Here you will find accounts of nearly all our canal trips; do take a good look, you should find something to interest you amongst the pages of memories both new and old. All of them are packed with pictures and I hope you enjoy them; they are shown as thumbnails to help the pages load quickly, but clicking on any picture will bring up a larger version. The photos are all available at higher resolution so e-mail me if you'd like any of them sent to you or if you'd just like to get in touch.
To help you find your way around this site as it continues to grow, as well as the comprehensive index you will see a navigation bar at the top of this page as well as on our home page. You can click directly on to any of the 6 headings or you can click on any of the sub-menus that drop down from them. This navigation bar should help you to find any one of our journeys, as well as taking you directly to many of the more spectacular places that we have visited.
There will however be no more such canal trips. After 35,000 miles and 25,000 locks we realised that we had become bored with our canals, as well as becoming frustrated with the way that so many canals have become too busy and with the increasingly contemptuous attitude towards boaters and navigation that is shown by CRT management. We decided therefore to sell the boat and she sold within just a few hours of being advertised; we hope that she brings as much joy to her new owner as she did to us.
We decided to take a farewell trip which would include many of our favourite places such Tixall Wide, Gloucester, the River Severn, Tardebigge Locks and Birmingham. It was a lovely month, feeling more like a 'lap of honour' than a farewell, but its memories will remain rather personal so I have not attempted to summarise them onto a page here.
Similarly I have not created a page for our 2020 journey down the Oxford Canal to the River Thames where we spent a delightful month. For the first 2 weeks of that month the weather was simply glorious as we cruised gently up to Lechlade and down to Runnymede, and the river seemed to be full of people paddle-boarding or swimming (sometimes deliberately or sometimes as a result of their inexperience on the paddle-board). The hot weather came to an abrupt end with the most dramatic thunderstorm I have ever seen; we were moored on a small island in the Cliveden Reach and for almost 3 hours we had a ringside view of this clash of the elements while the storm hovered overhead. We opened the doors and stared in awe as the continuous flashes of lightning made the river scene look like a vintage movie accompanied by a continuous throbbing of thunder.Unfortunately my camera was not up to the task of recording the spectacular scenes.
We can of course look back to our earlier travels including those of 2019 which took us to the city of Liverpool, a truly spectacular journey into the centre of this wonderful city. Of course, we didn't go straight there, we travelled via Stratford-on-Avon (where we saw two of Shakespeare's plays), Gloucester, and Llangollen; and on our way back we had time to divert to the river Weaver, and the Macclesfield and Caldon Canals. Once again there were several stoppages on the rivers and canals, but we managed to work our way around them and have a wonderful time.
In 2018 our plans were constantly changing again, as not only did we have the opportunity of a last-minute cruise across Europe but also we were frequently affected by extremes of weather - both hot and cold - plus water shortages and an embankment breach at Middlewich. Despite this we managed an extensive cruise which took us more than 1250 miles via Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester, Llangollen, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield, Braunston, Oxford, Windsor, Lechlade, and Leicester - to finish back in the Staffordshire countryside for Christmas again.
You can still look below for the list of all our recent trips, as well as some reminiscences of boating in the 1940s, of the River Shannon and the Norfolk Broads in the 1960/70's, of the canals in the 1970's, and all our trips on Thistle from 1987-1991 including our spooky encounter with the Kidsgrove Boggart at Harecastle.
After many years of hiring since the 1960's we bought "Thistle", an old Harborough hire-boat with a highly varied and highly chequered history. She had been declared to be a sunken ship, then when she really did sink she was lifted up and cut in half. Now you can read her fascinating story for yourself. We loved her dearly, and in four years she took us all over the country, including trips to Llangollen, London, Lechlade, Leicester, and across the Leeds & Liverpool canal as well as plenty of places that don't begin with a letter "L" such as Chester, Stratford-on-Avon, and the Curly-Wyrley around Birmingham. Now she has a new lease of life, having been beautifully restored.
In 1991 we commissioned Stoke-on-Trent Boat Building to build our new boat 'Keeping Up': steelwork, woodwork, fittings, the lot (except the curtains. Stoke-on-Trent didn't do curtains). You can read all about her construction and see the pictures that we took at every stage of the work. She is 67 ft long, built of top-quality steel with a half-inch thick base plate, and painted the same distinctive red-and-black design that 'Thistle' had become so famous for. With a 42hp Duffields Perkins engine she performed magnificently until in 2014 the engine became too tired and was replaced with a new 43hp Beta Marine engine. and at the time of writing (2016) she has taken us more than 25,000 miles all over the country.
