ARROWBOATING is like caravanning, only for the more adventurous, eh? Well, I have it good authority that the next Indiana Jones movie is going to be set on a canal—and if it's good enough for Indy... All right, I may be getting ahead of myself here. But it's absolutely true that Harrison Ford took himself and the missus Calista Flockart off for a week's cruise on the Llangollen canal last summer.
After seven days of exactly the same you can see the appeal, 'though it's not all, ahem, plain sailmg:..
Piloting a narrowboat is no different from driving a car provided, of course, your usual town runabout's a 15-ton 58-footer that handles like a rubber pantechnicon and goes left when you steer right (Land Rover Discovery drivers, I am talking to you!).
After a long drive down to the basin at Chirk in north Wales you load up your tub and one of the good people from Black Prince Holidays gives you the lowdown—which end is which, pump the bilges, safety tips etc.
I still can't decide if they give you too much or too little information; too much and your weary, wine-hungry holiday brain might pop a synapse, of course, but on the other hand you are about to take this big dieselly machine out among ducks, humans and children. Words like weed-hatch will be bandied about, there's a bit of actual 'live' steering from an expert, who'll get you out of port, then you're off. ON YOUR OWN.
At Goose Fair they have dodgems where you may have to take evasive action to avoid hitting another car. Narrowboating has basically the same rules (you may even have a gipsy lad hop on your stern) but it's all a lot slower.
This is a) good, because you can see the lovely countryside unfurl before you at a walking pace (see also: walking), but b) bad, because it ratchets up the tension as you approach bridges, locks and other canal users, all hoving into view with the inexorability of death.
Keep it steady and you should be ok, although there's always some nutter flashing past at 4mph, spoiling it for everyone..
As well as moving about, the other main thing you'll be doing is stopping (mooring, as some will have it). It's like parking, except you need a mallet, rope and gloves for throwing the dog poo into the hedge bottom.
There are very definite rules about mooring, and a week's observation suggests you can only do it on the left hand side of the canal. Or the right hand side. And you can only stay in one place for 48 hours at a time. |
Another joy of boating is that there's always someone looking at you, smiling and waving and waiting for you to crash. It's tempting to leap ashore and set upon. them with a belaying pin, but hold; this kind of thing is frowned upon in canalling circles (also known as turning circles) and a little camaraderie greases the, er, wheels.
We were impressed by our Duchess class boat. It had central heating, a hot shower, three lovely comfy beds and all mod cons, even a bread bin. .We didn't find any use for the TV but other boaters clearly did and the aerial was the first thing that appeared whenever they parked up, sorry moored.
Along the way we held our breath for the 15 minutes it took us to traverse Thomas Telford's stunning Pontcysyllite Aqueduct which perches 120ft above the River Dee. This remarkable feat of engineering celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.
The area around the Black Prince base is Telford country with the A5 now a heritage route. This old road, the canal basin with its aqueduct (there is also a shorter one at Chirk) are one of the few places in the British Isles where the industrial past has not scarred the natural beauty.
The journey down the Dee valley is a delight arid we were buoyed up by a wholesome lunch at the Sun Inn at a place called Trevor.
It was time to take to land for a bracing walk on the Offa's Dyke path to Trevor Rocks, an ancient and eerie trek following the contours for a fine view of the ruined castle.
Back on board and we headed by Llangollen, one of those pretty slate grey towns with no bypass and consequently spoiled by the continuous roar of traffic.
An image of a daiek on a street sign has us intrigued and my husband — being a Dr Who fan (Eccleston will be just fine in the role, don't worry, he says) — we had to investigate. The Dr Who exhibition had moved — to America. The street sign's still there to tantalise folk like us.
The best find in Llangollen was undoubtedly Gales wine bar which had friendly knowledgeable staff, superb food, a good selection of reading matter and a laid-back atmosphere that made you feel you were at home.
On one day we were the first to arrive for lunch and the last to leave. It was heaven.
We headed back to our comfy warm boat for an afternoon snooze and a quiet read. Double heaven. Life 'on the cut' ain't that bad after all. |
