Cheese

But I don't want it to hold ice cubes, or as a Bar Accessory! (Which is what the seller classifies it as) And given that the description includes gems like "in the hydraulic system it not only plays as a fuel can but also can heat dissipation, separate bubble and precipitation in the oil", I'm not convinced that those aren't cheap copies as well.

This link says that the maximum beam for the Ribble Link is 10'6" (or 7'6" in another paragraph!) https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/ribble-link

Once the ban on new vehicles comes in (which I think is 2035, or perhaps 2032), I think we can expect to see a gradual ramping up of incentives of dispose of existing vehicles. Over a period, probably more stringent MOT emissions tests, significant increases in VED, etc.

Zips can also get tricky in the longer term, if the canvas and/or the A frame support stretches or distorts a bit. Dutch lacing is far more forgiving when things are no longer a perfect fit.

For me the change has worked exactly as described: I haven't had to change anthing, Political threads have disappeared, and I am not seeing any duplicates. So it would seem to be more of an issue of individual settings rather than the forum being 'broken'. My setting are similar to those of Rob-M and john6767 above.

"... whilst work continues..." might be stretching it a bit. Perhaps they are preparing something offsite, but on the ground nothing appears to be happening!

I did read your full post, and know exactly what you meant to convey. But the last sentence, which is the one I quoted, isn't specifically tied in to the "in and out of Birmingham" bit. Rather it says "mainly urban" in the same sentence as "popular with the hire bases around Warwick/Napton/Braunston/Rugby ...". I just wanted to ensure that the OP, who is not from the UK and for whom English clearly isn't his first language, doesn't misinterpret your answer. I agree with you that, if they have done the Chester-Stoke area, then the Warwickshire Ring is an obvious one to try.

This could be misinterpreted. It is just the bit into/out of Birmingham that is "mostly urban", and you will need at least one night somewhere in that stretch. Apart from those one-two days it is more countryside, than urban. And while you pass through or near to a number of towns and villages, they don't particularly intrude. There are some interesting places to visit: Warwick (for history), Braunston (for canal life), Drayton Manor theme park (if you have children), Kingsbury Water Park (for birdwatchers). With 10 days you could also include some side trips away from the Ring, e.g into Coventry, up the Ashby, to Napton etc.

Further update. No obvious progress. Remains of coffer dam removed. It rather looks as though, while the dam was in place but breached on one side, the swirling water has led to a partial bank collapse over a short stretch, which will now need piling. Could be some time before Godalming is accessible. 🙁

Diesel engines still produce some CO, particularly if poorly adjusted, although a lot less than burning gas / solid fuel / petrol. I think something like an exhaust leaking into an unventilated confined space could conceivably produce enough to be fatal. If you are running your diesel heating when moored up I would get a CO alarm. (As well as a heat/smoke alarm).

I think you can probably see Ireland*, but perhaps Northern Ireland and not Ireland** * the island **the country

So looks like here: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.8398982,-0.3957842,106m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en-GB

But at present isn't anyone charging their electric car from the grid likely to be using electricity generated by burning gas/oil? So what does it actually save? How much more efficient Is burning fossil fuel in a power station, and transmitting it around the country, compared to burning it directly in a vehicle? At some stage in the future we can hope to reach a point where wind/solar/water and nuclear provide 100% of our power generation, when electric vehicles will clearly be a "good thing". But at present we only get to that on a few days each year, so not sure if we are really saving anything?

Or you've just woken up to find the water level has dropped significantly overnight - when it is prudent to walk to the downhill lock first.

But even before this, go to the next lower lock and check all the paddles are closed (which can a be pain if it is some distance away). Otherwise running water through won't help much!

If the factory reset has put you back to the version of the OS originally installed on the machine, it may now have a few dozen updates to re-apply. Some of which may have to be done sequentially, with reboots etc. Once they are all re-applied it may calm down a bit.

Not if there are only 2 people on it

Agreed. But from the operator's perspective, once the boat is on the books it doesn't cost much more to service an 8-berth than a 4-berth. Mainly a bit more diesel and gas. Provided the hire charge is set at a level that gives a profit, then any hire ought be be better than no hire. I accept that larger bases won't staff up over the winter, so if they need to get people in for a single hire request it might not be worth handling. But for smaller family operators, surely getting the boats out more often via more flexible pricing would be worthwhile?

The latter could be addressed by restricting it to those using "vehicles" - which may or may not encompass boats, defining on how it is defined.

You'd be surprised. I've only been once, to Longleat as part of a family group. But I reckon approaching 1000 lodges, of varying sizes. Plus leisure pool, spa, large sports centre, about 10 restauarants, shops, and around 20 activity venues.

No one is suggesting operators should set prices for a loss. But for 7 days hire for 2 people, starting in say a week's time, some companies are probably still quoting over £1000, once fuel etc is included. At that sort of price, for January, there probably won'tbe any takers. There has got to be a point somewhere between £500 and £1000 that is both profitable for the operator and attractive for someone looking for a late availability holiday.

Even if a hire party, which is often a lot larger than a typical liveaboard crew, eats out "many times a week" they still need food for breakfast and for other lunch/dinners, and some drinks. So it isn't really surprising that they start the week with a reasonable amount of supplies. I suspect the position with pubs is at least partly dependent on their relative distance from hire bases. And how friendly they appear to passing canal trade - given that (unlike local liveaboards) hirers will have no idea of the food/drink on offer.

Surely that must depend on what is being sold? There is a big difference between food / electrical items / tools etc (that might conceivably be a risk to life) at one extreme, and purely decorative items like crochet / paintings etc at the other.

When you say "full tank of fuel", do you mean you filled/checked it yesterday, or it was full 8 weeks ago? Could someone have siphoned off most of the tank, leaving just the crud in the bottom? (Agree this doesn't explain the Ezy-start issue)

In most places it is perfectly safe to leave boats moored up. Probably you will have a key for either front or rear doors, and the others will have bolts on the inside, so it can be left secure. The hire company may suggest you remove and hide an electic isolator or similar from the starting circuit while you away from the boat - they don't want it vandalised or stolen either! Don't leave anything valuble obviously on display while you are out. June is nice. Th days are really long so if you want you can cruise early and/or late to leave plenty of time for sightseeing.