AT ONE point, soaked to the cuticles and surrounded by the urban collapse of Stoke, it was really hard to find the poetry in boating.
The brochure calls rain "liquid sunshine". I'd laughed but didn't see the funny side as we chugged through a vision of decay in awful conditions.
All around, bulldozers were marching on the blackened husks of the old potteries, no doubt ready to throw up call centres and retail parks in their place.
Yet our narrowboat pootled on, leaving this behind and taking us into the placid meadows and gentle rolling hills of Britain's hidden hinterland.
Canal boating in Britain is still a holiday unlike any other, and I mean that in a good way.
Our vessel was called Grace and she was owned by Black Prince Holidays.
The firm has a number of bases throughout England and Scotland. Our starting point was the Festival Park marina, Stoke.
My crew consisted of myself, my wife Liz, her brother Andy and his girl-friend Emma.
We were given a run-through before departure by a jovial guide who explained important and alien-sounding concepts such as the oil sump, weed hatch and kill switch.
Grace was beautifully appointed, with a spacious living room and galley as well as two double beds.
The bathroom resisted the usual boating cliches, offering a swish, modern loo and a warm shower.
The firm also offers to provide groceries for a reasonable price.
"Weather forecast's not that good," the instructor understated.
"But never mind - you're gonna have a great time." Our four-day voyage would take us east up the Caldon Canal, an offshoot of the Trent and Mersey Canal which was built to bring lime from the kilns of northern Staffordshire.
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It did indeed prove a great way to get the hang of the tiller.
The following day we set off up the Caldon, and a helpful chap from Black Prince came out to show us how to go through our first lock. Once you get past talk of windlasses and ratchets, it's all fairly simple.
The canal eventually splits in two, one arm going north to Leek, the other towards Alton Towers
Our instructor recommended a gentle four-mile cruise north to help us get the hang of it. |
I gamely volunteered to stay up on deck to steer us through it.
One of the obstacles was an electronic lift bridge.
Here the crew has to stop the traffic with a pair of barriers and activate a hydraulic system which raises the road.
At one point the rain was so bad that we moored up, but then we made a terrible mistake.
Knowing there was a long flight of five locks ahead of us, we waited for the fading sun to come out.
Five minutes into the first lock, the rain started again. And once you're in a flight of locks you must not stop until you're through the last one.
The next day was a lot better. The rain was still with us but less than before. It also helped that we were now cruising through open countryside, and the occasional sparkle of sunlight showed us what it might have been like in more clement conditions.
Reaching the little idyll where the canal splits in two, we decided to make the homeward journey.
The next morning we returned to the marina to be welcomed by the friendly staff who helped us berth Grace.
If it had been midsummer, this would have been a dream. Liquid sunshine might have marred it all somewhat - but the excellent service from the company and the magnificent Grace herself made it worth every drop.
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TRAVEL FACTS ¨ Nick booked with Black Prince Narrowboat Holidays, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire. ¨ A four to five berth canal boat costs from £610. ¨ Special deals and discounts are available, depending upon the time of year. ¨ Boats are available from the middle of March to the end of October. ¨ Telephone 01257 575115 ¨ www.black-prince.com
The route initially took us through some pleasant parkland before showing us the outskirts of Stoke.
It was about here that the rain started. From light drizzle to stinging hail we ran the gamut of wet stuff. |
