Ellesmere and the bench bandits

Yesterday we meandered back to Ellesmere to revisit Tesco for a restock and to spend the £20 voucher we were given last week. Although I have no issue with hire boats per se, the perfusion of them on the Llangollen can cause problems. Our departure was delayed by a jam of hire boats which had managed to get stuck, fowl the prop, get sideways across the canal all at the same time in the same spot. I have managed to go the whole trip without a cross word to anyone and this record was maintained, all smiles and help.

View of Blake Mere from the window of Tilly May

After Tesco we approached Blake Mere where we moored on the way down. The nice spot by the gap in the trees overlooking the Mere and next to a large picnic bench was unoccupied, so we decided to moor for the night.  Two other boats were moored but way down the cut and a distance from each other. However, not long after our arrival a hire boat moored next to us. The tell tale signs were there from the start, with almost 250 yards of bank to moor up to the boat tied up to the same ring as us with only 3 feet between  us and them. By now we were sat on the picnic bench having a drink. We chatted with the chap and discovered that we both intended to barbecue later. After a long chat Jan went for a shower and I took Spot for a walk. By the time we returned the entire party from the hire boat had decamped, they had filled every square inch of the picnic table with food plates and drink, along with a couple more chairs to ensure there was no room for us.  We were in no rush to eat so we did a few bits and read for a while before I went out and lit our barbecue.  I hoped that as they had mostly eaten their food and we had just started cooking that someone would at least clear part of the table and say "here you go chap have your meal here". No such luck.  By the time they had eaten, our food was about cooked but they then went back on board and left the whole table still crammed with their remains. I maintained my cross word record, we ate on TM and sat out late into the evening after the dick family had returned to their boat. By 8am this morning the dick family had departed so we had a nice peaceful morning cup of tea overlooking the Mere sat at the picnic bench in the sunshine, no sound but the breeze in the trees, the call of a buzzard and the odd few ducks and geese having their early morning chat.