Somewhere near Ellesmere

 I’m not exactly sure where we are moored tonight, but we are somewhere about an hour by boat from Ellesmere. We’re on the bank of the Llangollen canal, surrounded by forest and farmland. We had a pretty easy day; there were no locks and only one lift bridge, that I had the honour of lifting and lowering. It’s certainly a great workout for your arms. I also had a go steering the boat. At 65 feet long, it takes a while for the front of the boat to respond to tiller movements at the stern, so it takes a bit of getting used to.

This afternoon we stopped at a water point, to top up our water tank. Water points are marked on the canal charts, along with black water pump out stations, as well as all the locks and bridges, which are all numbered so you can keep track of where you are. 


All morning there were dozens of acorns plopping into the water from the oak trees lining the banks. Each one would make a splash, with ripples radiating outwards. Then as we were enjoying a sundowner on the front deck, we spotted a squirrel in the oak tree next to our boat, and suddenly it all made sense. The acorns were dropping as the squirrels scampered around the branches. Already the autumn leaves are beginning to change colour. It’s a pretty nice lifestyle here on the canals. We’ve met some lovely people who have been living on their boat for years now, and have no plans to move back to a house any time soon.

 














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