Paul C

https://www.smlmarinepaints.co.uk/uploads/files/library/files/DATA_SHEETS/Jotamastic_90_AG.pdf

Why do people get so confused at staircase locks? Water fairly consistently flows downhill.....

Its 12 locks and a few miles, you can't really turn until Swanley Bridge Marina so that means you'd need to do Swanley No.1 and No.2, then all of those 6 on the way back. There's nothing special in itself about Hurleston locks to justify the detour but if you needed the services of the marina, might make the trip worthwhile.

When I went there last summer, there were 2-3 spaces to choose from (58’ boat) and no issues turning at the top of castlefield because I’d reversed in…..

IMHO Castlefield Basin is the best place to stop (if you're coming in from the Bridgewater). Plan your trip to arrive early afternoon to have a good chance of a space.

You could email/phone them to inform the change of status but decline to pay the £30 admin fee, you'll unlikely get the reduced rate for a home moorer but you've met the licence obligation and the net amount would be less (admin fees - difference in rate).

Do we all agree: 1. The market obeys price elasticity of demand; 2. Boat ownership is relatively inelastic; 3. There is a determinable, optimum (max income) price of licensing according to the above 4. The current increases are short of the figure in (3), possibly due to the associated negative publicity it would bring?

Depends on the marina but I'd imagine yes - but at a price. I can't remember what our marina charges but its something like £4-8. If its a 2 week trip I'd normally get through it with just packing more, but I appreciate you may be packing light, coming from America.

Definitely worth hiring from Whitchurch (ABC), Ellesmere (ABC, at Blackwater Meadow Marina) or Whixhall Marina (end of the Prees Branch, Pea Green Boats). The Llangollen canal is very different in character at the "top" end than the "bottom" end. It do-able in a week from eg Nantwich, but in 3.5 days, its a stretch. Lots of people hire from the above, for good reason. I am sure there's a few other hire bases I've forgotten too!

https://seeek.co/?v=79cba1185463 Sure, they're dodgy - look at this thread https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/seeek-esim-discussion.41261/page-5 on tech issues, but its FREE so may be worth a try for some as a second network (or to allow access to all 4 networks, when their main is patchy).

I don't understand why a moorings operator would leave usable berths unoccupied, even if they did rent them out at reduced cost. Surely it would make sense to rent them at the going rate?

Is it a hire boat? If not, then you can plan your trip to avoid busy periods, for example (several times) we went up Grindley Brook at sunset and had a straight run through. Or New Marton. Those are the worst congestion areas, although TBH I like the bustle of meeting lots of other boaters. If you are restricting yourself to 8h/day in June then from Nantwich you'll probably only get to Trevor and back - which is good, but misses out the best (IMHO) section which is Trevor - Llangollen Basin. Sure, there's the Ponty aqueduct but also there is the Chirk aqueduct, I don't like heights so prefer Chirk (or none at all). If you've never done it, Llangollen Canal is well worth doing, much better than Shroppie southbound out-back. But Nantwich offers decent cruising opportunities, there's Anderton-rtn and Chester-rtn too. I would rate them: 1. Trevor-rtn 2. Chester-rtn 3. Aldersley Jn - rtn (the trip if you go down the Shroppie, then go a little along the Staffs & Worcs then turn at that junction - you could moor then walk up a lock or two of the BCN). 4. Anderton-rtn If you can extend 4 days to a week; or are okay with longer days, each route could be meaningfully extended to Llangollen; Ellesmere Port; Stourton Jn; going on the Weaver respectively. I have lived and have a boat moored in the local area for 10+ years, so have done those trips dozens of times so its coming from (recent) experience.

Seeek looks interesting. 3gb/month for free, funded by SMS advertising. I think it’s eSIM only though.

Perhaps a better suggestion would be to make wanted/for sale posts, "post once" style (ie nobody can respond to them). That way, genuine respondents could PM the OP (I know there's a minimum post limit for sending messages) rather than making it an area of general debate on the public internet, which it needn't be.