Glad that’s Over

Well, 10 days stuck at Grindley Brook, then 3 days here in Marbury. Loads more boats turning up – 22 now. Some hire boats came and leap-frogged 5 waiting ones. Ooer, missus, there’s going to be fisticuffs – barge poles at dawn. And I was almost right. Unfortunately. We enjoyed a revisit to the Swan – perhaps the best place we’ve been to on this cruise. We didn’t enjoy Sunday night when the boats ahead of us started to move up (why?), so we followed on and I still don’t know why we did. Never mind. Up at 0600 . . letting some boats go first . . . but by 0800 we were on our way – slowly past the almost-breach, then on past two lift bridges and moor up in Wrenbury. Hurrah. Freedom. But so very very stressful and maybe the final straw?

The marvellous bar in the Swan (Beavertown Yogi and then Ursa Minor)
We got there early and had not only a choice of table but rooms too
I’ve never seena pub furnished so opulently – complete with books from the local book barn – some for sale – Viv bought Britain’s Birds and their Nests (1942)
This believe it or not, is their smoked salmon starter!
Meanwhile, here’s a view of the padlocked winding gear
And the ever growing row of boats
Soon after 0800 we were free, ish, we had to wait for 7 boats to come up . . .
So we stood and held on to our boat
Right next to, oh look, another one of those “almost breaches”!
We had to knock the throttle into neutral and glide past the “problem”
They all seemed cheerful . . the blue bit is the almost breach!
You can compare this to the earlier picture from last Friday and the Friday before that. Note the piling on the other side too.
Slowly glide past with the flow
Thru two more lift bridges . . .
And let them all go by . . . about 16 of em . . . they are welcome to it! There’s 9 locks to get thru!! Lots more queuing.
Ahh, final spot for us. Peace n quiet and no more moaning minnies. Time to wait for our chum David, who’s finished BlokeFesting (hmm, that sounds a bit rude but it isn’t, just lots of blokes singing together and probably a bit of beer drinking too) and is on his way down from Ilkley to Ubley and will meet us at that Bhurtpore Inn.

Final straw? Maybe. We’ve found the last 12 days all a bit too much. Too many boats and too many boaters. Perhaps its time to try and chill a bit more by returning to the land and a nice small cottage somewhere . . .?