Fibre & Tan

12/08/2026

Nomads of Habit: Back at a Favorite Spot 👌💯

Although we're effectively nomadic, we occasionally return to familiar moorings, and this is one of them. We've been here several times and always seem to gravitate toward the exact same spot.

It really is ideal: shaded by conifers, set back from the road to keep noise down, walking distance to a supermarket, and right near a friendly pub serving great-value meals. Perfect!

My first task was watering the plants, which were definitely looking a bit sad. Luckily, we have a supply of canal water at the moment on for them!
💐🌺💦. Surely it will rain soon 🤞🏻

Hope you're all staying cool!

Is anyone planning to watch the solar eclipse later today?
We left it too late to buy proper eclipse glasses, so we’re about to craft a "highly sophisticated" pinhole projector out of cereal box cardboard 😁!

11/08/2026

Shower time!!

Taking Narrowboat Spooky through the locks in this heat. I was so tempted to rush into the boat and grab the shower gel as the water came in through the rear gate 🚿
(Eco Friendly shower gel of course 😀)

Perhaps I should have gone backwards a bit more and given the bikes a wash whilst in the lock 🚲

Would you have been tempted on a hot day?

10/08/2026

Give That Nature Photographer a follow!
His photos are fab 👍🏻👌

Fibre & Tan cruising along the towpath this afternoon , Give Gwen & Lee a follow 💚

10/08/2026

Sometimes being away from the hustle and bustle is pure bliss.

A short video from last week or so before we left the Shropshire Union Canal.

It was full of surprises and we are already looking forward to going back and exploring the parts we didn't get chance to see this time.

Enjoy the video and spot the bonus bridge at the end.

Don't forget to follow us to find out where we are going next 👋

09/08/2026

Rockin' Through the Red Sandstone!

We have now left the Shropshire Union Canal and are back on James Brindley's Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, which was opened in 1772.

The other day we passed through an exciting stretch memorably called Pendeford Rockin' (also widely known as The Narrows)—a historically challenging 600-yard cutting chopped out of solid red sandstone.

In the late 18th century, early canal navvies using primitive hand tools dug a shallow, exceptionally tight cutting rather than a wide route. It stretches for nearly half a mile but measures just 10 feet wide with three small passing bays. This means only a single narrowboat can navigate certain sections at a time. Luckily, we didn't meet anyone coming the other direction !😳

Because canals are essentially man-made channels dug into the earth, deep-water coastal and river sailors historically looked down on canal boats, jokingly referring to the waterways as "ditches."
"Ditch dwellers" became an affectionate, self-deprecating term used by boaters themselves to describe those who live on the canals. Possibly it was meant as an insult back then, but we’ll go with the modern version! 🤣

Never before have we felt the term more appropriate—it really did feel as though we were traveling in a ditch, albeit a very picturesque one. 🤣

09/08/2026

👻 Ghosts and Chocolate: The Story of Tyrley Wharf!

Tyrley Wharf and the Tyrley Lock Flight were designed by the legendary civil engineer Thomas Telford. Opened in 1835, this stretch of canal connected the industrial heartland of the West Midlands to the ports of the River Mersey.

This us such a pretty lock and there’s an extra surprise at the end of the reel too 😁

Over the years, the wharf was a busy hub of agricultural and industrial life. Local farmers loaded boats with fresh produce and milk churns while offloading coal for local estates. By the early 20th century, even Cadbury relied on Tyrley Wharf, transporting fresh milk via canal directly to their processing factory in nearby Knighton.

Tyrley Wharf and its middle lock hold another claim to fame: a benevolent, invisible ghost that I mentioned in our last reel. In the dead of night, boaters have long witnessed the heavy lock gates mysteriously swinging shut behind them—completely on their own!

