Narrowboat Adventure on the Llangollen canal

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Our narrowboat was named ‘Soo 95’ which is a strange sort of name. I had a ride on the luggage trolley to get on.

The weather was a bit gloomy when we set off.

The ‘Canal Companion’ book turned out to be very useful indeed. It listed all the places that we could moor overnight and fill up with water, plus tunnels and locks on the route.

Rupert the Bear has a boat named after him. I wondered if any boats anywhere are called Horace. Do let me know if you see a boat named after me anywhere!

The narrowboat was very narrow, and the double bed filled up the whole bedroom.

The humans cooked bacon sandwiches for breakfast before we set off the next day.

I travelled at the front on a bench just right for bears. I was able to keep a look out for the humans steering the boat at the back. Narrowboats are steered from the back using a tiller.

It felt a bit odd going up as the water level went up in the lock. On the stretch of canal from Ellesmere to Llangollen there are only two locks.

I helped out by jumping out and using the windless to open up the paddles to let the water out of the lock.

Once the water was at the same level each side I assisted in pushing open the gates.

My human got off and walked alongside the boat for a while and took this lovely photo – I was inside the boat at the time.

I am fascinated by aqueducts, which are canals going over rivers. The Chirk aqueduct was next to the viaduct that carries trains over the river Dee.

I also travelled through several tunnels. The narrowboat has a big light on the front that had to be turned on, as well as all the interior lights. It was important to check too that no other boats were coming in the opposite direction.

The human is walking along the edge of the boat, though in the photo it looks a bit like he is pushing it along!

I had a go at steering using the tiller, but it is quite hard work for a small bear keeping the boat going along in a straight line, so it wasn’t long before I let the humans take over again.

The narrowboat had a big tank of water onboard that had to be refilled every other day. Here I am next to a special post with hose attached to the tap.

The other end of the hose goes into a hole in the side on the gunwale. (The ledge around the boat that humans and bears can walk on is called a gunwale).

There were also bridges across the canal that had to be lifted up. The windless tool was used to do this.

After a while we arrived at the very high up Pontcysyllte aqueduct which crosses the River Dee. It was built between 1795 and 1805 and designed by the engineer Thomas Telford.

Pontcysyllte aqueduct is the highest and longest in the UK, and is a World Heritage site. There are railings next the the footpath but on the other side just a small lip on the edge of the canal trough.

Here is a selfie of me with on the boat with the River Dee 38 metres below. I didn’t get too close to the edge.

We chugged on – narrowboats only travel at 4 miles an hour, so don’t get anywhere fast. I said ‘Hello’ to this bear as we went past, and he waved at me!

On reaching the town of Llangollen we moored overnight in the basin.

I cooked hotdogs for everyone for lunch.

Yum yum yum (hot dogs not in rolls as I didn’t have any!)

An elephant and Little Bear were also travelling on the boat. We spent quite a while looking out of the window together.

Little Bear enjoyed a hot cross bun with me. It was a bit big for him so I had to help him finish it. Bears do like buns.

The next day we left Llangollen and went back over the aqueduct again, then moored the boat and got off for a walk. This is the underneath of the Pontcysyllte aqueduct.

I walked over the aqueduct using the footpath. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be – the aqueduct isn’t as high as Clifton Suspension Bridge which I have walked across many times.

I stopped to take in the wonderful view of the River Dee below.

Here I am at the bottom of the aqueduct.

After following the river for a while I came across two llamas called Carlos and Pedro.

Before walking back across the aqueduct some refreshments were required.

The next day we set off again back towards Ellesmere where we collected the boat. The map was consulted for suitable places for stopping etc.

Another tunnel…

While we were going through one Lock a human told me he had a ‘Teddy’ too, and went to get him. Teddy turned out to be a very friendly dog!

We chugged on back through another bridge.

I said ‘Hello’ to another dog. There seemed to be many dogs on boats.

Eventually, after another overnight stop we ended up at Whixham Marina, where I had a very tasty slice of carrot cake.

During the journey back to Black Meadow Marina, where we started, I walked along the canal path for a while.

I enjoyed my boat trip, there was lots interesting things to see, though the humans said that narrow boating isn’t as relaxing as it looks as they had to steer the boat, moor it up, get it through locks and tunnels and make sure the water didn’t run out. Mostly I just enjoyed the ride!

