I can’t believe it, it’s now on to plan B. The Manchester route is shut for several weeks too so we are stuck. We have re-planned the holiday and will go at Easter and the week after, that should be enough time for the Pennine ring to open.
At least it gives me time to get this blog up and running and maybe some readers too :-).

The galley and lounge.

The twin bedroom.

Since we couldn’t move the boat this weekend we decided to go up to Sowerby Bridge anyway and spend our first few nights on Tormentil and experience life aboard finally. Luckily this weekend has been glorious weather, arrival at about 5pm on Fiday and then on board. It took a while to get the gas going but we finally figured it out. Despite the nice weather we still need the central heating for the evening. Being a whimp I am amazed and pleased to have central heating on a boat, it’s very quick to heat up because of all the insulation I guess. Because we will not be living aboard we were happy not to have a solid fuel fire even though they do sound very cosy. Pushing a button to turn on the heating is however much easier. After unpacking and sitting down to a cup of tea in sheer delight at our new boat owning situation, we ventured out to the nearest pub as all good narrowboaters do. We bought the boat from Shire Cruisers based at Sowerby bridge basin and were very happy with the whole process.

On Saturday we took her out for a run with Jon driving and me navigating. We were going to try to go down the first few locks on the Calder and Hebble at Salterhebble to see what the journey will be like when we move her finally. However the navigator let us down and we missed the turning for the first lock (a very sharp right turn). Jon’s skills at turning and controlling the boat were sorely tried and we were sideways across the canal when the only moving boat we saw all day came round the corner (of course it would). Happily they waited whilst we faffed about trying to moor up by the locks. We managed to set the lock and were trying to push open the gates(they wouldn’t move for some reason, I don’t think we have our technique right yet) when Jon noticed a sign on the locks saying that the ‘guillotine lock’ (the next one down the flight) was only useable by the lockkeeper and would only be working for one hour a day between 12 and 1. Since it was ten to twelve we waited for the man to appear. He confirmed that if we went through we couldn’t come back until 12 the next day. Since we hoped to be back at Sowerby early the next morning we decided not to go through. We moored up in Halifax basin and went for lunch to the pub. It was a lovely day so we walked down to look at the offending guillotine lock and the next few on the Calder and Hebble. It is obvious that narrowboating only happens at ‘canal pace’ and all plans are provisional. So we still haven't done our first lock in Tormentil. Still in all we really enjoyed the weekend and sleeping afloat and have no regrets. Hopefully the trip round to the Leeds and Liverpool will go ahead we fewer hitches after Easter.