About Us

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In 1977 we hired our first narrowboat from Anglo Welsh at Market Harborough.From that moment our destiny was set. In 2006 we finally purchased our own brand new 57' narrowboat which we named 'Free Spirit'. Our aim is to travel the length and breadth of all the navigable rivers and canals of the UK. This will be our story as it unfolds.

Monday 5 December 2016

Finally we meet after all the planning

Sunday 4th

Finally, the weather is on the turn...for the better. Already up at 20°, it was lovely for once not to make the dash to the loo first thing in the morning in jumpers. By 9.30am we were ready for the off. Today we had planned to meet with Mick and Elli previous owners of Parisian Star. Reaching Castlemaine a phone call to Elli for the address and......  a good job we stopped when we did because not in Bendigo as we thought but 35km from the town and, as luck would have it, we had stopped on the right side of their address otherwise we would have done more mileage then we aught. Mick met us at the petrol station and took us to their property. Plenty of room for us to park the caravan and undercover where it was that bit cooler. Yes, the temperatures had shot up to 29° and inside the house, lovely and cool too. Lots of catching up and canal chat first before lunch and then armed with hand-drawn maps of places to visit we set off for the afternoon, first to Bendigo and then to a lovely historic town with its steam railway at Maldon.





Then the weather turned windy and the rain arrived. Warm rain so not unpleasant. Stopped to look at the mine but the cost was astronomical to go down the shaft on a mine tour. $85 per person. Just to look around the mine was $30. We had a browse in the gift shop and left.


On the way to Maldon, we came across this dredger and dragline. So in the pouring rain, I grabbed the camera for a quick photo before dashing back to the car. Not quite wet through but enough to feel slightly 'moist.'




Finding Maldon station we had just parked the car when we were told the train was arriving. Still raining and temperature which, incidentally, had cooled down considerably to the upper teens.







That evening a BBQ had been planned. Mick's wonderful homemade BBQ consisting of an old gas oven, cooked the Lamb chops and Kebabs to perfection and with a scrumptious prepared salad by Elli the meal went down a treat. The talk went well into the evening, mostly of canals and boats but their gorgeous Labrador Klara was often mentioned. So loving and gentle she has almost made our mind up about getting another dog when we return home next April. Tomorrow we say our farewells and continue the journey to Kiama.





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