Stroudwater1

Is that where the sink hole was earlier this year, that one was on the concrete steps you use to open the gate.

Thats right, Miles Platting way- the pound that the A6010 crosses, the other end,2 locks up from Victoria Park, surprisingly quiet for an overnight stop- it was getting too late to go further.

We spent a quiet night this year moored on the long pound between Newton Heath and Islington basin , not sure I would leave a boat unattended. The morning sunrise was lovely. spotted a terrapin in a Newton Heath pound plus lots of orchids too. Then there were a group of children canoeing at Newton Heath. The idea of a clean is a great one. Perhaps the development by Newton Heath will help too. The whole area is frustrating in that so many seem not to care, some do though, including one nice guy feeding daily 6 moorhen chicks. He swore it wasn’t to eat them 😂

Its only functional for narrowboats!

I feel sorry for any narrow beam GRP or wooden cruisers. What have they done to deserve banning from this lock 😁?

Blackrose, you do need to try and appreciate that the Rochdale is different from most of the rest of the network. There are many miles of canal with huge amounts of litter clothing plastic bags etc - much semi submerged. It still appears to be the main source of refuse disposal for many round Newton Heath and above. The canal post restoration is shallow, and the shallow bottom is similarly full of all sorts of rubbish much metallic with wire not possible to see. The locks are very frequent so your technique which is good in other areas won’t work. Pictured are the floating debris at many of the locks, much is just under water though This is the plastic and clothing debris that we removed from our friends boats prop this year. They are experienced boaters going very slowly and carefully though this area. The prop size does seem to make a difference. it’s bad luck more than bad judgment often with fouls on The Rochdale. The hacksaw was useful as there usually was room between the blades to cut. Those knipex wire cutters do look very handy. A serrated bread knife can be useful for tough fabric and discarded fishing keep nets. It really needs a gang regularly going through with rakes and clever tools pulling out the debris. Sad as it’s a great canal.

The Grand Union Thames Oxford ring might be another thought too, If you share the wide locks of the GU it can be very sociable and not too strenuous if sharing and the Thames is a delight. You could go up some of the Arms of the Grand Union, higher up the Thames beyond Oxford or The River Wey as detours. it just shows what a brilliant inland waterway system we have as all the other suggestions are very good too.

Yes I do and it seems to mark the visual boundary between Birmingham and Rural Worcestershire which seems to add to it. It’s rare to see both ends from the middle but it can happen. Luckily rubbish is rare now but in older days the occasional almost submerged railway sleeper added to the eeriness, especially in a GRP or thinner hulled wooden boat.

The photos work for me too. She doesn’t look as bad as I expect most would suspect. I’m so glad Ariel is OK, was concerned she had met a nasty end. Good for you - keep in touch as to how things are going

Indeed, and there are some very long pounds involved too. The W&B stop gates by many Bridges that used to be in excellent condition into Birmingham are so poorly maintained now or non existent but the effects of a breach very significant given the length of the pound. There’s so many embankments along that pound. Similar Braunston way though much less populated. Sadly whilst it’s inevitable there will be a breach on these one day there seems little thought of maintenance.

Looks like Ariel has been moved hopefully to pastures new. Great to hear your plans

That’s a massive boat you are planning to sail for much of the season, where are you planning to sail her? I’ve no direct experience of Heritage ranges, but they do look good. Did though have an Aga at home for years that did the cooking plus domestic hot water. It worked well. I’ve viewed narrowboats with a heritage range and it did mean they had a greater draft than usual. (3 foot compared to what I had imagined at 2’6- both had a traditional old engine too) Given the size of your planned boat that effect may well be reduced. Both were liveaboards but managed fine with just the range, no underfloor hearing and no other stove. Have you tried living in or hiring a narrowboat? You may be surprised at the room it gives you and it will give full inland waterway coverage bar one small area at 60’. You are pretty restricted with a widebeam, as I expect you know.

Sadly the forum has no identifiable irony posting sign, it’s a disgrace 🤣 The guy was very busy running side to side whilst the ladies sipped their drinks. It was quite comical. Selling it at Dunchurch he said, but pity anyone taking it for a trial run, if prospective widebeam purchasers do such a thing.

Just by a small B road, two sections of the bridge wire grating have come off next to the sign Then below the bridge not even a hint of a sign warning wide beams of the kink by the bridge 🤣

Lower Shuckburgh this morning

Very well put. Glad you have one and hope all works out well. Is it not possible to move it yourself though? You may enjoy that part perhaps?

The sign on the GU is looking rather sad ten years on. More like downhill to Stratford which I guess is technically correct 🤣

Having been through the looking phase I must say that Rugby were the best in terms of presentation which includes their website. The boat was all opened up engine running (good or bad thing I realise!) lights on etc. 5 other brokers were visited and all hadn’t got the boat prepared for a viewing though some at least were attentive! I wouldn’t get in a lather about emails myself it’s IT for you! I think you just need to look daily at The duck plus several brokers sites/ social media pages to see what’s new as well as a phone call on occasion to see if something up your street is coming. Obviously some wise brokers have a list of prospective buyers for specific boats. We got to know a couple well, they seem generally good people. The canny ones remember too that a good sale means a potential further sale through them in the future. Not dealt with the broker that’s caused some postings here recently.

Oops I meant to suggest that Dawncraft furthur up the Staffs and Worcs stopped manufacture under that (Dawncraft) name in the mid 1980s so perhaps thats a link? I was merely wondering if Dawncraft employees/ management perhaps had anything to do with this, having ceased production/ scaled down at Dawncraft in the mid 1980s. Conjecture only.

Interesting. I cant think where else in Stourport they would have been made, if indeed they were made there, and not just called Stourport as it sounds better that the place they were made. Dawncraft furthur up the Staffs and Worcs stopped manufacture under that name in the mid 1980s so perhaps thats a link? There may well be adverts in the canal magazines at the time for them which would help, but I cant see any in my fairly small collection. , Personally I would be inclined to keep the Classic on the side of the boat somewhere on her as its a main indication of the manufacturer, it looks like metal. Nice boat I think.

Im wondering perhaps if its the name of the boat rather than the manufacturer? Holt Abbott made canal boats in Stourport from the 1950s , but they were Marine ply, I am not totally sure when he retired, it was perhaps a tiny bit later than 1984 though could have been mid 80s. Its the only place that I can think that allows space to have built boats in Stourport (The basin I think was too crowded for that?) Perhaps they briefly took over Abbotts Canal Pleasurecrafts premises just above York Street Lock. There are some similarities to Abbott boats with the eye of faith?

Well thats why I was confused. Beards Mill viaduct designed by Brunel is on the Plymouth to Birmingham line via Gloucester and Cheltenham, its 200 yards or so further towards Bristol than the Ocean/ canal crossing also originally a laminated wood viaduct I believe. The line to Paddington from Gloucester leaves for Stonehouse Stroud Sapperton Kemble Swindon some 1/2 mile Gloucester way. So the viaduct designed by Brunel is around 3/4 mile away from the Paddington to Gloucester GWR line which I why I had presumed the line over the canal is a GWR line !

Many thanks, I understood that Beards Mill viaduct, originally timber some 200 yards down from the canal was designed by Brunel, so had put two and two together, thanks for the correction.