These are the adventures of Andy and Sally Rawnsley on their narrowboat "The Puzzler". We have been living on the boat for over nine years now and are still loving it. Our Ulster born Shih Tzu, Shannon, has grown up, and has taken over the boat! After three wonderful years in Ireland, we transported The Puzzler to The Netherlands, and spent a year there. In 2015 we went southwards, to reach the north of France by June. After glorious weather throughout the summer, we arrived in Roanne in late October, and enjoyed our winter in this friendly port. We cruised extensively in France in 2016, 2017 and 2018, returning to Roanne each winter.


Saturday, 29 June 2013

24th - 27th June. On up the River Barrow past Borris.

We decided to scrape the bottom of The Puzzler, in order to clean it, on the cill between the two locks at Ballykennan. It seemed to work but, as we cannot see the underneath of the boat, we can only hope that it did!


Hazard ahead at Clashganna lock! The dredger was in the navigation channel when we arrived, but was very helpful and moved at once to let us through.


As soon as the dredger had moved, several novice canoeists arrived beside The Puzzler.

We pulled in to the high bank, just below the confluence of Mountain River with the Barrow, so that we could explore this river.


Mountain River is a delightful tributary of the River Barrow.
Having walked up beside the river, we found a large locked gate preventing our exit on to the road which leads into the town of Borris. However, by retracing our steps, then taking a different track, we managed to escape via the golf club! We came back through the Borris demesne, past Borris house. The Borris Demesne is the seat of the MacMurrough Kavanagh family, descendants of the kings of Leinster.


Time for some work on the paintwork on the back hatch. This is a "before" picture, although at this stage it has already been sanded.
The first coat of white paint starts to cover everything. When the white is finished it will have to be left for at least two weeks before masking is possible for the red and the black club.
These young cattle have found a way out of their field and on to the towpath at Ballytiglea Lock. During the night they moved to eat the grass near to The Puzzler. Shannon was very nervous about this, and barked every time she heard one of them moving at all. It was a long night!

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