From Scotland through northern England…
Ever since my first trip to England in 1979, I have wanted to experience life on a canal boat. We had the opportunity to help deliver a narrow boat from Napton Nantwich for a scheduled paint job. The owner is a narrow boat enthusiast and volunteer lock keeper with the Canal & River Trust. Our route went around Birmingham to the north for a total of 96 miles.
The English canals were made to transport coal and iron ore between industrial hot spots and to deliver goods for merchants. Before roads connected the major areas, the canals also carried passengers making long, slow journeys across England. The early canal boats were dependent on horses or donkeys pulling from the tow paths at their slow plodding pace. In order to navigate the hills, the industrious English engineers designed an intricate locks system that lowers and raises the boats one slow fill at a time.
The narrow boats for navigating “the cut” often housed an entire family making the delivery runs into a lifestyle of tight quarters and working hands for the locks. The lock keeper’s cottages, pubs and stables along the canals refreshed both men and beasts.
The steam and later the diesel engines put the stables out of business but the network of pubs and volunteer lock keepers still keep the canals boats moving – at a slow steady pace of 3-4 miles per hour.
Ten days of canal boating gave us time to reflect on traveling; through history, on land, on water and on time.
Take a moment to watch this video, it is NOT recorded in slow motion!
England part 4 – all the way to Plymouth!
Bicycle of the month
Ho ho ho!
In December, we received a lovely e-card from our narrow boat host. The paint job, signage and door decorations were a success.
