Well never seen the prop shaft quite like that!

Well didn't we chose the right week to move Merlin. With temperatures predicted to be in double figures I was beginning to wonder if I should have packed shorts and T shirts. Okay maybe that's going a bit too far but those thermal undies taking pride of place in my bag should most probably have stayed in FS's bedroom drawers.  Anyway managed to pack all my the clothes in one small holdall, (just about closed the zip)and I thought I had packed light until Ian showed me up when his same size holdall was only half empty!

Left Langley Mill early as first port of call was to Leicester to collect Pat. Made  better time than we thought as hardly any traffic on the road. Holidays started already maybe? By 10am we were once again on the road and by midday we drove into the Anglo Welsh yard at Great Hayward.  Merlin had been moved to the Anglo Welsh service point next to the facilities, and facing in the wrong direction I might add, seeing as how we wanted to go Shroppie way rather than the T&M.  She did look pretty good having had a complete super structure paint job as well as hull blacked The prop shaft had also been changed. Was a little surprised at this until Kevin the manager showed us the one that had been removed. Flabbergasted we were at what we saw.

A few things were missing from Merlin when we got on board, most noticeable was two of the chairs from the lounge. One lot of bedding was short (they had forgotten that Pat was coming with us) and it wasn't until we had set off that we discovered the lack of any sort of soap, hand towel or washing up liquid. That's the only problem of boat moving after it has been away for servicing. Most of the important stuff had been removed. But thankfully they had provided loo rolls! A chair had been found as a replacement and more bedding put on.

Made our way to Tixal Wide which was completely devoid of any moored boats, up Tixal lock  to eventually stop opposite Stafford Boat Club.

Still ice on the Wide

Pat and Ian

Tixal lock

Silly hats???

 And seen on route.

And the journey endeth

Beep beep beep.... what on earth????. T'was only 6.45am but search as we may, could we find where it was coming from? Ian deduced it was a low gas warning sound but closer inspection of the gas heater proved him wrong. So where was it coming from? Eventually, Ian decided it was coming from me! What??? Not exactly from me but from under my bed. Turns out it was the inverter which we had forgotten to switch off last night and the beeping was the low battery warning. Decided we may as well get up and view our surroundings.

Even though we were right next to the road very little in the way of traffic came past. A quick walk through Weston woods this morning, (very invigorating) before we even had any breakfast and then a decision to head for Weston-Super-Mare and PC World.

Two things were needed from this store. A 16 Gb micro sd card and a card reader for my computer.
The micro sd card was for updating the sat nav. When this Garmin tried to direct us down a single lane farm road because she (yes we have a temperamental female) thinks our place name is wrong and she knows best and then  thinks we are driving across a field because she doesn't recognise that a new road has been built over 2 years ago and why is it she sometimes recognises a roundabout and some are invisible. That's when it was time to update the maps and the only way to do this was onto a micro sd card.

And I had to have a card reader because the computers sd slot was Kaput and I couldn't download my photos other than with a lead. For some reason, all my Raw files were ignored. As you lot well know. Me and my camera and I'm a happy bunny. Not being able to download the photos and I'm like a bear with a sore head! Anyway, both articles were purchased and while I went walkabout at Slimbridge (yes that was where we ended up today) Ian updated the Sat Nav.

The site we found was right by the Gloucester and Sharpness canal. In fact, we could hear the boat generators that's how close we were. Played havoc with the TV signal! Anyway, this was to be our last night out in the 'Beast'. Unfortunately, Ian did a stupid thing by bending over to tie his shoelace and couldn't straighten up afterwards!  Reckoned he pulled a muscle in his back. Plenty of painkillers and anti-inflammatories taken and by this morning he was sort of mobile again.  We decided not to do any more travelling but head back to FS.

The boat was freezing and my Chillie plant had withered and died through the cold. Heating went straight on (diesel and also the stove lit) so now as warm as toast. Next outing will be on Merlin when we fetch her from Great Hayward and take her back to Bunbury for Anglo Welsh. Looking forward to having Christmas afloat with a good friend of ours Pat. It's been several years since her husband died and she only now feels able to join us as previous trips had always included Keith. Should be fun.

Some photos of Slimbridge.

Water Rail, apparently not a common visitor at Slimbridge

Manderin ducks

Never seen a Trumpet Swan before. This male lost its mate through Bronchitis and now awaits a new female

Day 3 and wild cmping

Wednesday 13th

A Cockerel greeting the dawn, something to be expected in the country but after a very restless night of heavy rain, what with the melting ice slipping periodically from the roof making us jump every time it landed, we could have wished that bird further! Very bleary-eyed we made ready to leave the site disconnecting the electrics and then placing waste tank hose into our container. A sudden loud expletive .. bu**er or was it 'Oops it just came away in my hand....honest Gov', and I discovered the blasted hose had split. Emptying the internal tank was going to be difficult but he managed to get what was left of the waste pipe into the container so the tank could be emptied. Finally on our way it was head off to do Jacobs ladder. But once again we were scuppered by the weather. This time fog was the problem. No chance of seeing the views from the top then! Deciding to give it a miss we headed off toward Brean and the fort instead.

Managed to pick up a new hose at a caravan and camping outlet on route toward Brean. Torrential rain nearly all the way apart from a very brief glimmer of the sun creating a vibrant rainbow. 

  

 A narrow lane took us toward Brean Down and we had a problem of a parked lorry. Enough room for cars but not for this Beast (In has named her at last) so all we could do was wait. Turns out a bungalow had part of its roof blown away during the night's high winds and scaffolding was being installed by those in the lorry. Anyway, we only had about 40 minutes to wait before they eventually moved off.

So after parking in the NT car park, we climbed the steps and walked the mile to the Fort.
Brean Down's fort was built to defend the country against a possible Napoleonic invasion but the earliest signs of life on Brean Down date back to 10,000 BC. Evidence of extinct creatures such as mammoths and woolly rhinos had been uncovered here.

Lots of steps

The Beast parked by those Chalets

Not stone hugging but saving his woolly hat from being blown off.

Wild camping for the first time that night. Found a convenient layby on the coast road but because we arrived after dark, couldn't t put the van on the levelling blocks. Meant we were listing to one side, so much so that Ian spent most of the night stopping himself from falling from the bed! Another problem was no internet and no phone signal. But we did have telly so that was alright then. Pretty wild night with the wind rocking the Beast, torrential rain had water dripping from the trees. The sea was so close that we could hear a constant roar as the waves crashed onto the rocks. But would we have changed location? Not a chance as you will see on the next post.