Floating Dreams

My partner and I, and our greyhound Orlagh, have just spent a lovely few days aboard Adele Marie. We were supposed to collect the boat at Nantwich but because of a problem with one of the locks which had been closed at short notice, we had to pick her up at Tattenhall Marina. We were contacted by Martin a couple of days beforehand to inform us of this. At first we were disappointed as it meant we we were restricted to just one route ( Chester/ Ellesmere) and starting from Tattenhall rather than Nantwich also cut the route short. Martin was very understanding and offered us a re - booking or a refund but as we were geared up for a break away, we decided to go anyway. And we were very glad we did! Martin met us at Tattenhall to show us around the boat. He was very welcoming and friendly and we felt very happy knowing we could contact him at any point should there be a problem. Luckily, we didn’t have to. Adele Marie ran perfectly and was easier to manage than I thought. We took our time , chugging along and enjoying the pretty countryside and peacefulness. Our first overnight stay was at Christleton and then on to Chester where we stayed another two nights, one night in Chester Basin and one just on the outskirts. It’s a pretty route with some easy locks so ideal for beginners. On the first day the weather was wet and grey but it didn’t really affect our enjoyment. We came prepared for a mixture of weathers and it was lovely at the end of the day to be able to have a hot shower and light the multi- fuel stove and spend a cosy night aboard. We were luckier with the weather over the following few days and had a lovely time in Chester, walking the city walls and a visit to the cathedral. Lots of nice places to eat along the way and in Chester basin, we tried Telford Warehouse - good food, casual and friendly. Adele Marie is well equipped with full size cooker and fridge and plenty of storage space. The inverter and 240v system was great as I was able to use my hairdryer and straighteners. The on- board WiFi was an extra bonus. There were also a few books, magazines and DVD’s on board which was a nice touch and great to have a TV/DVD player as the signal was poor in some areas. A nice touch was the fresh ground coffee and shortbread biscuits that awaited our arrival - a very welcome treat as we headed off on our way. As there was only the two of us, only the double bed was used on this trip. It was a very comfortable bed and I had the best few nights sleep I’ve had in months! All in all, a lovely break on a lovely boat. Thank you Martin