Grassman

I emailed Mike and got a quick and helpful response. I'm going on the Weaver beforehand anyway so I'm going to call in at Yarwoods for my survey. That works out a bit cheaper than him having to travel.

I've said in a previous thread on the subject that this is surely the way to go. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-32495924 And it appears to have had some sucess https://www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk/news/dog-fouling-in-parks-down-by-60-per-cent-following-dna-pilot-scheme-in-barking-and-dagenham-1-4898517 It means that people don't have to be caught in the act which is extremely difficult to do and involves a lot of evidence gathering and a warden being in the right place at the right time. It can be done retrospectively. I would gladly become a volunteer warden!

I had a problem with blacking having 'fallen off', but mine was below the water line so I didn't find out about it until the next time it came out of the water to be blacked 2 years later. The blacking had been carried out in a dry dock next to another boat being blacked and I concluded that my blacking had been applied just after they had power washed the boat next to mine and therefore part of my hull was damp when my blacking was applied. It was on the side of my boat which had been next to the other one and was just a short section about 5 feet long. This next time I was doing the blacking myself so I prepared the surface, applied Vatcan rust treatment and then 3 coats of blacking. The next time I had the boat out the blacking was still intact thankfully.

People use glueboards without thinking ahead as to how they are going to deal with a mouse/rat caught on it. Many people rather than carrying out a humane dispatch just leave the rodent to die a slow, distressing and painful death whilst trapped in the glue. My job used to take me into houses and commercial kitchens and on many occasions I came across a dead mouse or rat on a glueboard which had gnawed one of it's legs off in its desperation to free itself while slowly dying of starvation and/or exhaustion. They should be banned IMO. Poison or a legally approved spring trap is much more humane.

Presumably they will keep the levels high enough for boating traffic https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/glasgow-looks-to-become-sponge-city-by-using-smart-canal-to-soak-up-its-rain/ar-BBPbzEm?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout

Regarding your original three suggestions If you want total relaxation the Mon & Brec has beautiful scenery, some history, and only 6 locks. The whole length can be done in a week but 10 days would be ideal for a more relaxing time. However there might not be enough there to occupy two teenagers. We have hired 3 times on there, the last time was since we bought our own boat because you probably know that it is isolated from the main network. That Lancaster Canal I haven't been on (but plan to do it next year). but you are correct in that part of it overlooks the sea in Morecambe Bay and you can even descend 6 locks and moor in the harbour. I believe it is a scenic canal and there are towns like Lancaster to explore. But with there being no locks, your teenagers may become a little bored. As for the Llangollen Canal, it has pretty much everything - scenery, nice towns and villages, and of course the amazing architecture of the aqueducts and tunnels. But the down side is that it can get extremely busy and has a high proportion of hirers who are inexperienced first timers because so many choose this canal as their first ever, and not helped by the fact that it has some challenging sections. Having said that, although only 4 days, you should now have enough experience to cope fine with it. It shouldn't be too busy in June either. But whichever canal you choose, try to avoid being too ambitious with your plans. So many people try to get as far as they can and therefore don't have the time to explore or appreciate the places they are passing through, and miss out one of the main pleasures of narrowboating which is the relaxation. I also cannot understand some folk's obsession with rings. I think they merely add pressure to the holiday unless plenty of time is allowed for. A 'there and back' can be just as rewarding because just like when you go for a walk, you notice things you hadn't seen on the way out. It can also mean that with less time pressure you might not have to cruise along in dreadful weather because you have to make progress. If you choose the Llangollen Canal bear that in mind and choose hire company that isn't too far from the ultimate destination of Llangollen ( a lovely town which should not be missed). Depending on the duration of holiday I suggest Whitchurch as being the furthest away you'd want to start from so any one of them west of that. And if you find you get back to the base earlier than expected you can carry on past there and go as far as time permits and then turn back accordingly. The other suggestions such as the South Oxford Canal are good ones too. We have so many great canals and rivers it's difficult to choose. Whichever one you pick I'm sure you will have a wonderful time.

As with a boat that you solely own, the newer the boat the more it will depreciate, so I suggest you look at the older boats with a cheaper share. There are plenty of decent boats available for just a few grand a share. On an older boat the running costs may be a little higher but it's still far cheaper than hiring. Shared boats tend to be very well looked after and maintained, probably because each share owner is only having to pay a twelfth the cost of everything. In 2009 we paid £3,500 for a 12th share in an 8 year old 58ft and sold it 4 years later for £3,250, and got 4 weeks a year use of it for less than the cost of one week's high season boat hire.

Thanks gents. I'll call in at Norbury. Sorry about posting this on 'crew swap'. I sent it from my mobile and my fat fingers pressed the wrong category ? .

I thought the Nile was a river not a canal

We will be passing through there on Sunday and want to get some diesel. Does anybody know if the garage is open on Sundays?

