Sileni

a. Just to be clear on the subject, I have absolutely no wish to injure anyone! Lots of cyclists are really nice people and don't deserve to be punished for the behaviour of the rest. b. It may not be a legal requirement to have a bell fitted, but surely it's the more sensible option? I mean, if nothing else, at least you won't be forced to a grinding halt when the poor pedestrian in front of you failed to hear you cycle up and accidentally causes you to crash in to her c. I heartily agree with the speed limit! I don't know why, but my partner and I automatically assumed that there was one! It would benefit them to slow down as much as us. I can almost imagine someone speeding down the tow path and suddenly being forced to swerve right in to the canal! -edited because I've accidentally figured out how to do emoticons!-

I've been slowly adjusting to life on the water and for most of the part it's pretty good. No matter who you're around, everyone seems friendly and looks out for each other. Except the cyclists. I've never loathed cyclists so much since we moved on to the boat. I had to leap out of the way the other day and when the guy next to me shouted at the cyclist to slow down, they just threw us the finger. Admittedly it's not all cyclists either. There are plenty who are happy to slow down and say hello as they pass, but for the most of the part, it seems to be testosterone-fuelled, thirty miles and hour, drag racers who assume that the oncoming whirring of their wheels is all the warning you need scramble out of the way. Is there meant to be a speed limit on the tow path? I'm sure as a pedestrian, I have as much right to use the path as a cyclist does!

Thanks! I'll give them a call, hopefully they'll have some availability within august, pretty keen to get on the water!

Thanks Keith! I know this will vary from surveyor to surveyor, but do you know roughly what they're likely to charge for a hull survey vs a full survey? -Debbie

Thanks Bizzard, it's good to know!

Hi Jo and Martin! Thanks for the advice! We've got the funds for the boat, but definitely want to be sure about how much maintenance she'll need. I look forward to meeting everyone on the canals! -Debbie It's in Kensal Green at the moment. Should I look up boatyards near by and contact them directly then? ps. Really appreaciative of all the advice I can get! -Debbie

Hullo! My partner and I have been looking to move on to a narrowboat for over a year now, and we've been lurking around on this forum for ages trying to pick up all the requisite information we need. The problem is that for a lot of things, reading about it is one thing, looking at a boat in person and trying to apply what we've read is quite another! Anyhoo, we decided to start properly looking at boats this year and have pretty much settled on a one that friends of ours have recently lived on. They had no problems with it, and we trust the current owner not to mess us around, but I'm still thinking about getting a survey done just incase anything's been overlooked that might need urgent repair work. I'm known for being a bit pragmatic (read paranoid), but in this case, would it be a more sensible decision to take? If so, can anyone recommend surveyers in/around London? Cheers