Yet again my visit to Crick was plagued by bad weather, this year even worse than last with no redeeming sun breaking through in the afternoon as happened last year. Nevertheless those who attended seemed to be in good, undamped, spirits in spite of the light rain and decided chilliness.
I bet Waterways World magazine, who organised the event, were so glad they had pushed advanced sales of tickets – this kept the numbers up in inclement conditions and hence the joyous festival atmosphere so evident – well done!
Basically the formula of the show is well tried with lots of stalls – some relevant – some not, eg, sausages for sale – but then the Brits like their sausages especially the hot samples copiously available for tasting or is it a snack? I didn’t see many people parting with their cash for the cold takeaway packs though.
I may be wrong but the boats on show seemed to include more wide beam ones as my photos will show. Unfortunately with a wide beam you miss out on the most attractive canals, but the prestige is enormous – can this be a rub off from people now preferring large SUV’s (Sport Utility Vehicle! Really?) rather than sleeker more social and economic cars?
I must say these larger members of the boating stable are attractive to look at on the face of it. But how long does the attraction last when largely restricted to rivers, the Grand Union, and a few others.
Is there anyone with experience of both that could leave a comment?
Well worth a visit – you’ll enjoy the atmosphere and exhibits no matter what the weather, I’d say.
So, below are my this year’s photos with the grey sky reduced to a minimum! (Click an image for a larger view.)
