Andri
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Posts posted by Andri
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http://www.lovelypubs.co.uk/the-queens-head-bromsgrove
Although it's an hour and 4 locks in the wrong direction if you are hiring from Black Prince. Well worth a detour on your first/last day though.
Yes we ate there 3 years ago when we did the Avon ring from Tardibigge, Had a v/good meal after completing the flight. Will maybe revisit at the end of the trip and ta for the tip
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Stoke Prior to Stourton Out and return looking for pubs, places or concerts of interest. Thanks in anticipation Andri
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We will be on the GU in early May for our hols and will be travelling north from Linslade, so I am also interested in all comments. This is the first time we will have covered this area. Our intention is to cruise up to Market Harborough and return over the two weeks all additional info greatly appreciated. I should say we have simple tastes in food no spicey stuff these days. Would like to know of any recommended canalside pubs with music.
Hope you enjoy your hol neil
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Possibly - but if I hired and anything that was stated to be on the boat that wasn't (only happened once when we had a hair drying emergency!!!) I called the hire co. and asked them to meet us and bring one - which they duly did.
Point taken. I'll hope for better this time round. We are now at the "What have you not got packed stage" and "does it need washed". Ah well soon be on our way.
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I don't agree at all that you were in any way at fault - it is clearly the boatyards responsibility 100% to do this - that is the service you pay for.
Perhaps your correct but i still think it is wise to check the inventry before you leave the boatyard.
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We hired from Anglo Welsh last year, arrived at the hire base to be told "You've picked an old one, haven't you?!".
69' boat, hull slightly banana shaped, shower leaked into the bunk bed in the next room.
On the Wednesday the front of the cutlery drawer fell off, to reveal about 20 layers of glue (I reckon every hire crew for the last 2 years had "fixed" this).
Interestingly the boat isn't in their brochures this year!
We split the costs across a large group, and we were geared up for a fairly simple, blokey holiday, so we didn't care much. But if we'd been with wives / girlfriends I suspect the lack of creature comforts and general condition of the boat would have caused a mutiny, and we'd have been demanding quite a lot of money back.
P.S. I agree Aqua Narrowboats are superb. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
We also hired from Anglo Welsh last year and were very happy with the boat we had (Golden Eagle). The problem we had was with the itinary that should have been on the boat, a number of items were missing and one or two things needed replacing and cleaning. If we had checked the boat over properly at the start we probably would have had these items replaced we didnt because we had become to complacent having hired now for many years and had on the whole good service from many companies. We blame the paticular boatyard and ourselves for allowing that to happen and not Anglo Welsh. So we are again hiring a boat from the same company this year only from another yard.
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Here are the links to time lapse videos from this trip.
Nice videos Hope we get such good weather.
Andri
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We did the Avon in the Autumn, and loved it! Enjoy yourselves!!!
Thanks Mary P will certainly try. Did you stop at Upton on Severn by any chance and if so which hostelry would you recommend.
Andri
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I spent a month on the Avon last summer, and thoroughly enjoyed it - only £30 more than the week's licence. As for mooring, many of the locks have moorings, and some riverside pubs. The moorings at George Billington Lock are particularly extensive, but the pub opposite also has moorings, and those and the pub were so good that I stayed there three times.
Mac
Thanks Guys for your comments very interesting and much appreciated. Just hope it doesn't rain to much the few days before our holiday.
Andri
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Despite it being pretty much on our doorstep and been past the end many times, had never until now actually cruised the Avon. Finding offspring had left the boat at Diglis, seemed a reasonable time to give it a go.
Arrived too late to go up, so had to moor below the lock. Directed by lock keeper to use full height moorings beyond lock -- if you are anything less than able bodied these would not be very friendly moorings -- no proper provision at all to enable easy access to bank from narrowboat height craft. The reasonable height pontoon was empty all night -- don't know if they expect a nocturnal rush !
Had glanced at the toll board and decide the £18 two day ticket would be fine, as we didn't have time to stop too long
and a couple of days would be ample to Stratford. Discovered next morning that a through passage merits the weekly £50 tariff -- £18 is for an 'excursion', whereby you must exit at the starting point. Still, fair dos as they apparently have to raise all their own funding.
In terms of scenery, I thought it really pretty, all the way from Tewkesbury to Bidford -- the big advantage being that, unlike the Severn, you are not sunken below high banks. Some lovely architecture, too, in all the towns you visit. After Bidford I think it becomes more average in terms of attractiveness. Usual issue common to rivers -- very few moorings, although a good long stretch in Evesham. Don't recall seeing any mooring spots away from the settlements en route.
Might just be pot luck what mix of craft you see, but for us, a marked preponderance of plastic craft up to Evesham with (from a narrowboater's perspective) a corresponding lengthening of locking times. One thing I think the Avon Trust might consider, is having those of its volunteers who man some of the locks wear some form of readily identifiable clothing, be it a hat, hi viz or whatever. It's their water and if I go on it I'll play by their rules, but it's no use shouting unhearable instructions and gesticulating, when you look just like all the other boaters and sightseers milling about the lock ! If I don't know who you are, then I'm afraid it's my judgement that prevails.
