boat, bike, car, bike, boat shuffle

Appears to be working to plan.  Apart from slight hiccup at the beginning - I was hoping to cut across from Priors Hardwick down to where the car was parked via the road but was foiled by being unable to reach road from canal so had to do the wiggly bit of the summit pound by bike.  So not funny.

The towpath is so far out in the country that it is rarely walked and hence the brambles come right over it.  As it was a sunny day I was in short sleeves and now look like I am a 'cutter' with scars all down my right arm.

Having finally reached the car after 6/7 miles of sheer Hell I drove for a lovely 20 mins parked up and then cycled back about 3/4 miles to the boat.  Initially the towpath was much better and then disaster.

The canal encroached onto the towpath with corresponding bush hanging right across it.  I thought I would close my eyes and push through realising at the last minute that this was a blackberry bush so slammed the anchors on and fell into it.  As I was so close to the canal I couldn't extricate myself without the possibility of ending up in it so I chose to lie down completely in said bush and contemplate life in general.

Next day was luckily a shorter hop as I only had to cycle one mile back to car at which point I discovered I now had a flat tyre and no pump (we had stripped everything off bike when using it as a packhorse at the festival) I contemplated the nearer option for leaving the car but on looking at the map realised that the very furthest option was actually very close road wise to the nearest even though the canal twists and turns.

Furthest one it was.  Luckily for me (not being a rain fetishist like Bones) I was still in the car when the heavens opened.  I stayed in it until they had closed again and had a lovely ride on the road back to Shuckburgh where I had to join the dreaded towpath again as I didn't fancy going up hill with a flat tyre.

Last mile I had to walk as going over a bump the last of the air shot out of the tyre in one hit.  Whoosh.

Not too bad back at the boat I changed the inner tube and the third day was a doddle I moored the boat right next to the car took it on it's next hop and only had a four mile cycle ride on much improved towpath back to the boat.

Now just have to reunite boat and car in readiness for going to work tomorrow.

I might even go shopping in the car later today and restock much depleted larder.