Adora Belle

Thanks. Everyone, like the idea of not upgrading later and also the 12v tv suggestion. Will probably do it next year. Will let you know, ( as the boiler at home just died!)

hi thanks everyone, yes I meant 240v (domestic style plugs) they only work when hooked up. Engine alternator is 70amp. I wanted to be able to use the 240v s when not at the marina, but without resorting to a genny. Thanks for the advice, I had heard straighteners were a big drain on battery!

Hi, im after advice, what do I need to check before buying, installing? Adorable has 2 24v plugs that run when hooked up and everything else runs off the two leisure batteries, (fridge, water, lights). We would like an inverter for when away for a tv and possibly hair straighteners for Mrs belle. Our alternator is 70amp. Can I do anything? I plan to add a new battery for the engine and make a bank of 3 for power? Any tips, cheers.

Sawley still do petrol, the garage at shardlow is closed and the marina only does red. There are petroleum, stations in castle donnington and kegworth. Sawley still do petrol, the garage at shardlow is closed and the marina only does red. There are petroleum, stations in castle donnington and kegworth.

Thanks for the mention Jp. We really enjoyed the ring, quick recommendations the, 1. The pub opposite the foxton inn, better. Cheaper. And better ale. 2. A great restaurants at Crick canalside. 3. Tame otter at alrewas. 4. Samuel Barlow at alvecote 5. Kilby bridge ok, head to castle gardens Leicester. A nice city but no facilities for water or elsan between Kilby and birstall! 6. We won the quiz at hope and anchor 7. The otter near castle donnington good food and electric. 8. Barrow on soar good too. 9. Ragley boat stop elec. And food, good curry house further down canal, Stenson has a good cafe. Enjoy

I currently have sealed maintenance free batteries but I have read the top up ones are better and last longer, we are only weekend and holiday boaters, which would be best?

Looks good, I like.

Thanks everyone, i will invest in new battteries i think. I admit i didnt worry when they went below 11v but will be more careful in future. We only use the boat at weekends and dont live aboard. Is it recommended to leave it hooked up when not there, mostly we un hook and isolate the battery?

Thanks for your reply, we do have a voltmeter, which reads 14.4when engine running or hooked up, 12.0 when not and is usually near 10 by the end of the evening. Usage wise we have a fridge on during the day, and occasionally charge phones. In the evening its fridge, lights and water. We try and limit charging phones and shower pump whilst engine running. I will look into a smart guage also. Not sure of the battery sizes but main usage seems to be the fridge, and having a teenager phone charging, there is no tele or micro or washer. I will look into replacing the existing batteries first and later a solar charger perhaps? Thanks all

Hi, I have 2 leisure batteries and an engine one all in a line. I have space to add another for the engine and connect the old engine one into the leisure bank, hope fully this will give us longer electrics when cruising, any tips or ideas? We reguarly cruise for 5-6 hours but by the end of nightime charge is nearly gone, would the extra batt help, would i need to check an upgrade the alternator?

I would agree with trent lock shardlow area ,lots of pubs, erewash, soar, trent and t&m and nottingham, all within half a days cruise! Plus a friendly area to boot! You have to be ok with double / (PROPER) locks though.

We have called in when passing and used the showers once when on a cruiser and their elsan on adorable. Always found them ok but have never stayed in the marina. I agree though if paying for services you have a certain expectation to recieved them. On the coventry last year we found a really friendly marina east of tamworth but before the m42. I forget their name but a friendly pub on Site.

Re pubs further up from Fradley: The crown at Alrewas is also good, i know the pub at Barton turns lock lets dogs in and does food, but i have never eaten there, the beer was good and friendly! or further up there is the bridge at branston, thats quite posh tho i doubt they would let dogs in, but they do have a beer garden, i think they mainly offer italian though!

good luck with the fit out and the rochdale, isnt that the one with lots of locks? good idea about the alternator my next project is a bigger on and an extra leisure battery!

Certainly recommend the Leicester one, it has it all, pubs, tunnels, staircases and a flight! Certainly not as scary as last year when we made the mistake of sailing through burton during the water fest! (especially as we had only just upgraded from a 23' cruiser!) Where does the staffs ring take in?

