Farewell to Britian

24th August, 2013 (Tony)

Narrow boating in England was a novel and enlightening experience, quite different to canal cruising in France, dreadfully confined and restricted living space of course but we wouldn't hesitate to do it again given the chance. There are thousands of narrow boats on the canals in UK. Fortunately most were moored up in marinas or along the banks but passing was always a delicate manoeuvre especially near the very frequent and narrow bridge openings or blind bends. In some ways we would have liked to complete the Cheshire Ring through Manchester. We were swayed by the opinion of other boatees who intimated that the abandoned old industrial heart of Manchester through which the canal winds is not pretty and the prospect of encountering the delinquent youth inclined to hang around the locks there dissuaded us from continuing. Instead we retraced our steps down the Macclesfield, through the Peak District. Everyone we met was friendly and cheerful. This, coupled with glorious fine summer weather gave us an opportunity to pause occasionally and take a ramble into the countryside. We climbed up to several high points which afforded wonderful panoramic views over the Midlands and to distant Wales. It is a very picturesque part of England and we were constantly awed by the trees everywhere and copses of woodland. Aside from the width the most glaring difference between French and English canals is the condition of the banks. We returned to France to the Canal de Nivernais where the banks were freshly mowed and the tow path sealed all the way and wide enough for cyclists to easily pass. In England, where the maintenance and control of waterways is now in the hands of a charitable trust and volunteers, the canal banks were wildly overgrown. Hikers on the tow paths were restricted to a single file footway trampled through the growth; cycling would be impossible. There seems to be a divided range of opinion on this: (a) the BWS simply cannot afford the cost of upkeep; and (b) the uncontrolled growth along the canals allows the proliferation of wildflowers and will help to regenerate the ailing bee population as well as providing a habitat for water fowl and other birds and animals. The jury is still out on this issue. Either way I am inclined to believe that mowing grass is a task to be avoided.

We spent almost three weeks on Dragonfly. We think a month would be as much as one could stand cooped inside a narrow boat. In miserable weather it wouldn't be fun at all for there is no shelter for either crew whilst cruising. We enjoyed the Midlands immensely. During the industrial revolution it must have been noisy, filthy and grimy with the atmosphere choking with the smoke from coal fires and industry. Nowadays it is clean smart and very scenic. We hired a car in Stoke on Trent and visited several potteries (additional to the ones we called at near the canal earlier). I was surprisingly blown away by Moorcroft. We often see Moorcroft pottery featured on BBC programs such as Flog It; or Antiques Roadshow and we've always considered it ghastly and frightfully overpriced. But seeing it being created one couldn't help but admire the degree of skill imparted into each piece. And some of the modern pieces in their showroom were truly beautiful, though rather expensive. A similar tour through Wedgewood's factory was also fascinating. We farewelled Cheddleton and set off on the long drive to Scotland. A detour to Chatsworth House was essential. It has long existed on our bucket list and didn't disappoint. What a mansion! The furnishing and art works alone warranted a couple of hours inspection. And the gardens were absolutely stunning. We'll be reviewing both Pride and Prejudice (the movie); and The Duchess which were filmed there.

We stayed a couple of nights at a rundown old pub miles out in the Scottish countryside beyond Falkirk. Accommodation anywhere near Edinburgh was at a premium because of the Edinburgh Festival, hence this last resort. It proved to be a handy location however for us to visit Sally's cousin Morag in Stirling; and my sister Gerry in Edinburgh, the principal reason for going north. We finally got to see the Falkirk Wheel, an ingenious engineering project to connect the two canals that cross Scotland from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It was opened in 2002 replacing the old eleven locks disused since the thirties. Two 36,000 litre tubs swing through 180o to lift or lower barges 11 m. How we missed seeing it last time we were here I've no idea. We were within half a mile of the site but the significance of the "wheel" just didn't register. We took Gerry with us to visit HMY Britannia, now permanently moored in the Edinburgh docks. What a marvellous ship. Commissioned in 1954 and decommissioned in 1997 it remains in perfect condition although the antiquated communications equipment in the bridge reveal a clue as to why she would be impossible to retain in service. All the furniture and fittings are displayed exactly as used by the royal family. We had a lovely lunch aboard in the Britannia dining room. Tick...

The Border District through Northumbria couldn't have looked prettier than the morning we drove down to York. We planned to pop into York to look through the National Railway Museum. Mistake. Traffic into York was horrendous and we were trapped in a convoy that crawled at snails pace for more than an hour and a half. We abandoned any hope of making it to the museum, grabbed a quick cup of tea and fled the city as soon as possible. We spent a night with John and Corinne at Branston, just out of Lincoln. They very kindly took us out for a sumptuous meal in a delightful old manor hall converted into a luxury hotel. We would have loved to spend more time in this area.

On to Kent where we had intended to spend a couple of weeks in Jeff and Jane's cottage while they took over Sable from Philip and Sue. However a nasty fall rendered Jeff unable to make the trip to France so we stayed only two nights as Philip and Sue were understanably reluctant to leave Sable unattended. Our reduced timeframe did not prevent us from making numerous forays around the county to see some great places: Leeds Castle, one of Henry VIII's favourite residences and luxuriously renovated by Lady Baillie in the 1920's; Rochester a quaint old fortified city on the banks of the Medway — its buildings were source of inspiration for many of Dickens' novels; Canterbury with its historic cathedral and attractive arcades of shops; Margate and Ramsgate, seaside resorts perched near the eastern-most prominitory of the UK. Ultimate highlight however was Dover Castle and the tunnels beneath it, famously used during WWII, especially as headquarters for Admiral Ramsay as he oversaw the evacuation of Dunkirk in May, 1940. We spent half a day there and would have loved to have had longer to fully take in all the site has to offer. Before our ferry sailed for Calais we took a long hike up to the top and along the crest of the "White Cliffs". The sight was stunning. The town of Dover has little going for it, then neither does Calais but we were obliged to spend a night in both. A five hour journey by train took us to Clamecy to be reunited with Sable (looking very spic and span) and a relieved Philip and Sue packed and ready to depart for Bretagne.

Since arriving back in France the weather has been exceptionally sunny and hot — every day +30oC. We headed north for a week getting as far as Vincelles which enabled us to bike into Auxerre for essential shopping. We've now turned around and are travelling up the Nivernais, eventually back to Decize and from there on to Roanne to Sable's winter mooring.