Derek Porteous

There are secure moorings on short pontoon fingers at Thorne. Keadby is at least 4hrs further on. There are visitor moorings BEYOND (coming from Doncaster) the railway sliding bridge and BEFORE the main road swing bridge. There is a BW sanitary block there, water and a handy pub. The food in the pub is quite good, if a little pricey for the surroundings, but the whole area is peaceful enough. Only problem we had there last month was we had an early start, and some dozey fisherman had left three baited rods out overnight. He then thought it was my fault for not realising they were there as I broke one line after another. On the plus side there was a marsh harrier hunting on the southern bank and a hen harrier hunting on the northern bank within 200 yards of each other. Spectactular..............

Just got back from a cruise down the River Witham to Boston, and very enjoyable it was too. On the way back to Ripon, I was struck by the contrast between the River Witham and the River Ouse/Ure on the provision of floating vistor pontoons. On the River Witham every village seems to be served by very smart floating pontoons making passage and stops for a bit of sight seeing/provisioning/pub visiting really easy. All you have to do is plan an hour or two in advance. However on the way back to our home base in Ripon, there is almost no floating pontoon provision between Naburn and Ripon, almost 12 hour against what was a stiffish flow of fresh water. Naburn is fine, but York was under water by a few inches. There are limited moorings at Linton Lock and Boroughbridge is fine. This leaves lengthly times between moorings which in bad weather or being single handed, can be a bit onerous. What is the critria on where and where not to have floating pontoons? Why is the River Witham so well provided, but North Yorkshire so badly neglected?

Just had exactly the same problem when our calorifier split and a partial draindown of the central heating created an airlock. Despite draining down the system via both the radiators and the bottom drain valve, the Eberspcher continued to cut out after three or four minutes. Finally solved the problem this weekend by bleeding the heater itself by disconnecting slightly (enough to let water dribble out) the outflow from the heater itself. This is the top one of the two main hoses at the side. There is a bleed screw on the unit itself, but mine did not work as it only turned around and around in its socket. I have no doubt that if it did work it would have been the easier solution. Good luck with solving your problem. It is frustrating, isn't it when it refuses to behave itself for reasons unknown.

There is always Ripon Racecourse Marina. OK, it is a BW marina, but a pleasant place to be, and as far as I can see, the nearest point on the canal system to Middlesbrough. Cost is c. £1,600 pa for a 55ft narrowboat, but there is a surcharge for liveaboards (I think it is £400, but not certain).

We did the L & L last April. Canal side of Lemonoyd marina is peaceful, quiet and pretty. Leeds basin is also OK, but recommend the use a chain for mooring there. We had no problem, but heard of some boats being untied. The next stage to Rodley is also quite pretty, but I understand can suffer from kids causing problems. The recommendation is to do the Leeds Rodley stretch in the morning. Rodley as a mooring is fine. There is a single 24 hr mooring at Shipley and some more upmarket moorings west of this. Saltire is definitely a must. You can potter around there all day. The moorings at the bridge are fine, but a little busy for my liking. We spent the day there, but moved a further half mile west to a wooded glade for the night, walking back for dinner at the Tapas bar in Saltire. There are moorings at the bottom of the three staircase lock at Bingley, but these are noisy with road traffic, and very stark. Better to go through the Bingley Five and moor above them. On the whole of the L & L we never felt threatened in any way, although some moorings are better than others. Have a great time. You will love it.

I know there has been a stoppage at East Cottingwith Lock due to the failure of the low gate off-side heel post. However this was 6 weeks ago. Waterscape still says the canal is closed. Anyone know of a "target" date when this might be repaired? I had planned to take a trip up the Derwent in a couple of weeks, but may be looking for a Plan B. The other thing is I seem to remember reading recently that a further section of the Pockington Canal is about to be opened, but does anyone know when? Finally, how far can you take a 55 ft narrowboat up the River Derwent. The guides are suitable vague about navigation rights. Thanks.

But what do you think the "average" life of domestic battery is? (I know, how long is a piece of string). Also, should one battery in a bank of, say, three or four go down, how does this affect the others?

