what is bandit country?

[MrCJ]

Was just on another thread and they made a coment about bandit country didn't say anything in there because it would of taken it totally

 

I done a search but didnt come up with much.

 

So thought It might be a good bit of info for myself and others that are new to the whole canal thing, and dont know the areas well. So that we dont walk into trouble or even boat into trouble, This would help in planning and so we know what to look out for.

 

what areas would others say that you should be careful of?

 

moored over night.

moored just for a couple of hours

just passing by an area

areas that have had the most trouble.

 

and any tips that you can give if you have to stop in theses areas

 

I do understand that there can be a risk anywhere but some more then others.

 

 

Sorry if this has been done before i must of missed it in my search.

[carlt]

The more people moor up in so-called "bandit country" the safer it is.

 

Ghettoising areas of the network merely panders to the paranoid.

 

I have never felt threatened or nervous anywhere on the system. If I come across kids hanging round lock flights I try to engage them.

 

They either acknowledge you with their teenage grunt or, if you're lucky, you get a lock-wheeling crew for the duration of the flight.

[steelaway]

Was just on another thread and they made a coment about bandit country didn't say anything in there because it would of taken it totally

 

I done a search but didnt come up with much.

 

So thought It might be a good bit of info for myself and others that are new to the whole canal thing, and dont know the areas well. So that we dont walk into trouble or even boat into trouble, This would help in planning and so we know what to look out for.

 

what areas would others say that you should be careful of?

 

moored over night.

moored just for a couple of hours

just passing by an area

areas that have had the most trouble.

 

and any tips that you can give if you have to stop in theses areas

 

I do understand that there can be a risk anywhere but some more then others.

 

 

Sorry if this has been done before i must of missed it in my search.

 

 

 

Hi

 

I can only give you the benefit of our experiences

We have criused almost the whole system over the past 8 years.

We never have really cared where we moored and always ignored the 'warnings' of the 'towpath telegraph'

We often moor in the middle of nowhere completly on our own (I like the peace and quite and fishing)

 

In 8 years the sum total of problems is -

We have been untied, over night at Frazeley junction - woke up on the other side of canal.

Had idiots bang on the roof as they stagged home drunk a couple of times - makes you jump and swear out loud.

 

It seems to me you can never tell in which area you can expect trouble just be wary of city centres and drunks.

I dont think any where has a serious problem.

Maybe we have just been lucky, but I doubt it.

 

Alex

[journeyperson]

Maybe we have just been lucky, but I doubt it.

 

Alex

 

 

No, I think that sums it up. I have been untied a couple of times in the city and that was only because I had to use a bollard rather than a ring. Maybe if the perpetrator had been unable to untie they would have banged on the roof or nicked something but I think it is just mischief rather than malice.

[steelaway]

I have never felt threatened or nervous anywhere on the system. If I come across kids hanging round lock flights I try to engage them.

 

They either acknowledge you with their teenage grunt or, if you're lucky, you get a lock-wheeling crew for the duration of the flight.

 

 

 

Ditto

 

Alex

[Biggles]

I had a rather nasty drunk in Peterbrough offer to stab me if I didn't let him on my boat to dive in to the river. I told him that if he set foot on the boat I would hit him with the mooring pin that was right beside me. He used the boat next door to make the dive, he then got out grazing himself quite badly on the concrete edge and then asked very nicely if he could borrow a towel. I'll leave to guess the outcome of the wet drunk walking away.

 

There were lots of other drunks on the waterfront but most were just doing there thing, and soon moved of as it got colder, leaving just the drunks INSIDE the boat :-)

 

Biggles

[RLWP]

No, I think that sums it up. I have been untied a couple of times in the city and that was only because I had to use a bollard rather than a ring. Maybe if the perpetrator had been unable to untie they would have banged on the roof or nicked something but I think it is just mischief rather than malice.

