So, the journey has begun. Our destination Bristol. After a little rain, the Thames went onto yellow boards last week. That we can cope with. It would have meant struggling against the flow of course. However yesterday just as were getting ready to sort the boat out the first few red boards appeared. That means "no Go". So what are we to do? We have planned to pick up Chloe and Kai with Lilly in 2 weeks time at Devizes, but from past experience, when red boards appear it takes at least a week for things to settle down again and we still wouldn't be on the river. So today, we made a decision to go NOW instead of Monday and take the northern route via the Grand Union and southern Oxford Canal to get to the river. This would mean going downstream, assuming we were on yellow boards by then and we would get to Reading in a day to join the Kennet & Avon Canal. This is a much longer route but if we have good luck we could do it. So now we have sorted the boat and are sitting above our first lock and have enjoyed a Chinese from the brilliant kitchen of the Harefield Chinese Takeaway.
The K&A is shut at the moment with hi flow and a boat across County Lock weir
http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/60ft-narrowboat-becomes-wedged-across-7035650
And its just stopped raining
Posted by: Brian Holt | April 29, 2014 at 10:36
Thanks for that bit of encouraging news Brian. We can only do what we can do, so just continue on in the hope that things will improve. You were luck I guess to just get the right window.
Posted by: Michael Fisher | April 29, 2014 at 18:34