NARROWBOAT HOME – Final Winter Push

THE GENTLE LIFE!
In my little world of boating, I like fun, I enjoy the simple things in life, i love the gentle life, where nothing ever really happens. Well, until i get to work that is. Work is work, boating is the experience.

My world view is that there is already too much nonsense going off, in my world I try to inject a little humour, because after all, we only get one shot at this, so why not make it a good one.

I film my videos with the iPhone 14 pro max in 4K HDR

#narrowboat #news #flood #floods #accident #incident #canal #winter #rain #rainfall #river #lakeside #rescue #sunken #boat #weather #winterhome #towpath #places #locks #lock

Well, I finally turned 60 in January 2024, and while some may think being a gentleman of a certain age is to be dreaded, i embrace it, i always say, that life before 50 was just the warm up.

Talking about friends in the boating community, in this video I help my friends to make a winter transition from the Ashby to the Trent and Mersey canal.

The subject of this video, is the ‘final winter 🥶push’.

So, welcome to part 3 of this wintery odyssey, we hope you will hop on board for this final exciting episode.

East Midlands and much of the country has been hit by weeks of heavy and torrential rain and winter is far from over. From the 15th of January, wind, rain,snow and subzero temperatures are expected to hit us hard, not that winter has already struck hard.

However, we have seen dryer conditions and an end to the rising water levels, so the decision was made to make the journey across three canals to establish a long term mooring at Barton marina, Barton-under-needwood.

But what next…

The channel as of this video is 18 months old, to celebrate that ( mostly for myself 🤣😉 ) i present a brand new title sequence for 2024, and brief intros giving you a ‘look ahead’ in my latest videos.

The algorithm ? I havent a clue, it is said that one should be consistent ?? I tried that and it didn’t seem to work, dropping them at random now, they’re now doing loads better.

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DON’T FORGET TO VISIT SHOBNAL MARINA, LOCATED AT BURTON-ON-TRENT on the Trent and Mersey Canal, one of the most competitive marinas on the entire canal system, and over on facebook, a complete breakdown of services. Oh! Yes!
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Welcome to
SHOBNAL MARINA
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JANNEL CRUISERS CHANDLERY
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GAS. DIESEL. COAL& LOGS
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Please check out these links to some of my other Videos:

Fallen Tree;

Last in this series;

A WATERY DAY’S NIGHT

WINTERMOVE

And before we get started and if you haven’t already do check out the other two parts in this series from the link in the description down below City Free Press reporting false building in America at nearly 2 sorry about that getting carried away just looking at um the tallest building

In Oklahoma in America infrastructure is obviously of particular interest to me as you know from previous videos I work on the railway infrastructure here in the UK so I’m also interested in that and obviously the canal system which is one of the reasons why I live on board a

Narrow booat but enough of all that that that’s for another Vlog we can talk about that another time welcome back to the channel welcome to another video where we start off where we left off at Aon Junction at the site of the Lichfield Canal restoration project on

The centry canal and for those of you that watched last week’s video you’ll remember that I left in the dark quite late I think it was about 10:00 as I left I walked past a deric boat that had become sunken so we’re going to take a look at that in the

Daylight but now it’s time for a title sequence hi there welcome back to the channel welcome to a brand new video I live on board a 58 ft Heron manufactured in otterfield in 2001 giving up bricks and mortar in 2015 for a new life and a

Fresh start on the water and what did we give up a beautiful but modest Lakeside property with with a jacuzzi an Annex with a gym and a cinema and do I ever look back well no I don’t because I live an idilic life on the canals with Levi and Diesel and my beautiful

Wife it’s an exciting year and 2024 means that I’ve been on board almost 9 years and as living in a confined space driver’s crazy I you ask well no I’d go as far as to say that it’s actually made things much better but hang on a minute I’m back at

One of my favorite marinas to see my girlfriend to get myself Bane gas and some coal 4150 for a bottle of buan 4150 petrol stations are charging 50 yeah and the co is cheaper than anywhere else I strongly recommend that you come here I’m not going to tell you the price find

Out for your s I’ll drop um I’ll drop the name of the marina and uh all the details in the description Down Below in this video we hit the final leg of our journey down from the Ashby dilaz Canal as we draw ever closer and before the

