Extracts from a letter home 2nd May 1995

Aboard Wild Burdock 3 on the Coventry canal.

"You will have seen from the weather forecast that we run a serious risk of sunburn!

The Warwickshire ring has all that the inland waterways offer and has been most
interesting so far.

There have been no late night or heavy drinking sessions (so far, but there is 
still plenty of time) because we start early each day.  In fact we have made very good
time and today will visit Coventry itself where there is a newly refurbished basin.

We missed a large fire on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, which you may have seen on 
the news and also a lock collapse on one bit of the Birmingham canal navigation. 
Either of these would have caused us major delays.

Wildlife abounds and even in the city centres, small havens have been created by 
the canals.  There is much improvement work in progress everywhere.

The beer tasting evening was a great success."

Editorial Note:
 
The beer tasting refers to a fun evening that we had.  I had read a review of canned 
bitters from all the major supermarket chains, carried out by a tasting panel with the 
results listed.   I forget which publication.  I think we tried 6 or 7 and I had prepared 
a voting sheet along with a list of comments from the original article and we drank
samples and wrote accordingly.  As I recall all but one beer was seriously crap, 
the best being just crap and that was the view of the professional panel and, of course,
of the panel of drinkers onboard Wild Burdock.  Some of the beer was tipped away it 
being so bad I seem to remember.