Name: Robert Downes.
Bed: Single bed at front of boat. Place #2 on diagram.
This is me. I'm the one who put together this site. The one who spent the week taking pictures instead of doing any of the real work. The one who didn't have any faith in the canal trip being any fun right up until the day before the holiday began. The one who ended up enjoying the week so much he decided to share it with the world.
Before setting off I had in mind a fairly tedious week of drifting about from one stagnant and reeking canal to another, admiring one litter-strewn section of tow path after another. And of course there'd be the frequent pub stops. In fact, it was me that dubbed the holiday The Booze Cruise after realising the whole thing had been designed around stopping only at pubs. Which was fine. Why not spend the week drinking? It'd be something to do instead of despair at the probably-awful surroundings. Even though I don't drink alcohol, it'd probably be a bit of a laugh seeing my mates get rat-arsed on several different sections of inland waterways.
But it wasn't awful at all. And, somehow, I realised that it wouldn't be a bad holiday as soon as the week started. I even began to look forward to it. Especially since starting my new hobby: photography. What better opportunity to get interesting pictures than on a holiday that combines drunken people with scenic and different locations? Loaded with a camera outfit, a tripod and a fair amount of film (and a bit of spare clothing) I started the holiday in a positive frame of mind.