The old saying rings true, even during lockdowns. If you can’t beat em, join em. And that’s exactly what my wife and I did during the dark days of March to June.
It changed everything, well almost everything. We bought bicycles to tour the Black Country Canals, after all everyone else was doing it.
As a matter of fact, if ever there was a renaissance year of the bicycle, then this was it. Sales of new and secondhand bicycles, and bicycle components during the spring and summer went through the roof. And the bicycle shops, that had mostly moved onto the internet, couldn’t supply enough stuff. Secondhand bikes that previously sold on eBay for £50, were now going for almost double. Never mind, clever me, I already had a very nice classic – yes I repeat classic, not old- Raleigh.
We purchased a very nice secondhand Claud Butler for Jane for £100. It was June – flaming June – and we all know what that means...wind and rain.
Sadly, the beauty of May, with its warm days and blue skies had retreated into the distant past. Nevertheless, even in flaming June one can find a decent day if one looks hard enoughand this was one of those. Blue sky, 50-50 clouds and coolish 18C, perfect for walking or riding. And of course the perfect month for wild flowers.
Now I don’t know where you are but here in sunny West Bromwich, bang on the Birmingham-Wolverhampton Main Line Canal, bicycles singly or in family groups were merrily cruising the towpath with a frequency greater than the local buses.
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HIGH AND MIGHTY
Acorns make the perfect store food for jaysâ larders
TAKING THE PLUNGE
Why Chris and Sarah Atkin will never forget tying the knot
LABELLED WITH LOVE
Helen Tidy enjoyed one weekend moored next to The Beer Boat ... simply the perfect solution to collecting bottle tops for her next project
MIDDLE THAMES
In the second part of our guide, we follow the Thames upstream from Reading through the steep sided Goring Gap and quieter countryide to reach Oxford
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
BUCKING UP...
We join Waterway Recovery Groupâs first canal restoration working party in six months - as WRGâs 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
Tim Coghlan raised a glass on the Grand Union Canal as The New Inn reopened to the relief of regulars