Stoke-on-Trent

Well, it was all a bit strange. The water situation, mainly because the toilets wouldn’t work without it, was a bit dire. Ironically, though, it was pouring with rain.

We drove through the rain for two hours until we found a water point. Don and Chris filled the water tank, standing in the rain, quite cold, drinking a beer. At the same time, Sharon and Kim had hot showers (while still at the water point, so as not to deplete the supply) and warmed the boat to dry the clothes out.

We chose a good canal - the Macclesfield - to cruise along. It was quiet, although there were quite a few boats moored along the banks (some a bit derelict, it appeared). The rural scenery - green pastures, sheep, farm buildings, even the occasional re-purposed mill - was beautiful on the sunny days (that is, once), and wonderfully atmospheric on the wet ones, even when your socks were wringing wet from the rain.

We did have quite a lot of rain on our way back to Stoke-on-Trent, and another toilet situation (collectively, that is, not personally).

Being extravagant with our water, and - truth be told - our alcohol consumption, it soon became odorously apparent that we urgently needed a pump out. More rain-soaked driving ensued, before we reached the nirvana of the pump-out station, where a friendly, apparently olfactorily challenged, man removed the offensive material from the boat.

Armed with beers purchased from the boat yard, we tackled the Bosley Locks with gusto, pleased to se the rain subsiding and that there were people on the canals even more inept than we. The rain was easing, but the ground remained saturated as we made our way down from locks one to twelve.

The following day (after another stylish celebration, this time at the Church House Hotel in Congleton) we strolled through the final lock and, after another half-hour of exhaust fumes in the Harecastle Tunnel, made our way back to the marina and returned the boat.

Wet weather notwithstanding, the whole narrowboat experience was great. By the end of the trip we were steering the boat like pros, barely hitting anything (not too hard, at least) and giving other people tips on operating the locks and good pubs to visit.

We have now said our fond goodbyes to Don and Kim after a great few weeks, and are en route to York to start the next stage of our trip.Read more