phantom_iv

Yep, I don't think it's changed. Or at least it hadn't in May, Duke's cut has a distinctly dodgy feel. On the other hand, I wouldn't discount mooring on the Thames between Iffley lock and Folly bridge if you see a decent space. Alternatively Godstow has a few pubs and a decent bus service into the centre.

Best thing to do in Marlow is to bring some fenders and hope there's another narrowboat there you can ask to moor alongside if it's busy, doesn't work so well with the plastic flotilla though.

True, I think the Royal Stag is the most “independent”, although I think the owners have a couple more pubs. I think the rest are chain pubs of some description, but some are better than others - vintage inns for example I avoid like the plague.

Plenty of choice in Windsor / Marlow / Henley (and indeed moorings!) depending on how far you want to go. The Kings Arms in Cookham has always been very good, a little way back from the river but loads of moorings. Avoid the obvious riverside option "the Ferry" there - although it has a nice terrace overlooking the river, food and service are always lacking although it has plenty of wasps. The Spade Oak in Bourne end is also a decent shout - again slightly back from the river but there are decent moorings (although not infinite space). Also recommend the Royal Stag in Datchet. The swan at pangbourne and the st George and dragon in wargrave also recommended, although mooring opportunities limited at the latter.

Apparently (according to a random drunk bloke in a local pub), having become stranded by a flood in a recent winter (not sure if this year or last year), the owner is now hoping it floods again this winter sufficiently to save him the cost of a crane...

Surely we just need to build more canals to keep up with the expanding numbers of boats?

More to the point level of protection after 1st dose isn't that well understood & takes a few weeks to kick in so best be careful for now... I'd think its more important for their own sake not to catch it rather than the risk of them passing it on so much

One of the things I hate most about this whole pandemic is how judgemental and intolerant of each other we've all become. Regardless of vaccinations, those guys have already had the virus, so are highly unlikely to be spreading it, whatever they do. Just cruising round a canal is unlikely to be spreading the virus. Outdoor transmission is extremely rare anyway. They can cruise all they like for all I care (and I hope they do!). Anyway, it seems unlikely that those vaccinated (or indeed recovered from the virus) will be able to carry & spread it (at least not to a significant degree) given that a lot of scientists now thing asymptomatic transmission isn't really a thing (as opposed to pre-symptomatic, which is).

There's no reason why local authorities for example can't install chargers and supply electricity. Look at chargeplace Scotland for example. I guess it depends wether you think the costs should be paid by everyone, or people that use them. However I do think that public-run chargers should be charged at a price that pays for the initial installation and ongoing maintenance, I don't think they should be taxpayer funded in the long run (no issue with initial capital being provided by taxpayers, as long as this is paid back with interest). Electricity at market rates is unlikely to happen even if they are publicly owned. Ultimately, the setup costs of these things is fairly low in the grand scheme of things. I see no reason why public and private offerings can't coexist... let them compete to provide the best service at the lowest cost!

I will admit to having plugged my car in for a largely unnecessary charge on one or two occasions on the grounds that those were the only spaces left in the car park ?

https://instavolt.co.uk/mcdonalds-partners-with-instavolt-to-deliver-rapid-charging-network-at-drive-thrus/ https://instavolt.co.uk/first-instavolt-ev-rapid-charger-goes-live-at-mcdonalds/ Looks like Instavolt are rolling out chargers at McDonalds across the UK... this will make a significant difference.

Instavolt are excellent. Tesla's supercharger network is a major competitive advantage for them though at present.

This isn't unusual - some charges can go even higher than this. 30p/kwh works out somewhere in the region of 7.5p/mile, which is still a decent saving on current petrol costs. Obviously if you charge at home you'll save a lot more, but public infrastructure has to pay for its installation cost somehow.

Indeed. They're popping up all over the place. I went to my local supermarket last night for the first time in a few weeks and found it had gained a row of EV chargers since my last visit.

These days there's absolutely tonnes of them. They seem pretty frequent along all major roads according to plugshare.com - often multiple choices in the same place. People living out in the sticks are much more likely to have off-street parking for easy charging at home. Seems like a lot of petrol stations e.g. shell are installing them rather than finding they don't have any business in a few years time. A lot city centre & supermarket car parks have free chargers too. It's easier to find somewhere to charge an EV than to fill up with fossil fuels.