Cag

Mmm... why is that? I ask this because I have just booked a first timer trip out of Trevor in a few months time. Forewarned is forearmed, so anything you can tell me will help... Best Chris

I don't mind a bit of weather, I'm originally from NZ. Endless blue skies are boring. But my partner is from Ireland and doesn't see anything that reminds her of her childhood as being a holiday... So the weather will be mixed but with a good chance of being OK, what about the crowding? Will there be endless queues at the bottlenecks? Chris

Can anyone tell me, is the last week of June/first week of July a good time to be on the canals? Is it warm enough but not too crowded? Chris

Hey thanks for all the replies, much more than I had hoped for... I will plough through the sughgestions and get back to you... Chris

I'm planning a trip to the UK next June (from Australia) and hoping to spend two weeks on the cut. Through reading blogs etc I have tentatively focused on the Staff and Works Canal, and am looking for guidance in two areas. Firstly, what would be a reasonable target route for a two week trip, one with a few days off to look around? An out and return trip is OK but I would rather do a circuit. Secondly, could anyone recommend a hire company. The smallest narrowboat would do, there are two of us... Kind regards Chris Sydney Australia

I contracted leptospirosis almost twenty years ago, on Cape York, FNQ, Australia, in grass contaminated with rat's piss. I was in hospital for a month, off work for a year. I went back to work briefly and then was off for another three months. I have not worked full time since. A Dutch study (uncontrolled so not scientific literature) indicated 5% of people with the disease have chronic issues. It has been very costly, marriage, job, money etc but you learn to live with things and life is OK. Pigs will give it to you too, and cows. I think you should not indulge in obsessive behaviour trying to avoid it. Just don't swim or paddle in dirty still water. If you are worried about getting it you will have to be terrified of crossing the road as the odds are much worse there. In parts of the 3rd world it is endemic, ie. Jamaica. I read of an outbreak about 15 years ago in Central America where thousands died, mostly because they did not have good access to health care. It belongs to a group of ailments which were largely cured by penicillin and therefore seen as solved. There are no great rewards, prizes or fortunes for solving it. Most GPs will not see a single case in a lifetime. My expert said more is known about it in horses because they are are valuable and usually are post-mortemed after death. Cheers Chris