Horace the Alresford Bear 26/4/2024

Riverside Garden Centre followed by some gardening

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A fine sunny spring day often makes humans (and bears) think about getting their gardens looking good ready for summer. I was on a mission to find some flower seeds for our front garden, so off we went to the Riverside Garden Centre in Bristol.

The minute you get inside there are lots of lovely plants and flowers waiting to be bought and taken away.

Custard the slug lives at the garden centre and he warns humans that others much smaller than him like to eat newly planted seedlings.

The herbs all looked very fresh and green, but I wasn’t looking for herbs.

I had a good look around…

There is a beautiful selection of Acers that are kept in a special shelter. Our Acer at home is kept out of the wind as once a cold wind damaged all its leaves and we had to wait a year for lovely new leaves to appear again!

Not surprisingly Riverside Garden Centre is next to the river, which is the river Avon.

There was a splendid collection of pots in suitable sizes for bears to hide in.

My human said this garden ornament had a face a bit like an Easter Island statue.

I had a quick look in the mirror, as you do!

I felt as though I could have been in the Mediterranean sitting under the olive tree.

Finally I found a suitable plant for a gap in the front garden. The Salvia ticked all the boxes for something that would grow in the intended place.

I also wanted some seeds that would produce lots and lots of flowers and would be easy to grow. I soon found some…

I opted for the ‘Summer in a Box’ seed mix.

I paid for the plant and the seeds at the checkout.

We were going to get refreshments at the Garden Centre but it was very busy so we returned home where I enjoyed a bun in the garden. You may notice that we bought a foxglove too; the humans wanted that for the back garden!

After putting on my gardening clothes I raked over the flower bed and sprinkled over the seed mix.

Even though the soil wasn’t dry I gave the seeds a little water to ‘settle them in’. I am very much looking forward to seeing them germinate.

A big hole needed to be dug for the salvia.

Once planted that was also watered in. I have a very special watering can that used to belong to my human’s daughter that is just the right size for a small bear!

Now we just have to wait for the seeds to germinate, and hopefully become a patch of lovely flowers. I will update this blog as they grow.

The garden centre we visited is https://riversidegardencentre.com/

Horace the Alresford Bear 12/4/2024

Another visit to Salcombe

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I was jolly pleased to go on another trip to Salcombe.  The weather in England has been rather rainy for weeks, but the sun was shining when we arrived. 

We had a room with a balcony facing the estuary with wonderful views.

In one direction it was possible to see right down to where the estuary meets the sea.

I tried out the enormous bed, which made me feel very very small.

I wondered about the gin and tonic….

Then settled for a nice mug of tea and a hot cross bun.

I did have a wee sip of the human’s gin and tonic later while looking at the moon.

The next day I got up very early to see the sunrise.   After a quick look I realised I needed sunglasses to protect my eyes.

Fortunately my human’s sunglasses were just inside so I borrowed them and was able to watch the sun appear from behind the hills.

After breakfast we set off for a walk.  The RNLI lifeboat was out in the estuary.

After walking around a creek we reached the small village of Batson.

Lots of beautiful primroses and other wild flowers were growing in the hedgerows.

After a climb up a road we walked through a field containing a crop of oilseed rape.  It looks quite pretty but doesn’t have a very pleasant perfume!

My human took this photo of me as she like the row of trees in the background.

At Snapes Point there is an amazing view.  I am sat in the tree in this photo – can you see me?

Here I am!

I had a ride on a weight on a gate. The weight makes sure that the gate closes again after being opened.

After climbing up onto the gorse to look at the view I thought of Winnie the Pooh, who once became stuck in a gorse bush!

Sheep sometimes run away from me but I was able to say ‘Hello’ to these from a distance.

Back in Batson I tried out a water pump that was built in 1882.  I don’t think it had worked for a while!

There was an actual telephone inside the red telephone box (many in England are now used as mini libraries or house defibrillators)

Next to the boatyard was a pile of bouys.  I liked the bright colours. Buoys made in black or brown can be disappointing when spotted in the sea because they can initially be mistaken as maybe a seal popping its head up!

When we were nearly back at the hotel I spotted a sign in front of a totally overgrown footpath; it amused the humans as there was not much chance even opening the gate!

Back at the hotel I enjoyed a Devon pasty  the human’s had bought earlier. Pasties are good for bears.

