7. Colin D outside the Old England For Ever
2. Colin and Horses again. Wolverley Court Lock, just outside Kidderminster
1 .Bull Inn at Sonning
3. Navigation, this one at Greensforge on the Staffs & Worcester
We took on the locals at darts and won (well, Colin L did) and also won first prize on a bus stop ticket. When we got back to the boat, full of Robinsons bitter, one of our mooring spikes had come loose and the boat was drifting from the bank at one end. Colin D leapt on at the other end, carefully walked down the side of the boat, pulled the rope out of the water….and fell ass over tit into the canal! Luckliy he saw the funny side. Nowadays he resides only a few hundred yards from the Red Cow, which has changed a bit since but still serves a decent pint of Robbos. [photo 5 shows Colin D working the boat through the Bratch Locks]May 1978 saw us venturing further north to tackle the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, starting at Adlington, near Chorley. [photo 6 shows Colin L sorting out the boat’s sound system while descending a lock. I’m not sure why he’s wearing a pullover as we had hot sunny weather most of the  time [photo 7 shows Colin D outside the Old England For Ever,] then an excellent Matthew Brown pub in Clayton le Moors. Judging by the inane grin this was after a lunchtime session]. One highlight was discovering the delights of Timothy Taylor beers in the Volunteer Inn at Keighley. We seemed to exist for two weeks on a diet of pie and peas, cheap and filling. By this time all 3 of us had joined Special Branch, many of whom of course were also keen canal types. A few weeks after our return, Bill joined JOC & co for his first canal experience, also on the L & L. Whereas the Colins and I had enjoyed excellent weather, the second party got rained on for most of their 2 weeks.
5. Colin D working the boat through the Bratch Locks
4 -Red Cow in Nantwich. Colin Donald now lives less than a 5 minute walk away
Roger recalls:

My and Colin’s first time on the canals was in September 1975. We had previous experience of the Norfolk Broads and the Thames but we were soon hooked on the real thing. Our companion on this trip was Brian, who had been a year or two below us at school but was now a colleague of Colin’s at the Pru. Nice lad though not a big drinker. Anyway, that trip began at Autherley Junction and we went down the Staffs and Worcester, then down the Severn as far as Tewkesbury. Then we came all the way back and went further north to Shebdon and back. In those days we were totally disorganised as far as locks were concerned and seemed to be constantly runnign aground. But we did some good drinking, enjoying brews such as Banks, Hansons, Davenports, Simpkiss, Bathams and others for the first time.

The following year the same trio made a return journey on the Thames. There is little surviving photographic evidence of these trips but here we see Colin and Brian enjoying a lunchtime pint of Wethered bitter outside the  Bull Inn at Sonning [photo.1]

The following year Brian was replaced by Colin Longden, then between marriages. We were back on the canals, starting in Stourport and basically going to Chester and back. [photo 2 shows Colin D chatting up local wildlife at Wolverley Court Lock, just outside Kidderminster] [photo 3 is another Navigation, this one at Greensforge on the Staffs & Worcester, then a Simpkiss house]. One highlight was at Nantwich where we spent an evening in the Red Cow [photo 4].
6 shows Colin L sorting out the boat’s sound system while descending a lock.
Royal Liberty School Navigators