Freeze sets in to Barton Marina on the Trent and Mery canal and sure there were moments where we didn’t think we’d get there and yeah you know there are a few laughs in this video as well but we had our concerns particularly with Fallen trees where to leave our boats and with

Rising water levels due to torrential rain it was important to get my friends onto their winter moing where it was less likely to flood because getting us through pinch points particularly Where the River Tren intersects with the Trenton Mery Canal was the main concern for the journey

Over where it turned last night and got there to go Back well it’s part three of this little Caper from the Ashby Canal to the Trenton Mery down to Bon turn but what’s so fascinating down here at UD Junction I hear you ask well I’ve worked up there on the old LEC 2s on the west coast Mainline it’s interesting to me because

This is the beginning of the Lichfield Canal restoration but um as I walk back up the centry canal here just take a look at this there oh my god wow look at that oh there oh completely gone just shows you the it boat in it no somebody but somebody’s bloody

Livelihood in there gone completely gone lot oh de what a shame whether it can be salvaged and refloated is anyone’s guess but it doesn’t look for a very nice image does it very sad and maybe somebody watching this video can shed some life as to its

Fate what happened to the owner leave a comment Friday the 12th 2024 who’ have thought it and we’re back knocking up your come so Ian’s operating quick on his feet he’s got a leaking water hose he had trouble journeying up on the first day but he sorted it temporarily now

It’s all good and one of the things that occurs when you’ve been on board for so long is that you pick so much up so some repairs are not that difficult and there he is all Suited booted and on his way down to fradley Junction and as we

Approach Street a marina having just passed King’s Orchard Marina featured in so many videos we find that some boats are far more interesting than others as we come up now to fradley Junction where the centry canal meets the Trenton Mery finally we are here because if you were here for last week’s

Video one knows that by doing a little bit of night cruising it broke the back on the journey and got us ear a little bit earlier than we anticipated look at this I’m going to Dismount here and open the swing bridge for Ian and for Kevin here we are

Look the swim Bridge which I’m going to count as a lock because if it were then there’d be 14 locks on the centry and not 13 but I’m sure that somebody out there will put me right in the comments now I’m going to go around to Locks every lock since Aon flight has

Been set against us every single one but we’re not complaining too much because it’s an absolutely beautiful location that’s it now so there’s Ian we’re on the Trenton Mery Canal finally got here Lock 17 Bradley Junction and here comes the star of the show in Harris it’s a gentleman you know

Here you go vloggers nice and now and now it’s Kevin’s turn to navigate through this is his first time on the Trenton Mery this way so it’s all good stuff good thing about this lock is it fills up really fast even though it’s a deep lock some repairs there from CRT and my

Buddy over there on his boat waiting to come through another six locks today and we’ll be there think he’s really looking forward to getting down to Barton Turn sh respond and the boat never even touched the sides so some of the locks are notorious for leaking this one’s quite unique it has to be all in place it is deep but it fills fast and it empties fast and today of all days there’s not much movement not much

Traffic particularly down there we are having a blast although we didn’t uh arrive here with the locks set for us we’ve got through fairly quickly amazing having steered the boat Kevin’s boat handles so well the tiller not too heavy not too light just right and with the boat set

At the right speed it doesn’t need much coaching from the Handler it will almost go in a straight line all on its own it’s that good it steers that that well my EB I’ve only got to take my hand off the tiller and it will go straight

To starboard all on its own so I really got to keep my eye on the ball with that one it has a deep draft it’s pretty low in the water but it loves the rivers and so does Kevin’s boat apparently and we’ve secured the lock Gates it’s time to move

On and as per the instruction on the website see our tea down here to do some dring along with the rosm group all right let’s get this lock open and see what’s happening down there it looks like paddles might be set for us don’t know maybe for h lock lock 15

Oo water side moing which I’m told is quite nice nice to stay here I think it’s two grand a year Millennium Waring right next to fradley our was just a couple of miles up the cut Bur on Trent a bit further Perfect all right onward my friend’s

Going to stare down and I’m going to walk down the toe path shall we see if it works now it doesn’t work it’s supposed to tell you something why do these things never work and that’s only recently been installed oh I think they’ve given up with this one only half a seat

There and no solar display um that clearly doesn’t work so I’m between fradley Junction and hour was and I’m guessing that this is part of the cycling Network it certainly seems that way a lot of Cy is coming up and down here and I’m having to do my Railway thing of

