Rainboat

Victoria Quays' open cobbled pavements meant Abby could easily hop off Rainboat and find cover under picnic tables and other street furniture. The mornings and evenings were quiet enough to walk the dogs off lead and there were plenty of interesting smells to keep them entertained.

The first evening we took Leo into town. Tiger was too tired from the journey and doesn't enjoy being among crowds like Leo does. Our first port of call was the Three Tons; a heritage pub serving real Ale. Unfortunately for us it didn't serve meals, but the punters were super friendly and fell in love with Leo, who lapped up the attention. With a recommendation for The Graduate, an independent pub near the centre, we set off again, only to find the pub didn't allow dogs 😢 We got a good compromise in Mama and Leonie's; an Italian eatery who was happy to have Leo sit with us at one of their street tables. We ended the evening with a few drinks at the Three Tons and a good chat with the locals.

To avoid the worst of the heat we went exploring early the next morning, taking both dogs with us. We found an amazing two storey craft supplies shop called Fred Aldous. We'd never seen such a range of items; it must be the go to place for the art students at the city's two universities.

Next was the Winter Gardens, a huge arched wooden beam and glass panel structure housing tropical looking plants. It only allowed assistance dogs but we carried our two and nobody questioned us. It felt calm and relaxing inside; a definite asset to an urban centre.

Leaving the heart of Sheffield we made our way past swathes of student housing to Kelham Island, a former industrial hive turned creative community. The residential buildings were diverse and reminded us of our Scandinavian travels. It was too early for the brew house or many other businesses to be open but Kelham Island Museum's cafe welcomed us with a vegan sausage rolls, croissant, an iced coffee and sparkling water with orange. It was good to sit and rest. Tiger Lilly had given up walking some time ago so Will had been carrying her in his bag. The two dogs stretched their legs and revelled in the attention from staff and other customers.

After returning to Rainboat for another cool bath and rest, we ventured out come evening time to Frehiwat Habesha, a small restaurant serving Eritrean and Ethiopian food. We'd heard many Eastern European and African languages being spoken, especially in this area close to the moorings. The eatery seemed to be run by one woman and primarily serve the local migrant community. She was friendly and happily explained the parts of the menu we were interested in. Will had lamb curry, marinated and slow cooked, while Vicky had a vegan tasting dish. Both were served with injera, a flat spongy bread like a 40cm wide blini. It was delicious and very filling; neither of us could finish the injera. We didn't ask for a drinks menu and water was brought as standard. The two meals came to just £19.

We picked up the dogs and ended the evening off with a few pints outside a packed Dorothy Pax. We really love being able to stay in places like this that people travel to visit.

A 48hr limit applied to visitor moorings at Victoria Quays, but we'd not seen anyone obvious from the private company that ran it and their office was closed so we cheekily decided to stay an extra night. A fellow boater who seemed to know everything about anything told us management had really let things go and were hardly ever to be seen.

We hung towels, throws and a picnic rug over Rainboat's windows to keep out the sun and left the dogs to rest. Our growing impression of Sheffield was a city of art and greenery so we delved into this further with a tour of parks and green spaces. Back when the UK was in the EU funding was made available to begin an ambitious project called Grey to Green, taking vehicles away from thoroughfares liable to flooding and transforming them into green corridors with a permaculture chosen by Sheffield University's Landscape Department to act as urban rain gardens.

As we walked we passed several signs advertising the Moor Market and on a whim decided to visit. It was a little outside the centre but worth the detour for the range of eateries in the food court. Kiosks serving Thai, Chinese, British and Nepalese offered a wealth of competitively priced dishes to choose from. Will enjoyed fish and chips while Vicky branched out with Pad Pak Boong Tofu; a Thai dish which ended up being a bit on the spicy side!

Sheffield showed us a wonderful time. It's a shame it is so difficult to get to by canal boat; needing to book passage up the Tinsley Flight and do it all at once then having to turn around at the end and do it all again. If it weren't for this we'd hope to visit again in the near future as we really did enjoy ourselves.Read more