Narrowboats and fires, alarms and ice
By Fiona Slee Saturday, 04 February 2012 12:42
We read today (via that little bird that tweets) that there was a fire on a narrowboat near where we moored a few weeks ago. This was arson, not accidental, and is tragic for the owners.
Shirley Drawbridge and was it this narrowboat?
This was on the (North) Stratford Canal and near a pub. I suppose an unattended narrowboat is always at risk ......
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Iced in - again. Brr and Grrr .....
By Fiona Slee Friday, 03 February 2012 15:59
So it is official - BWMidlands has announced "rather belatedly feeling like 'proper winter' with reports of frozen rivers and canals". That includes Cambrian Wharf in Birmingham, so no moving for us then for a while, grrr.
However the sun was shining
One narrowboat moved today though ......
Phil Speight': "How to paint your boat"
By John Slee Thursday, 02 February 2012 08:00
Of course, Stephen, Richard, Doug and Roger were right: I was on ... No, I was thoroughly enjoying ..day one of a two day course by Phil Speight, entitled "How to paint your boat" at the Ellesmere Port National Boat Museum.
Starting with bare metal
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Blog Calendar
- ► February (4)
-
►
January
(32)
- A late stoppage, but the canal will soon be open
- Batteries - who'd have them?
- Where am I? No.2
- Guess the canal city
- Narrowboats - solving a damp environment?
- Birmingham - always changing
- Fuel, fuel and fuel
- Three canals in one day, or was it four?
- New Selly Oak Aqueduct on the Worcs and Birmingham Canal
- Bridge 'oles, trolleys and chocolate on the way to Birmingham
- Considerate Boating in ice?
- Narrowboat cruising plans - we don't "do" plans!
- So many narrowboats moving, but we need rain
- A left turn to isolation at Kings Norton Junction
- Dredger Epiphany on the way to Kings Norton
- Our unfinished cruise and another mooring
- Narrowboat Epiphany cruising again and the sun comes out!
- I've had it with all this - back to boating for me
- A sad narrowboat at Lapworth
- Final locks and a good mooring above Lapworth
- "Charitable Purposes" of the CRT Trust
- Hard work on the Lapworth Lock Flight
- BW signage at Lapworth and Kingswood Junction
- Only six locks on the North Stratford
- Epiphany on Epiphany
- A backward trip to Leamington Spa
- A choice at Kingswood Junction on the GU Canal
- Hatton's "Stairway to Heaven" went by in a "flash"
- Saltisford Arm, a terminus of sorts
- Shops missed, aqueducts cruised and locks too
- Lock furniture and a lovely mooring
- The last "down" locks of the Grand Union Canal
-
►
December
(18)
- The grand Grand Union Canal and Bascote Locks
- Narrowboat Epiphany's history begins near the Grand Union Canal
- Lots of narrowboats, no help to a single-hander through locks this time
- A day with crew, narrowboats, lock beams and scarecrows
- There have been changes beside the Oxford Canal
- So where are we now?
- The final bit to Banbury, twins and a strange light
- Our ABC of the last couple of days on the South Oxford Canal
- Photo Retrospective - goodbye Thrupp, hello Heyford
- Shh – it is so quiet my ears are hurting!
- Something and nothing to ponder on
- Boating politics - ugh? Nominations and elections
- The "Word on The Cut"
- A watery adventure on the South Oxford Canal
- Such a difference - Narrowboat Epiphany is rocking
- Charity begins at home?
- Christmas means Muddy Waters on the South Oxford Canal
- Oops, we are the wrong way around!
-
►
November
(28)
- Below the bridge, not above like last time
- Coal for the Duke via the Oxford Canal
- November Cruising - more like July on the South Oxford Canal
- Trials and tribulations on the South Oxford Canal?
- Moored at the end, the very end
- Moorings in the Castle Mill Stream?
- Turning below Isis Lock at the end of the Oxford Canal
- Turn into Sheepwash Channel and this is what you find ....
- Decision Day - River Thames or Oxford Canal?
- Swift Ditch to Abingdon on the River Thames
- Beer and jazz on the River Thames
- Roundheads and Cavaliers at Culham on the River Thames
- Not much longer on the River Thames
- The ancient Thames at Sandford
- Anything new on the way downstream to Sandford?
- Learning a bit more about the Canal and River Trust
- So very near to the Oxford Canal
- Heritage versus h'efficiency at Northmoor Lock?
- Return to Newbridge
- Conservation at Shifford Lock on the Thames
- Let's go and see what the EA are up to
- Shall we, shan't we?
- Something new at Eynsham Lock on the Thames
- Around the bend?
- Almost, exactly, nearly, precisely
- Staying put - if we can!
- This time we went further upstream on the Thames
- A cruise to a famous Thames pub and back
-
►
October
(30)
- A calm evening but a noisy awakening in Oxford
- A wet cruise - the first for months
- Another favourite mooring tonight
- Arriving at Abingdon - will there be room?
- The shallow River Thames at Clifton Hampden
- An early alarm call - with reason
- A good cruise to Day's Lock
- Glorious Goring on the Thames
- Popular mooring to exclusive mooring on the River Thames
- From Pangbourne to here
- So this is upstream on the Thames!
- This place is just TOO familiar
- Tesco on Thames and a lovely sunny day
- Autumnal River Thames at Caversham
- Now we need sun for our solar panels
- Fishing on the River Thames
- Home is where your boat is
- A Return Visit to see improvements by BW
- Another mode of transport
- Another place another canal
- Time for a Break
- Announcements - Canal and River Trust and SNOW!
- A choice of moorings in Reading
- Another recommendation
- Our last night "in the country" on the Thames for a bit
- Here comes the sun
- Henley moorings - and a recommendation
- Flying high over Henley. OK for some
- Beautiful day, beautiful river and I love it!
- guess where
-
►
September
(33)
- Swan "song"
- A fabulous mooring on the River Thames
- Another Olympic Site
- From paid mooring to rough mooring on the Thames
- Morris Dancing and crawling college boys
- T'was a long day on the Thames in the end
- Peace and calm at Sunbury on Thames
- Reflections on the Thames Tideway Trip
- Tidal Thames, from Putney to Teddington via Richmond weir
- We have done more cruising too
- Blackfriars to Putney on the Tidal Thames
- The Tidal Thames, part 1 and some stats
- We are back! - An exciting day on the Thames
- Exploring from Limehouse Basin
- Arriving in Limehouse Basin
- A photo blog of part of our trip down to Limehouse
- Getting ever closer, but a little more Lee to go
- In the lea on the Lee
- Sort of sad to leave the Stort Navigation
- What are all those sculptures about on the Stort?
