The narrowboat Tanglewood was commissioned under the sponsorship scheme operated by Aquatravel Ltd, trading as Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays and is owned by Dave and Jen Edwards. We also have a share in a boat called Hawksmoor managed by Ownerships, for our own use, unlike Tanglewood which will be rented out most of the time and available to us for just a couple of weeks a year in the low season.
After a meeting with Rob Lawrence, the boss, we decided to proceed with a 69ft 10+2 berth boat to be based at Trevor near the Pontcysyllte (pont-ker-sulth-tee) Aqueduct. Under the scheme, the sponsors are the owners of the boat but all the management, licensing, insurance and maintenance is carried out by Anglo Welsh in return for a major percentage of the hire fees. The return looks to be reasonable bearing in mind the capital depreciation of the boat, although the tax man helps to soften the blow in that respect.
We signed the contract in September 2004 and the boat builders were due to start in March 2005 and be completed by the middle of May. Our first reaction was that they couldn’t possibly finish in time, but there was Tanglewood in the 2005 brochure and the bookings were coming in nicely, including the first booking for a short-break commencing on the 20th of May.
Tanglewood was built and fitted-out by J & T Boat Building Ltd near Crewe and taken by low-loader to Norbury Junction to be painted. How do they get down those narrow lanes near Norbury? We had wondered about visiting the builders, but realised that they were working 18 hours a day and they didn’t need any extra stress from us.
We haven’t managed to establish when the boat went in the water, or how much time was allowed for painting, but there it was waiting for us at Norbury on Sunday the 15th of May ready for us to take it on the delivery cruise up to Trevor in time for the first booking on the following Friday. I am full of admiration for everyone involved in building the boat to such a tight schedule.
Sunday 15th May 2005
We met Carl, the Operations Manager from Anglo Welsh at Norbury at 3pm and found him rushing to finish off a few bits and pieces. The boat looked fantastic in the sunshine and the weather was glorious.
Once we had a tiller and a shower curtain, Carl gave us a run-through of everything we needed to know and by 5pm we were underway on the inaugural cruise. Carl had warned us that this would also be the “snagging” trip and we were to keep a list of any problems.
It took me about five minutes to realise that the rudder was very stiff in its bearings and a lot of effort was required to move the tiller even when stationary. Who cares? It’s a new boat so it will probably free itself up after a while .....
Under the famous High Bridge (with the telegraph pole between the upper and lower arches) and into Grub Street Cutting, we carried on towards Shebdon where Jen wanted to eat at the Wharf Inn. I had less fond memories having ordered a curry last time that came with rice, chips and naan bread which I rose to the challenge and ate it all only to be awake all night with stomach pains. We were far too early and the pub wasn’t open yet, so we carried on past the old Cadbury Wharf. There was a strong smell of chocolate the last time we were here but not so obvious this time - maybe I’m losing my sense of smell (along with my hair, teeth, memory and sense of humour).
We moored for the night shortly after Bridge 47, a peaceful spot in lovely countryside, and only a mile and a half to walk back to the Wharf Inn. The food was still good and the portions too large and we drank too much, staggering back to the boat as darkness fell.
Monday 16th May 2005
Today was the big push, so we rose early and were underway by 6:30am. The plan was to cruise for a while before stopping for breakfast. Woodseaves Cutting seemed to go on for ever and was narrow and oppressive. It was a relief to reach Tyreley and the first lock of the trip. We have had things easy in the past on holidays with the children who are seasoned lock wheelers. Working the locks on our own was much harder work, especially for Jen.
We stopped at Market Drayton and Jen cooked breakfast (I can cook, but she’s better than me), and then we walked into the town for some shopping. After Sunday’s glorious weather, today was disappointing, and the rain started as we were leaving Market Drayton.
We passed down the five Adderley Locks without incident apart from being delayed by an American couple on the Anglo Welsh boat Aston. The wife jogged everywhere, but hadn’t worked out a system. After the locks, Jen walked down to Bridge 72 with the camera. We have a share in an Ownerships boat called Hawksmoor and wanted a photograph of Tanglewood passing through Hawksmoor Bridge. Technology let us down again, as the camera had switched itself to manual focus (always the camera's fault and not ours ....).
I phoned Carl to leave a message about the stiff tiller and could he ring if there was a miracle cure. I didn’t have an oil can, but had dripped some off the end of the engine dipstick the previous day, but it made no difference. I was dreading Swanley No. 2 Lock on the Llangollen Canal where the bywash comes in at almost 90 degrees and forces the boat off course going into the lock. The prospect of quick course corrections using the tiller in its current state didn’t fill me with confidence.
It was raining most of the time down the fifteen Audlem Locks. We didn’t stop at the Shroppie Fly pub but carried on, exhausted and moored in beautiful countryside about half-a-mile past the bottom lock.
Tuesday 17th May 2005
The twenty-five locks of the previous day had been pretty tough, but we were now ahead of schedule so we treated ourselves to a lie-in, getting up at 6:30pm. The weather was better today.
After the two locks at Hack Green, we moored for breakfast and Mike from the boatyard at Trevor rang with some advice about the tiller which involved tools we did not possess.
We carried on to Nantwich where we moored next to a boat owned by an elderly couple who we asked directions for the quickest route into the town and was there an ironmonger’s shop? This attempt at subtlety produced the hoped for response and the offer of a 16mm ring spanner from a big bag of tools. I slackened the bolts holding the top bearing of the rudder, but this also made no difference. Never mind - it was worth a try.
We spent quite a long time chatting with the couple who were continuous cruisers in the true sense rather than “bridge hoppers”. It was great to have the time to socialise.