 

With bollards in cities we always make sure there is a complete turn around the bollard (so the rope cannot be easily lifted off) and tie back onto the boat. If it is the back of the boat, we tie off to the offside tee.

 

Richard

[Laurie Booth]

I always keep a loaded 5 shot Remington pump action shot gun to hand.

[alan_fincher]

I always keep a loaded 5 shot Remington pump action shot gun to hand.

Useful advice up to a point, but you have not told us where you moor, so we can avoid mooring near people who are "tooled up!".

[Laurie Booth]

Useful advice up to a point, but you have not told us where you moor, so we can avoid mooring near people who are "tooled up!".

It's in my profile

[DHutch]

To be honest, i have very little respect for anyone using the term 'bandit' or 'bandit country' less even prehaps those using the term 'hooded youth' as derogatory. (ive only recently stoped being a teenager, and frequetly wear hooded garments, if its cold, with the hood up even!)

 

Im just talking to one of the other members now about moorings now in fact, they boating plans for the year, including the fact that ive left the baot in kidsgrove for a week. It was fine. Some wont even go through stoke in summer outside of school hours!!!

 

I two at 22 have not had any problems yet bar one person spit on me from a bridge. My grandad at 80 has been cast off about twice and the odd acorn of a bridge.

 

Certainly if im on the boat, im not worried at all. If im leaving it a week, care is taken, but never to the point where its effected my plans more than a mile or so.

 

 

Daniel

[MartinClark]

Was just on another thread and they made a coment about bandit country didn't say anything in there because it would of taken it totally

 

I done a search but didnt come up with much.

 

There is no such thing as "bandit country".

 

Sure, you will get people telling you that dreadful things have happened to them at X, Y or Z, but then other people will reply that they have been to X, Y and Z dozens of times and never had the slightest bother.

 

You might get bother in the most unexpected of places. You might find that you pass through the most scruffy and uninviting of areas with no hint of trouble.

 

If you are anxious about potential problems that you have heard from other people, there are a few sensible precautions you can take, such as when passing through downtown urban areas keep the front door locked and put valuables out of sight - you don't want to put temptation in front of people! If you can pass through such areas before the schools come out you should find things quieter.

 

There are some stretches that I would not recommend mooring on, mainly because I like a quiet night. Surprisingly, some of the safest places to moor are in the centres of cities like Birmingham and Manchester, because people are used to seeing boats there. On the other hand, you might invite attention if you are the only boat moored up somewhere. But, as Carl says, the more people moor up in an area, the better it gets from the boaters' point of view.

 

Just take a lot of the tales of woe that you might hear with a large pinch of salt. A lot of them get exaggerated more and more each time they are told!

[Radiomariner]

Just above the top lock at Atherstone about 8 yers ago. At about 8pm Brick through window in attempt to grab wife's handbag lying on bunk. Gang of youths run off and hid behind hedgerow when they discovered that boat was occupied. But shouting abusive taunts continued from behind the hedgerows, halting only when the police turned up (took them 90 mins). When the police went away the taunting shouts started again. Moved boat close to another moored boat bow to bow so that we could light each other up with tunnel lights. Taunting halted about 1am. Left lights on all night.

 

The memory lingers and I no longer moor there. However I would not list anywhere as "Bandit Country". Locations are always changing.

ie Last years great pub could be a disaster this year.

[blackrose]

I agree that terms such as 'bandit country' are unhelpful. However, there is no doubt that some areas of the network are not as safe as others, to the extent that more incidents have occured in these places.

 

Of course naming an area as particularly unsafe could result in it becoming a "no-go ghetto", but on the other hand refusing to name and talk about such places risks denying that problems may exist by simply failing to acknowledge them. I think this approach is just as unhelpful

 

This paradox is exemplified by several contributors to this thread who seem to be making slightly contraditory statements, which if I can paraphrase go something along the lines of "We don't worry where we moor, but we're much more careful or avoid certain (inner-city) areas."

