We have been back on Narrowboat Thuis for over a week now and as always it has been very relaxing. There is something about this boat that makes us say “aaaaah” when we get back here. This time, after six weeks of weddings, anniversaries, doctors, dentists, visitors, visits and people, people, people, it has been especially special to be back in our tin can. Mandy has been watching Midsomer Murders and doing her craft. I have been finding jobs to do and walking the dog. The big question we knew we would face was whether there would be enough water in the canals to travel.
It has been a summer of drought, and we have seen more and more canals and rivers closing to boat traffic. From where we are in Stone the Northern routes are largely blocked. The Caldon is closed. Heartbreak hill on the Trent & Mersey is closed. Bosley locks on the Macclesfield are closed (yet again). We can go South, but the Atherstone lock flight on the Coventry is closed, and the Trent looks challenging beyond Alrewas.
We decided to go out for a recce trip just down to one of our favourite moorings near Weston. It was lovely, very peaceful with few boats on the canal. On the return journey we needed to wind (turn around) just below Weston lock and that is where the reality of low water became obvious. The levels were really low and boat after boat was getting stuck leaving the lock. We made it out and Mandy did a great job of winding without getting caught in the mud. But it was tricky.
The irony now is that we have come back to the marina because there is too much rain. As I write this, the skies are completely dark, the rain is rattling across the roof, and there are huge crashes of thunder and lightning. It is certainly more exciting being in a boat in a storm than in a house, but it is not great for travelling.
Will it fill up the canals? Probably not. We need weeks of weather like this to recover properly. But maybe it will top us up enough to allow us to go on a slightly longer trip next week. I hope so.
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