We did the Four Counties Ring (anti-clockwise) a few years ago in the now infamous "Holly". Yes, the days were long, but it was summer with long daylight hours. We did it comfortably in a week and still had time to go up the Caldon for a day and a half. We found time for leisurely lunches and eating out every evening. Cruising is not stressful. Go for it.

Whilst doing the London Ring last summer, we stayed at Limehouse basin. (2 nights), Little Venice, main line, (3 nights) and just above the services at Brentford (short walk to Brentford High Street) (1 night). All the overnight stops were quiet and uneventful with good facilities. We never felt threatened or unsafe at any of the stops, although some of the "in between" bits were not so inviting.

Quite right! However in the section "fabrication of steelwork" it also says that the actual length was 58' 6" plus a quarter inch. I am almost sure I read in the text of some of their wonderful journeys that "Ernest" was a 60 ft nb, but that could be rounding up (we all do it), or indeed may, or may not, include fenders. Apart from saying the Ripon Canal locks were a little tight, there is no mention of taking fenders off. Perhaps someone from the Tuesday Club might clarify.

You might want to read The Tuesday Night Club's account of their travels with "Ernest", a 60ft narrowboat. http://tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/tour97/index.html I think this covered most of the route you wanted, and it was done in a 60 footer (If this is incorrect, I am sure someone on the forum will let you know). regards

If you have BT Broadband at home, for an additional £5 a month you can subscribe to BT Openzone. This enables you to WiFi from hotspots when you are out cruising. Not always convenient I know, but it does give you an excuse (if you need you) to go down the pub. There is generally at least one in most towns (as well as all McDonalds, but that isn't quite such a good idea) which is a hotspot. I did this last summer when we were cruising for 5 months. I could get WiFi access at least three or four times each week.

Please will members give advice including which way woudl they reccommend acrossthe Penines and which route at the East end - we have never been on tidal before. thanks in advance Victoria & Martin on Blake Hi Victoria, We did Ripon down to the London Ring last year. We went down via the Leeds Liverpool (taking in Chester and the Llangollen on the way, down the Shropshire, through Wolverhampton and Birmingham onto the Oxford and then the Thames. Coming back we came over the Pennines via the Huddersfield. Whilst the Huddersfield is the more direct route, it is very heavy work on the locks and you can expect some minor damage in the Standedge Tunnel (or at the very least a lot of soot deposits on your paintwork). You will also have to pre-book the tunnel The Leeds Liverpool is longer, but easier. It is mostly rural but does go through some urban areas where it is not recommended that you leave the boat unattended. Having said that, we never had a hint of a problem the whole trip apart from being untied in the middle of York (but that it another story….) Both routes are very pretty, interesting and a lot of fun. You may like to have a look at Pennine Waterways web site for a virtual cruise at http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ The other two options are to come over the Rochdale, (currently closed due to a breach) or come down the Tidal Trent. We did the Rochdale a couple of years ago. Again you have to book and again you need to be careful in a few urban areas (this time we did get hassle, not in Manchester as you would expect, but in Rochdale itself). Never done the Trent, that is our next trip in 3 weeks time. Whichever route you choose, the scenery is fantastic and I am sure you will have a great time.

wouldn't stop me doing it again if neccessary, although given a choice I would rather cruise up the Trent thus exiting Keady. However, it all seemed just routine when three weeks later I had to enter Selby lock on my way back from Ripon. Now that is scarey!! But how did Selby compare with Keady on a like for like basis (Springs versus Neaps)?

Does anyone have any cruise notes of a passage between Selby and Goole on the river Ouse with particular reference to the tidal stream speeds? The plan is to take a narrowboat down from Ripon, stop at Selby and also explore the River Derwent and Pocklington Canal en route. Time is not a huge issue, so happy to wait until neaps if appropriate. Any advice on the tidal streams and also difficulty of getting into Ocean Lock would be appreciated (done Selby Lock a number of times, so using this a reference would be good). Thanks Derek nb Free Time