Newbold on Avon November 7th
We have passed a string of permanent
moorings the last two days. The narrowboat is the residence, and the “dock” is
adjacent to a small patch of land about an eighth of an acre. On this patch are often veggie gardens,
lawns, storage sheds, flower gardens and picnic areas. We even passed one
mooring with a treehouse overlooking the canal.
Of course, there is the occasional “junkyard” where the extra space on
shore is littered with “treasures” strewn from one end to the other. The cared
for and groomed spaces are quite a lovely slice of boat life.
We managed our first fuel and waste disposal stop today. Before the attendant arrived, we were advised to turn our boat around. I was holding on to the bow line walking it down the dock. I know better than to try and hold the boat on my own using my back, but I did it anyway. Two more Tylenol.
If
we calculated it right, a gallon of diesel cost us $7.75. Wowzer! We are
burning a little more than a ½
gallon per hour.
I did very little driving today because I
needed to operate the throttle. It now kicks out of gear, so it is easier for
David if he doesn’t have one hand on the tiller and the other constantly on the
throttle. We need to find a chancellery and get a bungee cord which would fix
the situation. I did, however, drive under my first bridge today. Baby steps.
We marvel at the engineering and
construction of the old brick bridges along the canal. Many are in desperate
need of some repair. Sections have broken off and cracks weave their way
through the bricks. But their beauty and perseverance are undeniable. I wish I
could adequately capture at least one in a photo.
It was wet and cold again today. On days
that we don’t have to push ourselves, we like to leave around 8 am and stop by 1:00. Mooring sites are easier
to find earlier in the day, and we are both ready to seek the warmth of the
boat and dry off.
Unfortunately,
sometimes the “Endeavor” episode, “The Tow Path Murders” pops into my brain,
and it can play havoc with my imagination. Silly,
maybe, but an early docking time also means we get to town and back before the
sun goes down on those tow paths.
I brought two pairs of gloves, one all
weather and the other cotton. David
brought none so he is using my good gloves (the driver needs dry warm hands). I end up wringing mine out each day. They are
useless. I need to find a proper pair.
Gloves are a necessity when working the
locks. Today we came across 4 locks in a row which had two lanes for traffic
going up or going down. So much easier. At one lock there were marina workers
with a lineup of boats in the lock shuffling them in and out. They made maneuvering these long skinny
vessels look so easy.
We found the The Barley Mow Pub just a
short walk from the boat. We were so looking forward to a hot meal after such a
chilly day. The barkeep informed us that the kitchen was closed today (our boat
book said it would be open), but recommended that we walk about 2 minutes down
the road to the fish and chips shop and bring the meal back to the pub.
The chip shop was more than that. Owned by a Greek gentleman there were many
more offerings such as pasties and slices of lamb and pork and sausage roles.
We carried our take-out back to the pub, and they generously gave us cutlery
and sauces, and we eagerly dined adding, of course, a pint of Guinness.
Delicious. We had ourselves a game of cribbage as well. David is up by one game but not for long.
Cruised over our first aqueduct today which
took us over two roads. At one point today the water level of the canal raised
us just about eyeball to eyeball with the sheep and eyeball to headlights with
cars on one stretch of road along the canal.
Of course, the cars were zooming by us, and the sheep were far too
interested in grazing to pay any attention to one more silly boat.
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