Category: lifestyle

What does my narrowboat dream mean?

I had the weirdest dream last night. Normally I can’t remember dreams but this one was so vivid it is still in my mind. What does it mean?

We were travelling around the canals with a white hire boat as a partner. I was helping someone drive the hire boat and I lost concentration. The hire boat crashed out off the end of the canal and into a shopping centre. Meanwhile Alex Horne from Taskmaster was on our boat with Mandy. This situation was clearly so ridiculous that I realised it must be a dream but when I pinched myself I did not wake up so I concluded it must be reality. Then families from the shopping centre started swarming all over the boat and I couldn’t get them off.

What does it all mean?

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that we are coming to the end of our first long trip out on the boat this year. The last month in the East Midlands has been a wonderful adventure and we have many more experiences to come this year. But this weekend we go back to a house for a few weeks, with things to do including a wedding to attend, a girls weekend for Mandy, and jobs around the house,

Perhaps the shopping centre represents us mooring up for a while. Perhaps the families represent us seeing our families. Perhaps not waking up from a dream represents our ongoing retirement narrowboat dream.

But what on earth was Alex Horne doing?

I asked ChatGPT who said “Alex Horne, a creative and slightly oddball character, might represent a whimsical or unexpected influence—maybe even a part of yourself that enjoys the absurd. Mandy’s presence shows she’s part of your emotional foundation and daily life. Perhaps this suggests you’re trying to balance your grounded world with something more chaotic or silly.”

Or maybe it is just that the new series of Taskmaster has started!

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When the memories all come flooding back

This week we have continued our narrowboat journey in the East Midlands. This is an area we have not seen before on the canals and not one I am familiar with in real life. We have mostly been travelling on the Erewash Canal, a beautiful but badly maintained and vandalised waterway through the ex-coal towns of Long Eaton, Ilkeston and ending at Langley Mill. We had a tough time, getting grounded due to low water levels, steering past sunken boats and fallen trees, and struggling to open leaky locks.

So you can imagine my surprise when we reached the extravagantly named “Great Northern Basin” at the top of the canal and I found all the fishing signs were from Matlock Angling Club.

I grew up in Matlock and just seeing the signs took me back there. Memories of school lessons, playing in a brass band, singing in a choir, going to church where my Dad was the vicar, going to pubs for the first time, learning about girls. It was not just memories. I could feel what it was to be an adolescent again. Simpler times than now, with no social media, more freedom, fewer expectations. For me they were happy innocent times and all of that came back to me from a few fishing signs.

You may wonder why Matlock Angling Club would cover such a town. the truth is that it is only a few miles away. Great Northern Basin is at the junction of the Erewash and the defunct Nottingham and Cromford canals. Cromford is very close to Matlock. Indeed we had a school reunion there last year.

But when I grew up my parents did not drive and so my view of the world was limited to Matlock and places I would visit by public transport such as Bakewell, Buxton and Derby. Funny to think that now I think nothing of travelling around Europe for a month.

I’d give the Erewash 4 out of 10 as a canal experience, but to bring back being a teenager from a couple of signs, that must be 9 out of 10. Happy days.

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Nottingham in a Narrowboat

We have travelled most of the UK canal and river network over the past five years. There are a few loose ends and this week we ticked off another of them – Nottingham. Within a few miles this used to be a real hub for water transport. There is the wide river Trent, there used to be a Nottingham canal through the town centre and a Beeston canal past the massive Boots works. Nowadays these are merged into the Nottingham and Beeston. In addition there is the Erewash canal, the river Soar and the start of the Trent & Mersey canal. Two further canals, the Derby and the Grantham have not been navigable for many years.

These days the waterways here are no longer used for industry. There are just leisure boaters like ourselves. A wide variety of people on the cut. Around Nottingham town centre there are homeless people living in tents, and wealthy owners of gin palace yachts. Some of the canal is run down and a bit rough. Other areas have been fully gentrified and look beautiful and expensive.

We are currently moored by the steps outside County Hall, a massive piece of architecture from the early 20th Century. Rowers from the nearby National Water Centre glide past us with their coaches shouting at them from the riverside. Swans and geese keep us company. We are overlooked by Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. It all feels very different than the run down industry that dominated the local canals here a few decades ago.

I am glad we have visited Nottingham. I’m off out now to see the museums to see if I can discover more. Every day is a school day.

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When do ducklings arrive on the canal?

Our TV on the narrowboat uses old photographs as a screen saver. It shows photos from similar dates in previous years. For two weeks I have been looking at ducklings, goslings and signets. But this year we have seen nothing – till yesterday.

First we saw a new family of red headed ducks. I didn’t get a picture sadly. And then we passed three individual ducklings, including this one. Based on previous years I now expect to see more and more over the next few weeks.

So I have two questions. 1. Why do ducklings all arrive at once? 2. Why are they later this year when the weather is really warm this year?