My legs were quite tired after a day spent walking so that evening I  enjoyed reading some poems about the sea.

The following morning I didn’t spend long on the balcony. The weather had changed overnight and was dull and raining.

The hotel had wellingtons that guests can borrow, so I wondered about an early morning walk in the rain, but I had left my rain mac and umbrella at home.

I decided to visit the spa.  I always wish that I could go in the water, but if I did I would get all soggy right the way through and sink.

The sauna seemed a better option.

I stayed in the sauna for about one minute – it was way too hot for me.

I went into the steam room and came straight out again. 

A drink of water cooled me down again.

I sat in one of the cabanas and watched humans swimming for a while…

The atmosphere was quite relaxing so I shut my eyes and had a little nap.

Fortunately I woke up in time for a yummy breakfast.

I had a lovely weekend in Salcombe, just as good as the last time. 

See my blog about my 2023 visit here: https://horacethealresfordbear.com/2023/02/11/winter-fun-at-salcombe-south-sands-beach-club/

Horace the Alresford Bear 25/3/2024

Caswell Bay & Langland Bay with Nye & Growler

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We arrived at the holiday flat at Caswell Bay on a very wet windy day in February.   It was starting to get dark, but I like balconies so had to go out onto it briefly….

Nye and Growler followed to have a look at the wonderful view.

The apartment owners had left a welcome pack which included some Welsh cakes.  We did leave a couple for the humans to eat.

Not long after eating the Welsh cakes the humans served our supper. 

After consuming so much food it wasn’t long before we felt tired.   There was plenty of room for us to sleep comfortably.

I got up early the next day for a walk on the beach

On returning to the apartment Nye and Growler had cooked porridge for breakfast.  Yum yum yum…

The humans went off on a long hike so we stayed at Caswell on our own. We enjoyed watching people learning to surf at the surf school.   (They look like small dots on the photo as the camera focused on us!)

The following day the humans had tired legs they walked over 12 miles the day before!   They decided to do a shorter walk along the coast to Langland Bay for lunch, and I was able to tag along. 

After about a mile of walking we reached Langland Bay, characterised by its long row of green beach huts.

I do like beach huts so I walked up and down having a good look at them.  The windows had been boarded up for winter.

I think this one would be good for bears.

My tummy was rumbling as it was getting past lunchtime.  The humans took me into Langland Brasserie, which over looks the beach. 

It was a special lunch as Karen was celebrating her birthday.   I shared a big pot of mussels with her. Yum yum yum.

I got a bit tired during the walk back to Caswell Bay so stopped for a rest on this splendid carved bench.

Back at the apartment we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Karen and celebrated with toasted buns.

We had a splendid time at Caswell Bay.  The Gower Peninsula is wonderful in winter.

We stayed here: https://air.tl/690WF3vh

Horace the Alresford Bear 8/2/24

Bristol Aquarium

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My human won a ‘Love Bristol’ gift card in an Instagram prize draw run by Bristol Aquarium. The cards can be used to visit lots of interesting places around Bristol, so as we have never been to the aquarium we decided to use it there.

I have never been to an aquarium before so I didn’t know quite what to expect.

The aquarium housed many creatures that those living on land don’t usually get to see. I spent a while watching pollack swimming around.

The spiny starfish were amazing.

A huge common lobster was hiding from view.

He came of the pot briefly before retreating inside again. 

I was very glad to have glass separating me from the spiny lobster!

These are archer fish – they squirt jets of water from their mouths to shoot insects off of leaves. The fish had been trained to squirt at a target above the water that dropped food into the tank when the fish hit it. 

One big tank had many Malawi cichlid fish swimming around. My human recalled how when she was young her father rescued a lone cichlid from a pub that he was refurbishing. He brought home the fish and a tank which resulted in them then having to buy filtration equipment for the tank, and another cichlid fish to stop the rescued one from getting lonely!

In another huge tank a common stingray was trying to say hello to me.

He finally made it and we had a good look at each other.

Seahorses are very interesting creatures. They are fish that look a bit horsey, and the male fish carry the eggs in a pouch that are released when they hatch into hundreds of tiny seahorses, many which get eaten by bigger fish, but some survive.

I spent a while looking at the octopus. I was concerned he might be lonely but apparently they are solitary creatures that like to live alone.

I wondered if he could see me looking at him.

