The narrowboat travelling life can easily be seen as a metaphor for every life.
We never know what’s round the corner or what tomorrow, the next week, the next hour or even the next minute will bring. If it’s bad now, it may well be brilliant in a moment (or not) but change is certain.
A week ago we were watching paint dry, living life in a single spot, tucked under a canopy, without running water. Today you join us 47 miles, 1 tunnel and 32 locks further down the Shropshire Canal. A week ago the wait for paint to dry in our refurbished water tank so it could be filled, seem never ending, the daily checking seemed to take an age to move from wet to tacky (that lasted for many many days) to finally ‘dry enough’!
After a week of sitting frustrated, within a minute of ‘dry enough’ the hose was connected, water was flowing in, and a few hours (yes, hours) later the lid was lifted on, sealant applied round the lid and we were finally ready to set off – backwards at first to avoid going down a lock to turn round and return.
Less than half an hour later we were escaping static boredom via our first lock, grabbing at dwindling daylight to head along the Middlewich Branch towards the Shropshire Union Canal once more, to sleep under stars again in comfortingly dark countryside with only owls for company.
We are on a travelling mission – to make it to our annual, much-awaited family Christmas get together that conveniently happens (thanks Mum) at The Moat House Hotel in Acton Trussell alongside the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.
The shortest route to get there from where we were in dry dock is 44 miles but because of the winter closure programme we can’t use that way – we need to go the long way round, 65miles and 5 and three quarter furlongs through 43 locks and one tunnel to our destination. All that in autumn when leaves are falling from the trees to slow our progress by creating a thick leaf soup that clogs our prop, meaning regular pauses as we engage reverse to shake them off.
We have to be at our destination by December 1. Even at a maximum of 4 miles an hour that sounds like we have loads of time, but we won’t be able to travel every day. Equally we won’t be making 4 miles an hour over much of the route because there are many moored boats, and we slow to tick over to pass these, avoiding creating a wash and disrupting their mooring in the same way we expect others to pass us when we are moored. Every lock also, while taking us up in the world at the moment, takes time too.
There are working days to factor in too, when we need to be moored up with good WiFi and won’t move. Then we also have to think about spending time fetching a car on a couple of days, and a weekend when we won’t move the boat because Steve’s away (with said car) and it’s always good for him to know where home is to come back to. That’s also my weekend to catch up on work and housework so I don’t have time to move us. So we have 7 moving days.
Our planned early morning starts on moving days make the most of daylight hours and have been utterly glorious – golden sunrises and rose-tinted dawns.
There’s been rain – no surprise there! Some delighted us by arriving on days we were moored working, other days we were drenched as we journeyed and the boat each evening was draped inside with waterproofs dripping and steaming by the stove.
We’ve managed to get the boat stuck on a sandstone ledge between locks (and get off), seen friends en route, discovered new delicacies (Billingtons Gingerbread from Market Drayton) and been dazzled continuously by autumn colours on the way.
I started what some see as Black Friday, a frenzy of consumption, with my own Back to it Friday – back to regular jogging and a thoroughly enjoyable return it was. Injury niggles stayed away, the towpath was mainly good, and I made it out and back to meet the boat conveniently under a bridge where I could jump back on.
Other family members who live more normally will set off on the morning of the lunch. Our lengthier journey is bringing us challenges, fun and increasing daily our excitement at seeing our fabulous family and sharing a delicious festive meal together (thanks again Mum!)
It’s only been a week but we are well on our way and we should reach our destination in time next week. There is of course the frisson of never knowing what’s round the corner and something totally unexpected might still affect one of the canals or the boat, or one of us which would hold us up, but at the moment, we are on track, and we always have hope, ready to navigate any obstacles in our way.
Pickingupducks 