After many requests for information, thanks all, we finally did our first ring. We had 15 days and allowed 6 hours day (canal plan got this too 12 days) and we had 2 days of little sailing and a few shorter days to boot. I wont bore everyone with the full 15 days, but... we set of clockwise from Shardlow, got turned around at sawley by the lock keeper, after 2 people at sawley told us the soar was open! So ended up anti clockwise. I cant say i find going up or down locks easier as the lock and boat do the work, many of the paddles and gates are that stiff they are a work out in thier own right especially around leicester. What makes the double locks (Leicester to Stenson) harder is getting to them and having to fill or empty prior to entering and doing them nearly all on our own! (there was hardly anyone out from foxton to Trent lock last week!. Highlights recommendations: T&M, Ragley boat stop, hook up!, stenson also worth a visit, and we moored first night at Willington, Alrewas is well worth a visit, good pubs, chippy and shops. There is a distinct lack of toilet stops after the T&M but enough elsan points! Coventry, Hopwas alway worth a visit and good moorings especially around the Tame Otter, good food. Alvecote marina, there is a good little pub (samuel Barlow) at the canalside, very friendly and good real ales, and they offered free electric if you buy a round! Springwood marina nice moorings canalside north of nuneaton too. (the high speed railway is in earshot most of the journey. Atherstone flight not to bad either (going up) and a pleasant town with moorings at the top. Birm Fazeley, good moorins near the twin tower bridge for Drayton Manor weve done this twice with no problems, barring locking ourselves out! Oxford, very pretty even saw an adder in the canal swimming on the way to Rugby! Rugby near the harvester is safe and there is an elsan not in the nicholson book, and a tesco near, barley mow at newbold had some good local ales too. Braunston well worth a visit but im sure you all know this, good pub on the high street! (a pattern forms) GU moored at Norton Junction, facilities but the pub at buckby is now closed (for now?) Watford flight very helpful and through quickly, also seemed a lot friendlier and more informal than foxton. Foxton we waited 2 hours before entering (think they let 8 up!)Lots of gongoozlers though. Definitely visit the Bridge 61 pub, great local ales, and the round was significantly cheaper than the 'chain' pub opposite and lot more personal, big hello to the chatty and landlord who hates boats and canals, but keeps a good pint and was a great host despite his lack of boating interest! North Kilworth boat yard very helpful, Crick the moorings do a good sunday lunch, but the crick tunnel leaks somewhat !! GU Leic upto Leicester we found it ok, not as picturesque, Kilby bridge is worth a moor as facilities and a good friendly busy pub, the navigation, not a pretty area, but worth the stop esepcially as there are no CaRT facilities and Elsan until Barrow upon soar! Castle moorings great if you can get on but again no toilets/water or elsan which is odd for the whole of the waterway thro leicester. Leicester is quite a nice city, and some nice backstreets 10 min walk from castle moorings and the new centre also nearby, not to mention currys! Raynesway marina at Thurmaston also very friendly as we needed to empty and fill since kilby bridge. Mountsorrel and barrow nice to stop though more shops in Barrow. Hope and anchor at syston good moorings and we won a bottle of wine! Moored after hope and anchor at Pillings lock for the night, with retrospect we should have tried the marina, as many kids knocking about though no trouble, and the railway is so close and noisy! Otter at kegworth worth a visitand electric available again! Finally back to trent lock in all its glory Hello on sunday to fairies wear boots who sailed past us at sawley on our home straight! First CWF member i have recognised, sorry if i missed anyone on the ring! Well worth it, perhaps if we had been more confident on time we would have explored the ashby a little or the welford and harborough arms, oh well another day !!!!

Instead of bishops meadow sanitary station there is an excellent newish one and good moorings though limited at Loughborough basin. Worth s stop and if you like pubs try the swan in the rushes opposite! We just did the ring and had to go anti clockwise due to the soar being shut, luckily it was open for the return leg. We didnt find going down the doubles at Leicester any easier than going up them i think its all in the mind especially as we are used to them. also it means if you go that way you get uphill on every lock from the trent until after watford flight! beware the canal north of liecester, north lock to Birstall is a tip! we got an old coat around our propellor. Leicester is worth a visit and castle moorings good, but no facilities. Also a marina at Alvecote just outside tamworth is worth an overnight, the pub gives free electric for drinkers!, very friendly and good beer. good luck

Does anyone know how the soar is looking ? is it cruisable from trent lock to Leicester yet? (We will check with CaRT at sawley also tomorrow just for thier view?) Thanks

Sounds like a plan, Benford, we tend to allow 2 days to Alrewas from Shardlow, Alrewas always make a welcome stop, as well as hopwas, we have just never been the whole way round the ring, so quite looking forward to it, i just preferred the idea of doing Leicester first! hey ho.

cheers matty

We were hoping to go down the soar Sunday(from Trent Lock) and begin the Leicester ring, im guessing this probably wont be accessible yet? If we go the other way round the T&M, is the trent accessible at wychnor alrewas?

thanks Rich

Can anyone recommend a good safe daytime and or overnight mooring in or near leicester centre. I understand the castle gardens moorings are first come first served or can they be reserved? We reguarly moor near castle marina at Nottingham with no trouble, usually near other boats, but we dont know Leicesters waters very well.

I agree with your sceptism about CaRT and im sure they are starting from a no worse point than BW left! I do think though we as boat owners and river and canal users should give them some support and perhaps be prepared to volunteer a little time to look after our local stretches if we wish to preserve them. I know we pay our licence fee's and im sure they will continue to go up each year, i hope there is some safeguard to stop them escalating at a higher rate. As fee payers we should all be able to expect some decent level of service back for our money, and that the waterways dont become somebodies cash cows. I digress. As i say, i think we should give a little support where we can i intend to become a friend as i would hate things (waterways) to go back to where they were 40 years ago! Lets hope these so called boaters representatives will be looking at the chiefs and indians state, it would be a shame to loose good experienced waterways staff to enthusiastic well meaning volunteers just to keep paying managers wages!