- Intrepid boaters carry on - the windy and windy Stort
- Whether the weather will or whether it won't
- The last shall be first on the Stort Navigation
- To the end, the very end of the Stort Navigation
- Reflections on Sawbridgeworth and Hallingbury Mill on the Stort
- So low on the Stort
- They made it hard for us today
- Starting the Stort
- Sunday in Hertford
- Yet another head of navigation for Epiphany
- Finding moorings at Hertford
- The towns keep away, but Broxbourne is "on the Lee"
- Historic Town - lots of pubs and a church by the Lee
-
►
August
(34)
- The Lee and 1066 and all that
- The Lee Navigation, war and peace
- We leave a good mooring and find a real character on the Lee Navigation
- Marshes and Nature Reserves on the Lee Navigation
- Glimpses of the Olympic Park from the Lee
- About time for a cruise
- I see no ships
- Reminders of the sea beside the River Thames
- Limehouse Basin and a taste of what is to come
- The alternative Greenway on the Regents Canal
- Do we really need a rehearsal?
- We go to prison, no a Palace - it sounds better
- Good moorings at Victoria Park on the Regents Canal
- We watch you as you cruise by on the Regents Canal
- Tunnel, Basins and a Museum on the Regents Canal
- The Regents Canal, approaching brand new territory
- Camden Locks on the Regents Canal
- Regents Canal - full moorings and canoes on the way into Camden
- Beautiful houses, a Park and a Zoo all on the same stretch of Regents Canal
- New news - for a change
- Last views on the Paddington Arm as we move onto a new waterway
- The Wanderers Return
- Back tracking on the Paddington Arm
- House of Princesses, from Mary to Diana
- Food for thought
- A quick look back .....
- Paddington Basin - central London connections
- The green Paddington Basin
- Onwards to Little Venice - boats, supermarkets and a wharf
- On to the Paddington Arm
- Joining the dots - on the Grand Union Canal
- A new waterway, the canalised River Brent
- Sad to be leaving the Thames - for a while
- Hot, hot River Thames: it's best to be cruising
-
►
July
(38)
- Pink Floyd, Torpedoes and Palace - Thames delights
- Staines, opera and fellow boaters on the River Thames
- What takes two hours to go up and half an hour to come down?
- Visiting boats are rare on the Basingstoke Canal
- Difficult locks and now we are going backwards on the Basingstoke Canal
- The Basingstoke Canal, a green corridor through Woking
- The Basingstoke Canal, almost a secret waterway
- Wide horizons on the River Wey
- Guildford in the rain and Charles Dodgson, AGAIN
- Wey hoo, the summer is back
- Cruising downstream on the Wey Navigations
- Godalming's claims to fame
- Wey to go .... the southernmost point on the system
- The River Wey turns on its charm
- A grey day, but still some pretty sights on the River Wey
- A brand new waterway for us - Wey hey!
- Mixed feelings as we say goodbye to the Thames
- Nearly where we leave the Thames for a while
- A wet Saturday on the Thames - entertainment and jobs
- Problems at Old Windsor Lock and we nearly get squeezed
- History for Epiphany and for us
- Boats, trains and planes on the River Thames
- A really full day
- I am not sure I like "popular" places on the Thames
- Over the Hill, part 2
- Over the Hill
- A busy, but beautiful place to be on the River Thames
- Something for the weekend
- Islands in the stream... on the Thames
- Do we really have to go back upstream again?
- A special beer in the evening, on the River Thames
- The Isles of Thames?
- "The most fairy-like nook" on the Thames
- Downstream: Trolleys, gongoozlers & boats
- I didn't know Reading on Thames was so popular
- Meadow to Meadow on the River Thames
- Something different on our way downstream towards Reading
- Less than 24 hours moored at Pangbourne
-
►
June
(33)
- A hitch hiker to Pangbourne
- A rude awakening
- An angling tribute on the River Thames
- Pastoral mooring beside a pasture on the Thames
- Off to pastures new
- Socialising in Goring on Thames
- The Plan was .....
- We love it when a plan comes together!
- Back to a mooring, but facing upstream!
- Hanging around in Caversham
- Back to Father Thames
- 'Tis time for a change ......
- Sunshine at Southcote moorings on the K&A
- Dodging the showers, we beat the weather!
- Swing bridges and locks to Theale
- Aldermaston - down and under on the K and A Canal
- Past the tyred narrowboat on the River Kennet Navigation
- What a contrast - nearly back to hire boat land
- Something old and something new about canals
- Canalside supermarket and railway station on the Kennet Navigation
- Phew - hard work on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- Rough mooring again on the K and A Canal
- A trailable narrowboat, a Sea Otter and us
- Little Bedwyn - not many boaters stop here
- The Bedwyns on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- The longest tunnel ever ......
- Cruise to a good pub on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- We pretend to be a hire boat on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- The end of the Long Pound on the K and A
- Easy swing bridges and no reeds - is this the K and A?
- Lovely countryside, hills and plains on the K and A
- The K and A gets busier at half term
- On our own again - but where next?
-
►
May
(34)
- Very familiar place and boats
- Still no crane
- Flight to a tunnel
- A large obstruction and a rescue
- Where have all the boats come from?
- One of the pretty bits of the K and A
- An Introduction to Wide Locks
- Hungerford Wharf - a quick view
- Hungerford - pick up point on the K and A
- Too many BW signs?
- Passengers on Epiphany
- A quiet couple of days - but not idle
- From Newbury to peace and quiet on the K and A
- The Kennet Navigation ends at Newbury
- K and A contrasts, old industry and the town arrives
- Onwards to Newbury
- A Thief in Newbury
- Canal, village, rail and road
- Navigation hints for Woolhampton
- I have nightmares about this lock
- Photos on Maps
- Aldermaston by canal this time .....
