magpie patrick

That's fair comment Natalie, and while I was wide of the mark, it backs up what I was trying to say. You can't justify a CCer or any other visitor to an area paying council tax on the basis they get council services, and selective examples like hygiene checks at pubs and restaurants aren't helpful. and Council Tax doesn't pay for canals except in a few instances, so a resident does walk the canal for free, unless they pay income tax (a different issue) they have not contributed I know some people (Carlt for example) favour local income tax, as do I in principle, but it has the same issue, you pay it where you live to the authority you live in. If you use the facilities of another authority, you haven't paid for them, and there are fewer available. To put it bluntly, it is impossible for someone who doesn't live in a locality to pay a local tax except, possibly, local sales tax, and I don't think we have that (leaving congestion charge and car park charges out of it).

Unless you live somewhere like Bath, where there is a maintenance agreement between the local authority and BW (sadly, it appears it wasn't index linked!) then council tax does not go to BW, they are centrally funded. A lot of this seems to revolve around using facilities without paying council tax, and some fairly selective examples have been given, such as environmental health checking the kitchens in a pub. Now, I only pay council tax in Bath and North East Somerset, so does that mean that I am a sponger when I eat in a pub in, say Stroud District? There are very few thibngs that I can have as a BANES tax payer that non BANES residents can't have, mainly library membership and a ten percent discount at Bath Thermae Spa (because BANES tax payers funded the£30 million overrun). Every other council paid for operation, street cleaning, public health etc, is avaialble to every visitor. Perhaps I should start a campaign that American and Japanese Tourists should pay council tax...

I assume that should have a tongue in cheek smiley? I don't think James Brindley et al had a boat quite like blackrose in mind when they build the canals

Except for the upper bit around Salford Quays and up the river Irwell, the answer is "not really allowed". There are many quite arduous requirements in terms of equipment, insurance etc and a quite heft fee, they also want narrow boats to travel in pairs. On the upper bit, you can go through Pomona Lock, for a fee, and travel a few miles through Salford and Manchester, spending the night at the Mark Addy (and paying another fee the next day to go through Pomona Lock)

Working Days, canals had restricted hours, lock keepers enforced "working turns" some closed, the Leicester Section was notorious for this 1976, in May, Oxford Canal was down to 3 hours per day at locks between Napton and Aynho, in the summer it closed alltogether. That year Dad decided we'd do the Ashby for some reason... When we do economic studies for waterways, re reckon they need to survive the 1 in 10 year drought for businesses to have faith in them. The Rochdale struggles to deal with a 1 in 3 year drought

I'd agree, on the Lancaster we found all the wide beams could get into the bank, whereas Ripple Couldn't...

Going down the river, only one rope at the back is fine, like I say, it isn't fine for going UP Gloucester, which having gone down river you must do, get someone else on board for Gloucester Lock,or as a last resort, ring ahead and tell the lockie you are single handed current around 1mph, you don't really notice it until you realise it's slower going up than down, and when you turn round you drift a fair way

Thanks all quick addendum a very large river cruiser, double decked, is moored just down from them and has offered all assistance, making sure they'e okay for food, etc and seem possibly to have spirited Dad off to the pub... Lesson for anyone on a boat, more so for those who lend it out, and certainly for anyone involved in illicit hire... My Father could say hand on heart, "it's my son's boat, he told it was full of fuel, his records suggest it should be.."...

Okay, so I think we've concluded that I've had 120 litres of fuel filched... and now have to pay an engineer to bleed the engine (yes I can do it, but mum and dad can't, although I guess they will pay and then decline my offer to refund them) So, how do you lock the "screw top" type of fuel filler... the ones where the entire arrangement is proud of the deck?

On the towpath in Bath it is an issue, you ring your bell, some old dear gets offended that she has been alerted to your presence, and wonders whu cyclists are there at all (coz it's national route four, me ducks) Yet others protest if you don't ring your bell, and are all embarrassed at having kept you waiting... I think advertising "cyclists give two tings, pedestrians, we've told cyclists to give two tings" is a sensible idea...