Some reflection on where were are with our canal journey

It's been a while since I visited Percy in Prison the marina. My other post, previous to this explained or rather celebrated the end of year we had for my online diary which kept us away. 

However it's a different type of ownership and canal enjoyment we are now entering. I've had time to reflect on the rapid change to Percy's residential status now and put it into perspective. I'm sitting here typing this with the woodburner lit, we've been for a misty walk in the countryside from out back gate, fast internet a curry ready to go and a deep bath pending. I've also been pottering in the workshop and have plans for some motorcycle fettling tomorrow as well as a bit of joinery. It's a peaceful lovely place we live in now so the need to scoot off to the side of a canal for the same is not there - and in some ways I find that quite sad. 

I've always been a person who's not keen to embrace change but this change is positive and will make us do 'something' different, well it already is as we are staying local pottering, walking  - maybe cycling more. 

One thing we have not yet really explored is a marina staycation  - I think that would need to include a relocation within the marian to make us feel like we are actually on the canal  - seeing boats moving from our boat. Where we are right in the back far corner we see very little, a nice'ish view but only from the rear doors as we cant reverse into the mooring as the back is too shallow. That in itself will give us a reason to relocate and hopefully the staff will engage with us to get us onto the pontoon we have in mind.

So the future will be a little more actually moving the boat when we come to visit, the location does help here having three routes to explore. 

• North on the T&M it's up the Trent valley, the locks to Stone are well spaced and rural as is the whole route. Stone in about four and a half hours and four locks. Barleston is about seven and a half hours and twelve locks. That sets us fair for a run to the tunnel in a long day. So we could be on the Macclesfield in two days.
• West'ish takes us on to well travelled water of the Staffs and Worcester canal. A peach of a canal with in my opinion three identities. From Great Haywood the Calf Heath, locks open country a couple of towns,  then the more urban run through Wolverhampton to Whightwick then rural until the outskirts of Kidderminster and onto Stourport. Two 6 hour days to Whightwick bridge visitor moorings  - or two days to Chillington bridge, a lovely mooring at 6 hours per day and we are back on my much loved Shroppie. Of course we can head up the Wolverhampton 21 to the BCN 
• South on the T&M takes us back to Fradley  - not been on that route for a few years now so something to look forward to. Just a five and a bit hour day with only 4 locks. Then we can head off down the Coventry proper south or keep going to Willington and the wide locks to Sharlow, with options for the Erewash or the Trent through Nottingham and on to Newark or onto the Soar and complete the Leicester ring?

So a few options  - I've put some feelers out for a linear mooring in the area as well but like all such moorings they are subject to vacancies coming up..... we'll see.

Just waiting for the weather to warm up then I can go and do a bit on Percy's engine and the gas locker.... a test for the ' no work on your boat' condition.