Timx

No not black prince, but anyway ,surely its the way forward

Recently hired a boat that instead of the traditional rope fender at the front, just had a rubber fender which was part of the flow line at the front of the boat, which seemed sensible shorter and diminished risk of snagging in locks.surely this is the way forward, if not old school, am I wrong.???

Look at latelink,if you want a better deal and not too bothered where you go, also they give you the options of where you can go in your time scale.THAT WAY YOU DO HAVE CHOICES BETWEEN COST AND WHERE FROM, AND BOAT SIZE.

As I normally travel till dusk, if I cant find anywhere after trying to moor at the right places, I will moor at a permit holders place if its late and no one is going to moor there after me that night, just prepared to move on early if someone wants me to.

Good replies thanks, I was curious to know any horror stories, but everything seems to be positive if it suits your needs,I take on what you say, but as op I only want it for three yrs, I can usually get holidays I want,and seems a cheaper option then spending 2 or 3 k a year hiring, particularly if its a cc rather than going back to original boat yard each time to start.Suppose i could buy in then the boat goes tits up and i lose out, but with all things you take a bit of a chance,but i am only looking at bottom of market,one im looking at is over twenyt yrs old but has had a new engine fitted in last five.There seems to be a few on the market, if anyone knows a good site, i would be interested to have a look there, will be a month or so till i decide.Also private syndicates appear to be better than managed, any thoughts on that would be interesting to know from the experienced out there....

Hi,I but a boat share for a couple of k, and use it for three yrs b4 I buy my own when I retire, I pay about 50 pound a month maintenance, after the 3 yrs I sell my share, and maybe even lose half of cash.As i spend about 2 to 3 k a year at the moment hiring, its a fantastic idea, isnt it ?....any thoughts,?? from those that have done it..

Yeah.thats only one i have had with a cratch from norbury, it does make a difference, hence my o p thanks tho.

Cheers,but I mostly always get a hire boat off latelink,so cant ever specify a particular boat yard, just the best boat at best price,and go from whereever that is on the week or two I want,and only once had a cratch cover,..

MMM That could work with a heavy enough base ,and even a covering over the top of the shade,covering the sides..will have to have a look on line.

Have hired three boats out this year,in March June and July and obviously, it rained on all three trips.Personally steering in the rain does not bother me too much if the wind is not blowing too much at the same time, and I can perversely even enjoy it if its warm as well. However,as not many hire boats come with a cratch cover the other people on the boat can not really sit at the front in the rain, and to sit inside,you cant see over the bow,so not much fun for them,So obviously a cratch cover overcomes this.My Question is, is there anything available,on the market, that would make do,I know their bespoke to individual boats but is there anything adaptable out there ,that would do as a temporary ,make do alternative that would give some cover,that you can see out of,that we could take away with us each time we hire different boats on holidays. I presume theres not, but just asking.

We did a bit of that trip in June,we only went down the severn from Stourport to the first lock as it was closed because of the time,river was on amber then, the weather hasnt changed much since,so we just turned and turned back into the basin, it was fun trying to judge the turn with the river flowing so fast,a boat had gone over the weir the night b4,but as it was the first sunny evening seemed a waste not to carry on sailing, although it was getting dark by the time we had locked back up and moored at the pub there back on the canal.nice pics enjoy.Remember it rarely rains in the pub..

HA,CHEERS

Should of mentioned , if in the area of Hill morton/Rugby try out the Huntsmen carvery in Dunchurch, fantastic meal for around 20 quid, best local produce meat ever tasted in a carvery, chef appears really proud of what he produces and it shows,Dunchurch looks a nice villiage if staying in the area as well.

I realise I have duplicated part of this report, but I cant fix it, no matter how much I try, sorry for that..

