We’re canal cruisin’ through beautiful Wales and England
Canal cruisin’
MRS J AND I spent the past two weeks in Wales and England cruising the Chester and Llangollen canals with two other Toowoomba couples.
The journey is described as “140 miles through the Cheshire and Welsh Foothills.”
Great Britain is magnificently beautiful and one often wonders why hundreds of thousands of its citizens would have taken the voyage to Australia, centuries ago, to settle in our, often, harsh and arid home.
Mind you, our hearts are where our homes are, and my heart is definitely right here in Australia.
I suppose the excitement of a brave new life, prospects of wealth and escaping from cold and long winters would have been a sufficient incentive to make the move across vast oceans to Australia.
Our “narrow boat” Captain, “Sir Clive,” had teased me regularly with horror stories about dangerous locks and swinging bridges with which I would have to contend as second officer alongside our first officer, “Anthony,” but in truth I, thankfully, had little time at the rudder – a severe relief to the crew.
The whole canal, locks and bridges system is simply unbelievable, and to think it was constructed more than 200 years ago in the absence of modern machinery and technology is quite amazing.
The Romans spent some time here in centuries gone by, and I must say they left an incredible architectural legacy, no doubt the inspiration for the canal system.
The canals are full of boaters, like us, coming and going all day, and they are a friendly lot indeed from faraway places like Sweden, US, Holland, New Zealand and, not surprisingly, Australia.
Passers-by offer cheerful greetings like “morning” and “have a beautiful day” and they help each other contend with the lock and bridge
The whole canal, locks and bridges system is simply unbelievable, and to think it was constructed more than 200 years ago in the absence of modern machinery and technology is quite amazing.
challenges which appear on most stretches.
Prior to this adventure, Mrs J and I spent a few days in Paris and, while not wishing to say anything nasty about the French, it is a fact they’re not nearly as friendly as Welsh and English people.
Everyone in Wales and England says good morning or hello, which is so lovely.
They all express an interest in Australia and without exception they have a friend or relation “down under.”
I had the pleasure of “meeting” Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (see photo) and all she wanted to talk about was the State of Origin result which favoured Queensland.
That may, or may not, be our last overseas adventure and one thing we learned is to stay away from the internet for your travel bookings and use a local travel agent like my Wendy Allen of “Mobile Travel Agents” – Wendy took all the worry out of our adventure.