- Aldermaston re-visited on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- A swing bridge too far on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- Kennet and Avon Canal, Sulhamstead Lock and Swing Bridge
- Cruising the Kennet and Avon Canal, a step back in time?
- Rain, reader and readjustment at Theale on the Kennet and Avon Canal
- Too long, too far and too hot
- Not quite the Kennet and Avon Canal
- Cruising to Caversham on the River Thames
- A quiet River Thames as we cruise and how to remember channel markers
- A May Day at Beale Park - full moorings and a grounding on the Thames
- We are trying to confuse you all - an upstream excursion
- River Thames tolls between village and town
-
►
April
(42)
- Look who came to see us and a strange mooring notice
- Another sani-station closed - keep your legs crossed!
- No National Waterways Festival?
- Through the Goring Gap on the River Thames
- Bus, buggy and Basildon
- The River divide
- Posh pubs and posh neighbours
- A new and old stretch from Wallingford
- Steam trains take over from Canals
- Uniquely British?
- Changes on Easter Sunday
- More on Friday
- The coolest place to moor
- From Days to hiding for a long weekend
- The four ages of Dorchester
- A mooring remembered, but a better one found
- A brief visit to a brief canal
- Getting away from the hustle and bustle
- Save our bluebells
- Totally "explored-out"
- Apologies Folks
- In bits and pieces
- Under wraps
- Once upon a time the River by passed Abingdon
- Under Abingdon Bridge on the River Thames
- You are wondering about the new location?
- A new day, a new week and a new location
- Crafty encounters on the River Thames
- Coincidences beside the River Thames
- I forgot to tell you ....
- Can you ever have too many Lock Keepers?
- A blogger amongst authors
- An unready King and an Earl
- Drownings on the River Thames
- Are you a winner?
- All the "P"s on the River Thames
- NABO 2011 Cost of Boating Survey
- Posh sheep?
- Our encounter with a flash lock
- Just by chance ....
- "By 'eck" - it was a windy one
- Narrowboat to Inglesham
-
►
March
(41)
- (Up the) Swanney River where the counties meet
- We arrive - only four years late
- Is this the wiggliest?
- About as far away from it all as you can get
- Could I throw a rope - not for nuts today!
- Updated BCN Moorings
- History of the Future
- What Epiphany Did - buy now!
- Murder and Intrigue on the Thames
- "Oh what a lovely day" - tra la la ...
- Early Morning Antics
- Around Folly Bridge on the Thames
- Art Deco?
- The only boat moving
- Hello world - we are back!
- Up and down and then up again
- "A good place for drowning"
- Sandford Lock on the Thames under repair
- The Thames and good weather
- O Moon, so bright
- Ah! Now I know
- There is nothing so nice .....
- We spot some boats on the our goodbye to Canals and hello to the Thames
- The sun shines for us on the River Thames
- New adventures for narrowboat Epiphany
- Golly, gosh, sooner than expected
- Now, I think we just might have been here before!
- Only a day late ...
- In Never Never Land
- An "oopsie" start to our cruising
- On its way -
- BW handiwork
- Repeats are boring
- Here we go again
- Holy Banbury?
- Banbury icons
- A street of ill repute
- Whoopee!
- Birthday Boy?
- A good place to moor
- Bogs
-
►
February
(30)
- Oh look - we are back in Banbury, surprise, surprise!
- Farewell
- Back in time?
- Summit pound water level
- A day of rest? My foot!
- What rain?
- What do boaters talk about when they get together?
- An Epiphany advertisement
- Something Nasty in the Woodshed?
- Winter Folk Festival
- ahh Napton!
- Another long day, but worth it
- It chose us.
- www.sleebooth.co.uk
- Alive alive-o!
- Narrowboat cupboards
- Out and Back - just like the "old days"
- The necessities of life afloat
- No Comment
- The Great Ash Debate
- Signs of spring
- Cropredy - I love it
- A Hidden Gem near Cropredy
- Curiosities on the way to Cropredy
- A good day despite the ending
- Stand by
- Rock and Roll
- What do you think?
- Don't come looking for us!
- From Shaun the Sheep to Banbury Cross
-
►
January
(26)
- Then there was more ....
- A question for you
- Brrr ... but now the Shortest Journey!
- The Longest Journey
- Explorations in another world
- Fat chickens and a horse called Stuart
- Of interest to local boaters ….
- From somewhere out in the sticks
- Just over 0.8 of a mile later
- A bird's eye view ......
- Goodbyeee
- Decisions, decisions
- Me, my shadow, and eye
- Cat and Mouse
- So what's new?
- Back to where we came from - well not quite
- We get to grips with that pontoon!
- A quick look at the River Thames
- Will we get under that bridge?
- Leaving and coming back
- A Happy Epiphany today
- Silly me
- All paths lead to .....
- The Towpath Controversy?
- Resolutions?
- 1111
-
►
December
(26)
- Is this the way to .....
- Uninspired or .........?
- Oh deer
- "Walkies" with dogs and owners
- One day our thaw will come
- Licences, a polite reminder?
- Just enjoy
- From us to you
- Dream on
- With 'umble apologies
- Everybody's doing it, doing it .....
- It dawned on me
- Squirrel Meal
- Survival?
- It got us this time
- The Thrupp contingent are on the move
- The "D" words
- Icy, Icy, Icy, so that is how it is done (say it!)
- Something lurks beside the canal
- It may be Christmas in ice?
- Caught short, not sweet .....
- Melting moments?
- A new view
- A toast to ...
- Exams - at our age?
- Iced narrowboats on the South Oxford
- ► November (12)
-
►
October
(16)
- High and dry, but not forgotten
- Tomorrow its Tooley's for us
- Wish we still were ...
- Autumn on the cut
- This little piggy "spotted" beside the cut
- A lock to savour
- Just one of those days .....
- A lesson off the Cut
- A treat at Banbury
- South Oxford Canal Festivals
- You just never know ......
- A rather wet experience
- Falling in love with narrow canals all over again
- Another Bridge
- Coming or Going?
- Passing pubs
-
►
September
(33)
- From Long Itchington to .. where?
- Website Problem Corrected
- A Genealogical Journey
- Saltisford on to Radford Semele
- More photos of the Hatton Flight
- Is it an ugly bridge?
- Hatton Locks
- Ready to go South
- Living on a narrowboat - logistics and how?