Third pub we trekked to serving food rugby olympic flame 161 by Timore3, on Flickr So we walked back to the boat,called into the pub on the way back to see the tennis going badly,then all the way back up that hill. Saw the Australians here when we moored up, he was looking at the arm at Rose narrowboats,and wondering if he should turn up there to Rugby, I asked him if he had a guide book and he said yes, but hadnt looked at it..He was going to go to Newbold on Avon as he knew it had a couple of pubs As it was a bit earlier going through Newbold tunnel,I wanted to see if it was illuminated, as it says the lights are turned off at dusk, for the sake of the bats..Anyway it was just the same rugby olympic flame 163 by Timore3, on Flickr This was Sunday evening the last day of our trip,so wanted to moor up somewhere with a pub and also to give me an hour or so pottering along in the morning b4 I had to drop off the boat, it also gives time to pack the bags and clean up whilst im steering the boat and not getting involved. So Newbold was the perfect destination if I can get a mooring,I like to have a longer boat for the extra space, but limits mooring a little,anyway it was'nt too late in the evening so was hopefull,but as I was going through the tunnel I could already see boats moored and also a load of people on the boat just through the tunnel,I thought damn I may have just missed out by minutes, but as I got through, there was a space,just, to moor, there was two boats just after the tunnel, but room for three,so I was happy.As I moored, the boat behind me was the stag party we had seen earlier in the trip, and I thought that doesnt bode well for later when they come back from the pub.The picture doesnt show it well, but the boat was called Teal, and it has a deflated blow up doll on the front.. rugby olympic flame 165 by Timore3, on Flickr Mm,Thanks, but all it says in the Pearsons guide,is Tescos adjacent to 59,would be better if it supplied that information., Mm,Thanks, but all it says in the Pearsons guide,is Tescos adjacent to 59,would be better if it supplied that information., There are two pubs here at Newbold right by the canal,the Barley mow and The boat,and there right next to each other, as the stag had gone in the Barley Mow, we went in the next one THE BOAT,the first one looks like a gastro pub,serving apparently good meals,we sat outside the back of the next one which is basic inside and just a pub with pool table etc but nice out the back,the barmaid was nice, telling us it had just been taken over my new management and was going to be completely revamped by a local buisnesswoman who had another pub somewhere in the area. rugby olympic flame 166 by Timore3, on Flickr It was a nice evening and enjoyed sitting out there, we could hear the shouting and singing coming from outside the back of the pub next door.Eventually they came to the Boat pub and spoilt the peace, but they were in good humour and not too much out of order,but we had a last drink and went back to the narrowboat for a night cap, had to plan on getting up for around 7,boat had to be dropped off by half nine.Noticed the Australians by the pub next door, they must have stayed there all day, there was a karaoke going on when we walked past with some OAP'S on the mike, so we never bothered going in,Boating holidays make me just want peace. We heard the stag come back about an hour later,noisily talking as we expected,but never stopped us sleeping. Woke about half 7 and first thing I heard was them talking outside there boat and getting rid of the empties, they filled up with water at the point there and was off b4 us..We left about 8ish for last enjoyable potter to the boat yard.Had just the one lock to do at Hillmorton,where there was a few boats coming and going, after a short wait we went through,it was 9.35 a.m. Anne waiting to steer through the last lock rugby olympic flame 167 by Timore3, on Flickr The girl from the boat yard came out to us at the lock, told us to reverse into the arm of the boat yard,and that we was late and she would have to work round us whilst we got our stuff off the boat, bit abrupt I thought for a few minutes being late,and they dont have to have the boat ready till 3 pm. Anyway I reversed in with aplomb[i thought ] in two straight moves, amazing how much better you get steering and confident after a week.. Moored up next to the other boat that had come back that morning that had gone out the same time as us. rugby olympic flame 169 by Timore3, on Flickr So that was it all done, we had gone from Rugby to Stoke Bruenne, turned back to Hawkesbury junction then turned at the basin back to Rugby,87 miles and 34 locks.A nice journey at a leisurely pace. A nice basic boat to handle ,given the size, no thrills on board,but a good sized inverter which is important to Anne and we got a great deal on price for the time of year and size of boat, pity about the weather, but thats our great country.Loved it, probably go out again September,cant wait....

