A day on the Union Canal

We were up early this morning. We collected our boat at 8.30 and after a  brief ' lesson' on  how to steer the boat and navigate the canal, we set off, heading toward Gnosall.  Our boat was not as long as the traditional long boats on the canals however we had a two burner gas hob,  benches, a table and benches outside at front and a toilet.
We had a plan,  - chug along the canal for a few hours enjoying the country side then stop for lunch.   We practised mooring the boat which was fun! Chugged on for a little longer then expertly moored and enjoyed a cup of tea. When almost at the pub stop for lunch we realised that the pub was too far away for Tom to walk. David did very well at turning the boat around at a turning point and we headed back to Gnosall where we knew we had a choice of two.  I successfully navigated 3 bridges. No help at all! We found a mooring place near the Boat Inn, tied up the boat securely, climbed over the stile and across  the bridge to the pub. We had a great pub meal and enjoyed our deserts in the sun overlooking the canal.  After lunch we chugged slowly back to Norbury junction. What a wonderful day. I felt quite envious of the many people enjoying their canal boat holiday, well perhaps another time. Not sure if I could live on a long boat, many people do, while it's lovely when the sky is blue and sun shining not so sure about winter time