doratheexplorer

Out of interest, what are the specific difficulties for single handers. I've not done it myself, but I've single handed from the western side up to Stalybridge and back and it was no different to any other narrow canal. Presumably there are problems further on?

Looks like it https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/west-midlands/llangollen-moorings-trial-2023

£12 a night? I was planning to go there this summer. Maybe not now. Do they provide a welcome hamper and a personal assistant for that price?

Ten years is generally fine. Thirty years, not so much.

You mentioned using social media. Any attempt to do that via windows 3.1 will require a browser. If you decide to try it using an old enough browser that 3.1 will actually run it, you'll find that the browser does not support any of the scripts or plug-ins which any modern website will use. In other words, it won't work. Outlook Express is a defunct and unsupported email client. It might work for for a few basic text only emails, but they're pretty rare these days. Things have moved on and OE won't recognise most of the commonly used file formats these days. You're welcome to try it and see how you go.

So you were specifically referring to start up time then. In that case an Atari 2600 is probably the quickest computer out there. I beg to differ. I doubt you'd even get a modern browser to run properly on windows 3.1, nor would you get any anti virus software to run properly. The processing power needed to use ordinary websites would mean any simple browsing would be a very time consuming and frustrating experience. A cheap-end smartphone will have vastly greater computing power than any 386, 486 or pentium.

I find it hard to believe that a 9 year old chromebook is faster than ANY windows or apple computer. Have you tried all the windows and apple computers out there just to be sure your claim is correct?

Not necessarily. I'm still using the same macbook air i was using 9 years ago. People think Apple computers are expensive, but in the long run, they're not.

It's better than the original proposal, and it would broadly suit me now. I can't help but think the hire boaters would have liked at least a few 24 hour moorings though.

Free ice-cream you say??

As we speak, the south side of the old mainline out of Birmingham is being hard surfaced, presumably to match with the north side. For those of us who liked to use the south side for walking as a way of avoiding speeding cyclists, there will now be no escape. CRT clearly have completely ignored the concerns raised by many groups due to the previous round of towpath 'improvements' around Birmingham.

Hang on! So you're telling me there are boats out there which don't require continuous sideways pressure on the tiller?

I think there are plenty of attractions on the ring. It just depends what you like. Towns & cities to visit include: Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Lichfield, Rugeley, Tamworth. Days out to Shugborough, BCLM + Dudley Tunnel, Drayton Manor.

Last time I went down the Monty was before 2021 and I made it as far as Pryce's Bridge. Had to reverse back out though.

I was responding to Captain Pegg's comments about Farmer's/Aston locks being close together. At Curdworth the locks are spaced out so you can't really set the next lock while still in the previous one.

To be fair, they'll be doing Curdworth locks to, which are a right PITA for a single hander.

If we're allowed to include disused canals, then the most southerly would be a toss up between the Liskeard and Looe Canal, and Parnell's Canal. I wouldn't like to say for sure which one had the more southerly terminus.

I've got a plan, how about I tip the boat up on it's bow? I reckon the draft plus airdraft of a fatty is under 10'. So the calculation would be 14' x 10' = 140sqft. That's bound to be cheap.

I'm wondering if I could have a 70'x14' boat made and register it as 14' long and 70' wide, thereby enjoying a very faviourable licence fee.

I'm aware of a boater who removed all his gas related stuff, got his BSS passed and then put it all back in.

These sort of customer satisfaction surveys usually put less well known and cheaper options at the top. The reason is simple, their customers have low expectations and demands, because they're cheap, but then are pleasantly surprised. It doesn't means they're actually better. The most perplexing thing on this table is O2 being the highest of the main carriers. If you're thinking of, who I think you're thinking of. I don't think he has any involvement with Sky any more. Sky is owned by Comcast, which is owned by its shareholders and he doesn't appear on the board of directors.

I used to use Vodafone. I've tried pretty much all the carriers and Vodafone was probably the best, along with EE. EE nudges it for coverage, but Vodafone has consistently better speed (so long as you choose a contract which doesn't restrict speeds). A couple of months ago i was tempted onto a new O2 contract for a very cheap price, and it's terrible. Very patchy coverage, and unreliable speeds, often dropping out to zero. Three coverage is ok, but their speeds are poor, but they're cheap. The main problem with Three is their customer service when something goes wrong. None of the networks are much good in that area, but Three are on a whole different level of terrible. When my current contract expires, I'll be returning to Vodafone probably.