I live with a sailor and his wife. I've been saved the discomfort of sailing on the high seas but boating is now part of my life. That's our boat - Knot a Yot! turning round in a winding hole as a crew member watches from the towpath - then helps the sailor to get it facing in the right direction.
We've had a few adventures on this barge since getting it last October. Throttle cable snapped on one trip, battery failed on another when I fell in not once but three times. Now I suffer the indignity of wearing a life jacket and still occasionally fall in then float to the surface and wait to be hauled out.
We've been boating ever since we got the barge. At first we went out from Whixhall Marina; more recently from Ellesmere. Personally, I prefer to moor up somewhere away from other boats where I can go sniffing along the towpath (on a lead - they still don't trust me) and watch out for other dogs and ducks going past.
Whixhall Marina was lovely. I made friends with Oz (Malcolm's dog) who lives there all the time. Whixhall Moss was pretty with lots of ducks, geese, swans and other birds (that I couldn't get hold of).
But it was adventure we were seeking and this week - even though it's February and we've just experienced Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin - we headed off from Ellesmere to explore the Montgomery Canal. We'd hardly gone a mile or so when we were grounded! The pole got used, then when land was in reach they pulled on the ropes and eventually we were on our way keeping away from any branches sticking out of the water. After a night near a pub called The Navigation (really nice and friendly - even to dogs) we reached the Frankton Locks ready to decend. I wasn't too sure about that.
Those locks were deep. I made sure I was on the outside for the next set of locks.
They were named after someone who'd helped get this canal navigable - Graham Parker.
I now had a new position - foreguard - to warn of oncoming ducks and other hazards (my ears also serve as a windsock). There wasn't as much wind as on the previous few days - one stretch of the canal not only had trees flattened to one side, but one huge one across the canal itself. Luckily the nice men at the Canal Trust had cleared just enough room for us to get through.
And so we continued our epic journey down to the end of the navigable section at Maesbury Marsh where we were told by some canoeists that the Navigation Inn was great for food and allowed well behaved dogs in. I do behave sometimes. On that occasion we were disappointed. It was closed! The next day we turned round and headed back to Queen's Head where we stopped at another pub for lunch. The Queen's Head was open - but not for dogs. They went in without me!
Today we headed back up the remaining locks and onto the Llangollen Canal heading for Ellesemere.
We said goodbye to Frankton and, as the sun shone in the clear blue sky, I kept up my watch for ducks and low bridges. I'm quite looking forward to my next boating trip - next week!
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