I am guessing the answer to the first is that being born in Spring gives them the best chance of survival. It is late enough to avoid the worst cold weather, and early enough to keep numbers of predators low. The second is more tricky. Mallards have a 28 day incubation period, so perhaps the current warm weather is irrelevant. The blog I wrote a month ago was entitled “Is it too cold to live on a narrowboat?”. So did the ducks just wait another week to incubate their eggs?

Things that make you say “hmmm”.

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Where shall we go on our narrowboat?

After I finish writing this blog, we will be setting off on Narrowboat Thuis for our first long trip of the year. Since I retired in 2021, we have spent most of each summer on the boat, travelling around the UK. We have navigated most of the canal and river network now, so the big question is where to go this year.

We have a map of the water network on our fridge

In previous years I would have had a pretty clear view about the destination, although the journey from day to day would change, depending on weather, how much we were enjoying an area, and our mood. But this year is more complicated because we need to do things off the boat throughout the summer. Our new window shutters will be arriving at the house in a couple of weeks. My nephew is getting married in early May. We have a weekend away with Mandy’s brothers and partners in June.

Another complication, or perhaps benefit, is that we have paid for our marina mooring for the whole year. Instead of a single journey around the country all summer, we plan trips out for a few weeks, and then back to our home mooring in Stone.

So I am looking for somewhere to go that is a couple of weeks away. Mandy quite fancied heading back north again. But the Macclesfield Canal had a breach last week, so is closed to through traffic. We both love the Shropshire Union towards Wales but we have been on that route so many times. It would be nice to do something new. One of the few places we haven’t visited on the canals is Nottingham. Or we could go back to somewhere we have only visited once, such as Oxford.

Well let’s set off south and see where we end up. I often tell people that the best thing about narrowboating is that the destination is less important than than enjoying the journey. Maybe we will see a kingfisher today. Maybe we will meet fascinating people at the locks. Maybe I’ll find a stately home to visit.

The sun is shining. There is a light breeze. Time to untie the ropes and set off on our mystery trip. See you next week.

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Five things I learnt by going to court

This week I had a day out in Liverpool.  It is a lovely city, fairly well known to me from having moored the narrowboat in Salterhouse Dock a couple of times.  But the reason I was here this time was to support my brother in law, Steve, who was going to court.

Steve had done nothing wrong.  The case was about a car accident a couple of years ago, which was not his fault but for which the two insurance companies could not agree.  And the good news is that he won.  But it was a fascinating experience for me to go to court and I learnt a lot:

  1. It is really scary.  It is not like on TV.  There were no robes, wigs, juries.  But there was still a judge and two aggressive barristers.  I was glad I did not need to answer any questions.
  2. Court buildings are falling apart.  After many years of under investment it really needed a lick of paint and new ceilings.
  3. It can be a lottery.  Right up to the final judgement our barrister was telling us that we might win, we might lose and it could be called 50/50.  It does appear to depend on which judge on which day.
  4. Insurance companies waste so much money!  The case was about repairs worth a few hundred pounds.  The legal fees cost thousands.  Surely there must be a better way to come to agreement.  It all adds to all our premiums.
  5. If you have to go to court, make a day of it.  Steve and I had a day out, travelling on trains, having breakfast beforehand and lunch afterwards and even visiting a rather smart art gallery.  It was fun.

It was a really interesting day, but I will be avoiding going back if I possibly can.

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Am I more at home in my narrowboat or in my house?

For the past few years we have had a simple life. In the winter our home was our house in Scotland. In the summer our home was our narrowboat. We were equally at home in either. This year it feels more confused. Just before Christmas we bought a new house in Lancashire. It is lovely but there are many things we want to do, such as installing solar, and sorting out the garden. And one of the reasons for moving was to be closer to friends and family, and we are enjoying seeing them. So in many ways we would like to stay at home in the house this year.

But we still love living on the boat. We have been there for the past month and have enjoyed the comforts of our marina, and so far three trips out. This week we had a lovely day with one of our sons and his girlfriend travelling on the narrowboat to a canalside pub for Sunday lunch. So in many ways we would like to stay on the boat all summer again.

Our lives are even more complicated this year because the summer is peppered with events, such a a nephew’s wedding, a weekend away for Mandy with her old school friends, a visit to Scotland, a trip to the cricket. So we can’t just set off on the boat with no plan.

We have done the right things logically. We have paid to have access to the marina in Stone all year round. We have tried to bunch some of the things to do for the house on similar dates. We have discovered that it is easy to get to and from the boat in less than an hour and a half.

But that leaves me confused on where home is. One of our dogs, Ziggy, must have similar feelings. When we went to get in the car at the marina this week to head back to the house, she planted her feet and refused to come. But now we are here she is completely settled.

