When we last left off, the family had just arrived at Beacon Park Boats, the location where we would board our canal boat and depart on our voyage. Once we had finished filling out paperwork and learning to drive the boat, we got on and looked around. Here is a map of our boat. The bed in the back could be pushed apart to become 2 smaller beds. The table/sofa area in the front could become a bed also, so we all had our own space. There were 2 bathrooms, 2 showers, a kitchen, and an eating area. It is 6’10” wide and 57′ long.
After we had boarded, Dad was instructed on how to drive, and we were off! Here are a bunch of pictures of scenery along the canal.
One of the most challenging parts of driving the boat is the bridges that you have to go through. As you can see, the bridges are narrow, making it hard to pilot through in a boat that is only a foot or two less narrow, and 57 feet long. In addition, everyone on the deck of the boat has to duck down to avoid hitting their head.
Along the canal was a restaurant, The Coach and Horses, that we ended up eating at twice. It was very good. We would tie up the boat and walk across a bridge to get there, with a view of the canal. Here are the pictures.
We also bought meals to prepare in the boat kitchen, and eat together at the table.
On the canal, we also had to go through some locks. They were difficult to learn, and required some team work. There will be a separate blog post about that later however. I am just going to put some pictures. Meg didn’t go out on the deck very much during the voyage, so me and Dad were surprised when she decided to come up and say hi while we were navigating a lock. She did not look happy at the situation she was in.
Thanks for reading! Bye!
Jesse, super description of the canal boat challenges. You all learned some new skills. You experienced another uniquely British activity. I’m so glad you are sharing the experience with family and friends, especially at this time.
Hi Jesse, You aced it again. First of all you gave really good description of the layout of the boat, so that the reader could “see” how you were living and your day to day arrangements. Luxury. Thanks for the boat’s diagram. Then the pix were very telling and let the viewer have an impression of what you were experiencing. I particularly loved the ones of the canal scenes: the narrow bridge, tunnel and lock. I don’t know how your father navigated through such narrow places. I always like pictures of food. On a trip, food conveys a lot about the culture and it’s fun to see how it is prepared and served differently from here. You all look so relaxed and happy. Meg, too. She always looks shiny, clean and sweet. Thanks so much.