Wednesday 25 March 2009

Retirement in four counties

I have posted before, either on this or another persons blog that my favorite canal is the Trent and Mersey - followed by the Shroppie. I have been on a few but by no means all of the 2000 miles of our canals.

I recently read Bruce's blog and he commented he and Sheila had just done the four counties in 4 weeks It got me thinking that it would not be a bad retirement to just keep cruising the four counties - might even be a world record in there somewhere. We have done the four counties twice - anti clockwise on Sylph our Ownerships boat and also clockwise on Waterlily. Both times very enjoyable as we are cruising our favourite canals and enjoying the changes in scenery from picturesque through remote to industrial. Good stop offs, good towns and villages and variations in days of travel - with many locks on some days and few on others. If we added the Llangothlen then even better.

I'm sure those who have retired onto the cut will tell me there are so many more great places to go and see (Sue on No problem seems very taken with the middle levels) but right now sitting here in my office thinking of being on the cut a lifetime of four counties would be a good exchange...... just need to be more adventurous and less sensible !!

Nev

4 comments:

Jim said...

Nev,
Yes, it one of my favourite parts of the network too - but I can't help getting annoyed with name "four counties ing" when the route passes through only three (Staffs, Shropshire, Cheshire). The fourth "county" was the "West Midlands Metropolitan County" created only in 1974 and whose abolition in 1986 was about the only thing Maggie Thatcher did that I ever agreed with! If the "ring" had been named any timne except between 1974 and 1986 it would have been the "Three Counties"!
Jim

Halfie said...

I think you've been quite adventurous already, Nev, in buying your own boat. For my canal fixes I have to rely on our OwnerShips boat and any other odd bits of cruising I can get my (tiller) hand on.

D Baynham said...

I am off on the "Four Counties Ring" tour in June and am so looking forward to seeing it.

Nev Wells said...

English blogger, you wont be disappointed. Good time to do it before the school holidays as it is a popular route as I'm sure you are aware. Are you going to venture up the Llangothlan?

Jim has given me a quandary now as to what to call it in the future...sure will confuse people if we start calling it the three counties ring....