I arrived in Tilbury from South America on June 2nd, and as soon as I was released from the port (Hey, no customs inspection ! Woo hoo !!), I drove up to near Oxford where I met the Skidmores and McAlisters who had already been on their rented Narrow Boat for 2 days - In the rain and cold ! I tracked them down to a mooring near the Folly Inn at Napton, and it was cold and wet when I got there. We had a great (and warm) evening in the excellent pub before retiring back to our 65 ft boat - Chieftain.
Next morning, we set off and it was still cold - But suffice it to say that over the next 4 days it slowly got warmer and sunnier, thank goodness ! These locks are hard work as I shall explain !
There is a lot of pressure in 10 ft of water ! So to open the paddles to let the water drain out of the locks takes quite a lot of effort - And I quickly managed to put my back out !! There must be a knack to it, which evidently I do not have ! So by the second day, I was relegated to first of all jumping off the boat with a rope to make sure we didn't lose it, and then later to actually driving the boat. It is actually quite fun - For a while, anyway ! But what makes it good is when you are with good friends, and also when the weather gets nicer ! I still don't think I could do 3 or 4 weeks on a boat, nor would I want to have one of my own - But a few days, OK !!
The canals are in many places very narrow, so when boats come the other way, you have to keep well to the side - And when you do that, you often run aground in the shallow mud by the bank, and the boat then becomes unsteerable and acts a bit like a torpedo, ramming the bank or any other boat that gets in its way !! And since a 65 ft long boat is basiclly pretty unsteerable anyway, running aground just makes it even more interesting ! I dread to think what it would be like in the high season when all the rental boats we saw moored are out and running around on the canals - It could get very crowded, slow and tiresome, I think.
But we were there in early June, and it was not busy, so we had a very relaxing time. Mooring against the tow path for lunch, or evening drinks / dinner, is a pleasant way to pass the time, and the Oxfordshire country side is delightful, especially when the sun is out.
By the time we got back to our rental base after 5 days, we were at last starting to become quite proficient at driving the thing, and working the locks. But I can tell you that it is not easy, and if you think a week in a Narrow Boat is a relaxing one, think again, especially if you are driving, because it takes 100% concentration all the time. And even the non drivers who are working the locks are very busy. At the end of a day, everyone is quite exhausted and a few drinks before bed are more than necessary !
Great fun, but quite limiting as you can't go very far to explore. It might be worth taking bikes on the boat next time so one can explore the countryside a little more. But certainly a great way to spend my first few days in England, and with good friends - It was great to catch up with Jos and Tony before they headed back to Australia.
Photos are here :-
But before you try to click on the link below, please be aware that it seems not to be working - I realise that, but don't know why. But if you copy the address below and past it into your search engine, you will get taken to the photos. It just seems not to work directly. Sorry - I am looking for the reason.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0300NarrowboatOnTheUKCanals?authkey=Gv1sRgCIiB9om7-suF5AE
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