MR BLUE SKY...

...and plenty of rainfall – liveaboard Emma looks back at a busy year which took her across the waterways network

It is that time of year to look back at what we did or achieved in the previous year. My Mum turned this into a homeschool activity,involving maps and a calculator! It was time to calculate miles travelled and numbers of locks worked. So here goes, please don’t check my figures too closely, they are approximate!

In 2019, we travelled on seven canals, approximately 266 miles, 143 locks and five tunnels. We are not the fastest cruisers. We like to combine travelling with just enjoying living a relatively normal life on our boat, with everyday routines and of course my homeschooling. Favourite places included Napton, Fradley Junction, the end of the Ashby Canal, Braunston, Alrewas, Stone and the Tixal Wide. We also really enjoyed our visit to Stoke-on-Trent, where we left our boat for the first time to visit Edinburgh for a family wedding.

Places that required some endurance included the Harecastle Tunnel, which I have admitted to being slightly scared of, and the 26 locks of Heartbreak Hill. Amazing historical places I visited included Tooley’s Boat Yard, Coventry Cathedral, Marston’s Brewery, The National Memorial Arboretum, Etruria Industrial Museum, Middleport Potteries and Lions Salt Works. All these places are well worth a visit and many show the fascinating history surrounding canal life.