Larking it up
We were all asleep within minutes of our heads hitting the pillows.
I’d hoped to wake up to the sound of birdsong but, sadly, it was snoring and quacking.
While all the facilities – kitchen, showers, loos – are first-class, the space between the beds means it’s not only very cosy but can be noisy too. And the many ducks on the bank opposite certainly made sure we knew they were there!
I decided the only option was to get up and head outside – and what a difference. A glorious sunrise was made perfect by a solitary hot-air balloon drifting overhead. This was the kind of moment I’d hoped for.
The freedom to moor our boat pretty much anywhere along the canal meant we had a gorgeous stretch of countryside to ourselves
until others started to pass.
After expertly negotiating New Marton Bottom lock, we rewarded ourselves with a hearty full English before setting off for the kind of action-packed day Indiana would’ve been proud of.
This being a Saturday there was significantly more traffic on the canal, both other boats and kayakers.
The peace of the previous afternoon was gone but in its place was a real sense of friendliness among everyone we passed. The hours
ticked by without us really noticing and at midday we stopped at Poachers, in Chirk, for some refreshment in the pub garden.
Drinking and driving isn’t frowned upon on narrowboats, so it’s just as well they are pretty much indestructible.
I admit we ‘kissed’ the banks of the canal a fair few times that afternoon but no damage was done.
Passing over the Chirk Aqueduct into Wales and then through the quite eerie and chilly Chirk Tunnel was a bit more of a challenge, though. And we still had one more mighty obstacle to overcome: the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the longest in Britain and the world’s highest at 126ft.
I was gripping the tiller so hard on the way back, I must have squeezed the life out of it, but we made it across and back again to begin our return journey. As the sun set on a wonderful day we pushed on through the fading light to give ourselves as short a journey as we could on the Sunday.
“Turn your bloody lights off,” came the hearty cry from a skipper we’d clearly blinded coming the opposite way.
Our narrowboat etiquette had been impeccable until this point but as first-timers there was always going to be a little mistake or two.
Lesson learned for next time.
There were no more dramas en route back to the marina and no crescendo of a Hollywood ending.
But if our wonderful journey ever made it on to the big screen it would have to be called Riders Of The Lost Lark!
The slow pace and company of good mates was the tonic we all needed
BOOK IT
Drifters Waterway Holidays has 550 canal boats for hire from 45 bases across England, Scotland and Wales, with 2022 prices starting at £550 for a short break (three-four nights) on a boat for four, or £760 for a week. Includes bedding, towels, collision damage waiver, first pet, car parking and tuition. Fuel is extra. ■■Archers Lark at Blackwater Meadow Marina, in Ellesmere, Shropshire, accommodates up to six with 2022 prices from £1,199 for a short break, £1,599 for a week. drifters.co.uk
MORE INFO
canalrivertrust.org.uk scottishcanals.co.uk