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A friend of mine Tony Thurlow has written up the following and emailed me copies of his photos, Quality isnt good but still I include them and hope you enjoy them. About 1956-7 through the YHA I learned of a canal trip from Oxford to Llangollen which was to be horse drawn. Being an apprentice boat builder (on the Essex coast) and having ridden and driven farm horses as a teenager I thought I would give it a go. We started just outside Oxford, meeting the owner/crew and was told this was the first trial trip. As far as I can remember there was about 12 to 14 of us. The barge (the Glendower) was 70 feet in length having bunks each side, a cooking/dining area. The cook, come chaperon, called "Beth" looked after all of us. One lad from a narrow boat family made up the crew. The horse named "Nigger" came from British Rail and was used for shunting in the goods yard. He was on "holiday" for a fortnight and used to moving 21 ton trucks. When he put his shoulders into the job once moving he just strolled along. Once we had all settled down we did jobs to help like going ahead opening paddles on locks, or leading "Nigger" along the towpath. I cannot remember the route but do recall turnover bridges and a hinged bridge just like the Dutch have, taking on water, provisions from village stores. We stopped at Banbury to see the famous cross. Getting to the aquaduct in Wales was fun walking the horse over this, he was very staedy and done well. The canal into there was very shallow and took some navigating. When we got to Llangollen they were having an Eisteddfod, oh what a sight! Coming back I had made friends with the owner and was invited back for working holidays which I did later take up. Hope you enjoy my memories. Cheers. Tony Unfortunately Tony cannot recall the boatmans name, perhaps someone mighty know and remind him ! Hope you enjoy it.

Likewise if peeps weren't confined within the restrictive beam of narrow boats you wouldn't even be having this conversation: crawling over the bed to get through the boat; remaking and packing the bed up everyday; being forced to sleep diagonally... It's ok if you're not living aboard I suppose, but surely life's too short.

I don't think they give Big Issue licences to everyone who turns up and asks for one! And as far as I know, you can't sleep under one. I'm sure those who can afford moorings will get one,those who can move off somewhere else will, and as for the rest, it doesn't look like a few dead dossers in doorways are going to bother most people on here.

Yes we can see this in the OP. Oh wait, it was the young man who showed self restraint while the guy in your generation showed absolutely none.

People like that just screw it up for those that obey the (not hard to follow) rules.....they are just freeloaders ..not boaters!

Spill chequer - Concentrated = Consecrated?

just had to renew my password, It has to be more complicated than my ebay account, my bank account, and my paypal account, so complicated there is no way I will be able to remember it so I have to write it down. How safe is that.. crazy

I never log out. I Havnt a clue what my forum password is.

Tax avoidance is legal and uses the rules to minimise one personal liability. Tax evasion is breaking the law - much as the subjects of this thread are apparently doing.

In Briare's defence the church is worth a visit, as are the museums de deux-marines and that of mosaics and enamels with its displays of baubles used by missionaries to bribe "the natives". The canals and timber ponds are obvious, but less so is to cross the Loire to Châtillon and explore the disused section of the Latéral Canal where the craft used to cross the river by use of ropes and winches before the pont-canal was built, to continue their journey to the Saône. Tam

Claytons boat at Cropredy - Albert Beechey perhaps?

You make a good general point here Tim but, when it comes to bedtime in a narrowboat, it's not just the length that counts: it's also about the width.

Tall people just use more resources for little or no gain in a narrowboat, where there aren't even any particularly high shelves for them to be useful. Anyone taking up vertical space in excess of one fathom should be folded in half at bed time.

Same with us, king size cross bed pulls out on interlaced slats and rests on small shelf above a radiator. To put it away, simply fold the split mattress onto the fixed bit of the bed, complete with fitted bottom sheet and duvet, then slide the slats in. Took me longer to type that than to put the bed away or pull it out and make it! ? The only problem is for taller people, who have to sleep diagonally, but with a king size (and it's still shorter than an longeways bed) there is more room to do that.

No, just the boats, at the outset at least. The others later if they don't take the hint. Next year..............................No More Mister Nice Guy!!! Nothing new, there have always been people willing to duck their responsibilities and take advantage of others. Its just that these days the bleeding hearts brigade give then encouragement so there are more of them. Some of the original navigators who dug the canals ended up living on the cut in dire conditions. Not necessarily in boats either.

It’s moderately in character with his writing, but of course I can’t comment whether his column writing bears any resemblance to the real person. Even if it is, I’m not sure that a mental problem is an excuse for that sort of behaviour - at least, failing to understand and admit the bad behaviour in the cold light of the next day. If we as a society accept that “a mental problem” is a valid excuse for any behaviour without remorse, society collapses.