Looking around every 5 Seconds to see if anything’s coming wow quick flowing in these locks it’s always the same there when you’re going down rather than going up there goes here and the star of the show common lock lock 14 three more locks to go to the prize to

Aras where we meet the river Trent and witch loocks lock 11 and we’re away we need to turn look at that with the gate directly onto the top path here at Bagnal lock number 13 Trenton Mery canal dreadfully leaky this one once the gates are open at the other end makes it very

Difficult to close them again but fortunately I’m here bagno lock number 13 proceed with caution love this place Al alas I get on n yeah no well it’s not that I don’t want to get on board but alos is absolutely gorgeous the toe path is near perfect

Except for all the dog poo that people’s not picking up which is very annoying but just look at it I mean this is winter it looks incredible and judging by the expression on Kevin’s face as he Journeys through you can see he’s looking everywhere I’ve already told him that there’s a Chinese

Restaurant here there’s a fish and chip shop run by Greeks there’s an Indian restaurant there’s shops there’s boutiques independent shops it is absolutely rammed with everything you need there is nothing that you won’t get in Aras and as we leave the flood lock behind and we’re in the mix heading

Towards the next flood lock it’s plain sailing from here and it’s absolutely brilliant all the water’s cleared away what could be better we hit this at the perfect time January was a very unpredictable month is a very unpredictable month but this one week just gave us a window an opportunity to

Make our way to the Final Destination 3 days unabated unabashed for these two weary Travelers but you know what there’s big smiles on the faces now because they know that they’re going to be safe and cozy at Barton term Marina final hurdle we made it three days days yes three

Days Three Amigos two boats in in the lead this is the final lock we are on our Way so that’s I on boat Willow and you know what he’s got a very tidy boat there very very tidy handle really really well and in 3/4 of a mile he’ll be at his destination and while Ian takes the Victory lap Ian takes the glory it’s

Kevin’s turn now for the last lock as we descend on the Trenton Mery Canal down to Barton turn for quite a number of years I’ve worked on station platform construction that’s train station platform construction and you know what this reminds me of when the trains are coming into the station the slow slowing

Down slowing right down as the doors open the dispatchers get off and the passengers erress and the way that Kevin’s boat handles on this river section wow it’s just as if it’s on Rails it’s as if his boat is literally on Rails it’s that smooth cool you know we talked about about the

Ash Canal the centry canal in that section from Aon flight right down to centry Basin that about the fact that it’s Lock Free that there are no locks for 50 OD miles in both directions well you know I’ve missed doing these locks it’s been F I’m for physical blo like myself it is

Just one hell of a workout and amen for that because I do love a good workout and you know so many channels Miss so much these channels come and they go and they miss moments like this our brilliant infrastructure and National Treasure to be revered how about that I sometimes ask

Myself what would brittly think of all these modern constructions these preash units I think he would absolutely hate them he would have ateed preash units come on that’s it 18 locks completed now on the Trent of Mery canal and now it’s the final leg down to Barton Marina and home

For my two weary veterans oh that horrible background noise I’m going Nar Bo will now and start moaning oh no oh nearly it that oh I made it for that oh my God rippers oh rippers Rippers p number 39 838 oh no no rippers rippers well we’ve

Got to ask you have you come across any Bridge nipples recently rers rers you got me thumbs up and never got a hat like this I bet you haven’t we here we are here here here and the boat will be more just over there right buddy what are you doing there Ripper Levi

Nice very nice turn right left place looks familiar oh yeah B Marina and the word is that Ian’s or is moing and he’s already getting into the groove and wow both are already discovering the facilities here at Barton term Marina and Kevin has finally settled in on is

Moing well that’s it thank you very much for traveling along with us across these last three videos it’s been a fantastic experience for me particularly filming them and getting these guys from one part of the system to another I’d like to dedicate these last three videos to the solo boter out there

That cruise the canals all year round and to Kevin and Ian that have allowed me to experience this journey with them thank you very much it’s been an absolute pleasure hey if you like what I’m doing here please consider subscribing to the channel if you did this with your favorite narab booting

Channel if you did this with your favorite YouTuber I’m sure that they would appreciate it just as much as I do thank you all very much for watching these last three videos I’ll see you all again in the next one take care