I have
asked some of the week owners if they would like to introduce themselves online
so I’d better start with myself.
Name of Ron, or Ronald de Vesselitsky Merrriman, if you must. Ronald after the
By family tradition descended paternally from a long line of blood
thirsty Russian generals, who got kicked out of Russia before the Revolution
and maternally from a long line of Cornish Vicars famed for being able to drink
every one else “under the table”.
Father of two daughters now aged 13 and 15, by virtue of which I
attended “Mothers & Toddlers “ for 6 years and those who have tried to
phone me will realise I am somewhat deaf – which saves a certain amount of
distraction.
We bought a timeshare because we were so appalling at organising
holidays going for a Narrowboat because it was a
little more adventurous than most, we’ve also got a soft spot for the Black Country being the
wife’s birthright, along with “Porky Scratchins”,
“Faggots & Peas” and “ Groaty Pudding” (don’t ask).
It must be said Birmingham and the Black Country from the Canals
has been a whole new experience, as well a pleasant one, which has worked well
with the kids, giving a nice balance between exercise an comfort. At the same
time leaving us very much in awe of the aqueducts, tunnels etc. built before
the advent of the JCB.
We could happily spend a couple of days at the
Mother, who is in her eighties, soon mastered the locks, though it
got a bit nerve wracking when she started trekking round the gunwales!
The day naturally came when the kids said “ next year we want to do
something else”, hence the website, which allowed us to rent out our two August
weeks on Prospero last year (2005) and take a Crofter’s cottage not so far from
Lewis for a couple of weeks instead.
No telephone, television or
even mobile phone signals. Just us, the sheep and the midges with a view so
breathtaking that we spent a good part of the first two days just looking out
of the kitchen window (- in part because when we finally arrived, we were all
feeling so travel sick that we were not prepared to do anything else).
You could have been mistaken into believing we had whiskey on tap,
the tap water being from the spring just above the house and a rich peaty
colour.
Don’t let the midges put you off
2006 sees us back on Prospero, this time heading north to Stoke Potteries, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Previously we have made it as far south as
The website is a means to an end. To continue enjoying holidays
like these we need a means of marketing the weeks we don’t use, and the
economics of the thing means it is much better to advertise a group of weeks
than just one or two. Marketing for a large group also means the website can
run all year every year and become an established venue for those looking to
hire a boat. It won’t sell everything, but it will probably be more cost
effective than advertising in the local rag.
Use it as part of your marketing strategy in conjunction with any
free advertising you can find -
community notice boards, workplace bulletin boards, whatever and talk positively
about your holidays to your friends – people notice and smiles and enthusiasm
sell.
Finally if you are going to use the website please support it by
encouraging others to visit it by talking about it and putting links on
websites etc.
If this website succeeds then you have a useful tool for years to
come.
Photos of the boats would be most welcome as would any other
contributions, articles or suggestions.
Enjoy yourselves
Ron
From:
David
is a Photographer with a studio at
Hi ,
And thanks for visiting this web site created by my “virtual”
friend Ron Merriman. I say “virtual” friend because although we both live in
My name is David and my wife and I bought two weeks timeshare on
the very first boat in the Fleet named Cymbeline (in fact I bought off plan
before she was even complete). Some of you may think I was either brave or daft
buying off plan what with all the bad press that goes with Timeshare. Well I’ve
always done well out of the Timeshare I’ve owned and been well satisfied with
the various apartments I’ve owned in
Obviously buying “off plan” and on the very first boat that the
company (Shakespeare Classic Line) had commissioned to build, I got a good deal
from a financial point of view. But the real benefit of owning on a narrow boat
is that it’s a great holiday (so relaxing and fun at times as you get to grips
with how the tiller works) but as it’s not what my wife and family would wish
to do year in year out, it can obviously be “exchanged” like any other
Timeshare (I don’t propose to go into that here as that’s another story all by
itself) but frankly knowing how much narrow boats cost to hire, right from the
beginning we decided to rent out our weeks when we didn’t want to use them.
This I did quite successfully using normal advertising methods, but frankly
since my “virtual” friend Ron created the web site it’s even easier to sell off
my weeks when I don’t wish to use them (of course it helps that I originally
bought school holiday weeks as these are always at a premium and command the most rent).
For anyone thinking of buying a narrow boat or Timesharing on one
why not rent one from those listed on this site and Try Before You Buy, then if
you and your family like the experience you can either rent again and again as
and when or if you want to join “the family” of owners on the Shakespeare
Classic Line boats, I can assure you the boats are maintained to a high
standard and even replaced more regularly than was stated in the original
contract. You can feel proud of your investment in Timeshare on a Shakespeare
Classic Line boat.