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Canals and Camper Vans

September - October 2023
A 33-day adventure by Terry And Randy Read more
  • 29footprints
  • 3countries
  • 33days
  • 370photos
  • 9videos
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  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    11
    Day 1

    Our Adventure Begins

    September 7, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    It's finally here, the day we begin our adventure. We have been planning this trip since lockdown; after so many google searches and YouTube videos, we think we have a plan. We will be heading to the airport soon.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    1
    1
    Day 2

    We Made It To Guys Thatched Village

    September 8, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We had an overnight flight from Toronto to Manchester. The airport was crazy busy and for the first time in ages we decided to check a bag. We arrived at the airport a little early and had to wait an hour to get our bag checked. The flight was full but uneventful. It took almost an hour to get our bag back when we landed; we really do prefer traveling with only carry-on. The Manchester Airport was really easy to navigate, and the train station was right on site. While we were trying to figure out where to get our tickets , someone asked us about our accents. As a result, we met some lovely Scottish ladies who were returning from a girl's vacation in Greece. They were heading back to Glasgow, and we were on the same train. They were so much fun to chat with and very helpful. Once we arrived in Preston we decided to find some lunch. We stopped in at the Old Vic pub. No food but very good beer and very friendly people. More new friends. We arranged for an Uber to take us to Guys Thatched Village where we are spending the night. Our Uber driver was really friendly too. It was a long ride, but he shared so many interesting stories that it went by quickly. Guy's is a very quaint place and quite close to where we pick up the narrowboat tomorrow afternoon. We finally had something to eat and went for a nice long walk. Early night tonight to try and get back on a regular schedule.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    11111
    Day 3

    First Day on the Lovely Linden.

    September 9, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We had a lovely morning at Guys. After a good breakfast in the pub we found a table outside to people watch. There were some serious cyclists stopping in for refreshments, and the outside patio was the finish line for a 5k, half, and full marathon run. The run was along the canal on the tow path, and many of the runners commented on how difficult the path was. Fortunately, after rehydrating with water, there was plenty of beer for them to enjoy. There was a brief rain shower, and as we had a beautiful dry spot, some people joined us. One family was there celebrating their 30 year old daughter who was completing her 100th marathon. Can't get over how friendly everyone is. There was also a car boot sale happening down the road, and we met a couple who enjoy participating in these sales. We learned so much about this activity. Eventually, we found a cab driver to take us to pick the boat up. It wasn't far, about 3 miles, but we didn't want to drag our rolling duffle bag that far. We had to wait a bit for Robert to give us an orientation to our boat, so we checked out Barton Grange Garden Center, picked up a few supplies, and had a nice lunch. Robert and Mandy of Crabtree Narrow Boats were very welcoming and provided a really thorough introduction to Linden. Robert brought the boat out of the marina and then turned the tiller over to Randy. He stayed on board with us for about half an hour and then stepped off at one of the bridges. We didn't even have to stop the boat. He was walking to a pub where Mandy would pick him up. I took a turn at the tiller and even took it under a bridge and around a few bends. The canal is really narrow and at places resembles a drainage ditch, but the scenery is beautiful. We found a place to pull over for the night at Garstang. We found a nearby pub, and Randy had some mushy peas. We watched a bit of rugby. It's the World Cup and England was playing Argentina. When we left the pub it was tied and England was the underdog. We have TV on board, and we turned the game on, England had a huge lead and won the game. What a day we've had.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    Day 4

    Rainy Days and Sundays

    September 10, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We had a late start today after a pretty productive morning. We tried the galley out and had a nice breakfast on board. The galley is well laid out, the gas stove works very well and has a broiler to make toast. We walked a few blocks and picked up groceries at a well stocked Aldis. Even after including the exchange, prices were lower than home. Once the groceries were put away we started the engine and headed out. It was warm but the skies were threatening. After a couple of hours the rain started. Rain jackets and umbrellas kept us mostly dry. There is no outside shelter, so when the rain started, I put my phone away. We pulled over to wait it out and had lunch on board. When the skies cleared, we were off again. We stopped for the night at Galgate and had a proper Sunday roast at the Plowman pub.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    211
    Day 5

