Cheshire Narrowboating Holiday

I've just returned from a week's holiday narrow boating in Cheshire with some good friends of mine. It's the second time I've been narrow boating, and I loved my first holiday so much that I have been in a fizz of excitement for this week- which did not disappoint! We boated around The Four Counties Ring in 2014, and had intended on doing the Cheshire ring this time, but unfortunately the locks were closed just after the half way point so we were unable to do the whole ring, instead having to go part of the way around and then turning back again. It was a shame but did not ruin the holiday, and means that we will just have to go back and do it again!

I really think I could quite happily live on a narrow boat. I loved the peace and quiet of it, loved meeting people at the locks, loved waking up on the water and the way the boat gently rocks you to sleep. I upgraded my driving experience this time around and can now drive the boat and control it in a lock. With a 70 foot boat, the largest you can fit into a lock, it can be tricky to stay in the middle and there is a lot of reversing and going forwards. In the last holiday I learnt how to drive the boat, staying on the right hand side, slowing down past moored boats and steering in the opposite direction to which you want to go and it was nice to rediscover that I could still do all of that four years on and I did quite a bit of driving this time around.
Although mostly tranquil and peaceable, it's not all silent adventure as we had a huge drama whilst helping another rental boat who had never experienced a lock before- they did some very silly things and one chap ended up falling overboard in a very dramatic fashion!! As far as we are aware he was alright, but it certainly made for an interesting start to the holiday.

The reflections on the water were always incredible, especially in the mornings and evenings. During the course of the week it began to get more windy during the day so the reflections weren't as good, but sometimes, especially when driving, you couldn't tell where the plants or walls ended and the water began. We did have one day at the end of the week where it rained pretty hard all morning. Most of the regular narrow boat owners would just moor up somewhere and sit it out, but sadly we had to get the boat back to our marina the following day and had a certain stopping point in mind so we just had to keep going. I was dressed very fashionably in waterproof coat and trousers, complete with crocs on my feet- just the statement image I was going for, and the others would have to leap out to work the locks before retreating to the living area to dry off just in time for the next lock.

It dried up in the afternoon and the sun came out, treating us to this lovely sunset which turned everything peachy, boat and water included. I wish we could have gone on for longer, and am already investigating other routes we could do; the Thames and Avon route anyone?