… but not as we know it. When the first mate was a but a lowly computer programmer in short trousers there was an old joke “I thought a dump was a diagnostic core print until I saw Aldershot.” But winding through Aldershot Barracks on the canal, you’d never know: just peace and quiet surrounded by trees and water (and in our case, sunshine).

If you really look hard enough you might catch an occasional distant glimpse of a building or some barbed wire, but that’s it.

The barbed wire is bit more obvious at the pleasant moorings by Eelmoor Bridge, right at the end of Farnborough Airport’s runway. From the bank there’s a superb view across the airfield and beyond, and not enough jet traffic to disturb dinner or breakfast. Must be a popular spot during the Farnborough Airshow!