We were moored in Little Venice in June and this was one of three 'weed boats' we saw. All of them were tootling up and down the canal but didn't appear to be collecting much weed at all. Obviously this chap decided that getting right underneath the weed might be more effective ?

We were moored there on Saturday too, just up from Overwater's little charity boat's landing stage. As well as the one with the Ryder Cup commentary there was a boat that passed with the West Ham vs Man Utd match commentary at full blast. His boat was from Gloucester so he was bound to have been a Man Utd fan ?. At least his team lost ha ha ?.

If they fish the stuff out, it doesn't get collected from the towpath and gets thrown back into the canal, it could be worse for we boaters than if it had been left alone. Most of the stuff would have been in the canal for years and would have settled on the canal bed probably in the deepest part towards the middle but out of the way of our propellers. But there's a distinct chance that the newly thrown in stuff would be sticking up more and possibly in shallower waters nearer the edge.

We travel around the country and I use my laptop for the internet using a 3 Mobile mi-fi dongle. I get decent internet signal in most place around the system, sometimes only 3G but often 4G depending on the area. My wife's android phone is on 3 Moblie and often the signal is poor but is fine when she tethers it via my mi-fi dongle. So I think sometimes the device you are using may be a factor rather than the network provider.

I moor in Kings Bromley Marina and for the last 4 years have been on 3 mobile using a mi-fi dongle hanging near a window . 90% of the time I get 4 or 5 bars on 4g with only the occasional slight drop at peak usage times. I think Kings Bromley Marina is currently full and has a small waiting list. When I first looked into it 4 years ago so many people on here said that 3 Mobile was the best for coverage around the canal network. Since then I've cruised extensively and have very rarely had signal problems.

I can imagine it is, but I was okay because I exited Limehouse and went upstream to Lechlade. I have done difficult ones like West Stockwith and Keadby on the Trent, and Selby on the Ouse so I don't know how Limehouse compares.

Yes. I just point the end of the hose directly into the ash pan of the stove, turn on the power and suck the ash out. I have a strange stove, it's a tall top loading stove called a Godin, but I think the ash pan at the bottom is pretty much like all the other stoves. I'm sure those few negative reviews are from folk who have misused it. I always wait until at least 30 minutes after I've raked the fire before using it, or first thing in the morning before raking it when the ash isn't as hot. But even though the ash has a few glowing embers and the hose gets quite hot and the plastic coating feels and smells a bit hot, it still copes with it and hasn't damaged mine in the two winters I've had it. I've never washed the filter. After emptying the contents I just give it a good banging against the side of our pontoon and the residue ash falls off. I wouldn't be without mine now. It's so easy to use and the reduction in dirt/dust on the walls and curtains has massively reduced.

I have a Pifco hot ash vacuum https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NSKJWGW/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item I've had it 2 years and it's significantly cut out the ash/dust problem. I vacuum it straight out of the pan. I never do so immediately after raking the fire but it does cope with hot ash even if there are some glowing embers. It fits snugly on my hearth and even in mid winter I only have to empty it every 5 days or so. It's not cheap, and has gone up in price since I bought mine. It also has mixed reviews as some appear to have had problems with theirs over heating but I suspect that's down to misuse. The suction hose pipe does get hot but is still okay to hold. Expensive but well worth the money in my opinion.

Great photos. I look at the Thames tideway in a completely different light now having done it a couple of months ago, greatly enhanced by having an expert on board ?. We enjoyed it so much we hope to do it again someday but this time downstream and perhaps venture further than Limehouse. For those of you who have never done it I recommend it. It's not as scary as I'd imagined.

If there are no locks near the hire base for them to actually show the hirers how to operate one they should do like Caley Cruisers on the Caledonean Canal do and make them sit in a separate room and watch a 15 minute video about the locks and other such aspects before the hirers are allowed on the boat, I think it should be made a compulsory condition of hire,

There is also the issue of vermin it attracts. Many a time I've seen folk throw slice after slice of bread into or beside the water, and sometimes a whole loaf. There's far too much for the wildfowl and the rats feed on the leftovers.

I feed our ducks and swans with 'fruity nuggets' rabbit or guinea pig food pellets. A one and a half kg bag costs only £1.69 and £1.89 respectively from our local B&M store. Much cheaper than bags of so called duck food you buy from the canalside shops. The wildfowl go mad for it and it must surely have more nutritional value than bread.

Some friends have just got back and said how quiet the Llangollen was. Some other friends said the same last August too. They said there were quite a few hire boats but not many private ones. I reckon private owners and particularly retirees usually wait till next month after the schools go back. I fall into the latter category and I'm expecting it to be busy,

There is also grass all along the towpath on the Main Line just through St Vincent St bridge so for a quick walk this is where I go. My dog will only do her craps on grass ?

As a liveaboard I've been with Nautical Boat Insurance for a few years. The premium seems reasonable. You find out how good a company is when you need to claim and I had a large (£2,000) claim last year which they honoured without any problem.