rugby olympic flame 118 by Timore3, on Flickr STOPPED AT THE ROYAL OAK FOR LUNCH, ONLY ONE MOORING REALLY OUTSIDE, SO WAS HAPPY TO GET IT, GOOD FOOD, SMALL PORTION THOUGH,BUT WAS NICE.IT WAS SATURDAY SO QUITE A FEW KIDS ABOUT. rugby olympic flame 131 by Timore3, on Flickr Next was Hillmorton locks, a few boats going up and down,as we got to the second lock,there was one boat going forward just exiting the lock on the right as we was entering the lock on the left,we heard the man from the boat shouting and running back along the lock, his dog had fallen in as they were just exiting the lock,the dog had swam back into the lock, the man ran along the lock and down the ladder, and grabbed the dog but couldnt lift the dog up the ladder,and as i got to the ladder he couldnt lift it out to me,his wife had jumped off the boat with the boat pole,and also ran along the lock to the ladder, he shouted to her to get a rope,so he could lift the dog out that way, she ran back to the boat, but it had by then drifted away and couldnt get back on, anyway I managed to push it forward with the boat pole, Anne jumped on there boat and reversed it slowly back into the lock a bit, and i jumped on the roof grabbing the mid line to pull it closer without using the propeller, and then got down to help him pass the dog back on board, his wife was quite shaken and I think he was a bit knackered , he was probably in his 60's,the dog shook it self down and was fine.IF THERE HAD BEEN NO PANIC, THINKING ABOUT IT LATER IT PROBABLY WOULD JUST HAVE SWAM BACK OUT AGAIN, I dont know how deep the lock is after it has been emptied , but probably been easier to stand up in it, if you dont mind getting your knees wet,..It all ended well, they said thanks and moved on, I shut the lock doors for them and we moved on behind them.Another boat was following us after that with a couple of teenagers and father from Newcastle,who were going quicker than me,it is a bit conevoluted from there and they were soon behind us'so i quickened slightly, which meant I was soon behind the older couple in front, so had a three boat convoy ,Anne wanted to stop at Tescos in Rugby, so I managed to stop at the bridge b4 there,and tie up with a couple of loose ties that were already there, making it easier in the muddy bank. The trip to Tescos is a hike apparently across a busy road in a retail park.I had a beer and waited. rugby olympic flame 133 by Timore3, on Flickr This is the convoy further slowed by a boat being reversed into position at a bottleneck by Clifton cruisers. I had read that ,the Newbold tunnel was illuminated so was interested to see what that looked like,didnt want to stop at Newbold as still wanted to get a few more miles under our belt,it was Sat evening by now about 7,but there was no illumination when we went through the tunnel rugby olympic flame 136 by Timore3, on Flickr My earlier plan had hoped to make it to Ansty tonight to moor and go the pub there at the Rose and Castle, but revised it to stop at Sutton stop as it has visitor moorings according to the guide,but when we got to Sutton stop there was no moorings, and again it was very close to the railway,so decided to potter on , a bit faster now though.when it gets towards dusk, the canal looks even prettier,with the colours of the bank, the trees and the canal almost converging into a darker shade of greenery.The water seems so still.But I did want to make sure Icould moor b4 it got dark.When I got to Ansty it must of been around ten fifteen and there was'nt a mooring spot to be had,and most of the bank b4 this was unaccesible,so mooring ahead was looking bad,but luckilyjust round the bend past the water point there was a place left, which did say permit holders only,but had no choice and moored there,doubt it is used by a regular user as it was silted up by the bank,but got in ok, a couple of feet from the bank, and had rings there to help moor up. It was opposite a social club,but we had beer and wine on boar, so never bothered trying it out,and must of been half ten by then. rugby olympic flame 142 by Timore3, on Flickr unaccesible pub rugby olympic flame 140 by Timore3, on Flickr If you get stuck and plan as badly as I did, moor here rugby olympic flame 139 by Timore3, on Flickr So at least we had made good time,which gave me further options where to go on Sunday,our last day,choices were go up the Coventry,theres a turning point up there if I turned,left towards Coventry,after Hawkesbury junction,or just turn at the junction,decided to decide later ... Started off about half ten, which is early for us,only one coffee and no sitting off,only a stop lock at the junction,got there about half 11,just a nice potter along, when we got there,there was a German lady there with kids helping a few Australians through, the Australians were starting out doing the warwickshire ring, and had two weeks to do it, then they were off on a cruise around the greek isles.After they were through, and the lock was in my favour she and her kids locked me through, I explained, I was just going to turn in the basin and come straight out again,which she understood,and was fine with, pity really the pub there looked good , but was a bit too early, a bit of tooing and frowing and we turned only putting our nose into the Coventry canal[went down there in the eighties, and thought it was not pretty , may have changed,but had made me decide not to try it.]AS I was turning another boat came from the Coventry behind me, not the German ladies boat, I asked where her boat was and they had clicked on by then and was following on behind, as we went through there were otherboats then coming through in the opposite direction, she must of been getting frustrated by the time we left. rugby olympic flame 146 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 145 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 148 by Timore3, on Flickr Saw a good mooring on the way down b4 bridge 11,so stopped there for elevenses about 1 o'clock rugby olympic flame 150 by Timore3, on Flickr went past Ansty ,there was a hire boat moored where I had moored the night b4, travelled past the pub at Ansty, still no moorings.It was Wimbledon final, so as had lots of time, decided to stop at Brinklow,by Rose narrowboats moorings,it was lovely weather sunny again,the guide book said it was a ten minute walk,more like twenty, down and up a hill,to find first pub not sering food, but ok local pub, second pub, no food and a bit rougher, further walk to end of road and turn right to restaurant styled pub serving poor meals but at pub prices.Was not worth the effort. when we pulled up at rose narrowboats it poured down again, but only whilst I was mooring up, mooring rings are only for use by boat yard Church on way in rugby olympic flame 157 by Timore3, on Flickr First pub in rugby olympic flame 158 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 155 by Timore3, on Flickr Second pub in rugby olympic flame 159 by Timore3, on Flickr