Personally, I’d be more than happy if this helpful spirit hopped aboard Narrowboat Spooky to lend a hand with the all the locks we go through 🤷‍♀️✨

Would you happy to have a spectral assistant to work the lock gates for you, or maybe to do the housework? 🤣

P.S. A quick heads-up for fellow boaters: despite still appearing on most maps, the winding hole at Tyrley Wharf (on the Shropshire Union Canal, just above Tyrley Top Lock near Market Drayton) is currently closed to public use. 🚫

08/08/2026

Ipswich, an Empress, and Pearl Barley: A Tale of Three Boats

Like most canal folk, we have a massive soft spot for historic boats! We’ve made a few video reels of our finds before, but here are three fascinating vessels we’ve spotted on our travels over the last few weeks:

1. Empress
Born in 1898 as a steam-powered narrowboat named Emperor, this beauty had a name change and was later restored to her stunning Fellows, Morton & Clayton (FMC) livery as Empress. She was an original "fly-boat"—the 19th-century equivalent of an express courier! Crews of four worked rotating shifts to run non-stop day and night, making the grueling 54-hour trip between Birmingham and London to carry tea, spices, and sugar.

2. Ipswich
Built in 1912, Ipswich is a "Town Class" narrowboat. Unlike Empress, she started life as an unpowered, horse-drawn "butty" boat, though she shared the same iron-and-elm hull build. After decades of hauling cargo and later serving as a maintenance vessel, she narrowly dodged the scrapyard in 1981. A loving restoration returned her to her authentic historic FMC look.

3. Pearl Barley
Don't let the vintage look fool you—Pearl Barley is a modern imposter! Built in the 1990s, she’s a painstakingly accurate replica of an Industrial Revolution "under the cloths" carrying boat. Her main job at Historic Boat Gatherings today? She acts as a motorized push-and-tow boat to help unpowered, original horse-drawn boats get around!

We are enthusiastic rather than expert regarding these vintage boats so any more information -or if necessary corrections- are always appreciated.

Which of these three canal beauties would you take for a cruise? Let us know in the comments! 👇

08/08/2026

Horse-Stealing Monster vs. Harvey The Boat Dog: A Narrowboat Spooky Adventure 🧌🐾🐶

What we didn’t realise when we set off is that the Shropshire Union Canal is widely considered one of Britain's most haunted waterways. Between the gloom of its deep cuttings and its centuries of dark folklore, it felt only fitting—given that we live aboard Narrowboat Spooky—that we lean into the eerie side of the journey!👻

Sure, we could talk about the history of Bridge 39. We could tell you how it was designed by Thomas Telford and built in 1832–1833, or how the United Kingdom Electric Telegraph Company mounted the UK’s shortest telegraph pole right in its central arch in 1861. We could even get into the engineering details of how the immense, shifting pressure of the 15-meter-deep cutting walls threatened the structure, forcing builders to install a supporting "strainer arch" beneath the main bridge...But where’s the fun in structural engineering when you have a local monster to talk about?

Instead, let’s talk about the legend that Bridge 39 is haunted by a terrifying, shaggy, ape-like creature—said to be the restless spirit of a drowned boatman. In 1879, a cart driver passing over the bridge at dusk was allegedly ambushed by the creature, which leapt onto the back of his horse and rode off into the dark.🐎

The cutting itself certainly plays the part: the unusual acoustics and damp, luxuriant foliage make it feel like another world entirely—one where strange things could easily happen.

We’re skeptics, but I will admit one thing gave us pause: Harvey the Boat Dog outright refused to go near the top of the bridge bank. Normally attached to Lee’s hip, Harvey dug his paws in, pulled back toward the road, and nervously waited for Lee to finish exploring. Safe to say, he couldn't wait to leave!

Personally, we prefer the legend of nearby Tyrley Middle Lock. Supposedly, an invisible, friendly ghost helps out by closing the lock gates behind night-time boaters. Paranormal or not, if a spectral hand wants to save me some exertion at the windlass, I won't complain!

Have you ever encountered a spot in the countryside that gave you (or your pets) the chills? 👻🐶

07/08/2026

"No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own." — The War of the Worlds

Have you had that eerie sense that you are being watched?? 👀

All eyes were on us as we cruised Narrowboat Spooky down this section of the Shropshire Union Canal.

07/08/2026

Another beautiful day and we’re just about to set off on the next stage of our journey!

Bacon and egg sandwich, two cups of tea, boat prepared and ready to leave and we’re looking forward to a gentle days cruising.
Just need to quickly water the plants first… I keep forgetting 😳.

Today it’s seven miles and one lock with the aim of reaching the bright lights of Wolverhampton 🤣

Looking forward to some interesting changes in scenery!

Have a great day.
Any plans for tonight or the weekend ?

Gwen and Lee