The Hostelboat Years

Starting from the steering well, a conventional butty 70ft long, which had a graceful tiller which could be inverted to get it out of the steerers way. Immediately in front and to the side of the steerer was a conventional butty cabin.

 

I forget which they had as the next cabin - shall we say it was the boys cabin? Four cabins were accomodated into the hold space, a girls cabin separated from the "saloon" with a kitchen, and a boys cabin at the other side of the saloon. The beds were upper and lower, like ships cabins, two each side making eight in all - sixteen passengers in all with two crew.

The second entrance was a hatch, one each side, in the transparent side of the saloon - the cabin sides were heavy duty canvas otherwise! There were fixed benches two sides of the saloon and tables in the center. The kitchen had the sink and draining board one side, and the cooking the other side....

The towing mast was the correct position for a butty and the boat was weighed down with ballast, not far because the trip up the Shropshire Union proved otherwise! One horse would bring the boat to nearly planing...

I first heard of Hostelboats through a newspaper advert, and followed it up with a letter. It was summer, the second year of my National Service - that long ago, summmer 1957! I was booked for two weeks leave, Oxford to Birmingham one week and Birmingham to Llangollen the next week. I was looking foward to it.
But I was appointed as a Relief Crew instead....

I was expecting a holiday with a difference, youth hostels were familiar to me and I expected no frills camping holiday, and I wasn't disappointed. We set out from Oxford on half past three on a brilliant summer afternoon with a crew of two and twelve assorted passengers, and a horse...

I don't remember a thing about the trip, well almost nothing!
I remember a wide bend to the right past one lift bridge, the towing path was on the left and we had to get the horse right round to the right to prevent the boat from running aground - we slowed to pass the lift bridge, sure, and ran round with the horse (still coupled with the boat of course) and promptly ran aground on the soft mud.

Memorable was the sight of the church which we sighted as we were setting off one day, right on the northern horizon. It was on the southern horizon eight hours later - lunch, tea and supper...
Flat land and winding cut!

We arrived at Top of the Town in Birmingham at nine o'clock the following Saturday -

 
and left at half past four!

We knew that a stoppage was in force for the Welsh Section and we were slow to get moving. We journied along the main line to Tipton Factory Junction, where we overnighted. The horse was in the old stables at the three locks, which we left till the morning.

We left the factory locks in good time and were soon at Horsely fields junction to lock the Wolverhampton flight going downwards.

Holstelboat
continued