Andrew_Fanner
Well-Known Member
Hello everybody.
My name is Andrew and I admit to having just spent, voluntarily, a week on a barge on a canal. No, not a narrowboat, a barge. I am asking for your help, understanding and support, because I had a really good time. However, I will be taking my medication again and should be back to normal in a few weeks.
Actually I'd forgotten just how much graft a flight of locks is, and Caen Hill (29 wide ones for them as don't know) each way in 72 hours smacks of severe masochism. While those on board cruised, slowly, from Devizes to Seend Cleeve, my wife and I walked, and wound, and pushed, and pulled and wound and walked some more. But the beer was excellent afterwards.
All in a good cause, disabled access barge from The Bruce Trust, a very worthy organisation indeed.
All the canal folk we met were, nearly, sympathetic to us "posh gin palace types" with our easily steered boats, locks worked for you and other serfs to bring more G&Ts if the tonic goes flat. I'll try and put up some pictures when I have sorted them out. Its a bit overgrown in places, and while the older folks were thinking in terms of Sanders of the River or The African Queen, I was getting visions of the brownwater navy in the Mekong Delta. I did try to post earlier, but basic GPRS is as good as I was getting in those parts!
My name is Andrew and I admit to having just spent, voluntarily, a week on a barge on a canal. No, not a narrowboat, a barge. I am asking for your help, understanding and support, because I had a really good time. However, I will be taking my medication again and should be back to normal in a few weeks.
Actually I'd forgotten just how much graft a flight of locks is, and Caen Hill (29 wide ones for them as don't know) each way in 72 hours smacks of severe masochism. While those on board cruised, slowly, from Devizes to Seend Cleeve, my wife and I walked, and wound, and pushed, and pulled and wound and walked some more. But the beer was excellent afterwards.
All in a good cause, disabled access barge from The Bruce Trust, a very worthy organisation indeed.
All the canal folk we met were, nearly, sympathetic to us "posh gin palace types" with our easily steered boats, locks worked for you and other serfs to bring more G&Ts if the tonic goes flat. I'll try and put up some pictures when I have sorted them out. Its a bit overgrown in places, and while the older folks were thinking in terms of Sanders of the River or The African Queen, I was getting visions of the brownwater navy in the Mekong Delta. I did try to post earlier, but basic GPRS is as good as I was getting in those parts!
To be fair I've steered such things for years, but a wheel steered command bridge twin screw cruiser is easier.
