The Four Counties Ring, Anderton Boat Lift and the Llangollen Canal in Two Weeks

With memories of what we'd learned on our two day narrowboat taster session earlier in May, we were ready for two weeks cruising

After a reminder briefing from Brevic and a photo for their Facebook Page, we were off.  We had taken so much stuff with us it took me three hours to put everything away in the ample onboard storage.  Rain saw us getting soaked on our first day - but it was supposed to be sunny for the whole fortnight!

Reached as far as Tixall Wide the first evening and were surprised by how quiet the Staffs & Worcs was for August Bank Holiday 

Our first challenge of the holiday was the Harecastle Tunnel, we were in a convey of 4 boats - we were the fifth and we had no wait to get through. The scary bit is that, after your full safety briefing, you enter the tunnel, and they shut the doors behind you! 

We risked taking a slight detour to see the Anderton Boat Lift with no plans to take NB Maddison down it. AIt's best to book in advance (if you can) - when we arrived there was no-one in the queue, so we were "lifted" from the canal down to the River Weaver, and came back up again an hour or so later

We desperately wanted to do the Llangollen Canal, again time permitting, and had made enough time to pull this in. 

I especially wanted to tick off a bucket list item of steering a narrowboat over the   Pontcysyllte aqueduct. Received wisdom was this was the busiest canal on the network, that congestion was a real problem and queues would be long at locks. That was not our experience. We sailed through - literally

It was pouring with rain on the Saturday we crossed over and with my heart in my mouth and the dog safely locked in the toilet (so she could not jump off and disappear down a 150 ft sheer drop) we edged across.  Actually, the boat takes itself and cannot "fall off" - it just feels like it can

We navigated the Llangollen, there and back, in three days, which included an overnight stay in Llangollen Basin - but that was going some, with 7:30 - 8 am starts and crusing until about 7 pm at night

We now had four days to complete the remainder of the Four Counties Ring, and we did it - just - by keeping going as much as we could.

The best bits? The peace and tranquility of the canals, particular early in the mornings. The different perspective on the world from the canals, the slowing down of life, simple meals cooked aboard and the occasional pub meal as a treat (where arrival time in an evening co-incided with a waterside pub)

The downsides? Getting wet, a problem with a lock where something had got stuck under the lockgate, seeing some sunken boats 

Can we take to the narrowboating lark? Yes, I think we can