down just across the way & the dinghy was employed in towing it up river to an overnight mooring pontoon.  The site of several kingfishers, more birds of prey and, we think, an otter all helped to calm us down the following day but we needed to stay alert to avoid some very big boats that hid the sun as they passed and left us rocking in their wake.  As a result of our enforced delay we only made a short stop at Upton on Severn but time enough to visit an excellent butcher, baker and greengrocer (no candlestick maker on view) and Worcester will have to wait for our next visit at the end of the month.  So provisioned up for our new visitors, Neil Ashworth & Sue Hammond, we attacked Tardebigge's 30 locks, the longest flight of locks on the system.   The foursome limbered up with a prior 12 locks on Saturday so on Sunday we raced up the first 15 in 1hr 50 mins.  Tonight we two & dog are moored just below the final lock, gently recovering in the continuing heat of the day.  No more locks till Saturday!  Hurrah.    

July 3rd  The Gloucester & Sharpness is a fascinating canal.  It begins in the grand surroundings of Gloucester Docks and ends in the rather lonely, isolated Sharpness Docks.  Sadly there are no ocean going boats berthed up but sharing the water with someone who is "popping round to Cardiff when the wind drops" or heading back to the Hamble, across Southampton Water next week adds something slightly exotic which we haven't found elsewhere as yet.  We have passed by several quite big boats which makes us seem very small but at the same time we feel quite regal.  Because the land here is very low lying, just one lock up from sea level, all the bridges swing (in the nicest possible way).  All but three are so low that each bridge keeper has to open his bridge just for us.  Being well brought up we always wave or shout our thank you's.  At Saul Junction as well as visiting the Boat Show we met up with friends Paul & Niki Jakeman who now live by the Kennet & Avon at Devizes, lucky things, and Chris Daniels (ex-Heritage Narrowboats & now Waterways World), Carol Cooper and Carol's mum.  In Gloucester we were asked if we would join a flotilla of narrowboats going out in to the Estuary and round to Bristol.  Having watched the tide rush in and rush out again today we are glad we declined, watery roll-a-coasters are not our style.  So having reached our southern most point for this year, travelled 311 miles and passed through 273 locks in 189 hours we are now heading homeward for Christmas.

June 29th  How prescient one can be.  By Saturday morning the Avon had risen almost 2 feet and following a, with hindsight unwise, short journey to Pershore lock we decided to go back upstream & wait another night for safer conditions.  After that the rest of the Avon journey was relatively uneventful & today we have had a glorious sail down the wide & gentle Severn to moor inside Gloucester Docks, of which more later.  For the ornithologically minded we have seen two magnificent buzzards, another cuckoo & two more kingfishers, a lapwing, two cormorants and, surprisingly, a curlew plus lots of reed warblers.  Young cygnets are almost commonplace now.  All of those however have not eroded our concerns about the Lower Avon.  It is a beautiful river, views so much better than from Stratford to Evesham - the Upper Avon being much more confined by trees so the aspect is almost always ahead.  However the facilities on the River south of Evesham are not designed for narrowboats and at most locks there is barely room to hold one narrowboat above the lock until the lock level is set.   I would recommend those who have not ventured this way to try an upstream journey as I suspect that may be easier but thought needs to be given to overnight moorings as I suspect during the summer these will be quickly taken.  But lets not be too negative.  Pershore is a lovely town to walk round & Tewkesbury surpassed it, with an excellent place for lunch with our latest visitors, Grahame & Ann Robinson & friends Kate & Peter.  The Severn which is wide and deep is also beautiful to cruise.  There is an excitement, even a little fear about being on such a big river passing down locks that could probably accommodate 15 narrowboats.  Excitement too at mooring in Gloucester close by two sailing ships with double masts and rigging.  How simple the pleasures we take when living afloat!  

June 24th  Greetings from somewhere up the Amazon - I mean the Avon - in fact about 4 miles south of Evesham.  The first entry of Summer and it is raining, indeed absolutely pouring down.   On Monday Night I am pleased to say we watched an excellent Bottom, quite a good Puck & a very fairy like Titania.  Midsummer Night's Dream was excellent entertainment.  Midsummer's Day also delighted with continuing hot, sunny weather.  We slipped slowly away from Stratford on Tuesday morning and moored just north of Bidford on Avon which is an interesting little place, one of the few river crossings.  We watched a buzzard wheeling above us for some time with what looked like its catch in its claws.  Wednesday brought us to Evesham and excellent moorings just below the main bridge.  The park, Abbey Gardens, and riverside are very attractive, colourful places but whilst the town has some interesting buildings it has a slight air of decline with several empty shops.  Perhaps fruit growing is not flourishing at present.  On 26th May we sat by a small stream called the Avon at Welford in Leicestershire.  Today we are moored on that same stream which is now a river several yards wide but very low & running slow, so navigation is easy.  Maybe today's rain & thunder will change things as we head on to Pershore & Tewkesbury.