The picture shows 'Keeping Up' on her home mooring at Milton Keynes, just south of our home at Milton Keynes. The National Waterways Festival was held at MK in 2001; I've captured some of the sights and sounds of the working boats for you to enjoy.
Here is a list of all our canal trips on Thistle and Keeping Up. We have a detailed log of all these, as well as our hire-boat holidays since 1980, and all the interesting ones will appear on this site eventually. There are plenty of pictures included, but please note that to save space and minimise download time, these have all been stored at a slightly reduced quality- if you would like a full-quality copy of any of the pictures - or if you have any other comments - please e-mail me.
Crick - Braunston - Fradley - Gt Haywood - Stourport - Gloucester - Worcester - Tardebigge - Birmingham - Hatton - Braunston
Crick - Oxford - Lechlade - Runnymede - Oxford - Braunston - Ashby - Braunston - Crick
King's Bromley - Birmingham - Stratford - Avon - Worcester - Gloucester - Kidderminster - Llangollen - Wigan - Liverpool - Wigan - Weaver - Macclesfield - Leek & Caldon - Crick
King's Bromley - Braunston - Hatton - Birmingham - Worcester - Gloucester - Sharpness - Gloucester - Stourport - Monty - Llangollen - Christleton - Autherley - Great Haywood - Macclesfield - Ashby - Braunston - Oxford - Windsor - Lechlade - Oxford - Leicester - King's Bromley
Northampton - Peterborough - Northampton - Ashby - Oxford - Kingston - Wey - Lechlade - Oxford - Greatt Haywood - Autherley - Llangollen - Middlewich - Anderton - Weaver - Whaley Bridge - Nottingham - Boston - King's Bromley
Milton Keynes - Aynho - Milton Keynes - Alvecote - Gloucester - Great Haywood - Furness Vale - Middlewich -Llangollen - Autherley - Fradley - Newark - Fradley - Milton Keynes - Braunston - Stockton Dock - Northampton
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Gloucester - Llangollen - Stourport - Macclesfield - Weaver - Trent - Chesterfield - Boston - Ashby - Peterborough - Northampton - Stoke-on-Trent - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Stoke-on-Trent - Middlewich - Hurleston - Montgomery - Shroppie - Stourport - Gloucester - Tardebigge - Birmingham - Great Haywood - Erewash - Newark - Great Haywood - Fradley - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Aynho - Napton - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Limehouse - Windsor - Kintbury - Reading - Lechlade - Windsor - Oxford - Warwick - Stratford - Gloucester - Birmingham - Ashby - Rugby - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Foxton - Market Harborough - Foxton - Milton Keynes - Rugby - Fazeley - Stoke on Trent - Caldon - Stoke on Trent - Newark - Lincoln - Nottingham - Foxton - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Lapworth - Milton Keynes - Coventry - Stoke-on-Trent - Macclesfield - Peak Forest - Middlewich - Llangollen - Birmingham - Drayton Manor - Ashby - Rugby - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Newark - South Kyme - Witham Navigable Drains - Boston - Black Sluice Navigation - Manchester - Anderton - River Weaver - Manchester Ship Canal - Chester - Llangollen - Gloucester - Droitwich - Black Country Museum - Hawne Basin and Gosty Hill - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Northampton - Peterborough - Middle Level - Denver and the Relief Channel - St. Ives - Bedford/Kempston - Rivers Lark, Little Ouse, and Wissey - Denver - Ramsey - Peterborough - Northampton - Braunston - Oxford - Lechlade - Brentford - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Limehouse - London - River Thames - Oxford - Reading - Newbury - Devizes - Newbury - Reading - Oxford - Lechlade - Oxford - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Stratford on Avon - Gloucester - Macclesfield - Whaley Bridge - Huddersfield Narrow Canal - Standedge Tunnel - Rochdale Canal - Manchester - Wigan - River Weaver - Llangollen - Montgomery Canal - Birmingham - Wyrley & Essington Canal - Oxford - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Leicester - Nottingham - Newark - Boston - Torksey - West Stockwith - Chesterfield Canal - Torksey - Newark - Nottingham - Fradley - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Great Haywood - Shroppie - Llangollen - Montgomery Canal - Shroppie - Stourport - Gloucester - Stourport - Birmingham - Milton Keynes
February and March trips, to Yardley Gobion and Napton
An autumn trip down to Aylesbury
Milton Keynes - Hatton - Birmingham (heritage weekend) - Wolverhampton - High Offley - Great Haywood - Stone - Fazeley - Braunston - Market Harborough - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Leek - Froghall - Stourport - Gloucester - Sharpness - Tardebigge - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Thrupp - Ashby Canal - Milton Keynes
