With all the physical demands of narrowboat life, David Johns should be like an athlete but there’s the call of canalside cafés.
An occasional but recurring theme of comments put to me about boat life is surely all that constant travelling on the canals must make you fit. All that lock-opening, paddle-winding, coal-lifting and so on?
I’d love to claim that this is so – and perhaps it is in some respects true – but must also confess that, at least in my case, any calorific benefits from said exercise is more than cancelled out by the greater consumption of treats handed to myself as reward for all that hard work; doughnuts and lemon drizzle cake being particular favourites.
What to do about this conundrum, if you can summon the energy to tackle it? One set of suggestions comes from the narrow boat-dweller, circus performer and YouTuber Myles McDowell who posted a video recently about how to keep fit while living on a boat.
His ingenious examples included lifting a full coal scuttle repeatedly to build arm muscle, and pushing yourself up (legs outstretched) on the galley kitchen units.
To this I would add opening and closing the eight locks of the Droitwich Barge Canal which are, without a doubt, the heaviest lock gates I’ve yet encountered. Quite why this should be I have no idea but my, oh my, they are stiff and substantial. It was with great relief then, having gone through the first two such locks after the trip down the Severn from Stourport, that I found space available on the short stretch of visitor moorings lying immediately above and could break my journey for a quick rest and a cake-shaped snack (to be more precise: a cake). I’d been anxious about finding a spot because those moorings are the only place you can stop until you reach Droitwich itself.
The rest of the canal, which runs for six miles or so, has edges that are covered in reeds so voluminous it would take an army of strimmers and a dredger to make any headway into them.
この記事は Canal Boat の November 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Canal Boat の November 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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TAKING THE PLUNGE
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MIDDLE THAMES
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THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Robert Davies recalls childhood memories of a popular holiday destination and uncovers a reminder of the golden age of canals
FIT FOR PURPOSE
Terry Hibbard from Harworth Heating offers his expert opinion following our feature on onboard stove safety
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We join Waterway Recovery Group’s first canal restoration working party in six months - as WRG’s volunteers help the Buckingham Canal Society get the project back on track after lockdown
ART ON THE WATER
Graphic artist Katie Ruby lives and works on 32ft narrowboat Poppy
GO WITH THE FLOW
What makes a boat truly stand out from the crowd? Sometimes you just need a little finesse and a taste for adventure
A GLASS HALF-FULL AT BUCKBY WHARF
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