- A Journey Blog - of sorts
- What! No blog?
- Onto the Grand Union Canal
- Lapworth Festival This Weekend
- Two Canals?
- Accompanied Single Handing on the Lapworth Flight
- Some Locks for the accompanied Soloist
- Solo to Shirley
- Minus one member of the crew
- A new bit, an old bit and what's new here?
- More Locks and another Junction, of sorts
- BCN or Birmingham and Fazeley?
- What a lot of narrowboats on 3 canals!
- Lest we forget
- Not finished with the Trent yet!
- How good it is ......
- What! No blog?
- Three Waterways in one day
- Bow thrusters? Who needs them?
- Paired up down the Erewash Canal
- The old Nottingham Canal
- Together on the Cromford Canal
- Great Northern Basin
- Up to the top, or is it the bottom?
-
►
August
(32)
- Half way (almost) on the Erewash Canal
- Turn right at Trent Junction
- Back to the Trent
- Who shot the Sheriff?
- Robin Hood country?
- Trent Bridge - the second
- Do you fancy doing this?
- Wind and water
- So on we go ....
- One of the nicest towns
- Knots in Notts
- River or Navigation?
- Flood - the time to go
- Until another time - farewell
- Above Drakeholes Tunnel
- Rave on, move on
- Turn around, about face
- Next installment
- I like this canal
- Up hill and downdale
- Lovely, lovely , lovely
- Shall I share a secret with you?
- Now what?
- Mixing in a basin
- To get to where we were going ...
- Now that really is a boat!
- Happy Days!
- It was one of those days
- Excuse me
- Back on the River
- Water problems
- Opening the barrier
-
►
July
(36)
- Deserted, dirty and depressing
- Our entry, not a big event!
- With help from British Waterways
- Done the Don!
- The working and the idle
- Gone but not forgotten
- The newest canal
- Goodbye Aire and Calder
- Here we go again
- Been and done it
- We go to the end
- One blog cannot do it justice, but I will try
- Southwards for a bit
- Do you dare?
- A taste of things to come ....
- Not my happiest experience!
- Another River, Another Pub
- Naburn Locks, fish and flood
- Locks and Lockies
- Gone away!
- A quiet morning
- Repeat performance
- New Crew
- Blue sky thinking
- No water?
- Mooring matters
- This is absolutely The End
- Ur, Um
- A tale of four rivers
- Oh no, oh no, oh no .....
- Not quite a triumphal entry!
- Another ambition fulfilled
- Stand by for invasion
- Another World?
- All the best people
- So what happens at Selby Lock?
-
►
June
(43)
- Today was our Sel -by date
- Just too much, all change!
- Beyond Castleford Flood Lock
- It was a breeze today!
- I liked it here
- Any thing else to see?
- A quick look...
- Too tired, too late.......
- Goodbye Hebble, hello Aire
- Why we went our separate ways
- To spike or not to spike?
- Is it a river, or is it a canal?
- A bit of a struggle
- From Narrow to Broad in three locks
- The final 10, well almost
- Virtual tour of Standedge from Epiphany
- West is best, East is bad?
- How to get over Standedge Tunnel
- After the Marsden Flight - more locks still
- The eastward journey from Standedge
- Standedge Tunnel - Tunnel End
- An amazing adventure - deep down in the earth
- The ascent to Standedge Tunnel on the Huddersfield Canal
- We now have to wait for BW on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal
- More locks to Uppermill on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal
- Huddersfield Canal - lots of locks
- An overnight mooring on the Huddersfield Canal
- The Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Stalybridge
- The "Hud(dersfield) Lines"
- Just like Chris Evans "Goodbyeee, Helloee
- So far, but not quite
- A peaceful place
- Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, part 2
- Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, part 1
- For amusement only
- Come rain, come shine
- Bugsworth Basin - the tour
- Bugsworth - our virtual cruise into history
- Follow this?
- Another one to tick off
- Monks gone, Priory gone, so what is left?
- A Daventry house, time to explore
- From our perspective
-
►
May
(37)
- Keep fit on canals - by cycling
- What progress!
- A blast from the past at High Lane Arm, Macclesfield Canal
- Time to gather in ......
- Hidden away on the Macclesfield Canal
- Macclesfield Canal - Higher Poynton
- Chelsea Flower Show Gold medal for a canal lock
- Now who is Cedric?
- Just to say
- Paradise on the Macclesfield Canal?
- Oh Oh - we must watch our behaviour now
- To t'mill on the Macclesfield
- The "Macclesfield Heron"
- Macclesfield Canal - Bosley to Bollington
- Distinctive Looks at Locks
- More Macclesfield Locks
- The Macclesfield Canal turns the sun on
- Short and Sweet
- Hunt the Church
- Biddulph Grange Gardens
- Narrowboat Epiphany is moving again
- Pre-view
- Parked at Congleton
- Lonely
- Fancy a pub crawl from the Macclesfield Canal?
- Macclesfield Canal - keep an eye out
- Macclesfield and Marple here we come
- Turning north, the Macclesfield at last
- Heartbreak? No, but maybe heartache!
- Mizzle and lots of locks
- Just hanging around
- Deja Vue
- Middlewich Branch has a hidden gem
- Let's all lock together when we go!
- It is time for change
- Congratulations LCT
- Do we mean to say goodbye?
-
►
April
(32)
- Grindley here we come
- White Church - no longer
- Spotlight on the third Prime Ministerial Debate
- Escaping again!
- Not the port, nor the Arm, not even overnight!
- Hello again
- Back we go - bow forward!
- We see the attraction of silent travel
- A home in Llangollen?
- Afon Dyfrdwy accompanies us to Llangollen
- Chuff, chuff, whistle, whistle
- A sharp left turn
- Beyond the Bridge
- Trevor Basin a fascinating place on the Llangollen Canal
- We fly in the sky, thanks to Thomas Telford
- Chocolate Chirk
- Chirk an aqueduct, castle and what else?
- Chirk Bank - the place of three river crossings
- How about this for a morning view?
- Back on the motorway, oops sorry, Llangollen Canal
- Frankton Locks - up we go
- One more day to go the Monty
- Etiquette of waterpoints and sani-stations
- The Montgomery Canal - a final look at Maesbury
- Moorings at Maesbury Marsh on the Monty
- No further on the Montgomery - so far
- Three Aston Locks and the Cornish are here!