    Rainy Days and Mondays

    September 11, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We were on the move for most of the day today. Good thing we brought our rain gear because it rained all day. It also has gotten cooler yesterday, mid-20s, now in the teens. We saw so many different sites as we traveled through forests, fields, and cities. We decided to push on to the top of the canal so we can take our time on the way back. Only 4 miles north till we turn around and start heading south tomorrow. Turning around will be an adventure. It's amazing to think we were underway for 6 hours and only made 12 miles. There were times we had to pull aside to let someone pass, and we had to slow down when we passed moored boats, so it was very slow going. The canal was very narrow in places and extremely shallow. Also, it was busier today, and there were a lot more live aboard boats moored along the side of the canal. We had a swing bridge to navigate. I jumped off and manually opened the bridge, and Randy piloted the boat through. It was pretty cool. Before we were ready to carry on, another boat was coming through, so we opened the bridge for them. North of Lancaster, we had our first view of the sea. It was so cool to see the hills of the Lake district on our right and Morecambe Bay to our left. We found a mooring in the small town of Carnforth and headed out to find a pub. Bonus tonight, we stopped at two.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    1
    Day 6

    Turn Around Tuesday

    September 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    It was another great day traveling the Lancaster Canal. We see so many walkers and cyclists using the tow path, but this morning, as we were getting ready to head out, we saw our first person on horseback. The horse came right up to me for a head scratch, and the rider gave Randy a treat for the horse. Randy started the day cleaning dog poop off his hikers. It was not a pleasant task, but he was happy it wasn't horse poop he stepped in. We've rented our narrow boat from Crabtree, and we would highly recommend them. They are a small company with four boats, and last night, three of the four were moored together in Carnforth. All three looked great, and Robert and Mandy really take care of their small fleet. We headed north to the top of the canal in Tewitfield. Just before it comes to the end, there is a winding hole that is used to turn the boat. Turning a 44-foot boat in what looked like a 60 foot wide canal was an interesting move. I tried to film it but I was needed. As usual, Randy did a stellar job. The route to Tewitfield was unbelievable. At times, we had weeds touching both sides of the boat, and we couldn't imagine passing another boat. Once we turned around, we kept south until we reached Lancaster. A nice couple who live aboard a narrow boat helped us find a place to moor. We are with a small group of boats just south of the town center. After securing the boat, we headed into town to find a couple of pubs. We stopped at the Water Witch, a beautiful spot that originally was a stable for the horses that pulled the boats. We decided we wanted to find a pub called Fibber McGhees. We liked the name. We stopped to ask a gent who had stepped out on the street for a puff if we were close and he told us it was closed. He was having a pint at The Penny Bank and said why not come in. It was a great place, the bartender sang Blonde to us, we ran into our bartender from Sundays pub in Galgate and we met a couple from our home town who just moved to Lancaster 10 months ago. We had way too much fun. We are going to explore Lancaster Wednesday and moor in a beautiful wild area called Deep Cutting so thank goodness it will be a short day on the water.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    Day 7

    Walkabout Wednesday

    September 13, 2023 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We had a nice low-key day today. We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast onboard and spent some time tidying up the boat. We walked into Lancaster to find a bank to switch our 50-pound notes. We tried to spend them in shops and pubs but no one wanted them. The first two banks were lined up, so we tried what appeared to be a credit union. They said no if we weren't customers. We found a Lloyds Bank, and they turned us down, too. They suggested we try a Post Office. The first person we spoke to at the Post Office suggested we take them to the Bank of England, seriously? Randy explained our challenge to a lovely young lady who initially apologized and said she couldn't help us but then said she would change all our 50s into 10s and 20s. We were so grateful. A word of caution don't bring 50 pound notes if you come to England. Actually, everywhere we've been tap has been the preferred payment method. Once we had our cash under control, we visited the Lancaster Priory and the Lancaster Castle. Both were definitely worth seeing. The area surrounding them was also very beautiful. We stopped for a late lunch in a little cafe and picked up some supplies at Aldi. It was a beautiful day today, and we really enjoyed our short southbound trip. Initially, we planned on stopping in a heavily wooded area, but we decided we wanted to enjoy the sunshine. We found a really nice secluded spot, no pub for us today. We had our chairs at the front of the boat to enjoy the sunshine and seclusion, but then a friendly dog came for a visit with his owner. Many people walk their dogs along the tow path. We had a nice chat about the history of the canal. As he continued his walk, another canal boat pulled up behind us to park for the night. We've met them a couple of times and it was nice to have a happy hour with them. They owned their own narrowboat previously and were now occasionally renting. They shared so much information on other canals. We had a nice dinner on board and played a few card games.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    1
    Day 8

