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Bringing the moorings back to life

However a delightful couple – Stuart and Marie Sherratt – are due to bring the moorings back to life this summer while leading one of two groups on the popular BCNS Explorer Cruise. Last June, along with 24 other boats, we completed the week’s trip. It proved to be one of the most enjoyable trips – allowing us to make new friends – in all of our 30 years of boating.

As one can imagine several of the menfolk left their partners with wine and nibbles and sampled the Black Country beers. Ironically the public house we were directed to within the Walsall precinct area was The Black Country. Upon alighting at the top of a staircase, there before us was a list of 18 real ales.

The interesting architecture of the building was as tasteful and interesting as the beers we sampled. It was so good that a single boater whose understanding wife in West Yorkshire had allowed him to join the cruise – evidently he’d agreed that he wouldn’t be led astray – contacted two friends and the three of them travelled back to the Black Country public house from the Pelsall rally site by public transport and returned to their boat by taxi.

Another highlight for the crews on this year’s trip will no doubt be: how does the man on the mobile chip van deliver fish and chips 60 times piping hot at Longwood boat club?

Ken and Janet Walsh
Narrowboat Pumpki