TheBiscuits

Nah. You put the bread on the gunwales and the swans come and eat it and the algae ...

I've not been towed, but I have seen boats be towed past me on the Ribble. At waterskiing speeds - it looks fun! You're very unlikely to divert to Preston on the way back off the Lancaster (unless you deliberately want to go there.) The timing limit for the Ribble Link is actually the depth of water over the cill at the rotating sea lock, so if you're taking too long coming from Tarleton the tide ebbs too low to navigate that bit. On the way back to Tarleton it's the first thing you cross - you'll be held on the pontoon until it's deep enough, then off you go.

Because of the shape of the rivers and the water flows, your hardest bit is going to be coming out of Tarleton lock and heading downriver against the incoming tide towards Douglas boatyard. Which helpfully is where the tug boat moors! If you fancy booking a tow, it was under a hundred quid last year. I'd recommend having the tug pilots number in your phone just in case you have difficulty out on the wide bit but just try it under your own power. CRT keep an eye on your progress during the crossing and will tell you if you need to divert to Preston.

Try the dark mild at the Market Tavern. It's very good!

Nah, Rochdale summit. There's sometimes as many as two boats a month moving ...

Not yet. All the whining is about future increases over 5 years starting this month. April 2024-March 2025, 57 foot boat, CC surcharges applied. Beam < 2.16m (narrow), £1352 2.16 - 3.24m (medium wide), £1519 >3.24m (fatty), £1687 Non-CC surcharged for the same bands: £1287 £1455 £1622 Now just try to find a residential mooring in that London for fifty quid a year.

Is it that high a percentage? I thought a current licence (pre-surcharges, last year's rates) was about £1200 pa for a narrow boat. I was under the impression you couldn't rent much in London for £100 a month.

Non As they say across the Channel

For that price you could say it turns on a Sovereign, not a sixpence!

Are you sure? The old 5 new pence was obviously larger, but the new 5 pence is smaller diameter. 18mm (new 5p) vs 19.4mm (6d) if it matters. The old 5p was 23.59mm or about the size of a shilling

Fair enough. The one that's caught me out before is that you can't book passage for the same day, so if you suddenly decide you want to go onto the Bridgewater today you have to wait until tomorrow. Or ring CRT and grumble at them! 😁

So are you not returning within 28 days? If you are you'll need to use the 3-day bit to get back as you can't make 2 separate bookings in any 28 day period. If you're going across the Mersey, across the Ribble or up Wigan flight you won't need to bother booking the Bridgewater passage. Of course if you're spending more than a month this side of Leigh it doesn't matter anyway, it's a separate journey booking for the Bridgewater.

Are you thinking of the Manchester Ship Canal?

The bottom calendar is the outbound trip, so will be solid red until you choose your inbound trip on the top calendar. Just now:

Not necessarily either. There's many side hatches without steps. They are certainly not mandatory, and I'd say it's personal preference, with a nod to the configuration of the boat.