magpie patrick

We moored overnight in Clifden lock cut and at Reading Bridge, and for a service stop at Wallingford. No current in the lock cut, turned into the flow at the other two.

I did it last summer in Lutine, she of the daily oil change, overhating issues etc, and no end of other problems. Other than having to plan when to change the oil it was a breeze. Lutine could not be described as over powered We came out at Isis lock as I was picking up more oil at college cruisers

It's a township name, somed say derived from Cyswllt meaning junction, others say that's twaddle. Froncysyllte means Cysyllte on the hill So it could be water bridge of the bridge of the town at the junction on the hill.... or it could be that the Welsh are having a good laugh at me when they read this.

Pont Cysyllte is actually the name if the bridge nearby, which carries the old road over the Dee and connects Froncysyllte to Trevor, the big thing with water in it is Pont Cysyllte Aqueduct, Aqueduct translates to Pont Dwr in Welsh (literally water bridge) - as Aqueduct itself is obviously Latin anyone know the English for It?

Backwater curve calculations would suggest about 6 inches on each of the two long levels (above and below New Marton). To put that in perspective, the pound from Wheaton Aston to Tyrley (17 miles of "still" water) slopes by around 2 inches

Looks awesome in the elevation - I've seen it many times, but one never gets quite that view. If you'd asked me how many spans I wouldn't have known, I'd never thought about it, which isn't like me. I have gone off the view from it though... tendency to vertigo

Thanks guys I think that Malpas things may be of interest to the friends I am staying with on the rest of my trip, they also want to see the locks at Fonserannes, but are less likely to get excited about Demi-ecluses and flood defence stuff, which I'd better go to on my own if I value the friendship... Looks like a fascinating day can be had without getting too far from Beziers

(3) Have some drainage holes in the first place... (A design fault on Lutine that needs rectifying)

I may be spending a couple of days in Beziers in the autumn, and if I do I will have a full day to myself with car available. I know of the Fonserannes locks, which I'm likely to get to see anyway, so, given a day and a car from Beziers, what's worth searching out on the canal? I'm guessing the round lock at Agde would be a good starting point, but what else?

What's impressive about that one is that it has mitre gates - (Though not balance beams, thankfully!) Stop it! My retirement cruising plans are having to be completely rewritten because of your picture!

I'm not excusing it - I saw the report and was intending to action it, but was also about to do something else more important (sorry there are such things) so went away intending to look at it it later, I then forgot as I went to look at other reports that had come in. Reports come in spikes, and we tend to act quickly if someone has gone big time into abusive mode with personal threats etc. Even then it depends on who is logged in and sees it, it may take a few hours for any mod to see a report, or two may see it within minutes. If something is really bad we'll lock/hide first even if we haven't time to do "the paperwork" Nick, your report was in the middle of three or four that needed more urgent action - I fully intended to deal with it but it got lost, sorry This is very true 1st Ade is also Magpie the older sibling - this doesn't always get him anywhere though!

Impressive - which end of the canal (and how deep)? I take it the rest are more moderate rise?

Frome Town Council, which is a parish council despite appearances, has, at councillor level, networked widely. We have an independent council but unlike most it is "Independent for Frome" (IfF) not just independent, and all our seats are contested. Frome councillors in particular Peter McFadyane, have been spreading the word as to how we do stuff. They may know of a forum and if they don't they may welcome one being set up.

I stay here quite regularly at the Priory Hotel, the better rooms look out towards the amphitheatre. That there was a quay by the Hanbury Arms is quite obvious Elsewhere, still within the village centre more or less, is Tram Road and Tram Lane, I have puzzled about these as I'm not aware of tramways here (Which doesn't mean there weren't any)

I missed that one, where is it?!?! I might have joined in