Foxton - Hillmorton towing Black Bottom Girl
Milton Keynes - Paddington - Brentford - Teddington - Reading - Newbury - Reading - Lechlade - Beale Park National Waterways Festival - Opening of Jubilee Junction - Oxford - Braunston - Stratford - Evesham - Stratford - Birmingham - Fazeley - Ashby - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Leicester - Nottingham - Newark - Lincoln - Boston - Kyme Eau and the Witham Navigable Drains - Lincoln - Newark - Nottingham - Fradley - Ashby - Milton Keynes
Anderton lift - River Weaver
Stourbridge - Birmingham - BCM - Tardebigge - Worcester - Gloucester - Sharpness - Gloucester - Tewkesbury - Stratford-upon-Avon - Birmingham - Lapworth - Birmingham - Fazeley - Hawkesbury - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Ashby - Fradley - Stoke-on-Trent - Anderton - Middlewich - Chester - Barbridge - Llangollen - Monty - Autherley - Kidderminster - Stourbridge
The opening of the newly restored section of the Wendover arm at Little Tring by David Suchet
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Oxford - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Great Haywood - Stourport - Gloucester - Bristol - Devizes - Reading - Hampton Court - Reading - Lechlade - Oxford - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Northampton - Peterborough - March - Denver - Ely - St. Ives - Godmanchester - Bedford/Kempston - Cambridge - Rivers Lark, Little Ouse, and Wissey - Denver - Ramsey - Peterborough - Northampton - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Warwick - Lapworth - Birmingham. Towing Birmingham - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Milton Keynes - Tring - Rickmansworth Return to Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Oxford - Lechlade - Maidenhead - Oxford - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Market Bosworth - Fazeley - Fradley - Nottingham - Newark - Nottingham - Leicester - Market Harborough - Crick - Milton Keynes
Pictures of the 2001 ACS Party, the 2001 ACS boat-lift, and the 2003 ACS Party
Pictures and sounds from the 2001 IWA National Waterways Festival at Milton Keynes
Crick - Foxton - Shardlow - Fradley - Great Haywood - Stoke-on-Trent - Caldon Canal - Froghall - Leek - Stone - Great Haywood - Autherley - Wolverhampton - Gas Street - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Crick
Stoke-on-Trent - Fradley - Fazeley - Spaghetti Junction - Ashted - Knowle - Warwick - Braunston - Crick - Milton Keynes
Stoke on Trent Boat Building
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Warwick - Lapworth - Stratford - Tewkesbury - Stourport - Autherley - Great Haywood - Stoke-on-Trent
Milton Keynes - Northampton - Cogenhoe - Northampton - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Nottingham - Newark - Keadby - Stainforth - Leeds - Skipton - Wigan - Worsley - Preston Brook - Middlewich - Stoke-on-Trent - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Milton Keynes. Including a close encounter with Kit Crewbucket.
Milton Keynes - Tring - Rickmansworth - Tring - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fazeley - Birmingham - Autherley - Hurleston - Llangollen - Hurleston - Chester - Autherley - Wolverhampton - Curly Wyrley - Spaghetti Junction - Fazeley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Crick - Foxton - Market Harborough - Kilby Bridge - Foxton - Crick - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Great Haywood - Autherley - Stourport - Stourbridge - Hawne Basin - Dudley - Gas Street - Spaghetti Junction - Fazeley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Tring - Hemel Hempstead - Tring - Milton Keynes
Leighton Buzzard - Braunston - Warwick - Lapworth - Brummagem - Rudderless Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston- Milton Keynes
Leighton Buzzard - Braunston - Oxford - Lechlade (trout at the Trout) - Oxford - Braunston - Leighton Buzzard
Hawkesbury - Braunston - Milton Keynes - Aylesbury - Tring - Leighton Buzzard
Brentford - Leighton Buzzard - Brentford - Teddington
Weedon - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Nottingham - Leicester - Sawley - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Weedon
Great Haywood - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Warwick - Knowle - Spaghetti Junction - Fazeley - Fradley - Great Haywood
Leighton Buzzard - Crick - Foxton - Market Harborough - Foxton - Crick - Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard - Crick - Foxton - Market Harborough - Foxton - Crick - Braunston - Warwick - Braunston - Leighton Buzzard.
