There were a number of new experiences today. First, we were underway before 8 a.m., traveling a serene canal with no other crafts plying the waters.

The songbirds were in tune with a volume that could even be heard over the sound of the diesel. One stretch opened up to us as if an enchanted forest.

Alternatively, for those of my generation there was a late 1950’s TV serial, “Journey to the Beginning of Time!” It told the story of a family adrift on a mystical river flowing back through the geological ages. There were portions we traveled today that I swear were the locations where that serial was filmed. Once again, I give thanks and credit for Kris Ashton for having the presence of mind to take and share a time lapse video of one such section. Here is the link: Enchanted Canal

New experience number two… We traversed our first tunnel. It was only about 100 yards long, and thus a good first experience. A much longer one awaits us tomorrow.

Back in the day, commercial canal boats navigated the tunnels aided by “canal walkers”. These were men who hired on at the mouths of the tunnels to propel the boats to the other end by lying on their backs aboard the boats and pushing against the tunnel walls with their feet. One wonders how many must have fallen off and drowned in the loner canal tunnels that lacked any walkway. Some of the tunnels are miles long and pitch dark.

A third new experience was navigating in the rain. Nothing really special, but notable insofar as it was neither a bone-chilling cold or a gale force wind as we have experienced the last few days. It was actually quite pleasant (see “Enchanted Forest” above).

Before I mention the fourth “new experience” I must again give praise to Great Britain’s traditional pubs, traditional ales, and wonderful cuisine. Tonight it was the “The Poachers” canal-side pub. Our good fortune was to tie-up mere feet from the entrance and to be here on Tuesday night when the featured special was rotisserie roasted chicken. Six pounds Ninety Five pence (about $9) for a half chicken, choice of sauces, two sides and choice of potato. Incredible!

Now to the “Fourth Experience” which keys into the title of this post… “So Much at Stake”.

The moorings outside of the pub had a limited number of concrete imbedded rings on which vessels may securely tie. We were not among those fortunate enough to secure one of those coveted spots. However, no worry as the boat charter company supplied two mooring pins (think large heavy duty tent stakes) and a small sledge hammer. Drive the pins in, secure the bow and stern lines, and its good to go… or so we thought.

While we were in the pub two narrowboats, traveling in tandem, passed within feet of the moored vessels at full throttle, causing havoc. Our bow pin pulled free from the bank and our vessel then swung out into the canal tethered only at the stern. I have come to believe that there is a balance struck in the Universe and for every out-of-control boating asshole there are at least 10 boating angels. Our “angels” were in the process of tying up astern of us and as they struggled to secure their vessel in the mayhem one of the crew climbed aboard ours and cast a line back to shore. When we returned to the boat I immediately noticed where the pin had yanked a large plug of turf out and where it had been driven back into the canal bank. Thank you Phil, Sue, and your two teenage children for being the right people in the right place, with the right heart to recognize… that we had so much at stake!

Tomorrow we reach Llangollen.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS: My cell service provider has given me a warning that I have been using a LOT of data. Apparently I neglected to turn data off with regard to uploading pictures. I have remedied this, but I will now have to carefully reserve uploading my posts to opportunities where WiFi is present.

PPS: (April 17th) There were two more “interesting” encounters the following day with the two narrowboat miscreant vessels which will be mentioned in my next post.

Today presented another new experience, a “Staircase Lock”. Most locks have gates at both ends that are associated only with a single chamber of water. However, some areas of the canal system require a greater change in elevation within a shorter distance. Creative engineers devised a system whereby a number of lock chambers share common gates. While this accomplishes the stated goal, it means that vessels must be better coordinated to use the system as one chamber is used to fill the next chamber in sequence.

The Grindley Brook Staircase featured 4 chambers and instructions for both ascending and descending.

As a courtesy, and to avoid unnecessary “traffic jams”, Canal and River Trust volunteers assist the narrowboat crews. From within the chambers the towering gates and cascading waters are intimidating. Christine and Kris found the lock masters to be personable and most helpful.

Once again, Kris graced us with a time-lapse video of me ascending two of the four chambers. Here is the link to her video: The Grindley Brook Staircase.

In all, there were 7 locks including the staircase at Grindley Brook. Thus it took us nearly 2 hours to navigate a few hundred yards, due in part to the queuing of our vessel with others. We tied up after successfully negotiating the passage and enjoyed coffee and a light meal at the aptly named Lockside Cafe.

The Llangollen canal is often narrow, swift (by canal standards) and quite popular. Therefore it occasionally presents congestion and some anxious moments as boaters squeeze by one another.