- Speed checks at on the Montgomery Canal
- Restoration and reminders of bygone days on the "Monty"
- New lock gates and an old treasure
- Goodbye Llangollen, hello?
- The hub of a new canal network
-
►
March
(37)
- The Prees Branch, next stop Ellesmere
- Two days later - still on the Llangollen
- T'internet is wonderful, aint it!
- Wrenbury to Grindley Brook on the Llangollen Canal
- A quick update from the Llangollen
- Sad to be leaving Wrenbury on the Llangollen Canal
- Wrenbury pubs and other important matters!
- Wrenbury lift bridges on the Llangollen Canal
- Off we go again against the flow
- Noswaith dda!
- One lock down
- Not the Shroppie - maybe the Chessie?
- Arriving in Audlem on the Shropshire Union Canal
- It is all downhill on the Shroppie
- Gremlins?
- A cut above the rest on the Shropshire Union Canal
- Moorings along the Shroppie
- I said it was breezy
- "Up the Junction"
- Just a quick one
- Shropshire Union Canal - "news"
- Breezy Shropshire Union
- Canal v rail again?
- "We could sail down the Avenue .."
- Fascinating Aldersley Junction
- North of Sewage Outfall - but no smell!
- Wolverhampton in the canal age
- Spring has sprung?
- Are we seeing things? A useful British Waterways noticeboard
- Factory Locks (BCN) and beyond
- Enough is enough!
- The "Old" Thirteen
- We "dig" Digbeth
- The only visiting boat left in Birmingham?
- Intrepid Voyagers!
- A day for reflection
- Glad to be alive!
-
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February
(34)
- History is bunkum?
- Kingswood or Lapworth Junction
- Lapworth Locks
- Strange feelings and Mitre Gates
- How things change!
- Another first for Epiphany
- Now that is really boring
- Alvechurch - now where have I heard that before?
- Snowy Worcester and Birmingham Canal
- The Vale moorings on the Worcester and Birmingham
- Through the Bar to the Worcester and Birmingham
- Moorings on the BCN
- Wednesbury Old Canal on the way to Birmingham
- We have returned, Ryder's Green Locks came first
- Walsall Town Arm - "Hit or Miss"?
- Is the Tame Valley Canal tame?
- Our Blog RSS Feed
- One more canal "under our belt"
- Still on the Wyrley and Essington?
- Unable to cruise - so walk! Along the Rushall Canal
- Wyrely and Essington - The Daw End Branch
- Wyrely and Essington Canal - Ogley Junction
- How to set up your satellite dish
- Chasewater Reservoir on the Wyrley and Essington Anglesey Branch
- The Anglesey Branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal
- The Cannock Extension Canal - a branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal
- Two more Branches of the Wyrley and Essington Canal
- BCN so far - lots more to do
- Sneyd Wharf on the Wyrley and Essington - a friendly place
- The Wyrley and Essington Canal - more curls than wurls?
- Let's start at the very beginning
- We have gained a new perspective
- No regrets ...
- A different lift bridge on the BCN
-
►
January
(38)
- Dudley No. 1 Canal - and no further
- Oldbury to Dudley - but on the canal!
- Fun on leaving Titford, but safely arrived
- Titford Pools are a no no
- "Sticky" Titford canal
- Titford Canal on the BCN - first the Oldbury Locks
- In, out and under we go
- More about engines on the BCN Old Line
- Chugging along on The Old Line
- Leaving Birmingham City Centre behind on the BCN
- Do I wish I was getting married again?
- Walking back to Georgian times
- New Tech - takes for ever to work out!
- Fooled you!
- Narrowboat Epiphany announcement
- Going nowhere fast
- Gas Street Blues?
- Ice still around on the BCN
- Let's go check it out
- We've cracked it
- All is not as it seems
- You have to laugh
- Neighbours, but we did'nt know it!
- Nearly became a museum exhibit
- Blogitis?
- Something new
- Can you believe this?
- Icy thoughts
- More Canal traces
- All white now!
- Central Birmingham in the "Canal Age"
- It's Our Day!
- Snow Hill before the snow
- Watch out The South!
- Farmers on the BCN?
- Cool?
- "The Two Towers"
- Ice on the BCN - again
-
►
December
(36)
- A Canal Year
- Just a slight detour
- "I'm walking backwards for Christmas"
- Back to the centre of Brum
- Peace and Light to you!
- Water supply to the BCN
- Probably not a holiday theme!
- Too much indulgence?
- This feels like Christmas!
- All change again!
- Not quite all the story!
- Windmill End, but where is the windmill?
- Christmas - Who said that?
- Moving from the modern to the more familiar
- The unusual Delph Lock Flight
- A quick trip up the Fens Branch
- Stourbridge 16 part 2
- Lock volunteers are always welcome!
- What Bliss! A Canal Home again
- Another establishment to view
- A nearly Merry Christmas
- This canal is pretty - so far!
- Time for a change
- Wow, they got it right!
- Village on the hill
- Worcestershire, the eighth county!
- Phew, where to start!
- Travels with a GOM!
- Locks through rocks
- The whole journey
- Back to sanity!
- Only Joking!
- Who needs lock paddles?
- Cool cruising!
- Puzzled by bridge names!
- Staffs and Worcs Canal - locking down
-
►
November
(34)
- Cruising again - it almost feels strange!
- Old and new friends
- Itchy feet
- Stuck?
- You must do this!
- Looking back - a long way!
- Marsworth - for boaters?
- Shropshire Canal moody photos
- Boaters Banter?
- More Familiar Boats
- Where is the best place to paint?
- So on to Brewood
- The essence of the Shroppie
- Another new belt
- Lots to see
- Gorgeous autumn cruising, just!
- Is James May mad?
- A Calm after the Storm
- There is a flow on this canal
- Still Lovin' it!
- Dismal, Dingy, Dank and Dull?
- 'Ave a new bridge?
- A good meeting place for boaters
- Obstacles in our way?
- Busy with boats
- How many Home Waters can one boat have?
- How to cure a headache -
- Will we find a mooring?
- The County Town
- Canal, railway and rivers all learn to share
- Sabbath rest - on a Monday
- One short blast
- Now, how did we get here?
