Long before Priscilla, Queen of the Canal became our dream, another narrowboat gave us our first real taste of life on the waterways.
Our first trip aboard Tilly Mint, Nail and Naomi’s new narrowboat, was intended to be a peaceful autumn escape along the Kennet and Avon Canal. For most of the day, that was exactly what it was. But as anyone familiar with boating will know, the canal does not always follow the plan.
Setting off
We joined Nail and Naomi aboard their beautiful new boat with considerable excitement. There is something particularly special about stepping onto a narrowboat for the first time: exploring every corner, learning where everything is kept and imagining all the journeys that lie ahead.
We set off along the Kennet and Avon Canal in high spirits. The autumn colours reflected beautifully on the water, while the steady rhythm of the engine provided a calming soundtrack to the journey.
Chris, Adam, Nail and Naomi spent the day catching up, enjoying the scenery and gradually settling into the unhurried pace of canal life. The waterway wound through the landscape beneath overhanging trees, past towpaths and moored boats, carrying us gently towards our planned evening stop.
It was peaceful, sociable and wonderfully relaxing—everything we had hoped our first trip aboard Tilly Mint would be.
As the light began to fade
Our plan was to moor near The Cunning Man, where the promise of a warm pub and a good evening meal awaited us.
As daylight faded, however, a thick mist began rising from the water. At first, it added an atmospheric quality to the canal, softening the surrounding landscape and making the autumn evening feel almost magical.
Then it became thicker.
The canal banks began to disappear. Trees became shadowy outlines and moored boats emerged from the gloom with very little warning. Before long, visibility had fallen to around 50 yards—and our peaceful cruise had become a much more demanding exercise in navigation.
The canal ahead resembled a mysterious passage through the fog. Unfortunately, mysterious passages are rather less romantic when you are responsible for steering several tonnes of narrowboat through them.
All hands on deck
Adam took up position at the bow, peering through the mist for signs of the canal bank, mooring posts, overhanging branches and other boats.
His job was to relay clear and helpful directions to the helm.
That was the theory, at least.
“Left! Left!”
A pause followed as another indistinct shape emerged from the fog.
“No—right! Go right! HARD RIGHT!”
What had started as a serene autumn cruise had become an improvised team navigation exercise. Directions were shouted along the boat, hazards appeared with little warning and everyone tried to determine whether a dark shape ahead was a tree, a moored narrowboat or simply more mist.
There were tense moments, but there was also something exhilarating about it. We were working together, responding to the canal and discovering that boating could be unpredictable, challenging and enormous fun—all within the space of a few foggy minutes.
Reaching The Cunning Man
Eventually, the welcoming lights of our destination appeared through the mist.
After carefully bringing Tilly Mint alongside, we secured the ropes and switched off the engine. The sudden quiet was accompanied by a collective sense of relief: we had made it.
Stepping from the cold, damp towpath into the warmth of The Cunning Man felt particularly satisfying. The stress of the final approach quickly began to fade as we settled around the table and looked forward to dinner.
Food always seems to taste better after a day on the water, but that evening it felt especially well earned. Over drinks and hearty pub fare, we replayed the journey and laughed about Adam’s increasingly urgent directions from the bow.
What had felt tense in the mist had already become a story—and one we knew would be told again.
The beginning of something special
Our first journey aboard Tilly Mint gave us far more than a pleasant weekend away. It offered an early glimpse of everything we would come to love about narrowboating: the slower pace, the changing landscape, the companionship and the unexpected moments that turn an ordinary journey into an adventure.
The mist had made the final stretch difficult, but it had also made the experience unforgettable. It reminded us that the best boating memories are not always created when everything goes perfectly. Often, they emerge from the diversions, surprises and moments of mild chaos along the way.
Looking back, that foggy evening feels like an important early chapter in our waterways story. It strengthened friendships, introduced us to the realities of life aboard a narrowboat and left us eager to return.
Here’s to many more adventures aboard Tilly Mint—although, next time, perhaps with a little less mist and slightly more consistent directions from the bow.