Today the challenges were compounded by a vicious wind that gusted to over 30 mph. The tempests willfully pushing vessels where their skippers preferred that they not go. Once, while passing an oncoming narrowboat with mere inches of daylight between us the seasoned pilot of the other vessel called out to me in his native brogue, “Tests our skills does it not Skipper?” I really wanted to employ a less than a “G” rated reply, but there were children in the vicinity.

We cruised under the pressure of the wind gusts for 5 hours when a particularly inviting stretch of canal gave us the perfect place to tie-up for the evening.

It was no accident (thanks to the Peterson Guide) that a well regarded pub, The SunInn, was a pleasant one and a half mile walk through the countryside.

We were not disappointed with The SunInn, or its wonderfully friendly customers. Our host, Hanna, treated us like we were family… and the food was fantastic! There is an old saw that says that “British Cuisine” is an oxymoron. I beg to differ. The fare that we have experienced each evening has been hearty, mouthwatering, and reasonably priced. The SunInn reinforced this impression.

We passed into Wales today. The countryside is an explosion of rolling green hills and an endless chorus of songbirds. “Old” here predates the discovery of the Americas, reaching back though the Middle Ages, the Roman Empire, the mysteries of the Druids, Stonehenge, and on into pre-history. All one needs to do is look around and be in the moment to see and appreciate.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS: Here are a few more images of the day, and sage words found on the wall of the Lockside Cafe.

Last year, shortly after we booked our reservation for Salten-Fjord, I purchased copies of J.M. Pearson & Son Ltd.’s “Canal Companion”s covering the routes that we intended to travel. Little did I know how valuable these compact guides would be. I had imagined that a canal was like a railroad, just travel where the tracks (or water) carry you. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Good fortune and unexpected insights have been found every day in these guides. Turn the page and there is charming narrative, such as, “The canal crosses the old Roman Road of Watling Street on a study yet elegant aqueduct o iron, brick, and stone construction”… or “Wrenbury Hall’s history goes back to Domesday but the present mock Elizabethan mansion dates from 1919. In living memory it has been used to rehabilitate tuberculosis sufferers…”.

Encouraged by these slices of local color we have moored for the express purpose of “smelling the roses”.

More practical are the detailed maps that dissect the canals into discreet sections that take 2-4 hours to travel. Each diagram includes a dizzying array of symbols that apprise one of everything from navigational challenges to farms where fresh eggs and home-made ice cream may be purchased.

There are precious few signs on the canals. However, every bridge (and there are literally hundreds of them) bears a number on each side. It is these numbers that keep one oriented to where you are, and where you are going. With the exception of the more daunting, locks are often nameless and numberless. Again, they are anticipated by reference to the nearest bridge number.

The Pearson Guides also advise as to the quality of the adjoining towpaths and whether they are suitable for man, beast, or bicycle. It is not uncommon for a crew member to hop off and walk the path, often faster than the vessel, in order to reconnoiter, get some exercise, or just secure some quiet personal time.

The guides are not perfect. One still must expect the unexpected such as a raised draw bridge that appeared to have become our responsibility to lower. Christine was deposited on shore and I proceeded at the helm to the other side where I believed that she would meet us after lowering and crossing the bridge. Unfortunately, the bridge was padlocked in the up position and since narrowboats are crap at backing up against a strong wind we (and she) feared that she was marooned on the side of the canal where there was nothing but mud and shoal-water. 15 minutes of effort seasoned liberally with a sailor’s vocabulary finally brought my “Bonny” back to me.

Another unexpected surprise suddenly appeared around a blind bend in the canal. 20+ children came darting toward us in miniature kayaks. Like so many little ducklings they darted helter-skelter across the canal in front of us. An adult leader in a canoe shouted to us, “Pay no mind, just go around them!” Apparently she believed that my 30,000 pound 61 foot long vessel was amphibious and just as maneuverable as her canoe. Incredible!

Our morning again broke to near freezing temperatures. Winds were light for the first 2 hours which made for good cruising. However the winds piped up to over 20 mph which made the afternoon hours very challenging. By 5 p.m. I was again ready for a proper mooring and a short walk along the canal to a pub, pint, and grub. Tonight it was the “Horse and Jockey”. This has become our routine but the enjoyment at the end of the day on the canal remains anything but routine.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS: Cell coverage has been very spotty along the circuitous and mostly rural canals we have traveled. Tonight I am playing “catch-up” with my posts as the cell signal at this mooring is fairly strong. It has also allowed me to check email, the weather, and of course social media. I also learned that our three days of cruising have placed us only 19 miles from our starting point (as the crow flies). If you have any ambition to canal boating then abandon all hope of getting from point A to point B in a hurry.

