Basic stuff, except when you are behind the tiller of a seven ton canal boat in just three foot of water. So, it was with a very large bottle of rum that we took to the waterways of north Wales for a four day trip with Black Prince Holidays.
We arrived in Chirk, near Wrexham, on a gloriously sunny October morning, muffled up to the hilt in big jumpers, woolly socks and coats. We were given the guided tour of our floating home by one of the many experienced staff at the base, before being handed the tiller.
Canal boats have certainly moved on since their hey day about 200 years ago – they now have double beds, comfy sofas, gas cookers, toilets, showers, hot water and helpfully a motor.
But they still need maintenance and we were given a list of essential jobs to do every day, before being let loose on the Ellesmere Canal, like pumping out (this was an easy one and could be done at the push of a button), pushing the grease through (slightly more technical and involved fishing around in the bowels of the hull and twisting a handle) and filling up with water.
This sounded quite simple in theory – there are taps at various intervals along the stretch of canal and every boat comes with a hose pipe. Canal boats don’t come with brakes, but we soon discovered they slow down very quickly if you get too close to the side or another canal boat. | This of course isn’t advisable and luckily it didn’t take too long to master the art of using the reverse gear in the same way as clutch control, although we left technical manoeuvres like parallel parking to the experts after a minor incident with another canal boat!
For complete beginners like us being in charge of a 58ft vessel was daunting, but after a day, handling the tiller became second nature. Travelling at four miles an hour seemed impossible at first but it was surprising how quickly we adapted to the change in pace and contrary to popular belief, locks were not difficult to do.
But for me, the most fascinating part of the trip was the scenery, which was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The autumn colours, the wildlife and lack of people made you feel like you were travelling through a painting by Constable.
This trip was lots of fun and one that I would highly recommend for a group of friends or for families with older children who could take an active part in the holiday. |
