To see the previous three days of this holiday please go to Diana and Brian's Holidays: Ebbw Vale 11-6-25
Last night was our last night in the Ebbw Vale Premier Inn, its probably the best room we have ever had in one of their hotels, so after breakfast in the adjoining Beefeater we checked out and headed to Aldi to stock up on perishable food followed by Tesco for diesel.
Our aim for this morning was Abergavenny castle and museum, we were going to go yesterday but they close at 4pm. Its a free to enter museum, very small only three rooms but they pack in a lot of interest and one thing I knew nothing of was using a dog in a wheel to power a rotisserie in front of an open fire, prior to that it was a job for children and after the dog they used clockwork ones.
We then walked into the town centre which is pedestrianised and very busy, again we visited an indoor market in the Corn Exchange, the place was heaving.
Then it was a case of looking for somewhere to eat and you are certainly spoilt for choice, fusion, Italian, Gurkha, English, we settled for Turkish. Not fast food but very enjoyable.
Back to the car to drive to Gilwern, we had to be there for three o’clock to collect a hire boat for the week. Loading was interesting, reversing off the main road on a zebra crossing and down onto the towpath squeezing between the Belisha Beacon and the bridge wall. Once loaded the car was taken to the company yard for storage. We were briefed on both the domestic side of the boat and the operational side. Instructed on the quirks of the canal and its looks and told not to do most of the things I would normally do. We set off through the first bridge under instruction, moored up and were then sent on our way. We only did a little over 4 miles before mooring for the night as progress is very slow on this canal.
Its strange being on such a tender boat, she has a V hull to help with the shallow edges and large windows. We had diner onboard and then went for a short wander around, our mooring for the night.