    Beautiful Day for a Hike

    September 14, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We had crazy rain and wild winds overnight. There was so much rainwater running off the top of the boat that it actually sounded like a boat was passing us in the canal. If we had been on the Tug, even tied to the dock, we would have been rocking and rolling. Our little narrowboat hardly moved at all. In fact, it was easy to forget we were floating. We were pleasantly surprised to wake up to sunny skies and warmer temperatures. We traveled a short distance to a water point to fill the tanks. We have been really enjoying the big onboard shower. Then, a little further to the Glasson Cut. The Glasson Cut is a small canal with six locks that leads to the coast. It isn't an option for us to travel by boat, so we decided to hike the tow path. We met up with Tony and Sue, who are traveling on another Crabtree boat, and they joined us on the hike. We saw our first lock up close, and Tony and Sue walked us through the process. They are past owners and now hire narrow boats to experience this very cool lifestyle. The walk was beautiful with bridges, locks, and farmlands. It was a little longer than anticipated, so we were quite happy to stop in at the Dalton Arms for a pint. The Glasson dock was very industrial, and it was interesting to watch all the activities. There were a few shops, restaurants and of course a couple of pubs. We enjoyed our beer outside by the water. A very friendly springer spaniel had us playing fetch with any small twigs we could find. Randy looked around and found a proper stick, but the pup wouldn't have it. He chewed the stick into small pieces and presented them for us to throw. When we were ready to leave, we were worried the dog might follow us, so I checked in the pub for the owner. Turns out it was the bartenders dog, and he comes to work every day. I love how dog friendly everything is. We made our way back to the boats and continued to Garstang. It was a little busy there, and Randy managed to put our 44-foot narrowboat into 45 feet of open canal bank. Very impressive. We walked over to the Owd Tithe Barn for dinner with Tony and Sue. It was a very nice way to end a wonderful day on the canal.Read more

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    Day 8

    Our Narrowboat

    September 14, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Here are some pictures of our 44-foot steel narrowboat, Linden. It was a great week onboard.

  • TravelerCanals and Camper Vans
    Day 9

    Last Full Day on the Linden

    September 15, 2023 in Scotland ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    We had a short trip today so we enjoyed the morning in Garstang. We needed to use our groceries before turning the boat in early Saturday so I made a big breakfast. Sue and Tony stopped by about 10 to let us know they were heading out and I was still in my pj's. We also had a surprise visitor. Aldo a rather chunky black lab jumped onboard to say hello. I think he was the friendliest dog I've ever met. He decided to check out the interior of our boat but his owner was horrified. Aldo would only come off the boat if I came off too so I jumped off and gave him some attention before saying goodbye. We were getting ready to leave so we actually traveled alongside them for awhile. It was so funny to watch him greet everyone on the tow path. We traveled even slower than normal to make our journey last. I had a full tub of duck food I hadn't used so I spent a good deal of time feeding the swans and ducks. We had quite a following. We passed two men drilling a well in one of the fields. They were using a nice looking SUV in place of a pick up truck. Funny to see the hatch open and it filled with pipes and tools. We also passed a group of workers shoring up the sides of the canal. In what seemed like no time at all we were back at the Barton Grange Garden Center and a dock we could moor to for the night. We tied up and then went for a nice long walk. Found Tony and Sue moored by Guys Thatched Village the place we spent our first night. So joined them for our last drink together. We stopped in at the White Bull on the way back to the boat for a pint and a chat with the other patrons. Met a nice couple from Liverpool who gave us the skinny on riding the busses. Instead of a very expensive Uber to Preston we can take a 30 minute bus ride for 2 pounds each. Back to the boat for dinner onboard and some packing. We found a movie on the telly and watched Melissa McCarthy in Identity Thief. Very funny. It's been a great week cruising the Lancaster Canal and we would highly recommend itRead more

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