New day more rain. We walked into the villiage from here[its 500 paces to the supermarket from the canal ] Past the church its quite pituresque, then past the supermarket two minutes to the plume of feathers, which has just been taken over by new management. They play skittles in there, as do a few pubs in this area. rugby olympic flame 069 by Timore3, on Flickr there was a friendly chatty barmaid in there, and if they had served food we would of stayed, but not organised yet, worth a visit though. rugby olympic flame 073 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 074 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 075 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 074 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 076 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 079 by Timore3, on Flickr So it was back to the boat after picking up a crate of essential supplies , and move on to the other side of the villiage on mooring by bridge 24, I had to moor on a bit of an angle, but was fine We had a meal, two for one deal at the first pub you come to just off the canal the heart of England, a nice pub , food was fine, in nice surroundings, and it was bucketing down with rain, so was a nice break away. rugby olympic flame 081 by Timore3, on Flickr Had a look at other two places a pub which was shut and a Hotel which deffo needs a referb rugby olympic flame 082 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 083 by Timore3, on Flickr So it was on our way again through the 6 double locks to Buckby wharf,my boat hadnt moved much from mooring stuck out of the bend, and I noticed another hireboat had taken the easier option and moored on what I understand to be the disabled moorings. When we got to the first lock we waited for an approaching boat, A scot and his son who had just bought a ten k boat for cash he said for his son, so we was able to share the double locks again, I did half the lock then walked ahead to the next lock to set it as we went along. I noticed each time he came alongside our boat in the lock, he tied it up to the middle post, which appeared needless to me, but each to there own, anyway the sun was shining again, so we had timed it great,a really warm evening great planning.. rugby olympic flame 090 by Timore3, on Flickr When I got to the top lock,LOCKWHEELING, IT GAVE ME TIME FOR A QUICK DESRVED PINT IN THE NEW INNE AGAIN,i HAD TO SHUT THE OUTER GATES FIRST AS THEY HAD BEEN LEFT OPEN, ONE OF THE LOCKS EARLIER IN THE FLIGHT HAD ALSO BEEN LEFT OPEN, SO i PRESUMED SOMEONE HADNT BEEN EITHER CONCENTRATING OR LAZY, ANYWAY WHILST i WAS GETTING A PINT , THERE WAS A MAN IN THE PUB WHO SAID ARE YOU COMING DOWN THE LOCKS, AND i JUST SAID YEAH, RATHER THAN EXPLAIN i WAS COMING UP THE LOCKS,HE then said he was having a deserved pint after coming through the locks and was wondering if he had been right to leave the lock gates open, I then said We was actually coming up the locks, to which he replied , oh coming up, I better go, as im moored illegally, He seemed quite well to do middle aged man, not a scally. Takes all types!!The two boats then came through, the older Scotsman got off and went in for a drink, he told anne he wanted a'' pie sandwhich'' the young lad told me he was going for a few pints, and we just carried on, passing the lad mooring up on the water point!! We carried on through Braunston tunnel, and found a good mooring just by the locks with mooring bollards.Great, ready to do the locks in the morning.This boat never had nappy pins, which would of been usefull at times as a lot quicker if you can use them, I will have to buy some just in case for subsequent trips coming out of Braunston tunnel MOORED BEFORE Braunston locks for the night. rugby olympic flame 111 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 109 by Timore3, on Flickr Next day had decided to go back past Rugby,and carry on see how far we could get b4 turning around again, but thought I would try and do a long day if it didnt rain too much,and not be tempted by the pubs..just play it by ear but leave options open.I find it hard to get started in the morning, the best bit for me is the morning sitting by or on the boat in the still countryside drinking coffee and just listening to the birds, the telly didnt work so Anne couldnt watch morning TV great so all peace and quiet,anyway eventually got ready to go missing a few boats I could of doubled down the locks after a boat had come the other way, anyway when just untying, to go through, a boat came past and I said to them , great I will go through with you, unfortunately there was a boat right behind them, but luckily second boat said if youve been waiting we will wait till after you, its nice when people are nice, but we was waiting really.So anyway we went through with a couple, he was dropping his partener off later that day then single handing after that, I would like to try that one day, I think.He told me he had tied up yesterday about two as it had been pouring down all day, and couldnt believe how warm it got in the evening, I told him I had done it the opposite way round and was so fortunate.It was warm again going through the locks, then got wet and cold then warm again was weird, weather changing by the minutes, anyways was pleasant, and as it was busy with two boats coming up as we went down most of the short pounds, Anne elected I steered,as it tended to get a bit congested, particularly with a larger boat then we usually get,but the bank got so muddy,and she only had sandals on she ended up getting on the boat in front of me and getting a lift,but she did her bit and those gates are heavy . I never even went into the Admiral nelson,at the end of the locks,but there was a load of lads there dressed as pirates, we later found out it was a stag party on a boat, there was about ten of them on a 60 foot,think they were coppers. Then on through Braunston back towards Rugby, it was going to be a long day rugby olympic flame 115 by Timore3, on Flickr shop at the locks b4 Braunston rugby olympic flame 116 by Timore3, on Flickr After the turn onto north Oxford after Braunston

