We awoke to a gorgeous day – blue sky and no rain!! That can only mean but one thing – do the washing and get it hung out in time to dry. We did take the opportunity to sit out in the sun and enjoy our morning cuppa which we normally never seem to have … More Heading South –  20th June 2022

It was all over so quickly. Alistair awoke very refreshed and ready to start the next leg of his seven-week tour. We all caught the train from Marple to Manchester Piccadilly Station which was only a 20-minute train ride away. It had taken us five days to cover the same distance. It was a fond … More Farewell Alistair –  19th June 2022

Well, it was all happening today. Frasers nephew Alistair finally arrived from Australia today after a 10-hour delay leaving Sydney and an extended layover in Doha. At least they provided him with a hotel room in Doha for the layover. We mentioned to him back in Melbourne in April that we would be in the … More Marple Flight and Nephew Alistair –  18th June 2022

Very laid-back day cleaning the boat, catching up on emails, planning our new route and watching the local wildlife. Tomorrow, we start the climb up the Marple flight but just prior to the flight is the Marple Aqueduct which is paralleled by the Trans Pennine railway. The aqueduct was completed in 1800 whilst the viaduct … More Further Wanderings to Romily –  17th June 2022

You know how we said all good plans of mice and men go astray – well it has happened again. Fraser’s nephew Alistair is flying from Sydney to Manchester via Doha, to spend two nights with us on the boat to get an abridged experience of why his aunt and uncle do this weird pastime. … More Pub Crawl around Marple –  16th June 2022

Great surprise this morning as we were not woken up by the noisy Canadian Geese. Pretty cruisy day as we just need to go down to the junction of the Ashton Canal and turn right onto the Peak Forest Canal. From there it is a further hour or so to the Maple aqueduct where we … More Ashton Canal to Peak Forest Canal –  15th June 2022

All good plans of mice and men have been thrown out the window. Reports from Canal and River Trust at 1.00pm today indicate that Lock 60 is now repaired but only one paddle can open; lack of water in the canal where we were yesterday has not been resolved; vandalism around Lock 35 where the … More New Plan – Ashton Canal –  14th June 2022

Today was to be our most challenging day with regards to getting through an area of the Rochdale Canal that has a reputation for harassment and possible problems with the locals. Mostly young kids who can create difficulties by jumping on your boat and maybe nicking stuff. You just don’t know how much of it … More Bandit Country –  13th June 2022

Instead of the dirty dozen, it was the dirty nine today. We started the infamous western end of the Rochdale Canal this morning, all on our ownsome. From our spam marketing campaign of other boaters in the basin, unfortunately, we did not get anyone who wanted to ascend the Rochdale nine with us. So, plan … More New Territory – The Dirty 9 –  12th June 2022

Very busy day. In fact, 17,000 step busy day. It was a day off the canals doing a lot of sight seeing. If you are not a Coronation Street follower, you might want to avoid this particular blog as that is where we spent a couple of hours of the day. It was a 20-minute … More Corrie, IWM, Trafford Centre –  11th June 2022