pomkitanner
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Posts posted by pomkitanner
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17 minutes ago, frangar said:
Tea should be from Yorkshire and involve a kettle….
There is sufficient wet stuff , but something in excess of 15 deg would be needed also.
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Iced Tea is like cold chips . yuk ! But not a tea drinker generally as by and large its past its use by date . In India, Tea, ( Chai ) is fresh and flavoursome , unlike anything i have yet to experience in UK.
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Far from being an experienced boater, however over the course of 3 hires on the Oxford/L&L / and the GU, i have to say i have never encountered a volunteer lockie. I do recall perhaps 2 C&RT employees, but in each case they took a very hands off approach. Were i to come across a Vlokkie on my next hire , is it customary to dictate your preferences before entering a lock should their help be offered? I can imagine some situations where i might appreciate help - have yet to scale a flight, but generally i prefer my own company.
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5 hours ago, Philip said:
I find it the complete opposite; difficult going up especially if there's a lot of water, not a problem going downhill.
From Middlewich clockwise is better; if you get delayed at Harecastle tunnel you can make up the time if going clockwise way round, if delayed doing anti-clockwise you could end up late getting back to Andersen.
Now you have me confused. If you are going clockwise from Middlewich surely you are going up at the Cheshire locks ( heartbreak hill )
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16 hours ago, ruralsimple said:
Not quite the same kind of topic but still this thread reminded me of this nevertheless.
There was one particular pre-2019 day in Canada where the weather pattern was really strange with being close to zero celsius at nine in the morning (boots, sweatshirt, jacket, hat, scarf, light gloves, long pants) but by the time I was back home for a short time I was carrying my hat&gloves instead. And at lunchtime I had also dropped the jacket and changed to shoes.
Needless to say the early afternoon turned out to be 24+ celsius so I finally had stripped down almost everything except my boxer and tshirt as to go on with the rest of the day with only shorts and sockless sandals on.
I think that was the only one time I had actually seen such a wild temperature change in one single day for myself outings-wise!
I have also experienced such North American temperature change . Landed at JFK New York around mid day, lower 30's deg C . Drove up to Berkshire hills in Western Mass, that night the guage dropped to minus 10 deg C and all the water pipes froze. Within a day or so we got to Ski. Great memories .
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To those who answered my question , thank you.
As a postscript , i care very much for my grandchildren and hope to introduce them to the land of my birth before i am unable to do so, hopefully including a narrow boat trip.
Sanctimonious comments dont sit overly well.
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The impediments to ever be able to again travel seem to be increasing by the day . New strains of the virus pop up almost daily, prompting the question, are we ever to be over it. Even though my country is on the UK green list , there is as yet no timetable to again allow travel by the NZ government , our border remaining shut tight for the foreseeable future. Were travel possible , the staycation holiday for UK residents has blossomed, with hire companies seemingly booked out for the next 2 years . Bucket list dreams fast being poured down the drain ?
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17 minutes ago, Ray T said:
When we moored at Ventnor on the GU a light aircraft used to take off and land on an air strip on the opposite side of the cut.
I don't know if the owner of the aircraft could be persuaded to fly to Heathrow and back?
Then only a short taxi ride to Napton Junction.
Dont think i could quite stretch to a private charter ?
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5 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:
About the Four Counties ring
Duration; A solid 2 weeks cruising
About the Leicester ring
Duration: A little over 3 weeks to cruise this ring
I'd be more likely to believe canalplan timings too!
Thanks for confirming this, c&rt evidently way off the mark. Seems the 4 counties is a comfortable 2 week trip with time for a diversion too.. now for that vaccine ?
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4 minutes ago, Flyboy said:
And the translation is ?
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1 hour ago, IanD said:
Napton are good, but for that reason are popular, especially at the moment. Have you actually asked them if they have *any* suitable boats available for when you want to hire?
(in my experience, for most hire firms it's far quicker to ring them up and ask than trying to find out online which boats are available when)
Bit of a catch 22 at the moment . Until our borders are again open I cannot commit to a date . I would like it to be this September, but recognise it may not be possible, and as such must accept it may now be next year . The up side is that if and when vaccines begin to make some impact, UK travellers may again opt for overseas travel, therebye freeing up more boats. It is what it is .
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1 hour ago, Tonka said:
Lots of snow here in north wales. Not near a canal though
Love to know how to pronounce Betws-y-Coed. ?.. Worse than Maori Ha Ha
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Having seen recent snowy scenes on BBC, I wonder if anyone has woken to a winter wonderland. Its 40 years since I saw the stuff, and as I again contemplate another bbq on the deck, a bucket list goal would be a winter cruise. Love to see some pictures.
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3 hours ago, captain birdseye said:
I only mentioned the companies on the Chester cut as these are just as easily reached from Manchester and have the advantage that should the OP wish to go down to Chester at the end of the trip they will know how long they have and it is only half a day each way. Also Chas is a good guy to hire from
I will only hire from a company that offers armchair seating . At my age bench style seating is not an option , and Chas hardern do not seem to offer this level of comfort. I have yet to find a better equipped boat than those of Napton Narrowboats, but happy to entertain others who meet this requirement.
