Graham Davis

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/405834/d...RE+UNION+CANAL/

What engine will it be used in?

From memory, I don't think this is beyond Llangollen, but an old canal that went to the works at Plas from around the Trevor area. Perhaps the OP can elaborate? Oh and good luck, where ever it is.

When we are out on the boat we always fly the Red Dragon, because we are both proud to be Welsh. Wales seems to be one of the few parts of the UK where wearing the National Flag and emblem has no connurtations of anything other than pride.

In Hoc 8th May to 22nd May 2010. Day 1 8/5 Raining!! From Gayton Marina to Bugbrooke village, mooring between bridges 36 and 35. A gentle start to the “tour” today, followed by an excellent meal at The Wharf. 4.5 miles/0 locks Day 2 9/5 A fine start to the day, with it staying fairly sunny biut cool all day. Stopped for a good lunch time meal at The New Inn, Long Buckby, right beside lock 7. Good value. Moored just above Braunston Top Lock after negotiating Braunston Tunnel and the works at the end of it. Still very shallow! 11 miles/7 wide locks/1 tunnel. Day 3 10/5 Sunny but with a cold wind in the afternoon. We were held up at the bottom of the Napton flight for 2 hours whilst BWB attempted to clear a problem in a by-pass tunnel, which entailed them emptying the pound above the first lock. Found they were unable to clear it so refilled the pound and let us through with water pouring over the gates and towpath. Moored just beyond Napton top Lock. 11 miles/6 wide & 9 narrow locks Day 4 11/5 Sunny most of the day but with a cold wind. One very short shower. Moored just above Cropredy top Lock, (25) opposite some nice bungalows. Very pleasant mooring. A beautiful village, which we had a walk around. Excellent SPAR shop to the east of BR153, plus Post Office. Dinner at the Red Lion, very good beer and food!! Sheila tried to rescue a very small moorhen chick that appeared to have lost it’s parent. 13 miles/ 8 narrow locks. Day 5 12/5 Fine and sunny most of the day. Moored just below Br202, near Upper Heyford. Interesting passing through Banbury. You don’t expect to find a worked lift bridge or a lock in the middle of a shopping centre. The single lower gated locks are very heavy, and what happened to the tow path after Somerford Deep lock? 15.5 miles/11 narrow locks. Day 6 13/5 Sunny and reasonably warm in the morning but colder and dull later. Entry into Oxford is very disappointing! Too many scruffy linear moored Agenda 21 boats making it very slow progress, plus it is also very difficult to find anywhere to stop on a visitor mooring. Moored at Anstells Bridge 240 14 miles/ 10 narrow locks. Day 7 14/5 Sunny with light showers later. Free day today to do the tourist bits in Oxford!! Day 8 15/5 Sunny and warm. Went down onto the Thames at Isis lock to wind, as In Hoc is too big for the winding hole, then up through Oxford to Dukes Lock and Cut for an hour up the Thames to the next lock. Couldn’t get a short term licence since there was no name on the side of the boat! Still enjoyable though. Moored at Br 223 and joined the “banter” with people from the Canal World internet forum at The Jolly Boatman. Met up with Bones, Maffy, Keeping Up and others, and it was nice to put faces to names. Very good food here especially if you like BIG portions. 8 miles on canal, plus about 10 miles on the Thames/8 narrow locks. Day 9 16/5 A bit dull and showery today. Moored between Br 193 and 194. Too many day boats around who didn’t know what they were doing and kept getting in the way. Met Maffy at the shop in Thrupp, by the lift bridge. 12.5 miles/ 8 narrow locks. Day 10 17/5 Beautiful warm day with 2 short showers. Moored just above Cropredy Top Lock (again) so that we could have a pint in the Red Lion. Very good pint of Hookey Norton!! Sheila heard her first cuckoo of the year. Till find the canal in Banbury odd, but useful as we stopped for a late lunch at the Museum Café opposite Tooleys Boat Yard. 12 miles/ 10 narrow locks. Day 11 18/5 Hot, bright and sunny all day (at last!!) Moored at the top of Napton flight, lock 14. Just missed seeing a steam train between Br 141 and 139, but he must have seen us as he gave a good “crow”. Met one of the Ovaltine boats at Br 131. 13 miles/ 8 narrow locks Day 12 19/5 Hot bright and sunny again. Moored at Braunston Puddle Banks, just before Br 95. Napton Flight seemed very hard work today, for some reason. Not helped by a couple of unhelpful boats. One a hire boat from Kate Boats who didn’t seem to have a clue what they were doing, and wouldn’t help in the queue of 2 other boats. We all gave them a few tips and that seemed to help. Had lunch at The Folly, at the bottom of the flight to replenish our energy and fluid levels. Still a problem with the by-pass tunnel and flooding the tow path and locks. 10 miles/ 8 narrow locks. Day 13 20/5 More hot and sunny weather. Shared most of the Braunston flight with a nice couple, but left them behind before we passed through the tunnel. Several low pounds here and on the Buckby flight. Moored at Weedon, just before Br24 8 miles/13 wide locks/ 1 tunnel/ Day 14 21/5 Even better, hotter and sunnier. Stopped at BR 32 and walked up to the Craft Centre at Upper Stowe, about a mile away. Been to better, but they did do a nice sandwich for lunch. Returned to the base at Gayton Marina for the night. 7.5 miles/ 0 locks. Day 15 22/5 Hot and sunny as we returned the boat. 150 miles approx. 2 tunnels. 80 narrow locks. 26 wide locks. Most days we didn’t start before 1030, and normally finished by 1730.

