nebulae

If you cant fit through Froghall Tunnel,the moorings by Thomas Bolton Copper works are a bit of an anti climax. Lots of walks from Froghall Basin. Long walk from Thomas Bolton to the elsan point in Froghall Basin. Since our last visit I understand a new operator has taken over the shop in the basin. If you moor at the end of the Leek Arm,it is a short walk past the scrap yard to the railway footpath. If you turn right and go through the tunnel,you will reach the end of the heritage railway. You can then walk along the mothballed Stoke Branch,if you are so inclined. If you tun left at the scrap yard,you will end up in Morrisons car park. Turn right up the hill for good fish and chips. Note. The hight gauge at the last lock on the Froghall Branch is a bit pessimistic. But no chance if you have got anything on the roof.

Also remember that if you have "Grandfather rights" you lose them at age 70 unless you make a application to renew them and have a medical.

My experience has been that a 2kg co2 is very effective at damping down a fire. If your priority is getting someone out of a burning boat,for instance,they can be very usefull. As the gas disperses,the fire may reignite,which is where foam and dry powder come in. Cleaning up the mess made by a foam extinguisher takes some doing,but better than not being able to put the fire out.

Tractor meters record hours run at a certain rpm. The reading is calculated to meet the engines need for servicing i.e.run the machine hard and the meter runs faster. No idea if the meters fitted to boats work the same. When the liquid crystal display on our Isuzu failed,we fitted an analogue unit. The hours recorded matched our log.

Done a fair bit of cruising this year,including Huddersfield Narrow and Leeds and Liverpool Canals. Not busy at all,more a steady trickle .Never bother to pre book Stanedge,as we can always get a passage when we want it.(We dont cruise during school holidays). Wont be a problem for us,in future as we have sold the boat. Very sad,after nearly 16,000 lock/miles over nearly 45 years. Unfortunately, age catching up with us .

Big and heavy and smelly. Measure it to check it will fit out the door. Do not expect it to be completely empty. If it was fitted before the boat was fitted out,may involve some carpentry. Make arrangements for disposal of the tank i.e.trailer to take to scrap yard. It will be heavy,even if you have managed to empty most of the contents. Couple of friends needed,preferably with Marigolds.

A tri axle is much more stable at speed than a twin axle. 3,500kg Ifor Williams behind a Discovery with a max gross loading and 150kg nose weight is comfortable at 50mph,in my experience. At 55 a passing lorry or a gust of wind can seriously unsettle the rig. As to the over run brakes,if the braking of the towing vehicle is not effective,then the trailer brakes will not come on. I have had many linen soiling moments where the rig does not respond predictably to my efforts to stop. American trailers have electric braking(From the towing vehicle) or no brakes at all. Dont know what the parameters are for over run brakes in the States.

Just weighed in 4 100ah leisure and 110ah. Had £54. Few years ago you could not give them away. I believe it may be because of new processing plant that can separate the bits in an environmental way.

I note the newt fences. The section between Bridge 83 and 84,which is not yet filled to navigation level,is full of fish and has a pair of swans on it. Compare this with the remains of the canal in Newtown.(A sewer pipe). If I may say,Your photo is with bridge 84 behind you. I would be interested to know why these engineering works are nessesary at this point.Is it bad ground conditions? The section between B r83 and Br 84 is lower than the navigation level. Is this because of a leak?. Very exiting to see this work underway. Also,the railway embankment at Pant has been removed,making walking the towpath much easier.

I remember on a previous thread on this subject,the need for a V.H.F. was contemptuously dismissed as" boys toys". Fortunately,fatal accidents on the canal and river are rare, If people operate boats without some degree of skill and all vital safety kit for the water they are on,sooner or later they will come to grief.

Agree with what has been said. Would not attempt the Rochdale between Picadilly and the Irk Aqueduct on my own. Hard work and not somewhere you can stop. Road is a bit noisey at Slattocks Top,but a good mooring. Shop nearby.I prefer the Huddersfield Narrow,but you will have to book the tunnel.(and not be over 60ft,pref. a bit shorter.)

My Standard Horizon HX270E is a few years old now and has given exellent service. It is much clearer than my fixed VHF(Which needs an extention speaker) Cant find the invoice,but I think it was just over £100

Just a note to help anyone exploring the Guilsfield Branch. Steven Hughes book states that the terminal basin is 300metres from Guilsfield. This is incorrect. It is nearly a mile.The turning to the basin is easily missed and there is no parking. Take the next turning go over the bridge and there is plenty of parking by the side of the road.

I agree that getting the back deck swamped is an issue. We are only 50ft,which gives some wiggle room. Not sure I would fancy taking a 60ft cruiser stern down the Sir John Ramsden and Calder & Hebble canals.

