Slept till just after 8, waking to a beautiful morning. After a cup of tea I head into Ellesmere for bread. Everyone is very friendly, good mornings are exchanged with every passing person.
Breakfast of poached eggs on toast, with more tea. Then we untie our moorings and set off
We hadn't gone 50 metres before our first incident at the junction of the Ellesmere arm of the canal. Three boats travelling in different directions all on a collision course. We slow down, stop, and let everything resolve itself
We are travelling through a very rural scene, the strong winds have disappeared, it is most pleasant
Lambs
Calves
Flower-strewn banks
……and then we are in a queue, travelling very slowly, even for a narrowboat. People coming the other way tell us the cause is one boat being towed by another. I love this sort of bush telegraph, where news is passed along the route, it is exactly what happens in the mountains and other walking routes
We have planned to stop at the Narrow Boat pub and check it out as a stopping point for our return journey. So we are only in our five boat convoy for about 30 minutes, before mooring up opposite the pub
I'm locking the boat while Vera heads for the pub. I hear a scream and a cry for help. Vera has sunk to halfway up her calves and is stuck in the mud. Like any good boyfriend I go to her rescue, and extract her from the bog
The pub will be open for beer but no food on Sunday. And they have their own mooring spot. Forewarned is forearmed as they say. We enjoy a little pre-lunch drink and watch the world go by. And the world goes by surprisingly quickly, as a hire boat speeds past towards the bridge by the pub with it's 90 degree bend. Luckily nothing is coming the other way, but the boat crashes into the bank, despite full reverse throttle…..and then he's on his way again, full forward power. Crazy
We go back to the boat for lunch. The beer and sunshine has clearly gone to Vera's head, as she has a 30 minute lie-down after lunch while I cruise down to the two locks of the day, the final two locks before Llangollen.
Vera works the locks
There is a charming lock-keepers cottage
The weather is now very calm, and Vera takes a turn at the tiller
She is so focused on steering a course that she misses the giraffe, grazing on the canal side trees
We moor up near the Poachers. It is the first time I have used mooring chains. Never knew they even existed. Then it's off to the pub for our tea and to review the day
Well done
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