Brecon Boating Birthday Bonanza

On Monday the 22nd of March we set off to not so sunny wales and picked up Delyth from Cambrian Cruisers. After a little run through Jonathon jumped off and we made our way to Brecon marina. There was only one lock on the way, but they have to be left empty with the bottom gates open, and as we were going up, it was twice the work. I got the boat in the lock and then we started to fill it up and we waited and waited and waited, silly us had forgotten the basic rule of lock operation! The bottom paddles were open slightly, once we sorted that out we were out in no time. Brecon is a lovely little town with a big population of Gurkha's and the marina has been refurbished with some lovely cottages for the elderly. That first evening we ordered a Chinese and I have to say, it was the best I have ever tasted! Lovely

This is the motley crew, taken as 2 pics because someone had to take a photo.

Being some of the first boats of the season there were quite a few shallow places and inevitably we kept getting grounded..........in front of the same boat. So picture this, there in the boat behind, is Mr Super experienced (Fondly named Bollocky Bill by one of the all female crew!!) sitting smugly by the tiller while the wife has to jump on and off and do a lot of the graft, dispensing his wise words like 'Oh just reverse when the front floats out' Or 'Aquaduct? What aquaduct?' All the time, watching us trying to pole ourselves off with this smug self satisfied look on his face because he wasn't stuck!! Eventually we got the hang of staying no matter what in the middle of the channel and actually caught him up at Tal-y-Bont on Usk where he kept the electrically operated lift bridge open for us.

Now we all know it rains in Wales, and it did, continually, but the views? Stunning, we would cruise around a tight little bend, and there were the most spectacular views of the brecon mountains. New lambs in the fields, woodpeckers, long tailed tits, wrens. It was magnificent. By the end of day two we moored at Tal-y-Bont on Usk. A pretty little place with a fantastic post office/store/cafe. Bollocky Bill had gone ahead..............