Vlog 191: Damsons in Distress
Day two with Jasmin aboard and we headed up from Stone through Stoke on Trent. There are several rather deep locks to traverse but the day was fine and we stopped to pick some towpath damsons as we went along.
Vlog 190: P.O.B.
When I reached the town of Stone in Staffordshire, I paused to pick up a special guest – Jasmin from YouTube channel “This Narrowboat Adventure” (link below). Battling the mighty forces of wind, rain and vicious swans, we made it through the town until calling it quits for the day.
Vlog 189: Feeling Sheepish
In this episode, I set off from Handsacre and squeeze through the tiny narrow section just after the town where it’s only just wide enough for one boat and you can’t see if anyone’s coming the other way. Then I went through Rugeley, which was very busy and moored near Weston, waking up to an emergency involving a sheep. Yes, really.
Vlog 188: Cruising for a Bruising
The end of August meant the resumption of my travels on the canals so I set off again from where I left off in Vlog 184 – Fradley Junction – and went up the Trent and Mersey canal towards Handsacre, in the process managing to look like an utter incompetent as I bashed into another, stationery, boat at a lock queue.
Vlog 187: Digging Deep
A few weeks ago, I cruised past what remains of the Lichfield canal, now used by the Lichfield Cruising Club, and mentioned that the canal is under restoration. In this vlog I’ve been to meet the team who are heading up that restoration and see the scale of the works underway.
Vlog 186: Status Update
A brief chat about things I’ve been doing lately while paused on a mooring during August including the boat-tubers annual summer barbecue.
185A. Not a Vlog: realtime cruising
No, this is NOT a vlog. Hence the title. No, there is no commentary, that’s deliberate. No, it wouldn’t be “better with music”. This video will not be for everyone – they never are – but for those who enjoy a few hours of uninterrupted slow TV from the bow of a canal boat: enjoy!
Vlog 185: Special K
At the end of July 2019 I was delighted to welcome fellow vlogger Karen Nisbet to the boat, visiting all the way from New Zealand. Karen lives and tours NZ in her caravan, filming her travels on the channel “Travelling K”. She was in the UK for several weeks, touring the sights, visiting other vloggers and meeting viewers.
Vlog 184: Grassed Off
By mid-July it was time for the final gentle amble up the last bit of the north Coventry canal to Fradley Junction. The main thing of note was how thick the overgrowth was not only on the offside but the towpath side as well – and quite a lot of weeds growing up within the canal itself. I’ve been told this whole area is earmarked for a good cut back by CRT’s volunteer team and you can see it really does neeed it!
Vlog 183: Congestion Charge
Filmed at the end of June and start of July, this video captures the very few miles I did in the narrowboat between Fazeley Junction and just past Hopwas. En route I picked up food supplies from a supermarket and plumbing supplies from a DIY store.