eightacre

I use 1.5 litres/hr as a guide to consumption in our Beta 38, and it is usually quite accurate. I have kept a record of consumption over the past 6 years, and the figure averages out at 1.4 miles/litre.

Allow yourself plenty of time. Things go wrong occasionally, and you can't rush on a canal. I suggest you use https://canalplan.uk/cgi-bin/canal.cgi as previously suggested and plan for no more than six hours cruising in a day. That way, you will have some headroom if the weather turns bad, or you want to stop longer somewhere. Enjoy it!

Went round the Wyrley last year. A bit shallow in places, and more floating debris than we would have liked. Limited mooring places, but a reasonable visitor mooring at Wednesfield, Pinfold Bridge - with a nearby Ale House 🙂

We use one of these: https://www.shoppingtrolleysdirect.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=ROLSER-PLEGAMATIC-ORIGINAL-BLACK&gQT=1 It folds down very small.....

I use a USB current tester if I suspect charge rate is low. Similar to this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194913261069?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110018%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.COMPLISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D272500%26meid%3Df81dfc5ec4e7408d9121b8c45e01964b%26pid%3D101196%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D204984521579%26itm%3D194913261069%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DCompVIDesktopATF2V6%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2332490.c101196.m2219&itmprp=cksum%3A194913261069f81dfc5ec4e7408d9121b8c45e01964b|enc%3AAQAJAAABALx1mZQ2L9jLv%2BUPTFTna8XcGfl2wNJcn022gtZb5sDi%2BxW7EHqYwu0aT3by05UhiuAtonmLSX%2Bg6vHogGslyUHQHg7RTr9wkMhPLXEXz7u1I7EhUBkyz2DX44iWgvm6oxNTUH4xyitfkQEr6W0SSHxWxMcoRGGdLfh8uLyfk6r7qcNmFg4fJvpba7CUN8IiiSYcTtkdrXptgvzTjOo05GVcTqog2QVqEIk4SYhvIdCCAYlVy62IDTgrA61XCkOfmke1jJ4zV8640VQH9%2Frrq4WcN4UAYXjLAwnGMnKlmWGmtqENIafAkjA11KRTNSBYp%2BOJfqM1O6dEQfIOK%2FfByh8%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2332490&itmmeta=01J98TXWGEPM1R1H8E09D48E6D

According to Nicholson, the official limit of navigation is at Gladder Brook, a few hundred yards upstream of Stourport bridge - but I have never tried it.....

Good food available in the Great Western - not to mention a good choice of ales....

Brewery Tap..... 50m from the mooring 🙂

We did!

We looked, but there appeared to be work going on and the moorings were fenced off.

We were there last month and had to give up looking around Castlefield. Instead we carried on down the Bridgewater and then travelled back into Manchester on the excellent tram service.

We have a mooring in Worcester, and have had good service from Tom Keeling. http://www.smallcraftservices.com/

We usually travel this ring twice a year, and have done for over ten years. Yes there are difficulties with some paddles on the barge canal, but I find a "long handle" windlass to be a help. I don't look forward to the swing bridges (especially the one over the lock), but getting the padlock back in is a matter of technique and timing! Plenty of mooring space in the basin last week when we travelled through, and we found a rural mooring just below Salwarpe which we hadn't noticed previously.

"Cruising the Cut" recently posted a video in which he spent a day with a single lady who had a small GRP cruiser:

Should be no problem for two couples. You might find CanalPlan helps to work out your overnight stops, and to avoid having to rush on the last day! https://canalplan.uk/

We had no problem mooring at the "tuning fork" last year (see photo). We also moored at Sale without difficulty.

We came through Bevere last week and it was open all day, despite what the notice says. My advice is give the lock-keeper a call (01905 640275) before you leave the canal.

We spent a few days at Fettlers last summer, and found it a very friendly community. The management is somewhat shambolic - but in a nice way! Visited St Mary's for fuel, and they were very friendly and helpful too. Adjacent railway station (Ormskirk-Preston line) is a bonus.

We have a similar set-up. Replaced our aging Mikuni with a EBERSPÄCHER HYDRONIC S3 two years ago. Quiet and economical.

The Bridge is open, and sign says there will be food from Monday......

We have the same engine and twin alternator arrangement that you have. The VSR has never given any trouble in the 11 years we have owned the boat, so I see no reason to change anything.

Moorings above Hyde lock The "Hollybush" in Stourport Don't forget you need a "handcuff" key on some locks around Kidderminster.

I usually go to Tayna https://www.tayna.co.uk/

I know the feeling. The modern 4-band 1/8w resistors usually cause me to check with meter, which is probably good practice anyway.

I'm also a railwayman - engineering, so the pay is not bad. We couldn't contemplate owning a boat until the mortgage was paid off and our daughter had left home. Then the other obstacle appears - that is free time. I could see little sense in owning a boat that spends most of its time in a marina, so we bought a share in a boat, giving us 4 weeks of boating per year. Once I had moved to part-time working, we were able to buy a boat and now divide our year between house and boat.