The mornings have begun with fog and heavy frost. We are hoping for warmer temperatures, but for now we will be thankful that it hasn’t rained.

Today presented new challenges in the form of some very narrow channels, blind tight radius turns, and side winds that conspired to push us off course.

There were other frustrations, but the worse was being wind pushed diagonally across a 50 foot wide section of canal in a 61 foot long boat. Do the math and you will correctly conclude that we had 11 feet of too much boat. We wedged fore and aft. 10 minutes of effort brought us back on course, but with the temporary loss of my dignity.

There were 9 locks today, including a flight of four that followed one immediately after the other.

Here is a link to a 15 second time-lapse video of our passage through a single canal boat lock: “15 Seconds in a Lock”

Dignity was restored at the next lock where we learned that the previous day an experienced skipper managed to wedge his boat in that lock. It took the canal authorities 16 hours to extricate his vessel and repair the damaged brickwork.

Speeds on the canals are not to exceed 4 miles per hour, a very fast walk or slow jogging pace. One might scoff at the notion that such a snail’s pace could cause anxiety, let alone fear. However, Salten-Fjord and most of the other vessels it encounters weigh over 30,000 pounds… have imprecise steering and really lousy brakes. What’s more, some of the fancier canal boats sport custom paint jobs costing over 15,000 Pounds (about $20,000.00)! It’s little wonder that we as novices have white knuckles and tension headaches at the end of the day. A pint of real English Bitter (ale) is the prescribed cure at a pub (The Farmer’s Arms) that also serves an amazing shank of lamb!

Our progress is slow but steady as we approach our first experience operating drawbridges, crossing aqueducts, and navigating pitch dark tunnels. Stay tuned!

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Today is Kris Ashton’s Birthday. Happy Birthday… we are honored that she chose to spend it with us.

Answer: Pints at the Badger Pub.

After breakfast, our Boar’s Head hostess Liz drove us to the local market where we bought provisions. Mostly breakfast and lunch fixing as our plan is to conclude each day with a pint and meal at some canal-side pub. Shopping accomplished, Liz then took us to the Andersen Boat yard where we loaded our belongings and supplies aboard Salten-Fjord, our 61×8 foot “home” for the next 3 weeks.

Items stowed, Ryan and Pauline conducted our vessel and lock orientation. We all received the overview of vessel systems and safety. Thereafter, Chris and Kris received training on operating the canal locks and I attended to my crash (no pun intended) course on piloting the narrowboat. These instructions required our absolute attention, so sorry but no pictures. The entire orientation took an hour after which the vessel was ours!

I remember the day my father “taught” me how to drive. I was 14, the car was a manual shift 1961 Plymouth Valiant, and he handed me the keys and said “drive”. It was a solo experience on the rural roads as he merely walked away and left it for me to figure out the details.

Today Ryan handed me the keys and helm of Salten-Fjord. His instructions were infinitely more compete than those provided by my father 53 years ago. Also, I was sharing the responsibility with 2 very competent women. Nevertheless, that old conjured memory hints at the insecurity that I was feeling. We survived the initial locks and navigational challenges, quickly acquiring confidence.

The newness of the experiences kept us on our toes, but we were able to relax enough to gain awareness of the extraordinary sights that were unfolding before our eyes.

Kris had the presence of mind to take a 3 minute video from the bow that gives some sense of the experience. Here is a link to the video: 3 Minutes on the Shropshire Union Canal

Over the course of 3 hours we successfully navigated 5 locks and 16 bridges. We arrived and made our mooring near the town of Church Minshull, home of the highly regarded Badger Inn and Pub. No sooner than we had securely tied up and Christine and Kris were pouring over the charts for tomorrow’s passage.

The Badger was reached by a perilous walk quarter mile down a narrow country lane. The road was without a shoulder, often presenting blind turns, and the cars approached fast and heedless of our presence. A pint and an excellent Steak and Ale Pie were my reward for a day well and safely done. This is a 45 year dream realized. Although the dream has been mine, the enthusiasm and wonder are shared equally among the 3 of us.

I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the interior and exterior of Salten-Fjord. They appear at the end of this post. We are traversing a rural landscape and finding that internet service comes and goes. These posts my be delayed for that reason.

Tomorrow we continue on towards Llangollen in Wales and the world renown canal aqueduct.

Peace Everyone. Pete