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Bigmac

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Everything posted by Bigmac

  1. We moved to Crick last September from Kings Bromley after Castle Marinas bought it. Only moved for a change of location as we love the Leicester Line. So far we have found it to be very welcoming with extremely helpful staff. We have been with Castle Marinas for 8 of the last 9 years. We had a move away for a year to be closer to home and almost immediately regretted it.
  2. Had a walk down this morning. It's clear for passage. Tree now across half the cut and plenty of free wood available on the towpath.
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  4. Bigmac

    shurflo

    Replaced my Shurflo series 3 this morning after the pressure valve packed up. It was just a year old and got a replacement under warranty from Midland Chandlers. Another chap on the marina has had 4 in 4 months with the same problem before deciding to go for a Jabasco instead. Midland Chandlers reckon they've come across this problem with the Shurflo, but it's because they sell so many and it's not faulty manufacturing.....whatever !!
  5. Tree is now in pieces on towpath and passage clear !! I'll let you guys take it on from there... I'm outta here :-)
  6. We picked up a report this morning of a large tree blocking the canal near bridge 50 above Bosley Locks. This is confirmed on Waterscape. We had hoped to travel down Bosley tomorrow. Anyone in the area can confirm how the removal or otherwise is going please.
  7. I'm not going to say the 4 Counties is not capable of being done in a BIG week, but I would check some of your destinations / timings. For instance - Day 2 you have Wheaton Aston to Penkridge down for a morning. This is a good 8 hour trip. Couple that up with going on to Tixall Wide in the afternoon and it makes it a 13 hour day at least I would suggest. Have a look at Canalplan to get some better ideas of timings etc and bear in mind it could get busy with queues and holdups at locks. Fully agree with Adam about the Caldon too - go back some other time and enjoy the best of it. Whatever you decide - have a good time (and good luck)
  8. Personal preference I suppose, but they are very varied but enjoyable routes. For the scenery, I'd go for the Shroppie. We'll keep a look out for you - we're leaving Kings Bromley sometime Saturday and heading towards Barton and on down the Soar. Have a good trip.
  9. Have a look at the sponsored boat scheme operated by Aqua Narrowboats. It might be of use to you ??? http://aquanarrowboats.co.uk/boat-sponsorship
  10. Yes it's doable in a week, and I would do the route Allan suggests via Camp Hill. I would get the bulky bit (Hatton etc) out the way first and head clockwise from Stockton. If you can fit it into your agenda, moor at Catherine de Barnes overnight on your third night and then do an early start the following morning and aim to get somewhere around Curdworth or even the bottom of Curdworth Locks where there are lovely moorings. It is a big day (we did it last summer and it was about 10.5 hours but we left at 5am !!). This stretch is not the most picturesque, but still interesting. From there you can relax a bit more as there are less locks or chances of delays. Some nice pubs along the way too. Have a good trip.
  11. Couple of pics of the boat in question
  12. Just been down to Weston Lock. BW in attendance. NB River Dancer caught on cill and bow is underwater. Looks a difficult recovery as access not good for a crane. The rudder is literally no more than 2 inches on the cill and the possibility of the boat dropping must be a concern. Really feel for the owners.
  13. Just ordered 6 guides for under £45 and got a further 8% off by going through Quidco. Bargain !!! Many thanks.
  14. I don't confess to being mechanically minded at all, but have decided to do my own this time around and it's also an Isuzu 42 with a PRM 150 gearbox. I found it to be pretty simple (and rewarding). As you say the oil extraction is made easy with the pump. The filter is a simple cartridge type. I was left new Isuzu cartridge filters by the previous owner, but am sure MIdland Chandlers will have the right patterns if you ask. The Isuzu part numbers are 44567412 for the oil filter and 71725491 for the fuel filter. The water seperator is definitely in stock at Midland Chandlers at Mercia as I got mine from there. Fram Filter 1191PL (about £3.50). A tip I was given (and others please correct me if I'm wrong) is to leave the old rubber seals in place as they are awkward (you get a pack of 4 with the filter). Just replace the cartridge. Unscrew the top nut (7/16th) and drop the cartridge out and replace leaving the old seals in place. Gearbox oil I didn't do as it was done last service by the old owners, but you use the same oil as the engine - 15/40 grade. Air filter is so simple - just unclick the housing and replace by dropping a new one in if you feels it needs it. Any probs give me a shout - I'm only 10 mins up the road in Derby. Our boat is in the dry dock at Mercia being blacked as we speak - keep an eye out for us on Friday when we pick her up !!!
