SWiMBO

Aye, we came out of Mersey/Trent, from the Sawley Cut into River Trent and then up into Beeston Canal. Erwash is on the to-do-list as one of HRH's daughters lives nearby at Eastwood. :-)

Thanks Scolar Gypsy: I moved the boat from Peak Forest to Nottingham last week and with both narrow and broad locks, all your advice was sound. All but one lock was downhill. We had a day or two of ice-breaking (photo below), but it was in our plans to have the boat re-blackened anyway! A very relaxing, stress free trip. (no doubt that could change when the canals get a lot busier). Boat name is 'Sir K', so pop onboard for a swallie if you ever encounter us. Yours aye, Roger and Claudette

Thank you SG, most valuable and makes sense. R

Hi, We are Roger and Claudette and will have a boat subject to survey in Dec. This is all new to us, although we sail a yacht in Scotland and our only experience of canals is the Crinan Canal, which I think is probably not typical of what we will encounter on way from Manchester to Nottingham? Might as well get a really stupid (to some) Q out the way at this point. On a 40ft narrowboat, do you put lines ashore when locking up and down? or are the flood eddies not as extreme as at Crinan?