The Wrong Way Round #byboat is a journey of discovering the 2,000 miles of inland waterways. This of course led to Lesley & Rob taking Artistic licence to record their adventures, by drawings, maps and the written word.
Rob & Lesley Pearson have been travelling traders since 2014. Lesley is an Artist who has taken to creating drawings and maps of their journeys. Rob is a computer programmer.
Rob's claim to fame are his jottings about the beginnings of their journey on NB Hekla. They came into being initially as a short story about ‘The Long Way Round’ which was featured in Canal Boat Magazine. The success and feed back from this article prompted Rob to divulge more of the journey, as the magazine article alone didn’t seem to give enough of the essence of that journey.
Rob's book came to life in 2015 as ‘The Wrong Way Round’ which is available on Amazon.
Lesley is a member of the Guild of Waterway Artists and of the Association of Animal Artists. She describes herself as a travelling artist: "the journey is the artwork and the art work is the journey". For the last four years the Pearsons have been exploring the inland waterways, with Lesley making drawings & maps of things they have seen, and putting her art together with Rob's prose - so combining history and the things they encounter.
Lesley offers prints of her beautifully illustrated maps for sale, as well as prints of her waterways and countryside paintings. She also sells mugs with her paintings on and stunning cards for all occasions.
our journey
We have travelled almost all of the northern canals and river navigations in the UK. It has been a carry on from our genuine interest of ways to travel. It’s a way of seeing a country, people, and how people live and interact with each other. We try to embrace it as a way of life, which leads me on to ‘steampunk’, an alternative way to look at life and to what is important about how you embrace it.
steampunk
Our alter egos are Captain Pepsi and Miss Mavis Ming; which is why you will see us dressed in a peculiar way. Time travellers from the last century - with a tongue in cheek humour which we find amuses people we meet.
NB Hekla PopUp Art
It is what it is.. we PopUp in unexpected places, much to the surprise of our followers. We enjoy festivals, markets and of course we open up in places we visit - be it a town, city or just out on the towpath. There is no rhyme or reason to it - it’s what takes our fancy.
This year has been a bit strange as we were deciding to head South for the summer. However, as with most people, Corvid19 has put a halt to any plans we might have had. We just watch the tide and see where it will take us. We are currently on the Chesterfield Canal in Nottinghamshire, waiting for the news of the all clear. Then we will be off South, hopefully.
Rob and Lesley are currently open for business on the Chesterfield Canal, and of course with their on-line shop.
Check out their webpage for more of what they are and have been up to; follow NB Hekla PopUp Art on Facebook, and visit their on-line shop.
To buy a copy of The Wrong Way Round, visit Amazon.
We have travelled the Leeds & Liverpool canal, the Shropshire Union, The Staffs & 
This developed into the range of beautiful chopping board
We were trying to think of a way of streamlining our stock & the items we sell at the end of last season 
I got the idea to live on a boat when I saw one for sale whilst walking along the towpath around Alvechurch.
The boat was at Aldermaston and I needed to get her back to Alvechurch ASAP to get on with the ever mounting engraving orders.
I've always been keen on crafts and love glass in all its forms.
Since I became a canal trader I've been welcomed by other floating traders and made some fantastic friends. I feel it's important not to copy something another boater does and I'm confident I have a unique product.
I don't sell online or post glass out as I just don't have the time (or will) to administer it.
Illia Price, trading as Caledonia Glass, has been a member of Roving Canal Traders since she began her canal business. She creates beautiful works of art using lead and glass paint, and it's a great testament to her skill as a boat designer (and her boat handling skills!) that she can carry so much glass aboard a narrowboat without breaking any of it!
From the front the Pub is a sprawling building with the brewery situated to the left and a small court yard at the front with two imposing grapevines and old English ivy present in keeping with name. Once you come into the pub the first room you come to is the main bar, a spacious room with a traditional bar and scrub top tables. Locals are stood at the bar laughing and joking with the bar staff. Other groups of various ages are scattered amongst the other tables and the open fire roars setting a warm friendly atmosphere.
Behind the bar there are some 12 large kilner taped jars labelled with such delights as Christmas pudding gin, cherry rum and raspberry vodka. A glance at the hand pulls shows 4 of The Vine’s own beers all lined up in uniform on the hand pulls are a vanilla porter, grapefruit IPA and a ruby mild with their guest ale of single hoped summit, but the knowledgeable staff are quick to inform that the pecan porter provides the aromas coming from the brewery.
To the rear is a large pool room over looking a lovely courtyard style beer garden complete with a large covered area.
Landlord Oliver Westwood and his team (most of which have been there a number of years which is always a good sign) have been at The Vine since 2005. Under his tenure the micro brewery has been added and a great deal of improvements have been made he says. “The Vine Inn is a labour of love for me and the staff. It was always my father's local and he even had a stint at running it as a tenant when it was a punch tavern pub. When it came up on the market as a freehold we just had to jump at the opportunity to rescue her. Since then we have replaced roofs, installed a new garden, taken out miles of Artex, re wired every room and generally worked on years of neglect at the hands of various pub co’s and breweries. We still have a long way to go but have a great vision of what the pub can be to secure it for generations to come”.
This is evidenced in the work to the kitchen, which is now producing bar snacks and sharing platters and other delights into the restaurant room and bars. This whilst the function room is also being upgraded to host live music and entertainment after a long hiatus. Oli enthusiastically tells us he already has a commitment from the local blues club to use the space on a monthly bases for a rock and blues night. He’s hoping to attract more local musicians to host residences here in 2020 to turn the 16th century function room into a lively little venue.
Oli and Sian welcome you to the Vine Inn & Brewery in Rugeley. The pub isn't quite by the canalside, but certainly worth the short walk.
The Piesse of Piddle, hotel, bar and restaurant, is managed by Graeme Piesse, and it is he who is the heart and soul of the place.
The bar area is unique and interesting, with statues and enormous plants, and giant beer barrels supporting the bar itself.
is a very well attended quiz night on the last Sunday of the month, a folk night on the 4th Monday of each month, and an open mic night on the last Wednesday of each month.
Graeme offers everyone a very friendly welcome to his hotel and pub. He is always ready to chat or to entertain. At the moment the pub is open from 4.30 every day except Sundays when it opens at 12.00. Food is available 12pm to 6pm on Sunday, and from 5pm Tuesday to Saturday. Sunday roasts are particularly recommended, though all the food is excellent. Rooms are available for short or long term rental, and there is a large private dining room which can be made available for special occasions - anything from Christenings to Wakes.
I first started boating in 2003 when I sold my house for a killing, bought my first boat and went boating as a single handed woman.
Brian & Jane's narrowboat is warm and welcoming compared to the chilly weather outside, smoke curling from its chimney, and frost sparkling on the ground.
Brian did his apprenticeship as an engineer in Skipton in Yorkshire, then went on courses to learn blacksmithing - something that would give his creativity a freer rein.
This year marks their 30th year living on board Emily. In that time they have had two children, Lewis 26 and Frances 24, who spent their lives aboard until leaving for university.
I’m upset Yorkshire Waterways Museum was forced to close, despite being so closely linked with other partners, including the Canal and River Trust and that since its closure, little has been decided about the site.