My Day's On The Canal
A couple of months back, my boyfriend's dad and his partner sold both of their houses and decided to buy a narrowboat, which they now call home. So, at the end of May, we went down to visit them, check out the boat, and celebrate his Dads birthday. I've always liked boats; my family had two on separate occasions, and I always enjoyed spending time on them. However, I had never been on a narrowboat until now, and it was an incredible experience.
We drove up from Elliott's flat on Wednesday morning to Wheelock Wharf in Sandbach, which was about a 2 1/2-hour drive. We arrived there around lunchtime and spent the night in Sandbach. We all went for a drink, had dinner aboard the boat, and then got some sleep, ready to embrace the morning ahead.
On day one, we set off after breakfast and went through a total of 24 locks. Now, for anyone who is a little confused or not familiar with boats and canals, I'm not talking about padlocks; I'm talking about an engineered water lift where you have to manually open and close each lock to let the narrowboat in and out. Another way you could think of it is imagining a car driving up a hill while a boat can't do that as water is flat, so it enters the water lift. It's not actually that complicated to do, but it was definitely a workout after 24 locks. Safe to say, I was feeling pretty tired. But I did see some beautiful places, including some gorgeous brick houses, loads of adorable donkeys and cows in a big field together, and the tiniest, most ridiculous lock ever. I'm not joking; it was pointless.
The first night, when we moored up, we decided to check out the Bleeding Wolf pub and restaurant. If you want to know how the food was, well, keep a lookout because a review will be coming soon.
Day 2 was a no-locks kind of day, which I loved. Instead, I got to sit in my peaceful place and watch the world go by. Let me tell you about my peaceful place, my favourite part of the narrowboat. I'll set the scene: imagine spending the days gliding along the water, having your ears filled with the beautiful sounds of nature the birds singing, the ducks quacking and the sun shining warmth on my face. It was so tranquil, so calming. I hadn't felt this relaxed in such a long time. As we drifted along, we went under and over so many beautiful bridges. It was one of the most relaxing days I've ever had.
We didn't realise when we got to The Bosley locks that you couldn't go through after a certain time, so we had to moor up earlier than planned. But that was okay because what a view we had. It was the middle of nowhere, and we decided to stretch our legs, so we took a walk up the path past the locks, and I took some pretty nature photos. That night, I also got to tick off something I never realised I wanted to do, and that was sitting on top of a narrowboat with a glass of rosé, watching a gorgeous view.
One of the best parts throughout the whole trip was seeing all the animals. I got to sail along fields filled with cows, horses, pigs, sheep, and both on and off-land ducks and geese with their babies. There were fish swimming, and of course, lots of cute doggies.
Day 3 was our final day before heading home, and we didn't waste any time smashing out 12 locks, literally seconds away from each other. I also had my first attempt at driving a narrowboat, and let me tell you, it's not an easy job. I also have to say, my boyfriend is great at many things, but teaching me to drive a narrowboat is not one of them, haha. We moored up at about 1 pm in Macclesfield, which was such a lovely location to finish our journey. My Macclesfield highlights have to be eating a halloumi burger with a pink bun at Gastown, and don't worry, the review for Gastown is coming soon. I loved seeing the alluring St. Michaels and All Angels Church. It was an amazing piece of architecture. I wish I had gotten a chance to see the inside, but maybe next time.
Living on the boat, the simplicity of the lifestyle is really something else. Boat life is so tranquil. I could easily do the boat lifestyle, no problem, and the boat people are a whole different community so polite and friendly. It's a great way to meet new people from all over, and what a crazy thought having new neighbours every night.
I have always wanted to go on a narrowboat and stay on one too, and now I can finally say I have. It was a very relaxing experience that I would happily do again. When I was younger, my mom and dad had two different boats at separate times. The first one was called Indulgence, and the second one was Outlaw. They were the best names ever, and I loved it. But it's been so long since I've been boating again, and being on the canals relit the enjoyment I have for it. Who knows, maybe one day I will have my own boat. How cool would that be!
If you could name your own boat, what would you call her?
