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It can be fun looking at satellite views of backwaters. Like this one which is accessed under the iron footbridge just below the Oxford boathouse on the towing path side. Several quite large canal Boats down there.

I wasn't being snide when I thanked Alan for the BS extract - but all it does is highlight what a mess the whole thing is. The lack of clarity on what is required and what isn't is why you get such a diversity in approach and frankly, people give up and this creates the room for dangerous or poor practice. I've resigned myself to doing everything I can that is practical, high quality and safe - but given up trying to make sense of the rest of the vague and conflicting standards etc. Mounting a drain on the side of the tank inside the engine bay is an option - but as Tony says, the stern slopes back and realistically the drain wouldn't work to drain the real layer of sludge/water on such a large tank area. And as for an inspection hatch - in my situation, with a 10ft wide fuel tank, I can't see it offering any real practical benefit vs the risk of leak, additional maintenance task, etc . So in short, this has been a useful debate but I've decided I won't be bothering with an inspection hatch. And I think in my situation, if I ever want to empty the tank, I'll have greater success draining it via suction through the fuel filler, as opposed to a drain on the side. I may need to add some additional ballast to tip the boat to get fuel over to the side of the filler, but being so close to the stern it would be the lowest point.

If and when I see a no cycling sign, I'll push the bike.

Know soot on well, finally sailed away last year I think after being used as children's university accommodation

Well, I wonder, if, when you are there, you might be able to find out a bit more about the Gatelifter 111. Surely one of the most unusual of any vessel on any British canal. Someone there must know something. I have tried without any success,but I am far away and I do not have your clout.

I was intrigued to see this cottage had a vigorously flowering New Zealand kohwai tree lockside when we passed through at this time of year, the only one we ever saw in England. And intrigued also when we passed through in September that it did not have a single pod, as here every flower nearly produces a pod. Either they had been plucked off, or perhaps there were none of the pollen gathering birds to pollinate the flowers. Is that the kowhai with its golden yellow flowers to the right of the bottom picture?

Interesting discussion, if a bit sad. We're headed into the UK for a fortnight around the 4CR starting next week. Looks likely that we will experience actual weather this time. (We're from California. We don't have that. Not like you'd know, anyway.) I guess we don't mind low traffic, but I hope it's not a desolate experience. We've planned 4 weeks a year for the next several. We've bought a share for our cruises starting 2025. Hope not to see the canal boating economy go south. We'll do our tiny part. Hope to see someone!

Hold on. Where in my post did I query any figures? I never once argued the merits of either power source. I specifically didn't. I only said one thing. Greta and her disciples will only want to tell you the good side. I even pointed out how most of us are guilty of it in other forms. I also never mentioned whether everybody does know the full story or not. I only said that certain people won't divulge it. Well, why would they. Batteries may or may not be the answer to the meaning of life, I never argued that. So what have I said is BS? Nothing. You were reading far too much into what I said. Nothing has suggested what I do or do not believe in. Nothing has suggested how much people know or don't know. You just thought it did. It is a bit like greenies and nuclear. They hate it, so they only tell you the bad points. Politicians and any policy they come up with- They will only tell you the good points. Opposition- will only tell you the bad points. Look back. All I have done is pointed out why Greta would love Mr Jupiter and his way of looking at carbon neutral when it came to the buzz words of electricity and batteries. Whether you would or wouldn't do something wasn't initially part of your argument though. Hence I took it to an extreme to point out the error in how you looked at carbon neutrality. Or basically, how you ignored the lifecycle costs of fuels. Hence why HVO is deemed to reduce net CO2 by 90%, not 100% as you claim.

So it seems that using a vehicle of a type which, if ridden on a public highway, would be criminal offence, would not be a criminal offence if ridden on a towpath (other than the rare case where the towpath is also a public right of way).

sold for 100k apparently! I would say that someone has got good value! https://www.auctionestates.co.uk/property/lock-house-lock-row-torksey-lock-lincoln-ln1-2eh-239828