Jim
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Posts posted by Jim
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I'm trying to find out where this photograph, dating from 1973, was taken. I believe it to be somewhere between Leighton Buzzard and Nottingham. The boats are Elstree and Lyra, which were then being operated as a camping pair by T&A Collier.
I'm told that if I post the image here I'll have an answer "in seconds" so don't let me down.
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Starcross looks a superb bargain even at the real price of £29k!
Sold now no doubt.
I wonder how many times
MtB
Yes, definitely sold - and only the once (by me at least!) It went for a bit less in the end but to be fair it did need quite a bit of work doing on it. The "fake" advert text was lifted from the broker's (genuine) website entry.
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If you don't fancy mooring at Autherley Jc and you have a bit of spare cruising time you could always go down the Staffs and Worcester to Compton. There are plenty of buses info town from there. You,ll have to go through the next three locks to wind.
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Presumably Lafarge will shortly be amending this section of their website! Clicky
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I suppose that as these are offside moorings that may be the case but the "No Mooring" sign is definitely a new CRT one.
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Boaters visiting Lancaster are usually advised that if the towpath visitor moorings near the Water Witch pub in the city centre are full it is also possible to moor in the two side basins opposite.
Recently, however, the mooring rings here have been removed and CRT "No Mooring" signs have appeared. The visitor moorings get very busy, especially at weekends, and these basins provided a useful overflow. Needless to say no replacement spaces have been provided.
There are flats alongside the basins that have recently been given a makeover (may be student accommodation for the Univetsity) and I wonder if this is a case of CRT continuing where BW left off in putting outside interests above boaters'.
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Having just done this trip in the opposite direction I would say that the bits worth "lingering" in are from the top of Wigan locks to Feniscowles and Barnoldswick to Silsden, including Skipton itself. That's not to say there aren't some pleasant bits elsewhere but nowhere you may particularly want to stop, except perhaps Saltaire and Calverley/Rodley
I stopped for a while in Silsden, Skipton, Gargrave, Barrowford and Barnoldswick with overnight halts at Dobson Locks, "Bidge 113" (near Church) and Adlington and I'd be happy to use any of those places again. I'd also have been happy to have used the visitor moorings at Blackburn (Eanam Wharf) and Burnley (Weavers' Triangle) based on what they looked like as I passed through during the day, although whether you'd want to spend any time in either place depends on your taste for decaying, post-industrial urban landscapes. (I speak as a resident of Lancashire).
IThe warning about the swing bridges should not be taken lightly! Some of them are extremely stiff and need more than one person to move them. All of them will slow you down.
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"Lots" of people may moor at the junction, but the moorings didn't look too clever to me. Slightly better on the PIC itself just beforehand.Handcuff key is same as anti vandal key and also known as water conservation key.
From Marple, once you are down the locks, there a re nice rural moorings just after you cross the aqueduct. Lots of people moor at the junction of the Peak Forest and Ashton. You can also moor in the newish marina at Fairfield Junction on the Ashton. Was £5 night in 2011. Plenty of safe mooring at Piccadily before you go down the Rochdale 9.
Regards
Pete
Free mooring for 14 days Manchester at New Islington Marina two locks up on the Rochdale. and of course good mooring at Castlefield below the Rochdale"nine"
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Yes Im afraid the central belt is not known for its great pubs! There are some good ones in Edinburgh if you know where to go, but I have to say that good pubs is something Englandshire does well and Scotland does badly!
In fairness, I ought to say that the "Four Mary's" in Linlithgow is excellent. Way better than most English pubs and highly recommended. You'll note we stopped there on the way back as well!
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When we hired from Falkirk in March we did the Union Canal to Edinburgh and back as a short break. It's about 11 hours travelling each way (which we did over two days, stopping at Linlithgow in both directions). The boatyard will book you a slot on the Wheel going out but coming back you have to be at the top of the staircase one hour before the Wheel closes and you have to let them know you are coming, so check the Wheel opening hours.
