Happy days! Here's hoping...

Now that I'm recovering well from my hernia repair, and will be able get back to my normal levels of physical activity in around a month's time, I'm planning next year's cruising. (Don't tell Grace, though. She doesn't like to plan.)

One trip we've both talked about in the past is to Llangollen via the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals, a round trip of six weeks or so, maybe diverting to the Anderton Lift and the River Weaver. (At least my planning is flexible, Grace!)

In the planning process, I referred to three tools I have found very useful over the past ten years. First of all, there's the remarkable Canal Plan website at canalplan.org.uk. This is always the place to start for, among other things, it will supply you with the route from any one location on the waterways to any other, via as many diversions as you wish. After you've given it a few details about your preferences - number of hours travel per day is an important one - it'll give you a very detailed daily itinerary.

The second tool is the standard map - this one produced by the IWA - that allows me to translate my inventory into geographical reality.

The third tool is this schematic. Many of you will liken it to the London Underground "map". I expect they're used in many other places as well. This simplified plan simply shows how the various canals are linked to each other. With regard to geographical accuracy, they are very inaccurate. How this helps me is to make me think, "Ah! If we go up there, we'll be able to go across to this canal and then go back via this interesting place." If you see what I mean!

This one's solely for travellers on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and highlights numerous places of interest. I think it could be turned into a board game with dice and counters! Again, this is far from being an accurate view of reality.

Something I've been doing a lot since the start of the pandemic is to look back at my photographs to remind myself of what we were doing at about the same time years ago. These are November 2012 and 2013...

Yes, I know it's fuzzy!

There was a lot of flooding in November 2013.

Happy days! Here's hoping...