What can I say, this year is becoming rather too eventful for my liking! At the start of September we spent a few days in Barlaston and then stayed in Stone for a week. Finally we headed off for a bit of peace and quiet in the countryside….. except …. Ian soon discovered that…
July has been a bit of a battle. Having made the decision to head back up to the Macclesfield Canal, we had 21 days to tackle 189 miles and 132 locks. There were also planned stoppages and time restrictions on some of those locks, so we had to “get a wiggle on!”. But we…
Despite all the warnings we did spot lots of mooring opportunities on the way into London. It’s not always as bad as it sounds. When we cruise through towns and cities, we often see footballs floating around, the odd terrapin too, but coconuts were a bit of a surprise. These started to appear as we…
We’re back on the water and have spent the last month meandering south on the Grand (Junction) Union Canal; it’s a wider canal with big double locks, so pairing up with another boat is always welcome. It’s been concerning to hear about the water shortages that have already started to affect the northern canals, preventing…
You know, when you’ve been home for a few days after a lovely holiday and it already feels like it all happened to someone else? Well, that’s where I am. We’re back home on the boat after spending a few weeks exploring the 135 mile long Outer Hebrides in our motorhome. The whole trip lasted…
During March, we headed along the Trent, Soar and Wreake to join the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal (GUC). We passed through our old university town of Loughborough, stopping only to top up with groceries and use the services in the basin. We then cruised on to Leicester, where we pulled over at…
We’re back onboard after a rather fabulous time in Port Zelande, Holland, celebrating the music of our favourite band-Marillion. Yes, that’s the prog rock group that formed in 1979. No, their singer isn’t called Fish, he left the band in the 80’s, the new lead singer (for the last 36 years) is Steve Hogarth. Out…
We’ve arrived at our last mooring spot before we “abandon” the boat in a marina again to head off to the Netherlands for the Marillion Weekend. It’s another old favourite, Tixall Wide. It’s that “pretend lake” near to Shugborough Hall, a mile down the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal from the junction at Great Haywood. We’re…
It’s been a very wet and cold start to 2025. We are on a safe mooring in Stoke-on-Trent and thankful for the peace of mind that comes with that. Our hearts truly go out to everyone who’s been affected by the recent floods around the UK. It’s a been a huge reality check for us;…
So that’s it, we’ve done our last trip to the bottom of Bosley Locks. We have turned the boat, and our next destination is a mooring in Congleton for the festive period. There are plenty of plans in the air for next year but…
