These days the canal basin is lined by apartments, a busy pub, some private moorings and some day and holiday hire boats. In former times goods such as worsted cloth, grain, bricks, beer and coal were brought in and out of the town via canal barge. A striking reference to the past is this, ‘Frank the Plank’, an art installation to suggest a worker moving a plank on the wharf-side. It’s a sundial too, according to this: https://batch.artuk.org/discover/artworks/union-wharf-sundial-frank-the-plank-315449

Onwards, northbound again, all but blinded by the dazzling white of the blackthorn blossom.

Then, a new colour came into view, the yellow heads of rape.  Ten days ago these fields were green, now large swathes of West Northamptonshire is dressed in spring-time yellow!

Mid-afternoon, after a second false start to this springtime shakedown cruise, Cleddau was untied again, to turn right, pass Trafalgar again, pass the previous night’s mooring place below Crack’s Hill and manage a couple of miles more before tying up for the night at a favourite spot.

Heading west round the coast Tenby’s famous harbour too was all but bereft of boats. Beachgoers and sea were absent too!

There were new memories now to seal and cherish: Cal Guy Jnr cooking a spag bol for the family, boats on the water out at Oceanside, the harbor sea lions barking and arguing, a shiny vehicle alongside on the freeway and backyard sunsets.

Sales of Julian pies were brisk from a side window, the line of buyers stretching across the yard.

 These it seems are part of on board holiday events, such as Jingle Jets when 750,000 lights are used to illuminate the Midway floating museum.

“You have to adapt to local time,” the Captain insisted, before finally a bed could be approached. The bliss of it. 23 hours after getting up it was good to get horizontal again.

One tiny black mark - one extensive upheaval.

Recently the Captain observed that during his dipping checks the bottom of the tank felt “crunchy”. A realisation dawned – did the fuel tank need cleaning out?

Cleddau had squeezed through the narrow entrance of Kate Boats. One of the work force, James, had been summoned to...

Cleddau was moored up in the Arm at the Saltisford Canal Centre in Warwick for a couple of nights. For a small fee / donation boaters get a safe mooring with easy access to a water tap. Several of the boats in the Arm are residential......

The Southern Stratford Canal (the 25½ miles of it) is pretty – but hard work…

Tourists in their thousands arrive in Stratford-upon-Avon, many for just a good ol’ day out… Many of them will gravitate to the river.  A good number will take a trip boat ride, either on wide beam Jennifer May from Bancroft Basin......

It was Plum Festival weekend in Pershore: there was a long peal of bells rung on the Saturday morning in celebration and signs of marquees and structures being set up in Abbey Park for the Sunday Family Fun Day......