Philippa leaves us today. It's been a short visit but it's been so good to have her on board, with so much laughter and joy. And she managed to join for the hardest working section, ten locks and four lift bridges. There are only another two locks between us and Llangollen now
Philippa's sleep score last night was a very modest 50%, either sadness at having to leave or travel anxiety
I examine the bolts on the prop shaft, and the troublesome bolt has managed to work loose again. I re-tighten and fold back the metal plate to try and keep it in place
We have decided to spend the day moored up and explore the town.
We had had a glimpse of the centre last night, and today reveals a very interesting place with lots of old timber framed buildings leaning at unusual angles. But if you're going to visit Whitchurch, don't visit on a Monday. Monday is the new Sunday, and most of the shops, and the Heritage Centre, are either closed or close early.
The people are super friendly however. The women in the bakery tell us how the building used to be a brothel, with underground passages to allow the monks to enter and leave unobserved. Monkey business indeed.
We come across this fascinating little pie shop, run by the grandson of an old piemaker, and using the old family secret recipe. Everything is very low-tech and done by hand. The till is basically a wooden drawer, and a till roll that you write on if required
There are a few things we need to buy, and manage to find everything except wellies. Vera wants wellies to deal with the mud and water on the towpaths, which are in an extremely sodden and muddy state
We go into the Red Cow for a cheeky pre dinner pint. The only beer available is Timothy Taylor's Landlord. This is one of my favourites, but Vera tends to go for fruitier IPA styles. It is with some anxiety that I await her verdict on the sample glass. It's a thumbs up. Vera has come a long way on her real ale journey. When we got together just over 5 years ago Vera was a rosé and white wine drinker, but now knows her hop varieties better than I do
Food options are limited. It's either the chippy, the Black Bear, or cook on the boat. As we will be cooking on the boat tomorrow we opt for the Black Bear. We have a short chat with a woman who is also travelling on the canal. She tells us that she has seen a couple of ducklings already. Ducks have been very noticeable by their absence on our journey so far, they are obviously all sat on their eggs and we are really looking forward to seeing them emerge as our voyage progresses
We return to the boat just ahead of the rain, and have a cosy evening sat by the fire
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