There are a couple of very big pools where you can see the fish swimming about from above and walk underneath. I was very cautious looking over the edge as I had to be careful not to fall in!

These very sparkly fish are piranhas which come from The Amazon. They are predators and have very powerful jaws and extremely sharp serrated teeth for eating meat, though they will also eat vegetable matter. I was very happy to have a big sheet of glass between me and them! 

Another huge tank contained lots of other creatures from The Amazon. A sign stated that many of them had been rescued or donated the the aquarium.

I spent a while looking at the turtles. Unfortunately some human legs have managed to get into this photo, as the tank was huge with a few people standing around it – can you spot a human leg?

Very big fish live in The Amazon. I forgot to make a note of what this one is – does anyone know?

The yellow tang, a fish from the Hawaiian Islands, was another fish that seemed to be looking at me. He was in a tank with many other brightly coloured fish.

The plaice were fascinating, with eyes popping out from the top of their heads. My human joked that perhaps we could write a book about a flat fish that didn’t want to be eaten called ‘Percy the Plaice’…

Finally I entered the tunnel that runs under a huge tank of water teeming with fish.

Up above me another Ray came to say hello.

Last but certainly not least was the tank housing the enormous giant grouper fish, the sign said she is called Sheila Giant groupers largest bony fish found in coral reefs. Apparently groupers will eat anything that will fit in their mouths, so the little fish in front of her was taking some chances!

I am glad my humans decided to use the ‘Love Bristol’ card at Bristol Aquarium. I found it really interesting and a great place to spend a couple of hours.  

For more information see: https://www.bristolaquarium.co.uk/

If you live in Bristol a ‘Love Bristol’ card would make a good present see https://townandcitygiftcards.com/product/love-bristol-gift-card/

Horace the Alresford Bear 25/1/24

Sunny Sidmouth

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I tagged along with the humans for a couple of days at the seaside in January. They were staying at The Harbour Hotel. Before exploring I had a quick nap on the comfy bed.

There is a lovely view from the hotel of thatched cottages, the red cliffs and the sea. I was very keen to go out and explore.

This is Jacob’s Ladder beach. Getting to the beach either involves lots of steps or a long slope.

After going down the steps I spent a while just looking out to sea.

Despite it being January and a very cold day the sun felt very pleasant on my fur so I did a spot of sunbathing. 

It was soon time for some food, so we headed up to the Clock Tower cafe to get a bite to eat.

I very much enjoyed my toastie.

The following day for breakfast I had a delicious bowl of fruit and a croissant sat by the window in the hotel dining room.

After the croissant a waiter brought me a full English breakfast. It is possible to eat a very large amount of food at breakfast time in hotels!

With a very full tummy I set off along the coastal path towards Weston Beach, which isn’t anywhere near Weston-Super-Mare.

The route passed through some beautiful woods and I found an excellent resting place in the trees.

The beach behind me in the photo below is Salcombe Mouth, but it isn’t anywhere near the Salcombe that we visited a year ago.

There is a stone next to the coast path known as The Frog Stone. It does look very much like a giant frog.

There was still quite a lot of walking to do to get to the cake stop – we ended up walking across the fields and through the trees in the photo below.

Finally, we reached The Donkey Sanctuary, where I was looking forward to seeing donkeys and eating cake!

After so much walking up and down hills on the coastal path we were all very hungry, so headed quickly past the fields of donkeys to the cafe. It didn’t take me long to eat the large slice of carrot cake.

When we went back to the fields we found that all the donkeys had been brought inside for the night. Here are some of them, all busy eating in the cosy barn. They all looked very well looked after. At one point one donkey made a loud braying noise, then they all joined in and it was quite a cacophony!

Sidmouth faces East so is a great place to see the sun rise, so on my last day there I got up very early and headed down to the beach to watch.

I wasn’t disappointed. The sky turned pink and orange and the same colours reflected onto the wet sand.

Finally the sun appeared, a big blob of yellow. It was an incredible sight, probably the best sunrise I have seen so far.

After having another big breakfast it was time to leave Sidmouth. Do visit if you get a chance, it’s a lovely little seaside town with lots of hotels, a great beach, cafes, shops, and scenic walks nearby. 

Horace the Alresford Bear 22/1/2024

Chew Valley Lake

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I waited for the humans to put on their walking boots in a sunny spot.

