About Us

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In 1977 we hired our first narrowboat from Anglo Welsh at Market Harborough.From that moment our destiny was set. In 2006 we finally purchased our own brand new 57' narrowboat which we named 'Free Spirit'. Our aim is to travel the length and breadth of all the navigable rivers and canals of the UK. This will be our story as it unfolds.

Friday 11 March 2011

New gates at Lock 59, Heartbreak hill

Lock 59 having the new gates installed
Old lock gates
So glad that there are two sets of locks on most of the flight.
Heartbreak Hill on the T & M!!!!! 4 hours 40 mins from the top lock at Kidsgrove to the bottom at Wheelock.. I was utterly exhausted and I hadn't even wound paddles or open gates. No, I had fought against the wind and rain at every lock. At some of the locks brute force and ignorance was the only way to get in. Ian watched helplessly as I rattled lock after lock and watched his newly applied blacking disappearing at every bounce. Now you may wonder why we didn't just stop and let the gale blow over. Well... all the locks were with us and being loath to have another boat steal our lock we kept on going. Eventually we found a mooring below the last lock ( not the ringed 48 hour moorings as it was to noisy from the main road ) and tried our TV. That was fine. Then we tried the Internet. Not a hope!!!! That's why this blog is a day late. 
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1 comment:

Brian and Diana on NB Harnser said...

A person after my owm heart. I just can't resist a lock that is set for me, I just have to go through, even if we just moor the other side.

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