Edited November 18, 2009 by blackrose

[FrigateCaptain]

Bandit country?? thats a area in the southen countys of Ulster!

 

Had stern rope cast and plank chucked in the pound yesterday

[CJR]

Remember the film Deliverance .,well thats one place i would not tie up for the night,prefere kids banging on the roof anytime.

[carlt]

Remember the film Deliverance .,well thats one place i would not tie up for the night,prefere kids banging on the roof anytime.

There are some lovely Lincolnshire moorings.

[Chertsey]

I think it is so much a matter of luck there is no point trying to avoid it. My one bad experience was when I was moored in the centre of Huddersfield - the boat was broken into while I was away - although nothing was stolen and no damage was done other than the broken window. But I moored there for eighteen months - thats seventeen months and 30 days when I was perfectly fine and had no problems at all.

[Naughty Cal]

There are some lovely Lincolnshire moorings.

 

You beat me too it

 

Not found anywhere yet where we have been threatened, harassed, scared or anything else. If you get inquisitive kids answer their questions and they soon get bored. Oh and if you are unsure about a mooring always tie off your ropes on the boat (preferablly on the opposite side to the bank).

[nb Innisfree]

I got tooled up with a Black Widow catapult 4 years ago, always have ammo at hand but unfortunately haven't had occasion to use it yet, well just once with some kids throwing stones from across the cut but they were out of range by the time I got loaded up.

 

Quite disappointing

[cotswoldsman]

As A CCer I have covered many miles in the past 3 years and have never had any problem. I have moored in many city centres that people have said are not safe.

I always have a chuckle when someone says "don't moor in such place" when I ask "when did you moor there?" 99.999% of the time the answer is "I haven't but I was told"

i like mooring in the countryside but equally I like to moor in city centres next week I am going on the Liverpool Link and only last week someone said to me "you must be mad you will get stoned on the way" when I asked when he had done it he said "I would never do the Liverpool Link" I just feel sorry for people that spend there lives in fear if going anywhere because they have heard something negative.

[Sir Nibble]

"you must be mad you will get stoned on the way"

 

Yup, every time. Keeps me going 'till the pub.

[cotswoldsman]

The more people moor up in so-called "bandit country" the safer it is.

 

Ghettoising areas of the network merely panders to the paranoid.

 

I have never felt threatened or nervous anywhere on the system. If I come across kids hanging round lock flights I try to engage them.

 

They either acknowledge you with their teenage grunt or, if you're lucky, you get a lock-wheeling crew for the duration of the flight.

 

i agree completely Carl when I went up Ashton Flight I had 6 kids do all the locks for me very handy for single handed boater, when I reached the top I offered them some money as a thank you and they just said they had enjoyed it and that in all the years they had been hanging round the canal it was the first time anyone had allowed them to do the locks and one at a time I allowed them to stand on the back of the boat between locks they were aged between about 14 and 16.

 

Yup, every time. Keeps me going 'till the pub.

[Lady Muck]

I permanently moor in bandit country (Tottenham). There are currently also about 40 boats moored here on the no go area (i.e. towpath) in bandit country too. (See how ridiculous this is?)

 

I love it here, as well as being very quiet for London (because the river passes through part of Lee Valley Parks), it is very convenient for the tube, the retail parks, supermarkets, fab Kurdish restaurants. If anyone is passing through do message me, I can tell you anything you need to know.

 

I love my bandit country (or the 'Nam as one of my mates calls it).

Edited November 18, 2009 by Lady Muck

[rgreg]

The more people moor up in so-called "bandit country" the safer it is.

 

Ghettoising areas of the network merely panders to the paranoid.

 

I have never felt threatened or nervous anywhere on the system. If I come across kids hanging round lock flights I try to engage them.

 

They either acknowledge you with their teenage grunt or, if you're lucky, you get a lock-wheeling crew for the duration of the flight.

 

I agree