Wandering down the canal towpath to my daily haunt, the Mill Arts Centre, I was stopped in my tracks by the lovely popping sound of a Bolinder engine…below the lock in Banbury were Dane and Clara, two wooden narrowboats on their way up to Daventry. Both boats originate from the early 1900s — Dane was […]

A recent trip to friends’ in Bruxelles took us down to just south of Liège for a walk in the Ardennes. Details of the trip (including a map!) can be found on Mike Padgett’s site in an entry called Ninglinspo — he’s got a lot more interesting walks listed! After an early start to drive […]

. . I actually went for a ride on the trip boat above…a bit of a busman’s holiday I guess, but it allowed me to see another part of the canal whilst sat down! . .

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I went up to Birmingham the other week. Generally, when I felt the ‘urban urge’, I had gone to London, but being in Banbury means that Birmingham is that little bit nearer. Plus it’s cheaper to get to. And I’d not ever been there before. The primary aim was to visit the canal area there […]

Some time ago, my boat was hit by another…a hire boat. It was a hell of a collision, so I phoned the hire company up and reported it and we agreed on a sum for the damage caused. Anyway, I decided to get off my arse and go and pick up the cheque this weekend. […]