OUR first impression of Brenda, our boat, was how spacious she was. She was sparklingly clean and beautifully kitted out, with everything we needed for a self-sufficient "get away from it all break". That immense length—all 67 feet of it—is great when you're inside, but for my husband,Robin, at the helm, it seemed a little daunting at first.
After a six-point turn, we were plunged into the deep end, so to speak, with the first lock to negotiate. The locks on the Worcester and Birmingham canal are very narrow; there was little more than six inches between boat and lock wall either side. Lining up the boat to slot in smoothly was a real art and this manoeuvre was deftly achieved in the first few locks by bouncing off the sides. But it wasn't long before Robin got the knack and he felt very self-satisfied when he was able to navigate the locks without scraping Brenda. However, we had barely been gone an hour from the boatyard at Stoke Prior, near Bromsgrove, when the first 'mishap' happened, With Robin at the, my daughter Elena (14) and her friend Bethany Albutt (15), had just operated two successive locks very ably and we were full of confidence about the relaxing days ahead, when Robin's shouts and curses and the sound of thrashing water shattered our illusions. I dashed to the stern wondering what all the commotion was about. We appeared to be stuck in shallow water and, even worse, the rudder had come out of its mooring. No amount of hoisting, twisting and pulling would shift it. The tranquility of the canal was pierced by expletives as Robin flew into a panic. At this point we were in a large area between two short flights of locks. Another boat was coming through the locks in the opposite direction, so we had moved over to the right, as our Boaters' Handbook dictated. Once settled into the routine and feeling confident with the boat, we started to appreciate the real joy of life on the canal. Cruising along at little more than walking pace is a great antidote to the breakneck speed of 21st century life.
With only a short break, we had to turn around at Worcester and go backthe way we had come. As we had relaxed into the canal way of life, we seemed to spot more of the nature along the banks, the pretty canal side cottages and villages. Elena and Bethany enjoyed sitting on the roof, legs dangling over the side, as the scenery rolled by, and jumped out enthusiastically at every lock. Everyone agreed that locks are a big part of the fun of a canal boat holiday and our part of the Stourport Ring was full of them. Apparently though, we'd had it fairly easy. If we'd gone north towards Birmingham, or had done a complete loop, we'd have had to face the longest flight of locks in Britain at Tardebigge, 30 locks in one go, climbing 220 feet.
Now that sounds an interesting idea for our next trip.
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