- A short break
-
►
October
(38)
- Let's celebrate
- Added Content
- A taste of the Macclesfield Canal
- Fit for locks
- A new bit and old memories
- Through Five Towns
- Tunnel Syndrome
- Nearly finished with locks - for a while
- How many locks can break a Boater's heart?
- Paired Locks for paired boats
- For those who like looking at boats
- Middlewich and Elton Moss
- The Three "Ms"
- The Trent and Mersey in all its glory
- A Tunnel, then another, then another!
- Two Canals in one glorious day
- The Dukes Cut
- Verdict on the Rochdale Nine
- A near miss
- A meeting of the ways
- To Manchester City - but no footballs!
- South Locks
- "Mottos" on the Rochdale
- It's take over time!
- Stunning Views from the Rochdale Summit
- Over the Rochdale Summit
- Lunch at the Bird i th Hand pub
- Walsden to Lock 33
- Todmorden to Walsden
- The Real Thing!
- Nearly missed the bus
- The Guillotine
- Other Visitors
- A Todmorden Cruise
- Another Visit and more Visitors
- ...stops at Hebden Bridge
- The train from Todmorden
- The Twin Towers?
-
►
September
(38)
- Over the hills and far away
- Is this a soap?
- Back to Huddersfield
- To Todmorden on the Rochdale Canal
- Lock 13 on the Rochdale - unlucky for some
- Rochdale Canal, Hebden Bridge and views
- Slow progress on the Rochdale
- A village near the Rochdale Canal with two Saints
- First taste of the Rochdale Canal
- Rob the Lockie
- Places not to visit
- Fore!
- "Let's go for a little walk"
- Sowerby Bridge - a look around
- A quick excursion off the main line
- Finally sussed the Calder locks!
- Mountain terrain
- Glad to say "goodbye"
- Sun as promised
- That was a quick holiday!
- Why did we decide to move today of all days?
- Aspley Basin in Huddersfield
- One of Huddersfield's Canals
- Just to confuse you
- A "fallen" man
- Where is "Odersfelt"?
- Spring arrives
- Autumn and Winter on Epiphany
- Power by the River Calder
- Bronte Country from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- Tough locks
- Believe it or not
- The Dewsbury Arm on the Calder and Hebble Navigation
- Steam train journey into the Dales
- More about steam
- Our past and our present together
- Locks and Junction
- Singing in the rain
-
►
August
(39)
- Beyond Wakefield on the Calder and Hebble Navigation
- The River Calder comes and goes
- The Calder and Hebble Handspike
- After the Aire, the Calder - rivers and canal combined
- Finger tip control on the Aire and Calder Navigation
- The past bumps into the present
- Feathered friends by the River Aire
- Clarence Dock - a good mooring in Leeds
- The River Aire - a different experience
- From Canal to River in Leeds
- Steaming
- The Longest Canal
- Really into Leeds now!
- A tale of two cities
- Urban woods
- Saltaire - The story of a philanthropist who delivered
- After Bingley, what next?
- A BW Beauty
- What fun - Bingley here we come!
- The capital of Airedale and mills
- The Leeds and Liverpool Canal near Keighley - a NT property worth a visit
- Airedale Country
- A cut above the rest
- Leaving Skipton - by various means
- Back again
- A smelly church with some fancy tombs, near the L and L Canal
- Skipton Castle - the pleasant bit!
- Before the Leeds and Liverpool canal came the Clifford Family
- There are two canals in Skipton
- We can't get away from the Cornish easily!
- A real welcome to Skipton
- Gargrave - a village cut in two, but accessible by all
- Leeds and Liverpool Canal Lockies can be very helpful!
- The bends on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- Locks and Hillocks, down we go
- A service and off we go
- So what were we doing this time last year?
- A remote part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- Tunnel Vision on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
-
►
July
(43)
- The Summit of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- I know the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is short of water, but ...
- Burnley and beyond
- From countryside to industrial heart of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- Sunday on the Leeds and Liverpool canal - yuk!
- Around the bend we go
- More about Blackburn on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- Worried about Blackburn?
- Locking up
- Strange Bridge Numbers on the L and L
- Will we ever leave the Lancaster Canal behind?
- What has Australia got to do with narrowboats?
- Contrasts - reminiscences and indulgence
- These d... locks!
- "Marnin" Flight
- We cross the River Ribble again
- A town that missed its opportunity
- A backward cruise
- Ooo Betty, I've got a bit of trouble in Wigan
- A wet day on the Leeds and Liverpool
- Some puzzles on the L and L
- From "Ship" to decapitated Windmill at Parbold
- What do those clouds mean?
- Escaping!
- Time to move
- Continuing The Beatles theme
- A lesson from history
- Music in a Liverpool Park - from Salthouse Dock
- Beatle Mania - today in Liverpool
- "Ferry Across The Mersey" - la la la
- Stranger than truth
- A Wonder of Liverpool - or maybe the world?
- Salthouse Dock, Liverpool
- The Liverpool Link - Canning Dock to Salthouse Dock
- The Liverpool Link - Princes Dock to Canning Dock
- Stanley Locks and Liverpool Docks
- The Liverpool Link from Hancock's Swing Bridge
- WOW!
- Navigating through water lilies we reach the beginning of the Liverpool Link
- Am I sane again? Enough to give you the true story of our journey?
- Is it too hot to blog? You may think so after this!
- A wildflower quiz from the Lancaster Canal
- The art of work and boats on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
-
►
June
(44)
- A different landscape after Andy Murray's late night marathon at Wimbledon
- Burscough - not a cough but a co!
- Virtual return?
- Getting used to locks again!
- Is it worth the trip?
- Ribble Return
- We made it!
- Final cruise on the Lanky - for a while!
- Garstang - getting gradually towards Preston!
- Neighbourliness on the Lancaster Canal
- Hot, hot, hot - is this really the North?
- Up the locks we go again - or try to
- A beautiful place, enjoying Father's day
- Glasson Village - a Lancashire Port
- From Canal to Sea
- Glasson Basin - the end of the Branch
- How to make a sani-station look attractive
- Our adventures on the Glasson Branch
- Unable to resist temptation - Glory Be!