I realise this is a first world problem. I am so privileged to have the choice of two lovely homes. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is in my house… and on my narrowboat. Lucky me.

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Seven things that make a great narrowboat mooring

We were pootling along the canal this week, heading in a generally southern direction. I was lacking energy, having just recovered from some rather unpleasant food poisoning, so was moving even slower than usual and beginning to think of stopping for the night. Then around a bend we came across a perfect spot. So I pulled up and we stayed for a few days. What made this such a great mooring?

  1. Beautiful views. This mooring is on a slight embankment, with views in all directions. Mandy particularly liked the mornings, lying in bed and watching the day wake up.
  2. Peace and quiet. Most of the time there was just one other boat around, and there was no road noise. The only thing disturbing the peace was a couple of geese that seemed to be having a massive argument one morning.
  3. A firm towpath. At this time of year many of the towpaths are quite muddy, but this one had dried out nicely in the sunshine.
  4. Armco. Traditionally boaters would moor by hammering two foot metal “pins” into the ground and tying the boat to them. It is much easier and more reliable when there is Armco along the edge, because we can attach our “nappy pin” hooks and tie up to them. The only thing better is where we find hoops or bollards, but that is rarely in the countryside.
  5. Good solar. In the summer there are so many hours of daylight that charging the batteries is rarely a problem, but in March we need to make the most of the sunshine we have. This week has been ideal weather, and this mooring had no trees or hills to shadow my panels.
  6. Good Internet. It may sound a little incongruous to an off grid boating life, but we do like fast WiFi. That way we can sit in our lounge in the beautiful countryside, binge watching a box set (currently Poirot). We have a mobile router with an external aerial and in this spot it was perfect.
  7. Access to a great walk with the dogs. From the narrowboat there was a lovely circular walk along the canal and then through the grounds of Sandon Hall, up to a monument to William Pitt, and affording expansive views across Staffordshire. The only downside was when we were chased across a field by a flock of inquisitive sheep.

Of course we also love variety. Sometimes it is nice to moor in a city centre. Or next to a wonderful pub. Or close to a supermarket. Or nearby a stately home. But for us this week, I cannot think of a better mooring. Simply lovely.

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Is it too cold to live on a narrowboat?

I think this week’s weather has been about as perfect as it can get. Each morning I have woken up to a hard frost, with ice coating the roof of the boat. The sunrises have been stunning, with the light glittering across the fields and the water. During the day the sun has warmed us to T Shirt temperatures, and then in the evening as the light fades, it has got cold again, very quickly, with amazing skies full of stars and planets.

We have been able to heat the boat with our bubble stove (a diesel stove rather like a wood burner) or with our Webasto diesel boiler. The Webasto was 14 years old and beginning to fail, so we had that replaced this week with a brand new one with a three year warranty. It was expensive (BOAT stands for “bung on another thousand”) but will keep our central heating and water hot for years to come.

The air space in a narrowboat is really small and so heats up quickly, despite the single glazing, single skinned walls, and drafts. We have spent many happy hours this week feeling toasty warm in the boat, while the world outside freezes.

Most of this week we have been moored back in our marina, where we have access to a car and so have been able to get things done, but tomorrow we are back on our Spring journeys, heading north through the industrial centre of Stoke on Trent. I am looking forward to seeing the old kilns and factories, as well as the beautiful Staffordshire Countryside.

I hope it is sunny and cold.

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Back on the narrowboat

We came back to our narrowboat this week. We stayed a few nights in the marina, checking we had everything we need, and then set off to one of our favourite moorings – Tixall Wide, on the Staffordshire and Worcester canal.

Tixall Wide is a beautiful place. When the canal was built, the wealthy landowner would only allow it to go through his estate, so long as it looked like a lake. Now, nearly three hundred years later, the fancy house is long gone, but the lake remains. It is home to all sorts of birds, including a couple of pairs of kingfishers, which I am hoping to see.

It is also a perfect first trip out from the marina in Stone because it is just four hours away. That is long enough to properly test the boat and the engine to make sure nothing has broken over winter, and it is short enough that if there is a problem we can limp back.

The good news is that we have not found any problems so far, and the work we had done while we were away seems to have been done well. The engine has been serviced and the rocker head gasket replaced. The shower has been regrouted and sealed. A fuse for the batteries has ben replaced. And we have a lovely new front button fender. The only issues are an ageing Webasto water heater that we will have to replace soon, and a joint in the central heating plumbing that leaks in cold weather.

I was itching to come travelling again and I have loved it. The canal locks feel a little stiff but that is probably caused by my windlass muscles needing to be built up again. The dogs have settled straight back in. Lulu in particular likes to sit on the rear deck and watch the world go round.

Right. Tea won’t cook itself. Pork chops cooked in stuffing tonight, with baked potatoes, cabbage and carrots. Traditional hearty food for narrowboaters in February. It is good to be back.

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