Day three rugby olympic flame 014 by Timore3, on Flickr The plan today was to get to Stoke Bruenne, and then decide wether to go on or turn round, Agirl I had spoken to at the lock at Buckby had told me its a lovely place to stop at.I was used to the boat now and was steering more confidently, so was looking forward to going through the Blisworth tunnel, its apparently two miles long and third longest in the country taking around half an hour to get through.We started off about 11 ish and was on our way.I wanted to stop at Blisworth and go into the town, the guide book said up from bridge 51, b4 bridge 51 is where you should moor, when I passed there, there were flowers on the mooring, as if someone had died, so decided to carry on past, and moor other side of bridge.DOH. rugby olympic flame 016 by Timore3, on Flickr you cant moor alongside the bank as too silted up, so I ended up beeched alongside,suppose it saved me mooring,so Itook the opportunity of a break and sat off and had a few beers,to aid my thinking... So after feeling refreshed after an hour carried on to the tunnel entrance, as I approached I could see a boat heading towards me, so feeling a bit unsure, I decided to wait till it came through, it does look decievingly narrow, while I waited another boat went through ahead of me,and after five minutes of waiting the boat still rugby olympic flame 017 by Timore3, on Flickrhadnt come through, so after Anne looking at me in a why are we waiting way, I decided to stop being a girl and went through Had been going about ten minutes b4 met the other boat,I was still weaving a bit trying to get over to the right b4 I met him, and managed to skim the side of the wall just b4 i met the boat,his light was quite blinding, or is that an excuse, anyway, I was pushed out slightly by the wall and in adjusting, managed to nudge the front of his boat at the front as we passed,but maybe he was too far over, hard to tell,it was just so dark,anyway,only a tiny bump, and soon managed to get more confident as my eyes adjusted and I was able to up the speed, pass another boat easily, with room to spare and came out otherside after 35 minutes.Quite enjoyable.We were then in Stoke Bruenne. rugby olympic flame 031 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 022 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 036 by Timore3, on Flickr The Georgian house in the middle after being converted to a shop used to be where sister Mary ward lived catering to the needs of the boating fraternity.Next to that on one side is a good Indian and the otherside is the shop and boating canal museum, we decided to stay there the night, try out the two pubs, there was a quiz in the evening Tuesday at the Navigation, amd a shop in the boat inne, which does cream coffee and scones, it was a sunny afternoon, and had a late night after the pub and curry afterwards Next day Wednesday woke up to a lovely sunny morning, sat off next to the b rugby olympic flame 023 by Timore3, on Flickroat afterbreakfast having a few coffees , gorgeous. Decided to have a coffee and cream scones at the boat inne and then sit outside the navigation in the sun,, have few beers and enjoy the day. rugby olympic flame 040 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 041 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 042 by Timore3, on Flickr rugby olympic flame 038 by Timore3, on Flickr Gongoozlers at the ist lock- After a pleasant afternoon, got some supplies from the shop in the boat inne and decided rather than go down the next 7 locks to continue then turnround and come back through them, we decided to reverse back, to the winding point rugby olympic flame 028 by Timore3, on Flickr I managed to reverse back without problem to the winding point drawing level to that boat, then tried to turn into the winding point, but by the time our boat got past that boatI couldnt turn it in time to get the bow in properly,so after a bit of messing, I put the back end in ,which churned up a bit of silt, and a gongoozler at the canal side grebbed the bow line off Anne and helped me make the turn..easy ha. rugby olympic flame 029 by Timore3, on Flickr Facing the right way approaching the tunnel rugby olympic flame 046 by Timore3, on Flickr Then through the tunnel,never met anyboats coming the opposite way this time and got through in good time. rugby olympic flame 053 by Timore3, on Flickr We decided to moor up at Weedon Bec that night, as we had missed it timing wise coming up, so we moored outside the church grave yard lol to stay the night,although you can not see it over the hedge, it is a handy place to moor to walk into the villiage, and there are bins below the canal