After shopping and coffee in Nantwich, an obviously affluent area, we carried on towards Hurleston Junction at the start of the Llangollen Canal. Keeping the boat to the left through the bridge-hole just prior to the junction, I swung the boat as soon as possible but the wind caught the front of the boat and we ended up in a tricky position unable to go forwards or reverse. It would have been an easy manoeuvre in a 57ft boat, but the extra 12ft turned me into a complete amateur. The boat behind us stopped in the bridge-hole and came to help push the front round against the wind using the boat pole while I looked after the back. The new boat pole was unpainted and I had forgotten to warn the chap who was helping that it was splintered at one end. He found out the hard way and cut his hand quite badly. We apologised to both him and his wife and thanked them profusely.
We went through the four Hurleston Locks very quickly and stopped for lunch and to fill up with water. We recognised a boat called Pendeford as being part of the Ownerships scheme and had a short chat with the party of four on board as they passed us slowly. Over subsequent meetings, we learnt that they were on a two week trip from Stockton Top Marina around the Four Counties Ring and taking in Llangollen as well. They will arrive back at Stockton on the day that we take out Hawkmoor for the first time.
At the first of the Swanley locks, my fears over the tiller and the bywash were half right, managing just 2 on the Richter Scale going into the lock. The remaining locks were easy after that.
We moored for the night about half-a-mile past Wrenbury, another quiet spot past the lift bridge that is always left open. We walked back to Wrenbury and decided against the Dusty Miller which looked too up-market, and went to the Cotton Arms instead. Good food and beer.
Wednesday 18th May 2005
Away at 6:30am to arrive at Grindley Brook Locks before the queue for the staircase got too bad.
Coming out of the third of the ordinary locks, I suggested to Jen that she go on ahead to check the state of the staircase. I got taken by the wind and current and ran aground at the front. It was all my own fault and another example of stupidity versus experience where stupidity will always triumph. Once again, I was rescued by another boater who used the pole at the front while I reversed.
There were no delays in the staircase, but by the time we were through there was a steady procession of boats coming the other way.
Passing the boatyard at Whitchurch, a man in overalls shouted across to us to enquire about our tiller problem. Did everyone know our business? He turned out to be from the Anglo Welsh base at Trevor and was on a call-out to another boat.
A very slow Canaltime boat came out in front of us at the Prees Branch and travelled at 2mph along the straight stretch by Whixall Moss. I find this stretch rather tedious at 3.5mph, but they made no indication that we could overtake, and we followed them all the way to Blake Mere.
We stopped at Ellesmere for more shopping. The wind was now much stronger and helped us onto our mooring, but of course made it harder when we were leaving. We stopped for the night just past Frankton Junction, near the American couple on Aston that we had met previously.
Thursday 19th May 2005
We had agreed to deliver the boat to the base at Trevor at 8:30am on Friday morning, so we knew we had time to go up the last stretch to Llangollen provided we started out early once more.
The weather was very overcast but the wind had dropped slightly and journey was without incident until we reached Irish Bridge outside Froncysyllte. Contractors were working on improvements to the canal bank, presumably as part of the build-up to the 200 year celebrations of the aqueduct. There was one-way working and boats were asked to pass through as slowly as possible to avoid creating a wash, and for the sake of the man who was working in the water up to his waist.
After crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and turning up towards Llangollen before anyone from the Anglo Welsh base spotted us, the sun came through the broken cloud just in time for the most beautiful stretch of the whole canal.
It was relatively quiet but we soon caught up with a boat called “Olaf”. It turned out that the deep draft of the boat meant that she was scraping along the bottom most of the time. After the first of the narrows, they pulled over to let us past. Jen was already walking ahead with a radio but by the time she had checked that the second narrows were clear, she was out of range so we resorted to mobile phones. Pendeford was on her way back so I waited for her and we spoke for the final time on this trip, although I’m sure we will see them again sometime at Stockton Top Marina.
We moored before the last stretch of narrows and had lunch before walking into the town for shopping and a cup of coffee. On the way back to the boat, we found the BW Warden and told him we would be away before 5pm so didn’t need to pay the £5 for mooring. The new mooring basin looks very impressive and has made a huge difference to the problems of the past.
Jen insisted that we should walk up to the Horseshoe Falls. The last time we were here it was with our three children, Lucy, Robert and Rosemary and we dragged them on this walk with the promise of spectacular waterfalls at the end. Oh dear, what a let-down. At least we knew what expect this time, and the sun was still shining.
We went down the final stretch of narrows to wind the boat around, by which time a steady stream of boats were arriving including Katie Isobel who we had met earlier on the trip. The owners were a very pleasant couple. It’s amazing how quickly you form an impression of people in the few words exchanged as boats pass each other.
Jen walked on ahead again to see us through the narrows on the way back and we stopped for the night in a wide stretch before Bridge 43 at the point furthest from the main road. We could then walk to the Sun Trevor pub rather than use the moorings at the pub where the road runs close by the canal. This was another beautiful spot to moor. We had a truly wonderful meal at the Sun Trevor, fantastic food and a view to match.
Friday 20th May 2005
We had breakfast before moving off this morning, by which time several boats had passed us on their way back towards Trevor. The only boat we met coming up was the day-hire boat being taken to Llangollen ready for the tourists.
It took two attempts to get around the corner towards the Pontcysyllte before I could reverse into the Anglo Welsh base. I gave up the first time because of an impatient boat that had been followed close behind.
We tied up abreast of two other Anglo Welsh boats and met the manager, Mike whom I had spoken to on the phone previously. We went through the snagging list and then loaded our luggage into his car and he drove us on the hour long journey back to Norbury Junction and where we had left our car the previous Sunday.
Thank you to everyone from Anglo Welsh. All our dealings with the office staff, managers and boatyard staff have left us with a very good impression.