doratheexplorer

It can be pot luck. I've known both Farmers Bridge and Lapworth flights to be busy with queues and I've known them to be empty, even in mid summer.

Like this? http://diesel.afmm.org.uk/

If you overnight at Stratford on the river, you'll hit locks straight away the next morning whichever way you go.

Aspley Wharf in Huddersfield sell diesel if you don't mind a detour.

500GB one seems a far better deal. Work out about £3.50pm

Why would anyone start a genny for toast? I've always made toast under the grill anyway. As I and others have already said, using electricity on any appliance which produces heat, while off-grid, is a bad idea. I suspect, as usual, we have a lot of commenters on this thread who have never continuously cruised and lived aboard permanently through the winter. It's a very different game, and in my experience, the only way to play it, is to minimise your electricity consumption.

It's not just about cost. If your electricity consumption is high, then for 4-6 months a year, when solar is insufficient, you're left with having to charge your battery a lot, just to replenish what you've used. However you do that is likely to be noisy, and a general nuisance to you and others. The OP suggests they'll be cruising a lot which would help, but I doubt it will be anywhere near enough to keep those batteries in good condition throughout the winter, hence my comment about wrecking batteries. Will they really be cruising 4+ hours a day 7 days a week?

I'm not saying Nick's wrong, it's just that I think a newish boater would do better by going down the simple route. Nick's set up is, I'm sure very impressive, but it's also complex and requires considerable understanding to use it in the best way. It's also very expensive, and I'm not sure a cost-benefit analysis would support the necessary investment.

Honestly, if I was doing it all again, I wouldn't bother with an inverter at all. I'd run all my regular stuff off 12v (laptops, tv, fridge etc). Don't use electricity to run anything which produces heat (so use the hob/grill for kettle and toast). I'd have a generator for the occassions when I really need to run 240v (power tools, washing machine), and that way I'd have another way to charge my batteries in case of engine issues. A reasonable quality genny is cheaper (for the same power) than a reasonable quality inverter. Doing it this was will also put less strain of your batteries, so they'll last longer, saving you even more money. To the OP, it's not until you go cruising permanently, that you'll realise just how important it is to minimise electricity consumption. Until you do, repeatedly wrecked batteries will be the order of the day. Also, get solar panels fitted.