  15. Just a quick thought off the top of my head. Hire from Viking Afloat at Rugby. Rugby Golf Club is adjacent to the canal just below Hillmorton Locks. Wind at Hillmorton and head up to Ansty where there is another course adjacent to the canal. Think you'll find the courses are what you want - not too fussy. Both have websites http://www.anstygolfcentre.co.uk/ and http://www.rugbygolfclub.co.uk/
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  17. I'd go for Black Prince from Chirk Marina. There boats are always well turned out and it's close to the Pontcysyllte aqueduct. There is an 8 page guide on the Llangollen in the March edition of Canal Boat which will give you all the details of hire firms you need, together with pubs and places of interest.
  18. I got a quote the other day as they offered free RCR membership with insurance (followed a link from the RCR website). The policy is with Zurich through Navigators and General. When I delved a little deeper, it is only the 'retainer' membership that is offered, but was informed that if I wanted to upgrade, RCR would offer 20% discount, once the policy was in force.
  19. Not silly at all, in fact a great idea. About 30 minutes by car from Mercia Marina. I reckon that has to be the answer.
  20. Alton Towers is difficult to get to from the waterways. The closest place to it would probably be Froghall at the end of the Caldon, but this is not possible for you in a week from Mercia. If you want to go, I would suggest you look at the Alton Towers shuttle bus service. http://www.altontowers.com/plan-your-visit/how-to-find-us/public-transport/ This runs from Uttoxeter, but again not an easy place to get to. You may be able to get a bus to Uttoxeter from Burton or Kings Bromley area. If you are using a day out of your week to go, then Stoke is probably pushing it.
  21. A really nice rural trip and been down that way many times. You should be able to make Aynho and back quite comfortably in a week of about 6hrs a day cruising. If you want to go further, then Lower Heyford is a lovely village and of course there is the delightful village of Cropredy before you reach Banbury. For supplies, Banbury is good, and I would recommend you moor near bridge 168 and Morrisons is just over the road. As far as pubs go, you MUST visit the Great Western at Aynho. Wonderful food and beer and really friendly owners. The Bell at Lower Heyford also very good. Hope you have a good trip - you can't really fail to down there.
  22. Hi Mark I enquired the very same a couple of months ago. I was looking for a mooring for a 57'. I think I'm right in saying it was a little under £2,500, but I also seem to recall that there was a £500 'joining fee' but this did entitle you to a free crane out. I have visited the marina in the past for maintenance things and they are extremely helpful and it's a nice place. Hope that helps.
  23. This subject has no right or wrong answer. It all comes down to peoples preferences and circumstances. We first hired in 2005 knowing very little about the subject and were lucky enough to have a wonderful week on the Staffs & Worcs which got us absolutely hooked. Had the weather been poor, who knows where we would be now. We followed that up with hiring in 2006 and 2007 and then ventured into 'shared ownership' and ultimately owned a three week share in two different boats which enabled us to have a minimum of 6 weeks holiday a year. For us shared ownership was always going to be a stepping stone to outright ownership. We both still work full time and so have a limited amount of time to cruise. The 3 years we had of sharing were generally a good experience (until the demise of Ownerships, although we were lucky and lost very little compared to other owners). We were fortunate enough to be involved with two groups of owners who communicated well and we certainly made some long lasting friendships along the way. The costs of shared ownership for our weeks last year compared to hiring worked out at well under 50% of what it would have cost to hire, so obviously it made financial sense to us. We have now taken the big step and agreed the purchase of our own boat and have been lucky enough to sell both our shares in very quick time. The costs are obviously going to be much higher, but with our mooring only 25 minutes drive from home, we are going to be able to please ourselves when we go out and when we get back, which to us is invaluable. This is our choice and suits us at this time. I would not turn anyone away from shared ownership if the circumstances suit the individual - that is what really counts.
  24. It passed us last week at the bottom of the Napton Flight. We had moored up for a brew and it came up from Napton, turned and headed back. Later found it moored up at Stockton Top Marina for the night.
  25. If you've got a week I'd head for the Caldon. You should be able to get to the far end at Froghall and back in a busy week (8hrs or so a day). A rough itinerary would be first night somewhere up near Stone, second night the other side of Stoke (Milton area perhaps) and then Froghall for your third before re-tracing your steps. As for pubs, there are several in Stone. We had a fabulous meal at the Holly Bush at Denford in July and you can moor right outside. There are several others along the Caldon too that are worth a visit. Beautiful part of the world.
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