pencelli

Not the best nights sleep overall, early this morning Diana could hear a bleep. the invertor alarming on low voltage, so that was switched off, following on from this was not enough power to bring the water pump up to pressure so no shower first thing. Up at 7-30 and engine started at 8am to bring the volts up a bit. We had a good day ahead of us so 8-30 am and we were away. The hire boat that came past after we were moored up and stopped just through the bridge were still tucked up when we passed. The morning was very still giving some lovely reflection.

One of the bridges we came to looks quite misshapen. Interestingly they have iron ribs under the arch for support.

   We stopped for ten minutes to fill with water, just as we were setting off a Volockie arrived on his bike and enquired as to whether we were going up the flight. when Diana said yes he was off on his bike in that direction so when we arrived the lock was ready for us. The locks on this flight have to be left empty with the bottom gates open. The way some of the top gates leak this must lose millions of gallons down hill.

There were Volockies on each lock and all were boaters so some interesting chats going up. One had a whole family of kids involved under close supervision.

I had to hang about in one lock as there was a boat about to enter the lock above coming down. This was one of the wider Narrowboats for hire, several of the hire boats have bowthrusters as well, like the one I met just through a bridge hole.

There are lots of wooden benches like this along the length of the canal, they don’t seem to have the same problems with people setting light to things as we do in England.

Several of the bridges still have these weight restriction signs on them, this one has been reset on the towpath. A little further on was one from the railway company.

CRT are obviously expecting problems as they have a good stock of clay and sand bags ready for action canal side.

The Welch Government are a bit ahead of England with waste segregation and recycling as can be seen by this collection of bins.

We had a tunnel to go through today, its only one way but as we approached round the bend we met s cruiser, the situation not helped by a moored hire boat who was fishing. At the tunnel mouth there was another boat with a chap in the water. He said his missis had made him walk the plank, she said he dropped his phone. I know which one I believe.

The tunnel is quite dry and white inside, there looks a big margin above the headroom indicator but the roof slowly slopes down towards the centre .

We also had an electric lift bridge to negotiate. No short tempered, impatient motorists here, they just got out of the car and walked over to watch us pass and wave.

We only met one canoe, we had been warned there had been more going through the tunnel so I asked if they were alone or if any more were following, the answer was “yes” can you work it out?

How about this for a garden feature, a canal lift bridge, I guess there must be some right of way through their land from the room, but thankfully its permanently up. we have a windy up one tomorrow.

We passed this covey of twitchers with their scops. binoculars and cameras, from the notices I saw later the area in known for nesting Osprey.

Our garget for tonight was the Royal Oak at Pencelli with the 2 day moorings just at the end of their garden, but being Fathers Day we didn’t know what the food situation would be. Thankfully food as normal 5-8pm so a table booked for two.
The morning was very warm and bright as can be seen from the photo, but this afternoon it clouded over and we even had a few spots of rain after we had moored up.

Today’s Journey 10¾ miles with 5 locks in 7 hours