RichardH

I had the lifering nicked last year which beggers belief. Only other thing stolen is a manky old mop which is bizarre ! Some people will nick anything !

I'm 34, been boating 6 years, owned the boat 4 years and had a daughter for 3 years who has been boating since she was 3 months old and loves it now - was a bit grumpy at the 18 month 'want a free roam, can't do it for fear of drowning' To be fair, rare that we meet boaters of the 1970 genre but generally most boaters pleasant once they realise we own - and it really does make a difference. When we bought the boat and it was still disguised as an Anglo-Welsh machine, we were treated very differently - people giving extra wide berth (understandable) but more worrying being blanked at locks and moorings like were were second rate - which given previous comments at 29 and looking like hirers is also forgivable ! Now just need a bigger boat as Holt4 is on way ! So if anyone wants to swap a 4+ berth for our 3 berth get in touch. RH

Are there any fishermen out there who can give the ignorant amongst us some guidance as to which course is best to sail? - I have tried going along the bank, down the middle and as far away as possible and on all occasions had sarcastic comments about disturbing the 'swim' I'd say fishermen are fairly equally divided between the pleasant, the silent and the rude.

We are also on the summit pound and returned yesterday from a weekend away behind caravans to find the level well down with the Foulridge/Whitemoor reservoirs well down. A bit of a pain as boat currently being fixed in Skipton - ho hum - love winter cruising !!

Interested how the thread has developed - how to retort to boaters who complain - why people should moor correctly - hire boaters who don't receive correct training For something completely different we were complemented twice this year for slowing down past people who were moored and before the hilarious sarcasm kicks in we don't slow down to the extent of swapping interesting tips with those we pass - just to tickover and just when passing - also oddly we have never been shouted at. Sure, I don't mind being rocked that is boating but for the first time this year we explored the Western part of the L&L and the Rufford branch - a completely different mindset exists to the midlands canals - people in general simply don't slow down - even had people going past on full whack - why??. We went cycling for a day and when we returned the boat was completely off its pins (3 I hasten to add) and loose. OK it could have been kids but we were in the middle of nowhere. Also, spare a though for the hire boaters (how many of us started off that way) who don't really understand how to moor correctly and fully understand the implications of slowing down. Shouting at them has no effect whatsoever. Picking up on the point on Wincham Wharf, I met a hire boater approaching the first of the boats just as I was at the end of the chicane and the poor devil just didn't have a clue how to reverse - clearly there was no point me trying to. How is this allowed to happen ?

Great thread - couldn't agree more. We too are thirtysomething boaters and have owned the boat for 5 years. We have seen a gradual improvement over the years but actually put this down to us getting older and therefore being more 'socially acceptable'. On the flipside 2 sets of our boating friends are retired so no logical ageist comparison - more the floating palace brigade - who were even worse when we were twentysomethings and the boat was still in its hire livery !! The thing that still winds me up is the number of predominantly private boaters who don't understand the need to drop the speed when passing moored boats - doesn't it p*ss them off being pulled off their pins ?

I have never been hugely affected by speeding boaters until this year (or perhaps I'm just getting older and grumpier) We now moor the boat outside the house and it is staggering the speed at which some boats go past. I don't mind a bit of forwards and backwards motion (that is physics after all) but despite adopting rope springs as suggested in last months WW by Mr Stott, we still have some serious bouncing off the wall. And who are the biggest culprits - hire boaters I hear you cry. NO - private boaters. But....as one old sea dog said to me 'at least hire boaters have some training' We cruised the eastern end of the Leeds/Liverpool this year and noted a marked difference for the worse in the speeds at which boats pass - so much so we were pulled off all three pins one morning by a narrowboater going at least 5-6mph past us.

I think it is the recently reduced division of BW called 'lengthsmen', a term which our children will not understand - similar to fireman of the steam era. I've got a belting photo of a lock on the Calder & Hebb with a staggering amount of flotsam and jetam in it which I'll try and dig out. RH

I would say Yes do it. We had a passage last year and echo the comments of M&P. You do need to book and the most frustrating thing is that despite knowing you are coming and will have had the pleasure of 40+ locks on either side, they only guage your boat at the mouth of the tunnel - bright eh !! I know of one person who was travelling from Diggle to Wakefield, was refused and had to Trent it back to Wakefield.

We had our first narrowboat holiday aboard a 30ft Springer from Chas Hardern five years ago and had a fabulous time from start to finish. Great company to hire from - traditional boats but clean and good value. We followed this with a Broads holiday which parden the pun, didn't float our boat. Expensive to moor, dull scenary and too busy with chaos boaters. Bought our own boat in 2002 and never looked back. Definately recommend the Llangollen for a first time but avoid school holidays. Leeds and Liverpool is also great and very easy.