Hotel Narrowboats days 5/7

I fully expected to wake up feeling a bit stiff after all the walking the day before, especially as it had been in temperatures around 30 degrees, but I felt fine. 

Wow, we were so lucky with the weather throughout the cruise.Today was possibly a little hotter, in fact, this is the warmest Autumn Bank Holiday on record, with average 28.5. 

I decided to make the most of this beautiful Caldon Canal by walking it again. It was great to have the boats just behind me and to be able to get my water bottle filled half way along! Great service once again. 

Henry was always on the lookout, mainly for ducks, and generally stayed on board. He always got agitated when Neil was off the boat and occasionally dived in, to be fished out by Neil at the bank of the canal. At least he could cool off!

At the junction of the Caldon and Trent and Mersey there was a really sharp turn, made more problematic by theboats coming towards us, behind us and to the left. Anyway, Mick, the Duke's steerer did a fabulous job, as did James who drew the short straw and had to mostly drag the Duchess around corners and through locks, as only the Duke had a motor and there was no space for the Duchess with the Duke! It was a very good workout for both of the guys!

We moored on our second to last night at the same spot as our second night. This time we were joined by a family of swans who were keenly observed by Henry. However, he seems to have a healthy respect for swans, not so ducks or geese!

What an interesting group of guests, all interested in different things. Our oldest guest, 91-year-old Pearl, was adamant that she would work the locks, so even when Chris, our flamboyant guest who always came to dinner wearing a different waistcoat, offered to help on her side of the lock, he was met with a stubborn refusal. I helped with the gates and that was exhausting enough on such a hot day, so Pearl was amazing.

Our crew worked so hard too. Getting the narrowboats out of narrow locks and then re- joining them required precision,

but there were calmer moments on the canal, where Mick was happy to let Chris have a go at steering. He did really well, much better than a hire boat passenger who had not quite got to grips with steering and headed straight for us on our second day. It was quite a terrifying moment but both steerers avoided a major crash and we simply got a hefty bump!

Whilst Britain basked in the sun and roads started to get jammed, we struck our own jam when a major lock, one of the staircases of locks, got jammed up and the gates could not be opened. Luckily Neil sorted out the issue and about an hour or more later, we got through. In the meantime, Henry had a brilliant time searching for smallish  branches and dropping them into the water, fishing them out before they disappeared into the lock. He must have run a half marathon and was not deterred at all if Neil threw the branch over the wall or placed it supposedly out of reach. The branch just kept coming back! I can still see Henry tearing along with the branch in his mouth, ears flapping behind him! 

It was a long , hot day and we arrived back at our very first mooring mid- afternoon. I walked on down the canal, passing many of the boats we had seen at the broken lock. It was a very sociable afternoon.

We were a bit subdued at dinner, knowing it was the last of this cruise, but we did enjoy a fun evening out at a couple of Stone's pubs - with the crew, Henry,  and all passengers bar Pearl and sadly, Mike, who had left the day before due to ill health. 

What a beautiful, balmy evening it was. A fitting end to a magnificent week.

It was such a great experience and perfect for just after the Summer camps of Zuoz. It was a perfect mix of socialising and solitude, restful gliding down the canals and long walks beside the canals. We ate wonderfully well, and vety frequently, we all got on together and we had perfect weather. It will be hard to match it if I do another next year. 

Henry, I will miss you!