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3 hours ago, John Brightley said:
I'd recommend the Four Counties.
If you do start from Autherley, I would recommend that you fly in to Birmingham Airport. So much easier than using Heathrow.
We have relatives in NZ and they always fly over using Emirates to Birmingham via Dubai.
Even if you do start from Napton or another base in that area, it's still easier to get there from Birmingham Airport than Heathrow, so if you have to book your flights now, Birmingham would give you more flexibility.
Excellent idea . Knew about Manchester flights, but not BHX . and not only Emirates, Qatar, Swiss and others all fly into BHX depending on our chosen stopover . Much shorter taxi ride . Thanks for the idea.
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9 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:
With either of those it would be easy to plan your cruise so that, if you reach Autherley Junction with a day or two to spare you could carry on down towards Kinver
Thanks Maggie Patrick. We would want to spend a day in Chester, but would likely take a bus for the short trip. With this in mind, is a trip to Kinver still on the cards ? And what is the attraction of Kinver itself , Pretty village ?
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1 hour ago, Tonka said:
What time of year are you considering. You have to think about if it is autumn them there is always the possibility of the rivers going into flood. You also have to consider how busy Foxton locks and Watford could be. There is often queues at the height of the summer. The 4 counties is a fair way from Napton which is where you are going from heathrow.
To clarify, if i choose the 4 counties, i would base myself at Autherley junction, also with Napton narrowboats . Or, Countrywide cruisers at Brewood.
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I will opt for a 2 week hire but cannot choose. The 4 counties or the Leicestershire ring. When planning on the canal planner I get different answers to the advice from c&rt. I like to keep cruising hours to 6 or 7 and have time for a lunch stop. If we can have a shorter day to explore villages, all the better, and dont want to find our last day is a 10 hour trip. So which fits the bill ? And which the more scenic ? Hoping for next September, covid permitting. Thanks all.
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9 hours ago, roland elsdon said:
We use a company called pink berry car cars.
6 trips they havent failed yrt.
Book them from Victoria on line to come to Uk, book them from boat to get back to Australis.
Not this year though still stuck here in Uk.
???❄️❄️??
Thanks Roland, no contest the best door to door option and I found £111 was the cheapest. For convenience cant beat it. Thanks to all other posters for their suggestions. It'll be private charter, if and when we again get to travel.
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1 hour ago, roland elsdon said:
Private hire. About £100, until this year done it bi annualy to a stockton or newnham both of which near napton. Cheaper than bus train. Means I can bring bikes etc.
Are you able to give a link ? Thanks
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1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:
Bus to West Drayton station and stopping train to Reading
Or coach direct to Reading station.
Virgin train from Reading to Leamington spa and taxi to Napton
Or
GWR train to Banbury and taxi to Napton.
There is a bus from Leamington Spa but its a walk to Napton Narrowboats and an even longer one to Calcutt so a tacxi is better with luggage.
@BEngo's route may well be faster but I try to avoid travelling in London
I was unaware there are trains from Reading to Leamington Spa. very much better than going into the city me thinks . A quick google suggests there is a one stop route direct from terminal 3 . Taxi from either Leamington Spa or Rugby i think would be little different . Thanks for the idea .
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8 minutes ago, john6767 said:
I would say that the suggestion of going via Reading to Leamington and then taxi to the marina, is a better option then going into central London to Rugby.
As you will be tired after the flight, don’t be put off in getting taxis, when there is more than one person it is not going to be that much more expensive than a bus, and compared when you have paid for the air fare and boat hire, not significant!
absolutely agree. no desire to use a bus
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I guess this is outside of the general brief but is it feasible to arrive mid morning at heathrow and get to Napton for a 3 pm hire departure ? Dont think there is a direct train and need to get into central London then a train to Rugby ? Seems there are multiple modes of transport required. Does anyone have any ideas ? Thanks
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8 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:
@pomkitanner give these a look;
Project Narrowboat
Slow Boat Through Britain
The Tiller People - Narrowboaters
we’ll watch most channels just for the scenery and not the presenters, some almost need the sound muting at times
just do a YouTube search on the word “narrowboat” and see what it suggests, watch a couple of their vids and see if you can cope, my wife does this every few weeks and we end up watching some right rubbish
(YouTube app on FireTV box)
Thanks for the suggestions, I did check out Slow boat through Britain, easy watching.
Looking for holiday advice from across the pond
in Holidays Afloat
Posted
Like me you are retired, and i would guess need some comfort in your prime ? I find bench seats of an evening time extremely uncomfortable, and prefer to recline on my own "Captains chair " Few hire companies offer a reclining chair but 2 that do are Anglo Welsh, and Napton Narrow boats . In the case of Napton, they also have bigger beds that offer that much more comfort. Lets be honest, most 4 foot double beds leave a lot to be desired. Over the course of a 3 week hire, these 2 features make a lot of difference .