I'd guess at busy times, going single handed up here could be interesting. Most locks have very little waiting space coupled with sizeable weir outflows adjacent. Once in the locks, there is a stringent policy of using fore and aft ropes, which is going to keep you busy by you have also set the paddles, watched what the other paddle setters are doing etc, etc.
Altogether a nice couple of day potter, but for me, Tewkesbury to Bidford is the pick of it.
Mike.
Thanks for the info Mike. As I have said else where in the forum I hope to do the Avon ring next month will take on board what you have said, You didn't say what sex the lock keepers were, or was that deliberate?
Andri
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Well things did not go completely to plan.
Had some trouble with the engine overheating, which at this point I am putting down to an airlock from when I changed a hose weekend before last. That was on Tuesday morning and not had a problem since then, so fingers crossed.
Technology let me down a bit too, with the "emergency" stop in Leamington to sort out the cooling problem, I managed to knock the web can so it pointed sideways, so if any one is interested in a time lapse from Leamington to Cape locks of the left side of the canal let me know. Anyway the trip up Hatton looks good, 3 hours 10 mins for the record.
Also I failed for some reason with the Water Exploer Navvygator, it recoded the first mile or so and then stopped for reasons yet to be understood.
Anyway am now moored in Bancroft Basin in Stratford, in the sunshine.
Hi as I'm hoping to do the Avon Ring next month I'm very interested in your cruise updates. Hope luck changes and you have pleasant trip from now on.
Andri
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Tiny, just to update that information, Evesham lock no longer has a lock keeper (from 11 April until further notice) and boaters will need to operate the lock themselves.
The notice regarding this can be downloaded from the Avon Navigation Trust site here:
http://www.avonnavig...2003%202011.pdf
Very helpful information you have given in this post. We have had to change from the Warwickshire Ring to the Avon Ring thanks to the closure of the bridge on the Oxford Canal in May. Need to do some fast learning about this ring!
Stewey
Thanks for the info Stewey, my doc says I've to lose weight anyway so whats a problem with one more lock. Like you all relevant info about the Avon ring will be useful.
Andri
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They are non tidal on the parts you use. If they are in flood you don't go. The Severn (which you head down) tends to flood over a number of days after rain in Wales but on the Avon, which is smaller and more cozy, levels can go up and down overnight and has boards at locks indicating water heights.
The Avon also has two lock keepers who will advise you, these being at Tewkesbury (where you leave the Severn) and Evesham. The Tewkesbury keeper also has moorings available (at a small overnight fee) if you want to visit the town. He will also sell you a licence for the Avon. Once on the waterways a map will show you where the moorings are. There are moorings at towns and near villages on the Lower Avon and at those places plus at many locks on the upper Avon. Upper Avon lock gear is French made and a class above other stuff.
The current on the Avon at normal levels is not that much but give yourself time to enjoy the river and stop en route as you please. Likewise the Stratford canal is very pretty until Shirley lift bridge. The W&B the other side of Wast Hill tunnel is nice to but a little less cozy as it dives down the hill towards Worcester where, if mooring, many prefer to moor on the river above the main town bridge, upstream of where the canal comes out.
Thanks Tiny and all for being so helpful. Hopefully there won't be any rain in Wales before we start our cruise but if there is we will find somewhere else to go probably another ring? By the way should you see us on Silver Dusk next month say hallo. You never know there might be something left in the bottle!!!
Andri
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For that ring I would reckon 4 hours for the Hatton 21, 10 hours for the other (30) wide locks, then the other 41 locks take 8 hours plus 35 hours for the milage. This gives 53 hours and that has some built in slack.
Hi Tiny, as I might be doing the ring myself next month I have followed this post with some interest. Alas I spotted a mistake in your calculations should your total hours not be 57?
Also the lunch break sounds good.
Great answers
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I see they twinned with Market Harborough and not Market Drayton - shame!
Do the Avon ring anti-clockwise and don't forget to ask for an anchor and long ropes for the river.
Thanks Tiny for the tips. Should I be concerned about the flow of both rivers and the tidal heights?
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Hi we are off on holiday next month for 2 weeks, we are taking over Silver Dusk at Tardebigge.
So many options to choose from any advice or helpful tips would be apreciated.
Stoke Prior to Stourton next week any advice
in Holidays Afloat
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Sorry for taking so long to reply but got held up before hols. Left lap top for piece of mind, but thanks for your comments We doddled to Stourport and returned via the Droitwich loved it apart from the drenching we got on the 14th going up the Severn. Had a great meal in the Eagle and Sun and at the other end of the scale Witherspoons in Stourport.
One serious comment DO NOT MOOR opposite Smiths papers yard just above lock 3 the yard works all night with the small lift trucks reversing continuously.
Once again thanks to all this is one great web site love reading all the comments