Allan, and all the others, thanks for making us welcome at the banter, was a very good evening. Sheila did finally find she wasn't full after eating all the HUGE fish and chips.

Well, we arrived back home last evening after a very enjoyable 2 weeks going down to Oxford and back. Nice to meet up with Bones, Maffy, Keeping Up, etc at the pub. It was nice to put a name to faces. I will put some details of the log up later, but found out I was expected to come into work at 0545 this morning!! DAMN!!

Phylis, P O !!

The fact that there is a Disclaimer will mean nothing to a good solicitor. Just gives him more ammunition to fight with. ost aren't worth the paper they are written on.

Off in the morning to pick up our boat around 1400ish, so look out for us as we trundle down towards Oxford. Look out for the Draig Goch proudly waving somewhere!!

Plus it sank 4 years after he had done the survey!!

Well, only 7 days to go, and oh boy do I need this holiday. SWMBO has agreed that we can go up the GU and then down the Oxford, and possibly have a plod up to Leclade. So where's the best pub grub to be had? Any good music sessions to be found on the route? Where's the best place to moor for a day in Oxford?

Well just to be a pedant, but that is a Bosun's Chair, not abseiling!!

Thank God, no-one's bringing their banjo into this band!!!

But perhaps where the breach now is was lower, or that the canal was unusually higher at the time? see also: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...t=0&start=0 and http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...hl=caldon+canal

UTTER RUBBISH!! Have you read the APCO link posted earlier? Even the company that hired those boats with no front window gave some instruction!! The biggest problem is that too many hirers don't actually both to listen to what is said, and just want to get away.

Mayalld, I suggest you actually read what I wrote!! I wrote MANY not ANY. I should know as I have already stated we are a member of one. So are you now willing to answer the question I asked...... Name me any CANAL timeshare company that has used "doubtful" tactics to get members?

Mayalld, since you seem so much about it, can you tell which CANAL timeshare companies use the type of sales techniques you describe? I can't think of any! In fact I can't think of many CANAL timeshare companies at all. I "might" agree that the timeshare HOLIDAY industry, especially abroad, does have a very poor name, but that is not what the OP is asking about.

I wonder if the boat insurance companies look at this Forum? If they do, I wonder what opinion they take about some of us?

Doesn't make good reading does it?

The trip down to Sharpness is very pleasant. Make sure you stop in Purton and go to the Berkeley Arms (if it is open!!) Shame the Berkeley Hunt is closed; now that was a GREAT pub!!!!

We've been a member of a timeshare group for the last 9 years. At first it was good, with fair pricing and easy to book the boat.......however, gradually it has got more and more expensive, and more and more difficult to get the boat when we wanted, to the extent that it now needs to be booked 2 years in advance, which is a bit difficult when you work shifts and can only book leave annually. We have just resigned, so our 2 weeks in May will be our last time. We have enjoyed it, and the social side has been good, but now it doesn't fit what we need. Couple things to ask the "management" 1 How are expenses expected to increase over the next couple of years? 2 What percentage are they putting aside for repairs? 3 Do they have a fund to replace the boats and how often? The photo in the link certainly looks like an old Canaltime boat, and from experience, these are now getting dated, and have an "unusual" layout, with the front end bedroom, with no forward view and a difficult front deck to get to. We had one for 2 weeks when there was a problem with our timeshare boat and they wouldn't be my choice.