I suspect that the toll free access to the Weaver would have been through the lock into the Mersey opposite the Weaver entrance. As the Ship Canal have closed this lock,they have to give passage from Eastam. The grain barges which used to moor below Frodsham Bridge,thus had free passage and free mooring. I understand that the sailing club based below Frodsham Bridge and the water skiers above the bridge have free access to the water,but I am open to correction.

As I understand it,the Weaver from the junction with the Ship Canal to Frodsham Bridge is a toll free navigation. Vessels whose destination is on this part of the river,have toll free passage on the Ship Canal from Eastam to Frodsham Bridge. I do not know if the river is toll free from Frodsham Bridge to the old Derelict Frodsham Lock,but I believe it may be. CaRT is not the navigation authority,neither is the Ship Canal. As an aside,I believe the Ship Canal paid for Weston Marsh Lock,although it is owned by CaRT.

I appreciate that supply of lpg could be a problem in the future. The number of caravans,boats,private houses and power stations that use it as a fuel,if it is no longer available it will be a major problem. We cook on lpg as there is no gas available on Welsh mountains.We also use Kerosine as a heating fuel. We are wondering about Biomas,but I am concerned that the present government scheme is a fraud against the taxpayer,in my opinion.

My RoverP5B is nearly 50years old.I cant see why it wont last another 50. I dont care if they stop building new petrol and diesel cars cars. I am sure there will be some garages left to supply me with fuel. If pushed,I might change to lpg.

Fabricate steel beams to look like wood. That will blunt their chainsaw.

Yes,the corrugated store and the brick warehouse have been joined together and are now a very nice house. The Inn is also now a house. I cant really understand why there would be any restriction on boat width on the Guilsfield Branch. The width and depth is at least as good as the Caldon Canal,for instance. As I have confirmed,bridge width allows a boat of 7ft plus to pass and there are no locks on the branch. Any restriction will be the locks on the Montgomery Canal main line?

If I may quote Steven Hughes "The Archeology of the Montgomeryshire Canal". " This branch canal terminates three hundred meters before Guilsfield Village........A triangular pool remains alongside the Guilsfield Brook from which this canal may origionally have drawn water. A BRICK WHARF WALL REMAINS TO THE NORTH ON WHICH STAND A CORRUGATED_IRON STORE AND A SMALL WAREHOUSE OF THE LATER NINETEENTH CENTURY" The waterway is certainly as wide and as deep as the rest of the Monty. I assume that the presence of warehouses at the terminal basin means that boats loaded at the basin. These wharf buildings are now a very nice house. I am sure I have read that timber was an important cargo for this wharf.

The stream which passes close to the terminal basin could possibly have had a wier to bring its level up to a point where it could feed the canal. There is some evidence of a pipe in the corner of the basin. If the basin is about the size it was when the canal was in trade,it must have been tight to wind a full length boat.

Sorry I have not come back before. Been on the boat for a few weeks. The entrance to the Guilsfield Arm is obstructed by a large pipe. Bridge No1 has been eliminated,with a short length of canal each side. There is no restriction in width that can be seen now. Bridge No2 is in good condition,has one origional cast iron number and one new CaRT number. I was unable to check width without a ladder to get to the far side. The bridge appears to be identical to bridge No5 in every detail. Bridge No3 has been destroyed and the road flattened. Bridge No4 has been bypassed by a causway,It is in good condition and has one cast iron number and one new Cart number. I could not measure width,as it is concreted level with the towpath. Bridge No5 is in good condition(AS are 2 and 4) has a cast iron number on one side and a new Cart number on the other side. The width of the navigation between the coping stones under the bridge and the far side of the structure is 11 feet to 11ft4ins. The coping stones are set out slightly from the wall underneath. This may be origional,or ground pressure may have moved them out slightly. The wall underneath the coping is in good condition and is upright. As an aside,the bed of the canal is in good condition apart from vegetation. The towpath is in generaly good condition,apart from a section between bridge 4 and 5,which is almost impassable.

The other element of registration is registration as a British Ship. This is,rather amusingly,the same process as registering the Queen Mary. It used to be a requirement if you needed a marine mortgage,even for a small yacht.(Not sure if you can still get a marine mortgage on a narrow boat.) The other reg.which may seem pointless to some,is a Small Ship Registration number(SSR).However,it is a legal requirement under some maritime law.

Sorry,did not manage to get to Guilsfield over the weekend and off on the boat for 5 weeks. Will measure it when I get back. Photo number 3 shows why I have never waked the arm. It is reputed to be a nature reserve now.Dont know who controls it,although I believe it still belongs to CaRT.