Saturday, September 24 – Preston Brook
After passing through the final tunnel we traveled the last few kilometers down the canal & arrived at the dock at 9:00am. We were happy & a bit sad at the same time.
We had a wonderful adventure on our “little” narrowboat, the Walton Hall. This is something that Catherine & I have talked about doing for many years & we are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to make this trip.
I would also like to give a recommendation for the great folks at Claymoore Boat Holidays. They looked after us fantastically. The boat was in tip top shape, sparkling clean & everything worked perfectly. If you are ever considering taking a narrowboat holiday then I encourage you to contact Claymoore.
(Winter 2020 update – I had been editing this blog page and I have discovered that sadly, Claymoore Boat Holidays is no longer in business. 🙁 )
Here’s a brief tour of our Narrowboat “Walton Hall”
Length – 48′
Width – 7′
Weight – Approximately 10 tons
Construction: Welded steel plate
Bottom: Flat, like a barge
Draft: Approximately 2′
The bow has double doors that open into the “living room” seating area. There is a small bench in the bow where passengers can sit outside. Propane tanks are stored in a locker in the bow.
The “living room” has two very comfy armchairs, a drop leaf table & a flat screen TV
The galley is well equipped with a 4-burner propane stove & oven, a microwave & a good sized fridge. There’s also lots of counter space & cupboards & drawers.
Next is a very roomy bathroom with a large shower stall.
The shower was even full size & we enjoyed it several times during our trip.
At the back of the cabin is a very comfortable double berth bed.
The tiller is located at the stern. There’s a simple 2 x 6 board for seating that spans the gap between the railings.
Some interesting trivia about navigation – all boats on the canals travel the same way we drive our cars on the roads in North America – i.e. when meeting other boats traveling towards me I am on the “right” side of the canal & the boat coming towards me is on my left, or on my port side. This is the opposite to how people in the UK drive their cars on the road.
The engine is located below the deck at the stern. The one is this boat is a 4-cylinder Izuzu diesel. Not sure of the hp, but I think it’s around 40 hp. The engine has a keel cooling system. Shea at Claymoore told me that this is the predominant type of cooling system for narrowboats because their is so much mud & organic material in the canals that raw water intakes can plug up very easily.
The boat is also set up with central hot water heating with a small diesel fired boiler & hot water radiators in the sleeping cabin, the galley & the living room.
Interior lighting is by 12 volt fixtures in the ceilings & the boat is also wired throughout with 220 volt outlets supplied through an inverter.
This was a great vessel to have an adventure in. I’d love to do it again someday.
Next stop is the car rental kiosk at Liverpool Airport. Scotland, here we come!
Cheers everyone!