We hired a last minute boat from Rugby,it was 67ft cruiser stern,with a large inverter.Partener likes her coffee machine, and has to be able to use hair straighteners Cost 450 plus a fifty quid insurance premium.Had been up towards Worcester in June for ten nights ,and the weather was poor, so hoped July would be better,lol. Stayed in Rugby the night b4 hoping to pick the boat up earlier than the usual two/three pm start.The hotel was right in centre, it was a bit tired looking ,but did for just one night, would stay outside Rugby next time as the centre was not that great and better villiages to stay in if I went from that area again rugby by Timore3, on Flickr Day one We found the boat yard around 12ish and she was ready to take out, although I did not have a guide, and boat yard did not sell them I had a map of the Oxford canal till I got a Pearsons guide from Braunston chandlers on the way.It was a left turn out of the boat yard, two locks straight away and then plain sailing,as I hadnt expected to get away so early didnt have a plan where to moor for the night so just played it by ear.We stopped at midland chandlers to get the guide, then stopped and moored up for food and a drink at the pub next door.It has room for a couple of boats outside, but has a sign saying maximum mooring time of three hours, as it was still early, we wasnt stopping anyway, typical pub fare of averadge quality. We then had 6 locks to negotiate, double locks but luckily was able to share them with a family of three going out for a four day trip, the double lock gates can be heavy rugby olympic flame 008 by Timore3, on Flickr but as we shared we seemed to get through them reasonably quickly, and decided to go through Braunston tunnel b4 mooring for the night,I was still getting used to the boat, and was glad not to meet another boat on the way, two can squeeze each other if you have competent steeres on the tiller,but I was still adjusting and must of taken a good twenty minutes sailing through.Was good mooring on the other side along the cutting and quite picturesque to wake up in the morning to. rugby olympic flame 009 by Timore3, on Flickr Day Two Having coffee in the morning sat at the front of the boat was disturbed by men cutting the grass and the overgrowth,and boat was sprayed with grass, which got everywhere,so after an hour or so we started off again,about 11 am, the weather overcast for most of the day,as was the forecast for the week.