Sunk as a ship, sunk as a restaurant, cut in half; what else can happen to her?
A few pictures and some reminiscences of boating on the River Shannon and sailing on the Norfolk Broads
No pictures but some fascinating trip reports from the late 1940s
Crick - Braunston - Fradley - Gt Haywood - Stourport - Gloucester - Worcester - Tardebigge - Birmingham - Hatton - Braunston
Crick - Oxford - Lechlade - Runnymede - Oxford - Braunston - Ashby - Braunston - Crick
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Sawley - Leicester - Market Harborough - Crick - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Crick - Braunston - Warwick - Lapworth - Birmingham - Fazeley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Crick - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Stoke-on-Trent - Middlewich - Hurleston - Llangollen - Montgomery - Nantwich - Autherley - Stourport - Worcester - Tardebigge - Gas Street - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Crick
Crick - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fazeley - Perry Barr - Curley Wyrley - Walsall - Stourbridge - Great Haywood - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Crick
Crick - Milton Keynes - Apsley - Regents Canal - Lee & Stort (Hertford & Bishops Stortford) - Limehouse - Brentford - Apsley - Milton Keynes - Crick
Crick - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Great Haywood - Stoke-on-Trent - Middlewich - Chester - Nantwich - Autherley - Stourport - Worcester - Tardebigge - Gas Street - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Crick
Crick - Foxton - Leicester - Nottingham - Newark - Nottingham - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Braunston- Crick
Crick - Foxton - Leicester - Sawley - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Crick
Crick - Napton - Aynho - Oxford - Lechlade - Reading - Shepperton - River Wey (Guildford & Godalming) - Teddington - Brentford - Apsley - Aylesbury - Crick
Crick- Hawkesbury - Crick- Foxton - Crick - Calcutt - Crick
Crick - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fazeley - Gas Street - Old Main Line - Wolverhampton - Autherley - Norbury - Autherley - Stourbridge - Merry Hill - Wednesbury Old Canal - Ridgeacre Branch - Tame Valley Canal - Perry Barr - Fazeley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Crick
Milton Keynes - Apsley - Milton Keynes -Crick
Milton Keynes - Northampton - Peterborough - Northampton - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fazeley - Spaghetti Junction - Gas Street - Tardebigge - Worcester - Tewkesbury - Stratford - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Apsley - Aylesbury - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Watford - Foxton - Leicester - Nottingham - Newark - Torksey - Lincoln - Torksey - Stockwith - Worksop - Stockwith - Newark - Nottingham - Shardlow - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Napton - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Shackerstone - Coventry - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Apsley - Regents Canal - Limehouse - Teddington - Reading - Oxford - Lechlade - Oxford - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Stoke-on-Trent - Middlewich - Hurleston - Llangollen - Nantwich - Autherley - Stourbridge - Windmill End - Gas Street - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes - Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fradley - Stoke-on-Trent - Great Haywood - Autherley - Wolverhampton - Black Country Museum - Gas Street - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston - Milton Keynes
Rugby - Braunston - Warwick - Lapworth - Tardebigge - Worcester - Tardebigge - Gas Street - Spaghetti Junction - Fazeley - Fradley - Sawley - Langley Mill - Leicester - Foxton - Crick - Braunston - Rugby
Leighton Buzzard - Braunston - Oxford - Reading - Teddington - Brentford - Tring - Leighton Buzzard
Braunston - Hawkesbury - Fazeley - Spaghetti Junction - Tame Valley - Pudding Green - Soho Loop - Icknield Port Loop - Ouzel Street Loop - Lapworth - Warwick - Braunston
Rugby - Braunston - Warwick - Knowle - Spaghetti Junction - Gas Street - Wolverhampton - Autherley - Barbridge - Middlewich - Kidsgrove - Marple - Whaley Bridge - Marple - Kidsgrove - Stoke-on-Trent - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Rugby
Rugby - Braunston - Crick - Foxton - Market Harborough - Leicester - Sawley - Fradley - Market Bosworth - Shackerstone - Hawkesbury - Coventry - Rugby
Rugby - Braunston - Warwick - Lapworth - Stratford - Tewkesbury - Stourport - Autherley - Great Haywood - Fradley - Hawkesbury - Rugby
Can't remember this one at all, I'll have to work it out from the photographs!
All content on this site is © Allan Jones unless otherwise stated