It was a beautiful January day, very cold but with the sun shining. The lake looked very calm and peaceful. Most of our drinking water originates from this lake. The lake looks as though it has always been there, but it was built by humans in the 1950’s. See https://www.bristolwater.co.uk/our-blogs/chew-valley-lake-history

The leisure trail was completed a couple of years ago and starts at Woodford Lodge, where there us a cafe (we weren’t there at the right time to try it out). The surface is good and easy to walk along.

I stopped for a while to look at the sailing boats.

Further along I sat on a splendid log and watched some geese fly over. My human was too slow to photograph them!

The reservoir was full to the brim with lots of water gushing over the weir.

There is another cafe at the picnic area, there wasn’t time to go in but I did enjoy watching all the birds. The ducks follow all children about thinking they might have food for them!

I lost my cap at the lake, but my lovely human went again the next day and found it, albeit a bit muddy, near where the ducks are!

Here is a link to a map and details of the trail:

Chew Valley Lake – Nature Trails – Bristol Water https://www.bristolwater.co.uk/hubfs/BW_Chew-Valley-2023_8pp_17.07.23%20(final).pdf?hsLang=en

Some more photos without me in !

Horace the Alresford Bear 12/1/2024

Knitting a new jumper

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It is winter and the days are short and gloomy, and often wet, so I decided to start knitting. There was wool and knitting needles in the house, but I did have to order a knitting pattern for bear sized clothes (details at end of blog). The pattern was for a ‘Build-a-Bear’ type of bear so I had to adjust it a bit to fit me.

I did 8 extra rows on the back and front to make the jumper a bit longer so that it wouldn’t get too short stretching around my tummy, which is rounder than a ‘Build-a-bear’ tummy! Once the back, front, and two arms were knitted they all had to be put onto one knitting needle to knit the neck. I found doing that a bit fiddly, but next time I make a jumper I am sure it will be easier.

After knitting the neck band, which I did fairly loosely as my neck is thicker than ‘Build-a-bear, all the pieces were sewn together.

I was jolly pleased with the finished article, though there were a few neck stitches that weren’t quite right.

In our house we have a large box full of buttons. My late grandhuman collected most of them. I spent quite a while looking for a button to hide my wonky neck stitches! I found a red button, and a little wooden flower button to go on the bottom edge.

It didn’t take long to sew on the buttons.

Jolly pleased with the finished jumper, the first one I have ever made!

I think deep red suits me, and it matches the furniture too!

If you have a bear like me and would like to knit a jumper, my human got the pattern from ‘Bears with Flairs’ on eBay. We had a fantastic pattern with a reindeer on the front, but just knitted it plain to get used to knitting, and we added 8 rows onto the body to make it fit me. I am quite squashy and managed to get my head through the hole without too much problem!

Pattern available here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/bearswithflairs

I bought my cream jumper with bear motif on Esty ready knitted https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/totallyhookeduk?ref=l2-about-shopname

Horace the Alresford Bear 10/12/23

Update: since knitting my jumper I have also made jumpers for Nye and Growler.

SS Great Britain Victorian Christmas

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It was snowing when I arrived at SS Great Britain for their special Victorian Christmas event.

The people were all dressed in Victorian clothes.

Behind me a young girl was very busy keeping the deck clean.

Inside some tasty treats were ready for 1st class passengers

Humans aren’t too keen on rats, but this chap seemed friendly. He was just mooching around looking for something to eat.

More posh food in the kitchen ready to be served to those 1st class passengers!

There was a whole queue of people waiting to be served in at the canteen.

Outside I sat for a while with two very nice ladies while they waited for the carriage to leave.

The ship always has lots of mannequin humans, the driver of the carriage was one, but the ladies were real live humans. When the live humans dress in the style of the mannequins, it if they stay still it is hard to tell the difference!

The horse was a model horse too, I think a very realistic one.

Before leaving I was delighted to meet the real Father Christmas and his assistant.

This was an enjoyable thing to do on a cold December Sunday afternoon. There were also male voice choirs singing sea shanties, and the man that designed the ship, Brunel, was wandering around too. I last visited the SS Great Britain on a sunny day in May. The admission ticket lasts for a whole year which is useful especially if you live nearby.

My last visit: https://horacethealresfordbear.com/2023/05/29/ss-great-britain/

More information: http://www.ssgreatbritain.org

Horace the Alresford Bear 3/12/23