Back at Fettlers Wharf

Hi everyone 

That’s it! We arrived back at Fettlers Wharf  at lunch time Wednesday with a great sigh of  relief  we had made it with very few mishaps and ourselves and Buggerlugs all in one piece. Whilst in Manchester we were visited by Julie, Amanda and Rachael for a great day. Mat and Lorraine came over with Thomas as Thomas was staying with us and helping us take the Buggerlugs back to Rufford, He is now a very good hand he manoeuvres the boat very well and has a very light touch on the throttle if he could just see over the top he would be a good skipper.  

The trip back home was very easy even the Wigan locks worked we left Monday morning and was in Fettlers by Weds lunch but as I said we had Thomas as a chief engineer 

While Manchester we got time to see the Gay Pride carnival, being in Castlefield it would have been difficult to miss it. I always think it’s a wonderful happy occasion, and really what the hell enjoy life, God loves us all

Above I said it was an Epic voyage, that sounds as if it was arduous, it wasn’t this is from the boats log and I think explains why it was Epic:

Miles                    732

Locks                   378

Canals                   10

Rivers                      5

Ditches                     2

Tunnels                  12

Swing bridges        28

Canals :

Rufford, Leeds and Liverpool, Bridgewater, Trent & Mersey, Coventry, Coventry Arm, Ashby, Oxford, BCN, Grand Union, Northampton Arm.

Rivers:

Nene, Ouse, Old River Nene, Old West, Twenty foot drain,

Ditches:

Whitley Dyke, Well Creek

An epic journey by any standard, I am not really one for statistics that’s why I cannot say how much diesel I used I never keep a record of the important things? All I do know is we had a great time. My idea of cruising is start early, do not have a definite destination, if you see something on the map you fancy go and have a look by boat, Bus (using the Bus Pass) or on foot. You get some great surprises??

Two visits that stand out are Coventry Cathedral and the National Arboretum the Arboretum will get another visit by car as you really need a full day to appreciate it.

But we must not forget the other wonderful places we have visited; the things we have seen and experiences, the people we have met: Doctors, Nurses, (we cannot cruised without visiting at least two Hospitals) lock keepers, CRT volunteers, Hoteliers and Inn keepers who always made us welcome, and not forgetting the wonderful people who make the waterway their home and those who holiday on it everyone involved with the waterways enjoying one of this countries greatest assets.

Of course this year we were blessed with the weather I personally believe that this year was compensation for the past three years of awful weather, we both now look as if we have just returned from the Caribbean as my skin is weather-beaten Noreen’s is  a nutty brown (Nutty is term I use a lot with Noreen)

Its now back to the grind of getting buggerlugs ready for the next trip, today I have booked her in for a blacking and some major repairs that can only be done when she is out of the water that will be in the spring prior to our next voyage of discovery. I have some commission work (paintings) to catch up on and try to get some more work in for the winter; Noreen is back at work next week. So everything is now getting back to normal (what ever that is )

Thanks for reading the blog. I am still not sure if I am writing what you want to hear? I just write it as it is, let me know if the content is right??

 Buggerlugs

The Last two pics of the three days we had in Manchester before returning to Fettlers

Manchester Castlefield mooring by Night

A Bevvy of Beauties visiting Buggerlugs