Herbie to move home !!

Yes, now it can be told. For some weeks now I have been working on a new set of CanalOmeters* to show cruising times around the East Midlands. All because next April Herbie will be moving a hundred miles North to a new base.

We leave our quiet base on the narrow, shallow,weedy Slough Arm, and if things go according plan we will take up residence on the narrow, shallow, weedy (but less so I hope) Leicester Arm of the GU. At Crick marina to be precise, where we have put a deposit on a mooring, to be confirmed in the new year.

For those not familiar with our waterways geography, we will be moving from A to B on this map.

As you can see this will give us a whole lot of new cruising waters within our reach. The Leicester ring, not much cruised but highly praised, shorter trips out to Cropredy or up the quiet Ashby canal, or perhaps down to Stratford upon Avon. I can't wait. For longer trips we will be within reach of Birmingham and the maze of West Midlands Canals, or even up to the four counties ring.

Being at Crick will have its challenges. Whether we turn right or left out of the marina, we will meet a longish tunnel fairly soon, and at either end of the Arm there is a flight of staircase locks to negotiate. As to the Leicester Arm itself, I have never cruised it but I'm told it is very quiet and very scenic. Saltysplash tells me it's his very favourite canal.

There are downsides of course. No easy trips to London. A two hour drive to the boat instead of the current 35 minutes. And parting from some of the good friends we have made at our current moorings. However we don't see this as a permanent move and we plan to return after two or three years.

*I'll put my new range of canalometers on the web soon for anyone to download. If you don't know what they are (shame on you) follow this link