Boaty Jo
-
Posts
632 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Posts posted by Boaty Jo
-
-
I asked C&RT if they would you like a volunteer anywhere? Bit of help locking perhaps?
Certainly sir, we have just the one for you.
-
2
-
-
Have you actually been on a boat?
You do need a degree of fitness to cruise and look after yourself living aboard. We did about 12years, but if we were starting now, we simply wouldn't be able to manage the physical side to the same extent.
Keep a shore-based safety net if I were you. That way, if you choose to finish boating, say in 5 years, you can do it.
But if you are forced off by health / injury and have no plan B, that would be unpleasant.
-
-
-
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.
-
1
-
-
Did I even have a filter with the gulper, don't think so.
-
7 hours ago, LadyG said:
Just warning you off Stressless, overpriced and not good quality, they use cheap foam, on an expensive chair, unreal.
I'm going to have to try to replace the seat foam as it is completely flattened.
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.
-
1
-
-
13 hours ago, Athy said:
Why would this be a problem? I would think that, with the exception of those big fat ones in the North, few French canals have any freight traffic nowadays. In recent years we've hired on the Canal de Garonne and the Canal Latéral a la Loire, both of which seemed to be in good nick.
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).
-
1
-
-
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.
-
1
-
-
Some costs posted on CART notice board..
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:
Half the information supplied on here is expert advice, and half of it is opinion.
.... and half of it is nonsense.
-
1
-
-
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.
-
8 hours ago, dmr said:
According to Facebook the developers have started to dig up and destroy the old filled in canal basins in Rochdale to build a commuter housing estate. There has been a long campaign, though mostly by one man, to save the basin and make it the centrepiece of a canalside development with shops, pubs , housing and moorings. It looks like this oppurtunuty is now lost forever.
My own view is that it would be quite difficult to build anything that would temp boaters into Rochdale, but maybe people said the same about Birmingham/Chester/Liverpool. Sad to see canal history destroyed.
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.
-
1
-
-
-
-
4 hours ago, Ianws said:
Ouch. I'm guessing you are reliant on a fuel boat. If not, Welsh anthracite might be a way to go, but they are still expensive. A local merchant is doing Excel at £12.70 for 20 kg. The discounts for bulk buying aren't huge.
I'm pretty sure our fire had a specific warning not to use anthracite as it burned very hot and could damage the stove. We had a Morso and a Becton Bunny. Can't just remember but I think the warning related to the Becton (Aarrow).
Worth a check anyway.
-
One idea. Reflective copper with an air gap behind.
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, IanD said:
Even when you add the other £500M to get £800M over 10 years, that's £80M a year for "civil engineering works" -- which is presumably part of the existing £200M/year CART budget.
I don't know whether the backlog was £100M or £100M/yr, but either way this isn't going to fix it since it just looks like the existing (inadequate) budget, not anything extra... 😞
Considering the state of the nations general finances, surely anything is a bonus! The canal system, historic as it is, is not everyone's priority.
-
1
-
-
Here for civil works on 1,582 locks, 55 tunnels, 2,790 bridges and 71 reservoirs.
This is in addition to £500 million complex civil engineering deal already awarded.
The future's bright??
-
-
Not sure the boat count came through, if not, here is another link..
And attached snip of numbers by area.
Considerate Cyclists
in General Boating
Posted