Positives and planning- 2025 in a nutshell

The highlight of a wonderful week away surrounded by our amazing family was being able to cook for a crowd (I forgot how much I loved doing that, what a gesture of love it is to be the cook for lots of people special to you.) I’ve not had the chance on the boat to host the whole family at once, and have been treated as a guest for the past four Christmasses by my lovely daughters and their partners).

So after a week with a range cooker, two ovens, the chance to cook for those I love, and the added delights of family walks, huge rooms, wonderful views, constant hot running water, central heating, electric toaster, electric kettle, a BATH, and a choice of shower rooms no less… you could be forgiven for thinking I returned to our 50ft long, 6ftish wide floating home feeling a weeny bit despondent. I did rather expect that myself, to be honest.

Not a bit of it. Once the many trips lugging wonderful presents down a muddy towpath and the lighting of the fire was complete, it was bliss to be back. Yes, we still have to boil water for a shower, we don’t have a bath or one oven let alone two ovens, but… the sunset was glorious, the swans dropped by for a festive treat, we had awesome presents to unwrap, the cosy boat rocked me to sleep as the wind howled outside and it reminded me that wherever you go, wherever you you roam, there’s something glorious about returning home. The advantage for us is that we can roam and take our home with us.

So this new year of 2025, roaming is at the forefront, and every day is focused on positives (for me 3 positives every day) and once get on the move again, new waterways for us all – me, the Skipper, Boatdog and of course nb Preaux herself.


So far this weeks positives have brought lovely Christmas presents to revel in, new wellies, lovely deep puddles to test them in, crisp sunny days, an opportunity to fill up with water, catkins with their promise of Spring, an oppressive to repaint the bedroom (and only use 2 tester pots doing so) and a breeze to dry the washing. Ah…bliss!

We are lucky. Others have had an horrendous start to this New Year. On the Bridgewater Canal, a private canal owned by Peel Holdings, and a waterway we’ve enjoyed this past year as we have on many other years, a massive breach has drained the canal near a Dunham Massey in Cheshire. Thousands of gallons of water have flooded adjoining land and roads. Trees and embankments have been ripped apart, and boats left grounded. Stop planks have been put in to stop the canal on either side draining away, but the damage will take millions of pounds and years to repair. Boaters, farmers, house owners, wildlife, the natural environment, and those whose businesses are close by will be affected for many years.



Fortunately for us, we aren’t planning on heading back to the north for a while, and not via that route. In terms of planning we’re indulging ourselves with books and websites, guides, and maps. Until we leave this winter mooring in March, we will be dreaming and reading of new locations, new waterways, and then (clear passage allowing) we will be experiencing them.

At the moment we’ve planned 712 miles of cruising through 686 locks (a good workout), 87 moveable bridges (usually even more of a workout), and tunnels taking us underground for 13.5miles. Who knows how long it will take us, or where we will go after we’ve completed our initial plan but it looks great fun, and we need the challenge of new places, unchartered waters and an adventure together.



From our winter mooring, we will head through Leicester and down through Northamptonshire to explore the Aylesbury Arm, then the newly restored section of the Wendover Arm, and on to Slough Basin. En route catch ups are planned with friends and family.



From Slough we will head onto the mighty River Thames wending our way through familiar territory such as Henley before joining the Kennet and Avon Canal for its full length, and the chance to take several old friends on board with us for a long awaited cruise together. It will be nostalgic to cruise through an area where we lived and worked for many years and to see it from a new, slower, waterborne perspective. Through Berkshire and Wiltshire into Bath, tackling in on the way the last of the seven wonders of the waterways that we have yet to navigate. Caen Hill flight near Devizes is one of the continuous lock flights in the country – it has 29 locks in succession. The 16 locks that form the steepest part of the flight are a scheduled monument. In total, the locks take the boat  up 237 feet (and then we will do it all again on the way back down!). It isn’t though the longest flight – that’s Tardebigge, which has 30 locks, and which we completed some years ago with the invaluable help of our friend Kat James.



From Bath then we will come back along the Kennet and Avon Canal, then River Kennet and the River Thames to Lechlade and Inglesham before beginning an exciting odyssey through several hundred miles of the labyrinthine Birmingham Canal Navigation. We’ve never really explored the BCN before, and we feel this is the year we need to discover it’s hidden secrets. I’m expecting it to be a bit like Narnia – a fantasy land discovered through a prosaic portal.

For the moment, we are exploring the BCN vicariously through the razor wit and observation of Michael Pearson. His witty, insightful guides make us laugh out loud, take detours en route, and see through newly informed eyes, the areas through which we pass. Thanks to him, things that might have been missed are usually found. Nicholson’s Birmingham and the Heart of England was a very welcome Christmas present – with canalplan.co.uk, they form the essentials.



The Birmingham Canal Navigations form the basis of a 24-hour annual narrow boating challenge in May. I can’t see us being there to take part, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this year is perhaps a recce in the Skipper’s mind for a future assault on the Marathon Challenge. In which case… anyone fancy joining Team Preaux in 2026?