Well today we have gone as far as possible in our hire boat, to the top of Neptunes staircase. Here there are 8 staircase locks leading down to the sea. Our scenery was varied today, from the confined intimate Laggan Avenue, where trees reached down to canals edge. To Loch Lochy with its spectacular vista up the Great Glen to Ben Nevis.  By the time we got to the end the skies were threatening again, and now it’s pouring. At least we got down to the cafe hallway down the flight to have a spot of lunch, quickly followed by coffee and cake as the weather really set in.

Looking down the Great Glen of Loch Lochy

Our fellow travellers in Highland Glen 1, who we have been sharing locks with.

Bottom lock, Neptunes staircase.

Now to mention toilets, all boaters need to know these vital facts…….Our boat is equipped with 2, yep 2 ! vacumn type pump outs. T42 has a single cassette or Elsan type, but I won’t get bogged down in all the details. Highland Glen relies on a prescribed schedule of 8 firm strokes on a double acting lever followed by a rest of 5 seconds, then a second stint of 6 strokes on the lever. The correct number of strokes are vital, as is the toilet tissue type. On handover we were warned about excessive toilet tissue use…….they ensured this by supplying the flimsiest tissue in the world. It’s supposed to be 2 ply but self disintegrates upon unravelling thus ensuring no more than 3 squares are used at a time ! Even so we have been supplied with only 1 roll per couple, thus ensuring a level of anxiety whenever using onboard facilities. After lunch today the onshore facilities were discovered…..flushing toilets and quilted toilet paper…..bliss. Some people, who will not be mentioned in dispatches, but who’s first name is a national flower of Scotland, “borrowed” a whole roll  to take back to the boat. It’s a brave person who tries that paper with our toilet system……..stay tuned for updates ! 

A better day today weather wise, we have even had some sunshine. Loch Ness looks good, but Loich Oich this afternoon was super, so we moored for the night at the end. Fort Augustus had an amazing staircase of 5 locks, where we pulled Highland Glen thru by hand. We are about half way thru the Caledonian Canal now.

A quick stop at Heathergems in Pitlochry, prior to our Inverness departure and Caley Cruisers adventure saw more rain falling. Before taking control of Highland Glen3 there was a very comprehensive handover and steering tuition, with the newbie skipper scoring 9 out of 10 our little convoy headed out thru the first locks and out onto Loch Ness. The weather had deteriorated and with mist descending we headed for 2 hours to Urquart Bay,next to the castle. A magnificent meal was prepared by Executive Chef Hazel and the weather improved dramatically. Blue skies here we come !

6 hour drive from Great Malvern to Pitlochry in Scotland, plus 2 extra hours of roadworks and 1 of breaks = 9 hours travelling = shattered. Could only do it because of Peters brekky, the food of champions, it’s all in the presentation. Thanks Peter and Anne, till next time.

The 2 hour factory tour differed significantly from our last visit in that the 3 wheeler was not then in production. I met Lee who built our car, and who was genuinely interested in how it was all going. As usual there was a lot to see, and dream about !

The EV3…. An electric 3 wheeler.

A rather nice Aero8 awaiting delivery….

We finished the day off with lunch and a tour around a local garden. We’ve enjoyed the lack of rain today. Tomorrow will be a long day’s drive to Scotland, so probably no blog.

A long day’s drive in pouring rain from Cornwall to Malvern via the British Motor Museum at Gaydon. There was a lot of spray on the motorways but we finally made it to Gaydon after 4 hours. A fantastic collection of vehicles, 300 in this hall, 250 in that. Highlights included an Aston Martin Vanquish, some of the streamlined MG record holders, and cars belonging to the Jaguar Daimler Trust. After a quick 2 hour tour it was out into the rain again and off to our friends Anne and Peter who run a just closing now B and B. We are literally some of their last guests, and as usual made us feel most welcome. It has finally stopped raining and there is a beautiful sunset, hopefully things are looking up weather wise. Tomorrow Leon and I are morganning……

An MG J2, is this “Liz” dad ? ………

Our second day in Cornwall, and the same weather, wet ! Our first port of call, St Isaac, otherwise known as the place where the TV series Doc Martin is filmed. Parking up on the cliff top we walked down, and despite the weather there was a constant stream of visitors looking for locations.

Heather in front of the docs cottage.

We then drove on to Lanhydrock House, a stunning NT property. Leon thought it a nice little shack……The gardens were in full bloom, with some of the largest Pieris I have ever seen. Despite the weather a good day. We’ve got a bit of driving tomorrow, but a car museum and the Morgan factory at the end. Proper tourism ! 

An easy start this morning, with the best bathroom shower of the holiday yet ! We decided to go to the Lost Gardens as the weather wasn’t too bad, drizzle rather than showers. Driving down the narrow Cornish roads / lanes was interesting, especially as we were in fog part time. With it being a poor day there were only 4 coaches waiting for entry with us, but 5 minutes later the gardens felt deserted. Most of the Rhodos had gone over, but a few spectacular specimens remained. We had a good hike all around and finished up with a late lunch. I found the old potting shed very nostalgic as it reminded me of my early days at RHS Wisley working under Mr T the glasshouse supervisor. We drove on to a National Trust house and garden but the weather really closed in, so we headed home via the shops for more tissues.

With nobody feeling brilliant it was a good thing nobody inspected our luggage, which was just thrown in to get on the way.we have also added a load of gear from our boat for the cruise on the Caledonian canal. The roads were clear, and we made good time to RHS Rosemoor.  We all had a laugh though when Leon was blowing his nose, Hazel coughing, Heather sneezing and Mark wheezing all at the same time. 

A contrast of formal and informal plants with spring flowers just starting. There was evidence of a hard frost with damaged flowers or new growth. But the Rhododendrons where in full bloom, promising for our visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligon. The accomodation was hard to find, being isolated on Bodmin Moor, but it’s lovely just relaxing  in the early evening sunshine.

We are back on the River Wey in T42 after a long days travel from MV Rotterdam. An easy disembarkation and coach transfer to Schipol Airport was followed by a short flight to Heathrow, just 45 minutes ! However it took another 1.5 hours to get thru immigration. All the electronic scanners were set up for fast track e passports but we were forced to go thru individual checks……? Heather and Leon are fine, but Hazel has come down hard and is feeling unwell. We will pack for Cornwall tomorrow rather than tonight, it is supposed to be a holiday for all. My ribs ache from coughing all day but at least I’m still on my feet.

It’s a balmy 19 at 8pm tonight, we are unused to this warmth ! Since our first arrival the local pair of swans have hatched 6 cygnets…..cuteness personified. Dave from Kendall Car Hire has rewarded us for our loyalty, we are driving a brand new VW Caddy, with just 65 miles on the  clock. I assured him I’d run it in carefully….down to Scotland, across to Wales, up to Scotland and back.