In York the towpath beside the museum gardens is flooded, and the moorings are hidden below about a metre and a half’s rise in the water level.
Life Afloat on Narrowboat Audrey Too
Boating on the canals and rivers, from London to Yorkshire
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Selby to York
There was a surprising amount of floating junk to avoid on the tidal river between Selby and York, mostly large logs and branches but also a dead cow.
Paul Widdowson boat in Sheffield
Narrowboat Audrey Too was built by Paul Widdowson.We hadn’t seen another boat by the same builder, but on arriving at Sheffield’s Victoria Quays, we were put near to another Paul Widdowson built boat called Trilby.
Through Tinsley Locks to Sheffield
Alisha’s doing temp work near Sheffield until the end of June, so we’ve decided to stay there for a few weeks. The Tinsley Flight of 11 small locks has to be traversed to reach Sheffield. It didn’t start raining until we were at the penultimate lock, and the shower was heavy but quick. On arrival in Sheffield’s Victoria Quays there was a rainbow.
Sprotbrough on the River Don
We really love this mooring in Sprotbrough, a few miles from Doncaster. The village is charming and hidden behind woodland, so whilst it’s quiet and secluded, there’s shops nearby. The Boat Inn on the opposite side of the River Don is handy for a coffee and pub meal.
Sykehouse Lock to Doncaster in windy weather
Grief, it was windy! It’s difficult to drive a narrowboat when the wind’s strong. Had a bumpy night, with little waves forming on the water and splashing constantly on the hull.
Painting and varnishing, getting our narrowboat ready to travel
The sunny weather has brought all the boats out. This long Easter weekend’s clement weather, a relief after the cruel winter, is a call to paint, varnish, sandpaper, tackle rust, and generally fix and spring clean.
Narrowboat Audrey Too’s interior
What’s it like inside a sixty foot narrowboat? Narrow, obviously. But also cosy. We have a living room, sizeable gallery (or kitchen), double bedroom, bathroom with shower, back bedroom with bunk beds, and a cruiser style back of the boat to stand on.
Clarence Dock, Leeds
This is the mooring we’ve staying on in Leeds over winter. Ours is the blue narrowboat with the cream roof, second from the left, between a dutch barge and a tug. Just outside our door is Mumtaz restaurant, which does superb Pakistani food.
Mikuni diesel heater repaired and refitted
Thanks to Mellor Auto Electrical in Ossett, West Yorkshire, the Mikuni Diesel heater’s been working reliably for several months
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Arrived at Leeds winter mooring, at last
Finally made it back to Leeds, Clarence Dock, the Royal Armouries and our winter mooring. We would have been here six weeks ago if it hadn’t been for the canal freezing over, so it’s great to finally arrive, tie up the boat, connect to the electric point and relax. This will be our home for the next few months.
Winterising our narrowboat
Alisha and I abandoned our narrowboat for the Christmas week during the freeze. If a boat isn’t lived on during winter you’re supposed to protect it against damage by winterising it. Good news is that on our return there were no problems, no cracked pipes or leaks, and the engine started first time.
Thaw and freeze
A week before Christmas the ice had thawed just enough to move the boat from where we’d been frozen in for two weeks. British Waterways phoned to say we might be able to travel back to Leeds in a couple of days, and they booked us in to travel through the staircase locks. Things were looking up: we might be back on our winter mooring soon.
Surviving winter on a narrowboat
The last winter I spent on a narrowboat, four years ago, was mild compared to this one. This time the canal has frozen over, and has been frozen for a week and a half, and it could take a while before the ice thaws.