- Morecambe, the sea-side town with a view of the Lakes
- Looney along the Lune
- A chilling couple of days
- Beyond the Northernmost locks
- A walk up the locks on Lancaster Canal's Northern Reaches
- Lancaster Canal - The Northern Reaches
- Back in Lancaster - home is where our boat is
- Welcome to Hest Bank?
- Off the "beaten" Line - photos!
- Off the "beaten" Line
- Lancaster Canal - such a choice
- Tewitfield and no further
- The Northernmost Blogger?
- A Brief Encounter at Carnforth Station
- Carnforth moorings
- Twenty Twenty Vision?
- All museumed out!
- Cost a Packet
- Leaving the Lune for the coast
- Moving on from Lancaster
- Lancaster's best views - worth a long walk
- Lancaster - a gruesome past
- Doolally Days in Lancaster?
- Back along from Lancaster - retracing our canal route by train
- Lots to do in Lancaster
-
►
May
(42)
- Lancaster Canal - Lancaster, our triumphal arrival
- The dash to Lancaster, slowed down!
- The Lancaster Canal - first impressions
- A comment on your comments!
- The Ribble Link - Staircase locks, the final frontier
- The Ribble Link - Savick Brook and the "new" locks
- The Ribble Link - on the River and into Savick Brook
- The Ribble Link from Tarleton to Asland Lamp or 5 Mile perch
- Wow, what a day to do the Ribble Link
- Rufford to Tarleton
- Doggie heaven on the Rufford Branch of the L and L
- From Leeds and Liverpool Canal to see the sea
- Rufford and its surrounding towns
- Rufford Old Hall
- Rufford Lock, Rufford branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
- The Ups and Downs of life on the canals
- The Leeds and Liverpool Canal's welcome to Lancashire
- Two canals meet without a fuss
- One man's folly on the Bridgewater
- Umbrellas on the Bridgewater
- The Bridgewater Canal begins at Worsley
- A quick tour of central Manchester and the canal basins
- Castlefield Basin - the best place to moor in Manchester?
- To Manchester's Castlefield Basin
- Views from the Bridgewater Canal
- Cruising on the Bridgewater to my Ancestral Home
- Moorings at Lymm
- Surprised by the Bridgewater Canal
- Epiphany in Wonderland
- What does the Runcorn Arm look like?
- Cruising to the ends of the Earth?
- Crooked Tunnels on the Trent and Mersey
- Barnton Tunnelling or Over the Top
- Contrasts between the Weaver and Trent and Mersey
- Heads of Navigation - do we count tails too?
- Winding is fun, as is Weston Marsh Lock
- Yummy cake and cheese after a long walk
- Where are the Frodsham Moorings?
- Our night in hell, or was it?
- A mooring from hell
- Gathering clouds over the glorious Weaver
- The Three Wiches
-
►
April
(42)
- Train Spotting
- Confined to the boat
- Lying on the bed talking to the attractive nurse
- Diverted off the River Weaver
- Spat at in Hunt's Lock
- We are Townies tonight!
- Parting is such sweet sorrow
- Who needs a Zoo?
- Waterways Restoration
- A Virtual Anderton Lift
- Idiosyncrasies of locks
- Down along and then up along
- Who needs words on a day like this?
- The way to Hell's Kitchen
- Has Christmas come early?
- Vanishing supermarkets in Middlewich
- Early birds or should I say dogs?
- NABO for all
- A Casualty
- Incidents and Encounters
- An even happier note
- Speed debating
- It is all a lie!
- A Boatwoman's job is never done!
- More locks - Oh no ........
- How not to do a lock staircase - not us "guv"
- An Impostor
- Rows fit for Millionaires!
- Avoiding boats on our way to Chester
- Moving to Chester, but why is it Good Friday?
- Down South to go North and Fly Boat Saturn passes by
- Boat Museum at Ellesmere and Manchester Ship Canal v the Shroppie
- From an ancient city to historic boats via the Northgate Shuffle
- Photogenic Chester
- There are always lessons to be learned
- Working locks, working boats and work in progress
- A broken foot on the way to Chester?
- A choice of routes off the Shroppie
- Tomorrow is another day?
- Still at Nantwich, but not by choice!
- Calling all our Blog readers
- We prefer the great outdoors - Hack Green to Nantwich
-
►
March
(40)
- A "Shroppie" Village - really lovely
- A really good evenings entertainment
- Explanations and a "Shroppie" open secret
- Audlem flight in record time?
- Adderley lock flight in the sunshine
- A real "Shroppie" Town
- Food, food and gingerbread
- Mooring in Market Drayton, don't forget the gingerbread!
- Woodseaves and Tyrley locks to Market Drayton
- New Canal for Liverpool - Creative accounting versus Simple Maths
- Iconic Shroppie sights on the way to Goldstone Wharf
- Cruising to Norbury Junction - what junction?
- Windy on the way to Wheaton Aston
- Brewood - worth exploring
- The Shroppie Style
- The straight and narrow to Brewood
- Summit on the Staffs and Worcs
- A porthole view
- Gailey, history, sights and hire boats
- The old and the new - together
- Locks - like Clapham Junction in the rush hour!
- Evening Ducks - Epiphany on parade
- Reflections on Tixall Wide
- Our garden on Tixall Wide
- Memories of the Trent and Mersey Canal
- Talking favourite moorings
- Shanks facilities
- A new canal - the Trent and Mersey
- Not good news - two days without internet!
- Ooops, lost again!
- Watch out for shells and strawberries - onward from Hopwas
- Sainthood for some
- Hopwas, food and theatre
- Can you get lost on a canal?
- Tamworth - is it all suburbia?
- Atherstone, locks for a change!
- Weathering the weather on the Coventry Canal
- The Ashby Canal - Bosworth to the Coventry Canal
- The Ashby Canal - Shackerstone to Snarestone and back to Bosworth
- The Ashby Canal - Stoke Golding to Shackerstone
-
►
February
(29)
- Ashby Canal and hire boats
- Home Sweet Home on the Ashby Canal
- We return to the Ashby Canal
- The Ashby Canal - Trinity Marina
- The Ashby Canal - Hinkley
- The Ashby Giants
- The Ashby Canal - Scenic and tranquil
- The Ashby welcome
- Permanent moorings on the Coventry Canal?
