Scholar Gypsy

Yes, another Fenland term. Quite common on sluices (eg Denver, Boston) which are also one way valves to keep the sea out. This one (Boston Grand Sluice) has a weight and steel cables to pull the V doors shut.

Pen (lock chamber) and Slackers (paddles) are common terms on the Fenland waterways.

And there was me thinking this was Ashline on the Middle Level (photo below), which I think has a similar notice referring to slackers. Castle Mills can easily catch you out, the penstocks/paddles are only a few feet apart and it is easy to open the wrong one (or to open both at once).

The enlarged photo shows a rope that goes up at an angle. So when the yellow thing hits the water (as the ramp is lowered) the rope goes slack. That might be useful information to the person operating the ramp??

I thought I would see if I could remember how I derived the formula, in case anyone writes to Canal Boat ...

An interesting thought - I don't know the answer. I assume that any overflow from the upper pound cascades down the side ponds, rather than directly into the lower pound. That is certainly the case at Foxton which is of course a different situation, (and I know the GU locks don't normally have bywashes!).

Yes, that is what it was designed for. It does assume the side ponds have the same area.

I was rather pleased to see the second formula appearing in the latest edition of Canal World, in Martin Ludgate's article about the restoration of the side ponds on the Hanwell flight in London!

There are river closures on 12 September (and Limehouse is not available on that day either): https://pla.co.uk/notices/M71-26 The next planned test barrier closure is in November: https://pla.co.uk/notices/P5-26 It's only for a couple of hours so won't have a huge impact on the tides that day.

I rather agree. Going downstream also means that it starts easy (little traffic) and then gets progressively more challenging as you get to the centre of London. On the other hand if you start at Limehouse then you are straight in at the deep end, which can be a bit of a shock!

Have a good trip. You might find the attached helpful - prepared for the SPCC trip in June. I think it is up to date (but note the small print on the first page!). It reminds me that you should check the Notices to Mariners on the PLA website, and also the events diary to check if there are any large events on the river. bridges_upstream_v3.pdf signals_lights.pdf

Here's a video of entering the lock at Limehouse. (I was crewing for someone doing the trip for the first time, and offering a bit of advice which you can hear in the background!). As you can see, we had to stop the turn as a Clipper came around the corner (VTS usually warn you about this!). We had to hold station for a couple of minutes while the lock was prepared. There was also an additional temporary fender on the way into the lock -- did we hit it or not? Of course, getting to Limehouse by HWLB+2 is seriously hard to do on a narrowboat. I wouldn't want to try it

I'm here. The problem is that at present Limehouse is only operating HWLB-2 to HWLB+2, given the water shortages on the Lower Lea (and the expensive boats in Limehouse marina don't like to sit on the bottom). [Actually this weekend I think it is completely shut]. So with a bit of luck/rain the restriction may be lifted and so one could depart at the ideal time of HWLB-3.5. Transits departing then can take anything between 2 1/4 and 3 hours, depending on the boat and the tide, Slot B should run from HWLB-2.5 to HWLB-1. I think HWLB on the date quoted must be 1309 BST (1209 GMT), this aligns with Brentford closing at 1609 which is 2 hours after local high tide, 3 hours after HWLB. So a transit at this time - 2 hours before HWLB - should be OK. The tide won't be as helpful as it usually is and you may well arrive at Brentford after high tide (1409). I wouldn't thrash the engine but I wouldn't hang about either! No, it's water shortages on the Lea. Recent CRT notices: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/019fcd28-87a4-767a-b668-4bee51b89a06 (HW-2 to HW+2) https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/01a01f77-1358-7b15-9b26-4294e59cf0a9 (closed until Wednesday) And here is a log from a recent trip from Limehouse to Brentford. We departed 4 hours before HWLB. You can see the tide was running at 2 knots or so pretty much all the way (4 knots through the water is a good speed for a narrowboat, 4.6 mph). Without the tide it would take 50% longer ie 3:30 at least.

Hope to say hello at some point - I am moored in the marina at Ely.

Hermitage (Earith) have quite a bit of hard standing and a variety of boats using it.

All the EA locks on the Nene and Ouse are like that, just wind them up and wind them down. Neat design,

Thanks for posting this - a fine trip! Lovely boat. Sorry I didn't see her on the Fens....

Try the Trent is the name of the Facebook group, and here is the website that holds most of the guidance notes https://trythetrent.wordpress.com/

Grateful if anyone can recommend a supplier of small radiators, for a simple pumped system (that runs off the Bowman heat exchanger on the engine). One of the radiators I installed 12 years ago has a pinhole leak. The current one is 400x300 mm, but is mounted sideways in order to fit the available gap. I think very similar to this https://www.screwfix.com/p/myson-300mm-x-400mm-680btu-white-type-11-convector-radiator/998rj. Standard 15mm plumbing. It's in the bathroom, to dry towels after the rare occasion of me taking a shower. Many thanks.

Much of the content is also available here: https://trythetrent.wordpress.com/

I think this should take you to the correct playlist on youtube. I should also have said that Dan the Denver lockkeeper is very helpful.

The only chart I am aware of is here: https://scholargypsy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/kl_denver_foote_1992.pdf Lots of other stuff here: https://scholargypsy.org.uk/washing/ I would strongly advise you join the Spotted on the Wash group on Facebook. There's a group of boaters who do this trip quite often and can advise on the sand banks and also the posts they have added to help mark them. There is also a youtube channel with some videos. I will look for that later!

There's no requirement in Colregs for powered boats to give way to rowing boats (just to sail). And all that is subject to the overriding responsibility of both skippers to avoid a collision, and to take account of any boats that have limited ability to maneuver.

I use this photo when briefing narrowboats about to go on the Tidal Thames, to stress the importance of keeping a good lookout, and shouting "Ahead sculler" or similar if they think a boat approaching from behind has not seen them.

5-7 June 2026. If you are interested please drop me an email at [email protected] for further information and details of how to apply. Applications have already closed, but we always have a few dropouts for various reasons, and I can put you on the waiting list. Best wishes