Nantwich, and a new plan, Baldrick

6th & 7th February

Fellow Braidbar owners Graham and Beryl Johnson report having trouble trying to book themselves a trip across the Ribble Link to cruise the Lancaster Canal. You can't do it from the website, they have to snail mail a form to you, and you have to supply proof of your Boat Safety Certificate and insurance. Thing is, you can't get to either end of the Ribble Link without a BW Licence, and guess what you have to produce to get one of those?

That's right, a BSC and proof of third party insurance cover. It would be funny, if it didn't demonstrate just how far BW has to move to start achieving some obvious economies.

Meantime, they have at least responded to the licence fee consultation in a way that shows they have been listening a bit. The increase for next year is to be 5% plus their cost inflation, making 8.3% overall, instead of 8% +, and they've agreed to consult the British Waterways Advisory Forum on the other issues raised and on the subsequent years' fees.

It does suggest a modicum of sane management (not before time) and we can only hope that the trend continues.

We had one of our consolidation days yesterday, in that we spent a good chunk of time in Nantwich Town Centre shopping in the morning, and then after lunch Sheila cut my hair, or rather clipped it short. The weather was pleasant, and indeed the forecast for the next week or so is looking up. It certainly is beginning to feel like a touch of Spring in the air after all the rain and wind.

We've been rethinking our cruising plans in the light of the Llangollen stoppage. (My sympathies to Mukiwa, who have the same problem.) There's a window this coming weekend when the Audlem flight will be open, as the work on Lock 5 has finished, and Lock 15 doesn't start until Monday. The stoppage at the other end, at Wheaton Aston, comes off at the very end of this month.

We're meeting Peter and Jan at Barbridge on Saturday, to have a bit of a cruise and a pub lunch, as well as relieving them of some stuff we've had delivered to them (thanks folks!), but we can still put in a serious (for us) day's cruising on Sunday and get through Audlem 15 before it stops.

That would give us three weeks of pottering on the Shroppie between Market Drayton and Wheaton Aston. After that, we could nip down the Staffs and Worcs to Kinver. Our cratch cover has developed a minor problem in that the stitching of one zip is coming undone, and Wilson's of Kinver, who made it, have a good reputation for while-you-wait repairs of such things.

Then we'd be free to head for Alrewas a bit earlier than planned, which is just as well in view of the state of my dentition.

So today we did yet another shopping trip to get the stocks right up to scratch, and had an early lunch. Sheila steered round the Nantwich embankment to the winding hole at the other end, and we came back to the service block where we pumped out and watered.

So now we have fulfilled the basic conditions for boating happiness. The water tank is full and the diesel tank nearly so, and the toilet tank is empty. The weather continuing bright and breezy, we boated back to Hurleston for the night, and will pop on to Barbridge tomorrow ready for our rendezvous on Saturday.