Having a look at u tube to see what is on there for the destinations, anyway have a look on there at this film,amazing the different craft along there, suppose they were just predecessors of the white cruisers we have now, and b4 the end of the working narrow boats ,must be 50's,but doesnt it look fun and nice,its not a url just go to u tube and put this in search.- Oxford to Market Harborough.wmv

Cheers for that, Stoke bruene is probably the destination then, I havent got a guide till I get there so will hopefully pick up a pearsons hopefully, any good night moorings you know of and good pubs would be a help as the weather looks like limiting cruising hours

Hi,travelling out from Rugby next week, only for seven nights,so question is, which route would you reccomend, only two of us most of the time, prefer rural,with country pubs , cruising around 6 hours a day, my three options as I see it is either, 1.Stoke Bruerne,possibly as far as Leighton Buzzard 2.Market Harborough 3.Past Warwick,for three and a half days and return Any suggestions greatfuly recieved and any pub information , and times of any Markets on the way.Like pubs with a quiz night or card school, at night and canalside during day. Cheers in anticipation. Should add I have been to Banbury b4 and also done the ashby and coventry a few years ago.So looking for a different suggestion as posted or any other ideas,Thanks

Point one,-all the boat companies that give a late deal point two-yes I know the norm, that was my point they need to adapt and cater for more options, as the op suggested dragging itself into the 21st century point three-Yes I am suggesting collusion, when selling late deals, probably dictated by the late price company seller,ie op point 4 -setting up a company to make money and attract more customers , yes I have considered that, hence op point 5-an inverter to be able to cope with hair straighteners and a coffee machine is not asking too much in my opinion,well not for younger people, whom the industry should be attracting not just old people. You probably have your own boat and are a bit older, and prefer things to stay traditional and for things not to change,and I can see how you would think that way. Times are changing, your not, which I respect Yeah ,so they charge say 945 ,not 940 0r 950 but all 945, take those glasses off they dont work. I appreciate that some or most disagree with my op but I am not saying it without experience,I do spend about two to three k on hiring boats out each year , and have travelled on a lot of the canals, so dont be condesending like know it alls, which quite a few people on narrowboats appear to be on this forum,I dont find it when on the canals often, so why on here, human nature probably, sad but true