The 2020 Cup - The Ultimate Marathon for Leisurely Travel
2020 marked the inception of our dream. A dream to acquire our own narrowboat and expend our golden years navigating over 7,000 miles of enchanting waterways.
The Blueprint
To not strategise for an active retirement is akin to prepping for a complicated one. We are individuals with a zest for life, who crave productivity. A few days of stagnancy stirs up restlessness within us. However, this doesn't signify that we don't savour downtime. We have found narrowboating to be a perfect medium for relaxation. With only two directions, forward and reverse, and two speeds, slow and snail's pace, the toughest decision on a narrowboat is when to indulge in a delightful nap after a midday sojourn at a charming canal-side pub.
The Year of the Pandemic
2018 and 2019 were years filled with musings about owning our own narrowboat, as we unapologetically borrowed our dear friends Naomi and Neil’s narrowboat, "Tilly-Mint," at every opportunity. Thankfully, Adam is a whizz at DIY, offering some assistance occasionally as a token of gratitude, while Chris never failed to deliver and deplete a bottle or two.
2020 was the year when we finally secured tickets for the "Crick Boat Show." Unfortunately, it was cancelled as the entire world was thrust into a three-month lockdown, which extended into a year-long period of social distancing. This unexpected interval led us to focus on this j
ournal, not a mere diary or blog, but a testament to our ponderings, research, and designs for our very own narrowboat.
A Saga of Three Trouts
July 2020 witnessed our return to the narrowboat. Naomi and Neil ventured out the first weekend the government permitted, and we followed suit the next. A simple round trip from Lower Heyford up the Oxford Canal for a diesel refill, followed by a brief excursion to Thrupp, highlighted the local news and raised questions about the sudden demand for every campsite, holiday home, caravan, and narrowboat. It was the first gasp of freedom for a restless British populace yearning for fresh air and a change in their monotonous scenery.
But why the title, a saga of three trouts?
Our second summer escapade aboard "Tilly-Mint" took us from 'Trout Inn' at Lechlade-On-Thames via 'The Trout At Tadpole Bridge' and onto 'The Trout Inn' at Oxford (each pub outdoing the previous one in charm) before we ventured back up to Thrupp for engine maintenance.
Despite being the longest period we had spent on the boat, the first time we had catered entirely for ourselves, and the first time we had travelled through relentless rain (a quintessential British Summer), none of this would seem out of the ordinary for an experienced boater. Yet we agree, it's the ordinary that makes life on a narrowboat so extraordinary.
Why write about it then? Because on 27th July 2020, as we sat enjoying a pint at the last of the "Three Trouts" in Oxford, we had never been more certain of our desire to spend every sunny, windy, and rainy day of our retirement aboard a narrowboat.
P.S. 'Rosalind the Fair', the following day, en route from Oxford to Thrupp, we encountered 'Rosalind The Fair'. It was aboard this narrowboat, a cozy floating restaurant, that Chris and his first boyfriend Nigel celebrated Valentine’s Day nearly 20 years ago, cruising between Bandbury and Oxford.
Reflecting on those memories and relishing our time on "Tilly-Mint" this week, we are assured of our path. This is what we yearn for, a dream that's fun to plan and certainly worth waiting for.
Always on the move, always discovering, and always cherishing every day together.