There are two other timing constraints - if you want to go all the way to the end at Edinburgh you have to pass through Leamington Lift Bridge, which as with all moveable structures is worked for you, but only within set opening hours (they need 15 mins notice). If this is a problem you could turn before the bridge. There's also a stretch near Edinburgh that is supposedly closed for a couple of hours in the afternoons for use by rowing boats, although I don't think this applies every day and there is a number to ring to check.
The canal itself is a very pleasant contour canal with good views (on a fine day) towards the Firth of Forth (The Forth Rail Bridge can be seen) and the aqueducts are quite spectacular. Unless you like tying-up in the middle of nowhere the only stopping places are Linlithgow and Ratho. Very few moving boats or moored ones come to that, except in Edinburgh itself. We had no problems with "bandits". We failed to find a decent pub anywhere near the Wheel itself and the pubs in the nearest settlement of Camelon looked positively dangerous. Best of a bad buch is the Union Inn at lock 16 on the Forth & Clyde.
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From memory there are some long term moorings on the same side & close to the pub. The visitor moorings are on the other side & have the usual 'Shroppie Shelf'.
Yes, your memory is correct. The visitor moorings are 48hrs
There are also the long-term moorings opposite (i.e. on the pub side) but these don't appear on CRTs list of mooring sites so presumably they are operated privately (perhaps by the adjacent caravan site?). There are also privately operated moorings just to the south of the bridge on the off-side.
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I've been reading around the forums quite a lot and have only picked up a bit of this information. It would be *really* useful if ballpark costs could be collected in a single thread. Ranges would be great, how often the costs are incurred and links to further info.
e.g.
Mooring (North) - £x to £y, monthly
Mooring (South) - £x to £y, monthly
License (canals & rivers) - £420 to £915, annually (link)
BSS - £x to £y, ever four years (link)
Insurance - £x to £y, annually
Diesel - £x to £y, per mile
Maintenance (?? bit tricky maybe but hull blacking, repainting, engine service and any other significant items would be interesting to know)
I don't live on my boat so can't help with "living costs" but you might find my experiences of the cost of owning and maintaining a narrowboat useful clicky
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On our Heron the door is only retained by two simple hinge pins, and they (a bit surprisingly I have always felt), are not retained by anything, and seem to rely on the weight of the door and friction to stay put. If these will draw out freely the door can be off in seconds.
Of course your replacement door would need to be fully fitted with a second handle and catch if you did not want the hassle of changing those over, (and they can be a bugger to get off). However they now seem to be supplied this way - they weren't last time I looked.
What may put you off though, unless you can find cheaper is the £112 price that at least Midland Chandlers are charging.....
With my luck, however carefully I tried to store a spare, I'd break the glass in it just before the one on the main stove went!
If it's as simple as that then I am tempted as it would mean I could bring the old door home and do a proper job. Villager's own website seems slightly cheaper than MC and the doors come "complete" but I think I'd better check on how my existing door is fitted before lashing out.
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On our Villager Puffin I also drilled and used small coach bolts, nuts and penny washers but in stainless steel, no prob with rusting and domed nuts protect the end of the thread from burning. Dead cheap from Screwfix. No need to bed glass in, proper tape is commonly available. We bought a spare door so it can be quickly swapped over when the stove is lit, I can then take my time to clean it up and replace tape and/or glass.
Thanks everyone so far for your advice - much appreciated. I also like the idea of Innisfree's spare door but, dare I ask, how easy is it to remove and fit a door? Can it really be "quickly swapped over"!
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Returning to the boat after the New Year I discovered that the door glass on my Villager Heron stove was cracked. It's held in place by four studs, which look as if they are designed to be loosened with a screwdriver and the glass sits in the door held in place by the stud tops and the washers that go with them. The problem is that the studs are jammed. I was able to get the old glass out because it was cracked and I could get it out bit by bit, but to get the new one in I need to loosen the studs.
I've tried brute force and ignorance (in plentiful supply) and also 3-in1 spray and WD40 and now I've run out of ideas. It's not urgent - I don't live aboard, but I do hope to use the boat before next summer!
