Mike Todd

My recollection and/or observation may be inadequate, but my memory tells me that the pallets were empty. We were not given the option of breasting up- to fill with fuel, more that it was unavoidable because the berth was occupied, but, as I indicated, we were not sufficiently needy to push it. We had other issues to deal with as well.

Depends on which locks and how they were built. You do have to have been through them to know which are which. In some cases, it is important to know (a) where to position the boat fore and aft, right froward has a different effect from back a bit (b) when to with over to using the gate paddles to hold the boat - usually the opposite one first (c) what to do when one or more of the gate or ground paddles is not provided or functioning There are very few absolute rules about locking through - except the one about being friendly to your fellow boaters - oh, and the lockie!

Sort of! When we were there last year it proved a bit beyond us to extract it from them! In our case, they allowed someone to moor against the fuel point who then went away and the marina weren't terribly interested. We were not desperate (but would have liked to fill up) so did not press it. Did not see any solid fuel but I half remember that it might have been that they did not stock up during the summer. It is a lovely spot and we happily fitted in with the particular ways they have of doing things but if you can only cope with a 'proper' modern marina with a five star range of facilities, then pass through the ML at high speed. You will need to look at places on the rivers at either end - and the more up-market ones are a bit of a travel from ML access points. You also need to plan your mooring spots as mooring other than on the 'official' places is rarely feasible. At least this how I recall our visit last year - we tried out quit a bit of the navigable parts off the through route. Well worth it if you have the time and inclination.

Sorry - threads got out of order - I was attempting to respond to an earlier reference to Fox's. OTOH, I think I had an old guide that suggested that FF did sell it so it is helpful to remind people (esp in an area with very few fuel places) that they do not, at least now. Staying a month on ML: probably the most important thing will be to keep on top of the fuel situation.

Wake up at the back! As said somewhere 'up there' in the thread the volunteer lock-keeper is there to help work the lock, not just to do it automatically. WRT single handers in wide locks, plenty of experience of them driving into the lock and staying at the tiller without regard!

Only called there for fuel but they were pleasant enough. I don't think they have much room for visitor moorings and the layout seemed a bit idiosyncratic, but it was built way back in time.

Bill Fen - but mind the peacocks

Am I a sad nerd as I knew all four words?!

That is not the point. It is when one person imposes their approach on another rather simply advising that, in their view, there is a better way. Positive intervention is very reserved to situations where there us imminent danger.

Customer feedback is inherently 'a good thing' as it helps any organisation maintain process of continuous improvement. How a comment is phrased may well influence how it is responded to in the short term, especially if you give positive feedback when justified as well as the negative. Both are helpful. Overdoing it can lead to a marked ;lack of impact - look what happens if you make too many of the wrong sort of FOI requests . . . Such feedback is even more important in customer-facing services which, by their nature, are not directly supervised. How else is the org going to find out if ot is doing a good job?

That pound (between the top three and the staircase, does not seem to vary very much. Just as well as it is the marina level!

I'm not sure that it is totally fair to blame the EU. There has been a lot of pressure to reduce the world consumption of extracted oil and one option - at one time widely seen as a potential solution - was the development of bio fuels. This, if successful, would have allowed the world to continue with existing technologies (eg cars). An initial start was to mandate a small proportion of bio fuel. I'm sure that, in the absence of the EU, the UK would have wanted to be at the forefront of such changes. The EU is just the mechanism by which 27 countries have coordinated action like this, all the more needed as fuel supplies are global. However, it was soon discovered that some parts of the world went overboard in growing the necessary bio, destroying rain forests along the way and so there is now a much more muted approach to this solution to 'peak oil'. I'll bet that bio fuel will continue post-Brexit, at least un til some other technology comes along.

I recall, not long before it was locked, that a lock keeper insisted on it being used!

I think the expectation is that we will see more restrictive nationwide legislation rather than local bylaws, although they may start earlier. There is also talk of banning gas cookers, beginning with new properties. Since I guess you are not contemplating giving up boating any time soon, I suspect that some of these changes - if indeed they make it onto the statute book - will affect you . . .

In many cases, but not always, such wider boats are also deeper drafted which adds to the 'soft' limitations.

But were we not told that the initial price was 'plus extras'? In which case it does not much matter whether the base price was an estimate or quotation, it will still end up loaded, perhaps with things that cannot be checked after the event.

and when burning stuff on boats is banned on the grounds that it is more polluting than plastic . . . ?

Leaving reliability aside, the pumps have the advantage that they work just as well whatever the traffic flow. (ish!)

No you don't: some paddles will stick just open even with the pawl off. Always a good idea to do a visual check whatever the state of the pawl. And mandated at Droitwich

It was certainly the case in 1967, when we started, that there was a well embedded expectation that boaters would close gates and paddles after use. I certainly do not recall Jack Monk telling us to do otherwise.

But surely the Macdonalds is not actually on the highway? Or perhaps you're thinking that buying a Big Mac is the offence?

What you do and what is proper are not necessarily the same things.

I am not sure if folk are aware of the issues behind refuse collection. Firstly, CART (ie we) have to pay for each collection at trade rates and the locations are very much at the mercy of the collection company to accept - they have no obligation to do so (unlike domestic collections) Further, recycling is entirely separate and may even involve more than one collection company, depending on what they will recycle. If no company is available at a given site then no recycling!

Do not underestimate the effect that the existence of the BBC has on commercial channels regarding the amount of advertising. In some parts of the world, with no restraint, it can be hard to spot the program content in smalls gaps between the ads. If we had a free-for-all and laissez-faire approach here then I hate to think what it would become like. Maybe I'd just stick to books and internet browsing!

No we would not: if everyone could predict then there would be no margin to be made by the 'clever' or unscrupulous - or just plain lucky.