In October last year (2021), my friends Jo and Michael (plus dog George) completed a four year epic trip around every navigable mile of the connected UK canal network. Along with many of their viewers, I went along to document the final five miles.
On May 29th this year, I was lucky enough to be invited to join Alan, Tina and Richard of NB Wobbly, to travel in convoy across The Wash with Jo, Michael and Lorna on NB Perseverance. This is quite an adventurous crossing for a narrowboat as they’re designed only for the flat calm waters of the canals or small rivers – and The Wash is pretty much open sea.
After crossing the Mersey estuary with Minimal List aboard NB Perseverance, we now had a 36-mile journey up the Manchester Ship Canal, to get to Salford. Also aboard, as before, London Boat Girl Lorna.
In mid-October I moored the narrowboat on the Macclesfield and hopped on a bus and a train to Liverpool where I met with Jo and Michael of “Minimal List”. They had a rather interesting trip planned, to take their narrowboat across the Mersey estuary and up the Manchester Ship Canal. Joined by Lorna (aka “London Boat Girl”), we got up at a ridiculous time of the morning and set off. This is Part 1 of that journey, covering the Mersey crossing.
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.
At the start of September 2018 I joined Jo and Michael of “Minimal List” as well as London Boat Girl, Lorna, and we went on a rather exciting and interesting voyage up the tidal river Thames from Limehouse lock to Teddington. This is the video of that day.
After the fun and frolics of the Boat-Tubers’ Christmas meal (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzT6DEuK91o), we all decided to meet up again for a summer barbecue. By boat, train and car we all congregated a nice convenient spot in the Midlands and ate sausages. This is a very adhoc record of some of the afternoon.