JamesWoolcock

I know, it's a bit of a bugger. Now more decent pubs than days in the week and in all serving over 40 different real ales.

We also have a new micropub in The Wren, located in the side of the Crown Hotel and run by boater Chris Reynolds. Excellent atmosphere, frequent live music and with just two beer engines at present, serving local beers from Lymestone Brewery (Borehole) or I think, Slaters.

Yes, I know it well. This is my home mooring

I'm in Stone so I'll check it out. Anyway, they're bloody horrible.

They were related to a Space Hopper.

Not specifically but the perfectly good, serviceable and decent gents in the Swan at Compton (S&W) had theirs swapped for something gross like that.

Ha ha. This girl is so well behaved that we did take her into Spoons in Rotherham later on that trip, and no one knew she was there!

I agree it's a good pub but the dog rules are hard to understand. When we spent 4 evenings in there two years ago, my bitch labrador was allowed in all evening on the first three nights, then banned on the fourth. I had words with the strange manageress after which I was about as welcome as the dog! Hey ho.

There's no weedhatch on MARQUIS and when I picked up the biggest ball of crap trying to moor up at Littleborough in a strong breeze two years ago, it was three days before we got that off. Much of it was that fine green netting you see on the outside of scaffolding. Very fortunately the ex Royal Navy guy two boats back was a hobby diver and a great help in his kit, for the price of much Guinness in the evening. After most was off, we were stuck with the remainder so tight on the shaft, that nothing looked as if it was going to get it off. Fortunately, again, the boat has a Fenner Coupling on the prop shaft which we undid and and slid the shaft out an inch. That did it and we were free.

Thanks but then we bumped into Richard P in town the following day, so he got it, and more, all over again.

Yep and most of what we found there was the Trustees of Canal & River Trust meeting in a building at the basin When they broke up and came out, the moment wasn't wasted!

Photo of light fitting?

Went up to Bradley Workshops two weeks ago and travelling slowly with a 25inch propeller I picked up nothing I couldn't shake off with one or two slow astern revolutions. Then got a yard of summut green and growing hard on the rudder stock at the Malthouse Stables returning to Tipton!

There's always some weed in Tipton because the water is so clear, but nothing to stop you mooring up.

No problem in Tipton now. Was there for a week two weeks ago and stopping there on Sunday on the way to Wolverhampton.

And most of what we've heard so far from PD1964 has simply been hearsay. A man, who as far as I know is not a forum member, and therefore is unable to defend himself and his alleged behaviour, is having his reputation sullied on here. This is not good enough and quite dreadful.

I can only speak as I find but everytime I've been through Torksey Lock, Neil has been there, in charge, and his friendly, cheery advice on exit tides and all things and his good sense has made me believe he is one of the best. I'm sorry to read what I have on here, but then we all let ourselves down on occasions.

It now appears to be the Avon Navigation Trust's head office, or did a month or so back. There's room for two boats to moor on a lovely quiet mooring here, opposite both the weir and the Lock House. One night only but I cab recommend it.

Was that on the Upper Peak Forest?

Yes, Neil. A splendid fellow.

What a useless survey seemingly wanting to know whether I have difficulty eating on board. Rubbish and I said so.

Canal Cruising Co in Stone is 10/15mins walk from the railway station but as I understand it, these nice people will collect you by car.

For the past few years, the badly leaking locks through Stone on the southern route from the summit at Stoke have been constantly reported to CRT but nothing has been done. Because of the differential depths of these very early locks, and of course lack of dredging, Yard Pound in the town, most of all, runs low. Yard Lock is far deeper than the others so it's sorry state is a major factor in all of this. This year, or certainly before I left on my travels in early June, a substantial feed from the Caldon reservoirs has mainly kept up with the traffic and leakage, a situation for which we were grateful but unsustainable. Within weeks of my leaving, by chance,8 I met up with Richard Parry and Julie Sharman, CRTs Chief Operations Director. She appeared appalled that she didn't know of this and agreed that water supplies would run scarce if nothing was done as I predicted. Repairs to Yard Lock is at last to be tackled over the winter.

I think you will find that all the way through these locks and the tunnel is really quite deep and that you can afford to run a considerable amount of water off to get through. A few years ago in advance of taking a Small Woolwich through with deck board up, luby in etc I asked one of the several former boatmen in Gas St Basin what the air draught was. " No idea. We just run a foot or so off" was the answer. So we did!

Now open but with stipulations of boats travelling 10 minutes apart and slow speed too. How would you know how far the boat in front of you is? Unfortunately they have in retrospect extended the area concerned from York St in Stourport through to Kidderminster Lock, when the original stoppage was only from Kidderminster Lock to Caldwall Lock, the one below. Whilst the water here in Stourport is now well oxygenated and without any visible signs of pollution, I caught a bus to Kidderminster earlier and the film on the water surface there is as bad as anything the BCN has to offer on its worst day!