In which our doughty duo chug from Avoncliff to The George at Bathampton and Sid is exhausted.
Engaging stories have flawed characters who set out on a mission, encounter problems, take decisions, make allies or enemies, overcome the setbacks and ride on to triumph.
The flawed characters are known from previous episodes. The mission is modest, to conduct the good ship Lydia along the canal and return to the home port. The problems are the locks, bridges, tight turns and occasional traffic.
The decisions are mainly how not to crash into the infrastructure or other boats and how much to eat. Having steered long boats since coxing rowing eights at school Sid is not too bad at this. (Aside, turning an eight is as easy as turning a catamaran as one engine can reverse while the other is in forward with the whole thing spinning in its own length. Lydia really only steers going ahead.) Today there are fewer volunteers at the locks but Doris turns out to be reluctantly excellent at wielding the windlass in the lock sluices. The eating seems to come naturally and farm ice cream is a new staple.
Another aqueduct gives us the chance to admire the Avon valley from the middle.
As we go along we begin to understand society on the canal. There is a great contrast between the off gridders in derelict hulks covered in rusty bikes under tired tarpaulins and the carefully primped barges of the silver chuggers. Doris will write more about that.
Tonight’s stop is outside Canal Cottages by The George at Bathampton (still not serving, even in the beer garden) not far from Brother Tom’s place. This keyboard wants Tom in monastic orders but evidence of wife Juliet and children suggests it is mistaken.
Here we introduce a new character, friend or foe? Tom (ten years younger than Sid) has offered to take Sid for a run. Tom is a maximiser and Sid is a satisficer. Tom is convinced Sid could run faster and sets off at a goodish clip, chatting as he goes and is pretty soon getting answers like ‘uh, uh’. Four kilometres later they turnaround and Tom calls for a negative split, faster home than out. Sid already looks as if his boiler has burst but nothing loth turns round. Running on Tom tells the story of his training with a New Zealand Olympic athlete and tells lies about how far it is back to the boat though this is his regular training run and he knows every pebble on the path by name.
Doris and Juliet have been ridding the county of white wine and thrill – from a distance – to welcome back the sweaty runners. Sid sits down soon after arrival and not much later can say whole sentences. We will count the new character an ally as idle Sid ran faster than at any time in the last ten years and will set a new target for future races.
Sid is revived with shower and beer. A few drinks later on the ‘foredeck’ and it is time to rest up for tomorrow’s journey through many locks to Georgian Bath. Perhaps canal holidays just aren’t epic journeys.
Another aqueduct gives us the chance to admire the Avon valley from the middle.
As we go along we begin to understand society on the canal. There is a great contrast between the off gridders in derelict hulks covered in rusty bikes under tired tarpaulins and the carefully primped barges of the silver chuggers. Doris will write more about that.
Sid is revived with shower and beer. A few drinks later on the ‘foredeck’ and it is time to rest up for tomorrow’s journey through many locks to Georgian Bath. Perhaps canal holidays just aren’t epic journeys.