Boaty Jo

The old burnt-out mill near Summit on the Rochdale has shed half a dozen courses along part of it's length. Some big stones have come down. I saw the top leaning somewhat only the day before as I walked past. The road is closed for now but not sure about the canal. Worth a call to CART if you're thinking of travelling.

At my step-daughter's place up in Cumbria. Delightful creatures.

Did I even have a filter with the gulper, don't think so.

Did you buy a knock-off? Mine, sized according to me, is high quality and very comfortable. £1,600 with foot-stool.

Another way to look at it being a buyers market is that it's a good time to shift a suspect boat at an inflated price without survey.

Don't know about the Garonne but the Lateral a La Loire is part of the north / south Route Bourbonnais linking the Seine to the Saone and Rhone and in 2010 / 2012 there was 'some' commercial traffic. But if push comes to shove is there enough commercial stuff these days to justify the maintenance spend? Don't know. There used to be a fair amount of hotel boat traffic down the southern end, the Canal du Centre. The other north south routes, which hopefully they'll keep maintaining are the Champagne Bourgogne down the centre and the Canal des Vosges in the east (formerly Canal de L'est) though that seems to struggle for water. For example the branch to Epinal seems to be closed regularly. The Ardennes and Ainse, further north and east / west canals, were choked with weed in places back in 2014 but very rural and pretty. I suspect we've seen the best of both French and UK waterways, funding for both is a huge issue with the financial hole we're in. Similar now I suspect but back in 2008 Dutch canals, used extensively for commercial traffic, were both well maintained and licence free (though both they and Belgium are hot on boat safety).

Signed. Even a partial closure would be a great shame. Last time we did it in about 2012, parts of it were creaking and weedy. One lock-keeper even lent me his pristine red, double-tined fork so I could shift some weed while he took partook of lunch! St. Jean to Dijon is rather 'plain' (apart from the lock pound lined with walnut trees) but thereafter it is wonderful. The problem, at least in part, is probably the lack of commercial traffic, apart from the hotel boats. It's more of a cross-country route than a north-south through route.

Some costs posted on CART notice board..

.... and half of it is nonsense.

Tam I'm sure will give you comprehensive advice. This may include a couple of thoughts I had. 1. If it's a widebean narrowboat you're considering the gunwhales and on-board bollard / bit set up are not ideal for tackling big locks. 2. There is some great cruising in The Netherlands away from the canals. The bigger rivers for example (the Ijssel and Maas) and the meers, including the IJsselmeer which again may suit a more traditional Dutch style barge.

The guy is called Steven Parker. I met him earlier this year and he's passionate about the canals. He's fighting pretty much a lone battle I fear. https://www.facebook.com/groups/292292365495536/ Rochdale has a reputation for being 'scruffy', justifiably, but any development hereabouts appears to focus on revenue (council tax). I'm afraid history and heritage is rarely part of the equation. The centre of town is really quite smart these days, an ongoing programme, but this canal basin, If I've got the right place, is still a business / industrial area predominantly. Of course it is, it built up round the canal basin. It's a brownfield site - just what the developers are after.

Just across the North Sea, The Afsluitdijk between North Holland to Friesland. Turned the salt water Zuider Zee into the fresh water Ijsselmeer. Completed in 1932, quite a thing. Here it is

Called 'Capital Punishment'. Rather a nice film