Helen 7

Re early (ish) narrowboat hire: my aunt and uncle hired a narrowboat from Orchard Cruisers on the Oxford Canal in Jericho (as far as I can find out) in about 1975 or '76. I had remembered it as having been hired from Rose Narrowboats at Stretton Wharf but when I found the photos, there is a very clear one of the sign on the side saying, Orchard Cruisers Oxford! The boat appears to called Isildur. I also remember it being a very long boat as there were us five teenagers plus my aunt and uncle on it. However, the photo of the boat in a lock shows a boat more like 45' - 50' long! There were a lot of bunks, I seem to remember...Does anyone else have memories of Orchard Cruisers? If so, I'd love to hear about them...

Should have said 'Flower of Gloster' TV series is available on DVD and well qworht watching.

And also the TV series available on DVD! Well worth a watch... Union Canal Carriers at Braunston still have three Barney Boats available for hire! They still all have the single cylinder SAAB engines, too.

Indeed! Thank you.

Hi, does anyone know why or how BW and now CRT have a ruling that a butty is presumably not a butty unless it is at least 50' long! I can find no precedent for this and can come up with no logical reason whatsoever! A butty is an unpowered boat towed by another and unable to travel the waterways under its own power.