Meet Roland – The Newest Crew Member of NB AndAway!

Since I last wrote, we’ve certainly been keeping ourselves busy!

Our first stop was a weekend in Stone, a bustling market town on the Trent & Mersey Canal. If I’m honest, it wasn’t quite what I expected. There were some excellent pubs, plenty of charity shops to browse (always a favourite of ours!), but beyond that we found ourselves ready to move on.

Our next mooring was above Lock 26 at Aston-by-Stone, a quiet Staffordshire village with a population of around 1,000 people. Aston dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, when it was recorded as “Estone,” meaning eastern settlement. Today it’s a peaceful village with beautiful countryside, historic churches and a lovely rural feel—perfect for slowing the pace for a few days.

While we were there, we caught up with fellow boating YouTubers Karen and Jason from Just Two People for a drink at Aston Marina. It’s always great meeting up with friends from the boating community and putting the world to rights over a pint!

We stayed put until Friday 3rd July, when we picked up a hire car. A quick shout-out to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who collected us directly from the canal. For those of us living aboard without a car, that’s an absolute game changer and made everything so easy.

The reason for the hire car? A very exciting trip to Milton Keynes…

Meet Roland!

We travelled to meet the wonderful volunteers at Dachshund Rescue UK, and that’s where we met the newest member of Team AndAway.

Introducing Roland—aka- Rolo!

Rolo is a 15-month-old purebred smooth-haired Miniature Dachshund rescue, and somehow it already feels like he’s always been part of the family. From the moment he stepped aboard, he settled in incredibly quickly and has taken over the boat as if he owns it… which, to be fair, he probably thinks he does!

His very first cruise came on Sunday as we travelled around two hours to the pretty village of Salt, passing through a couple of locks along the way. At first he wasn’t quite sure what to make of everything. The movement of the boat, the lock gates, the passing boats—it was all very new. But before long he relaxed, found a comfy spot on the roof and seemed quite content watching the world drift by.

The following day we cruised for another couple of hours, tackled another two locks, and by then Rolo was already becoming a seasoned boater. It’s been amazing to watch just how quickly he’s adapted to life afloat. He already seems completely at home.

We are now moored at the beautiful Tixall Wide, having joined a brand-new canal for us—the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. Opened in 1772 and engineered by James Brindley, the canal stretches for around 46 miles between Great Haywood and Stourport-on-Severn. It’s regarded as one of England’s most scenic waterways, with peaceful countryside, historic bridges and charming villages lining much of its route.

One of our first outings with Rolo was to the magnificent Shugborough Estate, our first National Trust visit with him.

Shugborough Hall was originally built in the late 17th century and later became the ancestral home of the Anson family. The estate is perhaps best known through Admiral George Anson, who circumnavigated the globe in the 1740s and brought great wealth back to the family. Over the years, the estate has welcomed many notable visitors, including members of the Royal Family, and royal photographer Patrick Lichfield, the 5th earl. Today visitors can explore the impressive Georgian mansion, beautiful gardens and extensive parkland.

Rolo was an absolute star throughout the visit. Like many rescue dogs, he has a few things to work on, particularly being reactive towards other dogs, so we’ve already started some training with him. Even so, he continues to surprise us every day with how quickly he’s learning and gaining confidence.

After exploring Shugborough, we wandered into the lovely village of Great Haywood. What a delightful place! It has everything we’re looking for in a village—beautiful surroundings, canal connections, friendly pubs and plenty of countryside. Let’s just say it may have earned itself a place on our shortlist for future house hunting…

For now though, we’re staying put. Another heatwave is on the way, so Tixall Wide offers plenty of welcome shade for both us and Rolo. We’ll be taking life a little slower over the next few days with lots of gentle walks, plenty of cuddles, and helping our newest crew member continue settling into his new floating home.