Skip to main content

Big Move Narrowboat Adventures- into August

 Thursday August 1st was our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We had always said that the trip on the Queen Mary 2 was also an anniversary trip because we knew we would not be able to go away on our actual anniversary as we had on previous milestone anniversaries. Instead, we went out for a lovely Italian meal in a restaurant in Hungerford. 

The heat kept us in Hungerford longer than we had originally planned. We knew we had to be back in Newbury for August 11th for an upcoming trip, and made the decision not to go any farther on the Kennet and Avon Canal. The original plan had been to go as far as Devizes, Wiltshire which is about 52 miles along the 57 mile canal. Instead we had made it 29 miles along the K & A and achieved our objective (finding a house). 

We have however, travelled 82 miles since we picked up the boat. That doesn't seem far but it's a long way in a narrowboat over three weeks actually moving (and not in a marina).  The K&A is an 'out and back' canal, so finding a house meant we could turn around and go back the way we had come and maybe go farther past Heyford on the Oxford Canal and explore a new area before we have to return the boat at the end of September. 

Therefore, we decided to go and visit the other spot, Great Bedwyn, by car over the weekend. First we moved the boat back to Wire Lock, the lovely partially shaded and quiet spot that we had stopped at on our way to Hungerford. We walked back to Hungerford, picked up the car and drove the short distance to Great Bedwyn. It was a sweet village but we were glad we hadn't made the effort to go there by boat. Then it was time for the car shuffle. This time we drove the car farther on to Kintbury, parked there and had a pint at the Dundas Arms before walking back to Wire Lock. 

On Sunday (4th), we moved the boat on to Kintbury and tried to moor in the same spot as we had found last time but it wasn't possible. We ended up a little farther down the canal which was quieter and great for a couple of days. We were still within easy walking distance to the pub and went there for a late lunch. However, they had been so busy over lunchtime, they had closed the kitchen early! Luckily (for Dick in particular) they were firing up their pizza oven instead for early evening meals. A duo turned up and sang some great tracks on the patio, we had a brought Crib to play while we waited and it turned out to be the perfect afternoon in a pub garden. 

Moored in a lovely spot

Afternoon in the pub garden

The horse drawn boat with the long rope to pass up and over the boat.

As usual, we stayed a full day after arriving for Dick to work. I also had to plan how to use up the perishable food for the rest of the week as we were leaving the boat in a marina at the weekend for a small side trip.

Tuesday morning meant another small move to a place we knew. It's funny going back the way you came as you know the best spots to moor now! We stayed in a slightly different place with lots of sun for the solar and good sky access for the Skylink. Whenever we get to a mooring, I usually have to bring out my cheap garden clippers and gloves to get rid of the stinging nettles around the boat. Sometimes I do a bit more and trim the plants around the windows on the boat. I also carry the clippers when walking along the canal path to get rid of brambles in the way.

Early evening

Right up against the bank for a change!

Snails climbing near where I cleared stinging nettles

The other thing I like to do while Dick is working is go and find blackberries! It is still a little early for them but there are still some good ripe ones out there, even if some are a little tart. They normally end up on our breakfast cereal if they make it that far!

Every day we try to go for a walk if we haven't moved the boat- even if it is just along the tow path. It has made us realise how much we have missed walking in the English countryside.

 A lunchtime walk for a change!

Thursday meant another move back to Newbury as we were planning to leave the boat in the same marina as last time to go on a little trip. This time we stayed right on the edge of town for the first night, and then moved into a slightly different spot in the marina on Friday. Once I got back to the marina, I started the big boat clean and all the washing! It was also great to see the familiar faces again.

As we were leaving on Sunday, we decided to make the most of going for a longer countryside walk on Saturday. This time we drove the car about 20 minutes and parked in a small village to do a circular walk of about 6 miles, with the inevitable lunchtime stop at the pub for lunch. This time it was the Jack Russell Pub in the unfortunately named village of Faccombe. I'll leave you to work out why that made us giggle!
It was an overcast day with lots of low cloud but perfect for walking, and some fantastic views. 






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shrimp Artichoke Pizza With Cilantro Pesto

We are die hard home made pizza fans, and make one once a week- usually Friday or Sunday nights. They normally consist of a pizza base made in the bread machine, with toppings such us onions, peppers, mushrooms, and some kind of sausage with a good layer of fresh mozzarella. For a long time, Dick has tried to convince me that shrimp is good on a pizza, but I just didn't even like the sound of any kind of fish on pizza. If I've ever had shrimp on pizza it was a long time ago and they were small and hard after being baked. Yuk. However, last weekend we both ended up listening to a story on NPR about a winning pizza recipe in New York. It actually sounded good even to me, and tonight we made it, and it was lovely!
Post a Comment
Read more

Big Move Narrowboat Adventures- Marina life

 The best parts about being in a static spot are the small facilities onsite. Toilets and a laundry make life just a little more simpler. We do have a very small washing machine onboard the boat but it drains the boat battery very quickly, and therefore, can only be used when the boat is actually moving and at the lowest temperature setting. The machines onsite were bigger and had more than one setting. A great opportunity to wash bedding and towels etc. I use a clothes horse to dry the clothes outside although they do have a dryer if necessary. I did hang out the clothes like the photo below one day and came home to find the whole lot in the marina water next to the boat! The washing before it all fell in after the wind blew it over. More excitement when a small boat had to be removed from the canal nearby. The owners had refused to register the boat and pay the CRT fees, and had deliberately holed it to partially sink it in a very awkward place. Some people are just idiots. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Travelling to Kauai

So this week, my blog entries will also be a diary of my holiday in Kauai, and a photo or two, although most of the photos will probably be on my Flickr page. We left home yesterday early from San Jose airport, which was not a pleasant experience- one word sums it up- queues! We only just made the plane and arrived at the airport over an hour and a half before the flight. The flight was on Hawaiian Air, and they too, are squeezing every penny they can, from having to pay to check any bags, to renting headsets and movie players on board. The flight was a long one; extra time for strong headwinds meant a 6 hour flight just to Honolulu. We did make the connection in time and the 30 minute flight to Kauai was so short it was laughable. It was also really windy in Kauai but it was warm and slightly humid with partly cloudy skies. Perfect. We arrived at the rental home a few hours before Joel and Stevie and found out very quickly why they love it so much here: and the view from the house was...
4 comments
Read more