Any ideas?
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Perhaps cc'ers now wishing to engage more with the Trust could begin by using its preferred acronym of "CRT" rather than the somwhat derogatory "CART"?
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Congratulations to all at CRT. Now I can get Starcross home!
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Doesn't it mean though that if you were charged council tax the council would have to provide services such as rubbish collection?
No. Council Tax is just that - a tax, not a charge for services.
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Frankly, the view of those in authority is that people who can afford boats can afford to run them on road diesel. The problem is that one should not be forced to use road diesel as heating fuel, and cannot be.
But this is purely a financial issue. I'm far more concerned about the possibility of boaters being made to get a boater licence. This will lead to all manner of intrusive controls on us being dreamed up and applied, on pain of removal of the licence to steer a boat. 'Hey Steve, can you steer a minute, I need to loo'. 'No, I've been banned and my licence taken away, you'll have to wait'
No longer will we be able to teach our kids boat handling until they get a licence. A minimum age is bound to apply. Mad, but this is where it's leading.
Mike
Am I missing something here? As I read it, the draft directive relates to craft (i.e. boat) licences - and we all have one of those already, don't we?
European Union Amendment Threatens UK Boating
Issue date: 1st November 2012
What was looking like an innocuous directive to harmonise standards between boat designers in the EU and to standardise and simplify safety arrangements has developed into a potentially huge issue for boaters throughout the EU but particularly in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
An amendment by a Dutch MEP at the tenth draft stage has introduced a request that a further directive be developed because:
"There is no harmonisation or level playing field with regard to water craft licences or technical checks, and tax evasion can still take place through the use of agricultural diesel. Therefore the Commission should consider submitting proposals to harmonise water craft licences at Union level, to encourage regular technical checks and to prevent tax evasion by discouraging the use of agricultural diesel."
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I wonder what will happen, if it ends up like the Shroppie where all the boats are shiny and all the vms are 48 hours yet they are still all full? What then? Who will they blame then?
Having been on the Shroppie for six years I can honestly say I've never had a problem getting on a visitor mooring, although most of them do have their regular overstayers. The problem on the Shroppie is the excessive number of legitimate on-line permanent moorings.
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The only "horror stories" I have heard relate to the area immediately outside the north portal of Harecastle Tunnel. As others have said almost anywhere else is OK. My boat is currently "somewhere in this area" and has been for over a fortnight (with permission!)
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Hello folks!
Im new to boats and have the intention of purchasing asap. My ideal spot will be on the Lancaster canal to moor. Where is the furthest North you can go on this canal?
Welcome to the Forum.
The navigable section of the Lancaster Canal extends as far north as Tewitfield, where the line was cut when the M6 was built.
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And a much longer walk to the station.... i can see some 6am starts. Oh the horror!
Not sure which station you need but there is a good bus service from Sawley to Long Eaton and Nottingham stations. Timetable here. (Note, the Sawley times would be between Long Eaton and Castle Donnington times shown).
Jim
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Having gone to look at a "buy it now" mooring in Middlewich recently I can see why nobody would have bid for it.
Help with this location please
in History & Heritage
Posted · Edited by Jim
Well my advice wasn't that far out. Thanks for solving a mystery.
I'm intrigued by Alan's reference to Tim and Andy Collier's book, something I wasn't aware of. As a participant on the northbound trip I'd like to read Andy's account of it. The pace was certainly frantic and the passengers (customers) were given no say in where or when the boats would stop for the night . I even recall the steerer refusing to stop to pick up a girl who had fallen in whilst trying to board the moving boats and requiring her to run down the towpath to overtake them and try again! I'm surprised though that I have no memory of bow hauling against the current on the Trent, so perhaps it was another trip being written about.
But if someone can give me the title of the book I'd be grateful.
Edited to say that I've now realised that on the trip to Nottingham the boats would have been going with the current, so the bow-hauling must have happened on the return south. Doh!