- Once upon a time
- Do you use cash?
- The back story
- You can talk to us now!
- Good Evenings
- The boom was not working
- What a bombshell
- Amused or bemused?
- Base is now a Basin
- Snow makes Family Trees grow
- bridge 11a?
- Sent to Coventry
- Hawkesbury Junction in pictures
- Post office services
- Newbold to Hawkesbury Junction - Again!
- Gosty Hill, fuel and a dog
- More "old" friends
- OK, I succumb!
- A stay-put day
- British Waterways - Comic Relief?
-
►
January
(28)
- Newbold on Avon from Rugby on the North Oxford canal
- New lights and old friends
- A tour of Rugby and an introduction to some of its past inhabitants
- Hillmorton Locks on the North Oxford canal
- The picturesque journey to Rugby, under lots of bridges
- Barby to Rugby on the North Oxford Canal
- Our first impressions of the North Oxford Canal
- Goodbye Braunston, Hello North Oxford Canal
- Boats, dogs and cats
- If you value your privacy and identity read this
- Braunston is FTB
- Napton and onwards towards Braunston
- I may be a little distracted, but...
- Brindley or Telford?
- Blown along the South Oxford
- Jazz at Cropredy
- Sunny Cropredy
- Health and Rescue
- New decoration on our boat
- One and All
- At last we exchange town for countryside
- Will we ever see the like again?
- Four days gossip
- Afloat again - just!
- Roll on tomorrow!
- Not iced-in, just high and dry
- Bye Bye Epiphany - she is in good hands!
- From Cropredy to Banbury with Crew
-
►
December
(23)
- New Year Greetings to One and All
- Fuel and Ice
- Back on board Epiphany
- 'Tis Boxing Day
- Festivities for all from Epiphany
- Not really a journey
- Home is where your boat is
- A bendy muddy canal - Napton to Claydon
- Rogue boats left in the way in Napton locks
- THE Canal Centre, but now back on the narrow road
- Buckby locks on the Grand Union Canal
- The Grand Union Canal at its best!
- Leaving Stoke Bruerne, fun in tunnel - not
- THE Canal Village
- Our own icebreaker
- What is that law?
- Like watching paint dry
- What a wonderful world, we love winter!
- The clue is in the picture
- We join the Club and I feel a fraud
- Held up today, running repairs!
- I c, I c, I c, but sunny too!
- Goodbye Harefield, Hello cruising again!
-
►
November
(21)
- Eureka!
- A surprise visitor
- Phew, what a day!
- Onto the Grand Union Main Line again
- A Helping Hand
- I lied on Saturday!
- We are off tomorrow, WP
- More about Paddington, Little Venice and an excursion
- Paddington advantages
- Christmas lights and markets
- Paddington Basin - our first impressions
- A quick snapshot of our journey today
- Bulls Junction and beyond, Grand Union
- Wussie dry weather sailors
- Another short trip
- Croxley Green to Harefield on the Grand Union Canal
- Autumn colours and parkland on the Grand Union
- "Demoted" from Kings to Abbots on the Grand Union
- "New" Pub and newish marina on the Grand Union
- A "locky" day!
- Will he, won't he, gain the "Grand Prix"?
-
►
October
(27)
- Happy Birthday Epiphany, Cowroast to Berkhamsted
- We explore the Wendover Arm
- Back on the Grand Union Main Line
- Herons 2 Canada Geese 2 many
- Aylesbury Duck 0, Aylesbury Arm 9
- We meet a film star on our way from Grove to Marsworth
- Jam 'Ole photos. Following the meandering Grand Union canal
- Wind, sun, Jam 'Ole boats and locks on the Grand Union
- Cosgrove to Milton Keynes in the wind
- Stoke Bruerne, Northampton and then moving on to Cosgrove
- Nether Heyford to Stoke Bruerne
- Bloggers bow to bow on the Grand Union
- Travelling to Weedon on the Grand Union Canal
- Bridge Hopping on the Grand Union, via Buckby Flight
- Leaving Braunston towards Norton Junction
- Who lights your (solid fuel) fire?
- Braunston, the boat Mecca?
- Napton towards Braunston - but we stopped short!
- Wormleighton to Napton on the Oxford Canal - the bendy bit!l
- Cropredy to Wormleighton, Oxford Canal
- Leaving Cropredy
- The Oxford Canal, weather with a wow factor
- Cropredy near Banbury, canal, train and music
- Banbury to Cropredy, NOW with Photos - by boat this time
- "Where progress is measured in pints"
- Epiphany arrives in Banbury
- Shipton on Cherwell to Mill Lift bridge, Lower Heyford in pictures
-
►
September
(25)
- My Gipsy Blood? Continuing up the Oxford Canal
- Oxford Canal - Yarnton to Shipton
- The Oxford Canal, Epiphany's Firsts
- Books, books and more books in the Bodleian
- Exploring more of Oxford from Jericho
- Oxford out and about with friends
- At last, off the River Thames!
- Yesterdays Photos - downstream and upstream to Days lock
- We are on the move again - Reading to Dorchester (Day's lock)
- Reading, River and Reports
- Oxford, not by river, nor by canal
- A welcome visitor in Reading
- How to enjoy an enforced stay!
- Reading Heritage Open Days
- The sun welcomes me back
- Reading rain in Reading
- Theale to Reading in good company
- Theale, Church and R & R
- More River Kennet travels, Nearing the end of the Kennet and Avon
- Showers on the River Kennet
- Thatcham in the rain
- Running the Kennet- sticking swing bridges, ship-jumping chimneys, sunshine, showers and all
- Newbury for the day
- One boat's length .......
- Apologies Readers, however we continue, Hungerford to Kintbury
-
►
August
(17)
- Great Bedwyn to Hungerford
- Crofton to Great Bedwyn
- The Journey really begins - Pewsey to Crofton
- Our Canal Journey Begins
- Pewsey, a pleasant walk
- New - More about Us!
- Saturday work and play
- Preparations for off!
- Musing on the Information Highway
- Nostalgic Goodbyes
- Crofton to All Cannings
- On the move for the weekend
- Rainy Days Muse
- Fairport Convention at Cropredy
- Cropredy Festival
- The Thames continued
- Off the Kennet and Avon for a few days
- ► July (3)
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