Narrow-Boat Holiday

In the summer of 1979, when David was five months old, our family joined Hilary, Tony, their daughter Catherine and my mother for a week's holiday on a narrow boat. We got the boat cheap because it belonged to Gill's Aunt Margaret, who lived near Gloucester, but it was managed by a company which kept the boat at Tewksbury, where we boarded the Gloucester Rose.

It was a super holiday. Even the weather was kind as we steamed gently up the Avon towards Stratford. Since the maximum speed was 4mph we didn't get far and, surrounded as we were with gentle English countryside, it really didn't matter. It would have been a totally relaxing holiday but for the state of the boat. The company which managed the Rose for Margaret had neglected her maintenance, so most of the utilities, including the toilet, didn't work properly. Worse, she took on water steadily, which didn't matter during the day as the bilge pumps cleared it, but I had to manually pump the water out at least once each night otherwise we'd have ended up sitting on the bottom of the river. Tony, being practical, did a great job in keeping everything else going.

In some ways it might not have seemed an ideal holiday for four small children but they were very good, and there were plenty of adults to take turns in keeping an eye on them. We also didn't hurry, so we stopped often to take walks along the towpath and to local villages, and we had the occasional pint in some very picturesque pubs.

My mother fitted in very well, doing her fair share of the chores, amusing the children, and sitting in the sun knitting. Tank tops were always one of her specialities.

At one point she went off by herself 'scrumping' - collecting fallen apples in a farmer's orchard. What she didn't reveal was that, in crossing the gangplank back onto the boat, she had fallen and injured her side. In fact, she had broken a rib. Later, my mother being a very strong Christian, we used to joke that it had been Divine punishment.

David slept in a travel cot on the floor by Gill's bunk and, considering he was in such strange surroundings, he behaved very well.

After we had tied up each night, Tony and I did a bit of gentle fishing off the boat, with a beer at our elbow.

We all got on with each other and it was a thoroughly enjoyable holiday. As a result, we planned further holidays together.