JohnEW2912

I emailed last night at 6.30 to book a place this Thursday. Had a reply booking me in 10 minutes later, on a Sunday evening.

We came down Lapworth last Sunday and the paddles were by some way the worst we have encountered on this trip. So far we’ve come down from Whaley Bridge to Stourport and then back up though Birmingham, Lapworth, down to Napton and back up as far as Ansty so far. So plenty of locks and I wouldn’t have expected Lapworth to have been the worst, but it was.

I would hardly say that there are hordes of them. I imagine there are a few every week but a busy route it is not. Having said that we just came up the Stourbridge 16 and Delph yesterday and we did not see another moving boat in either direction until we were 10 minutes from Windmill End and I'm fairly sure that the Stourport Ring is busier than the Cheshire Ring. Whereas the southern Staffs & Worcs had a steady flow of boats all day.

Every time someone says “hello Kathleen” to my wife, about twice a day on average. It’s not even her name, it was named after her mother.

We should be up there in the next 10 days in our 58’. We’ve been a number of times and never had a real issue with the turn.

Whilst this film was no doubt during a stoppage it would not be at all unusual to walk down the flight and not see a boat moving. The flight is used but never by huge numbers, mainly because it leads to either the Ashton into Manchester or the Huddersfield and both are not for many boaters (although I think they’re both really interesting routes.

Travelling south on Monday morning we got a full briefing including checking lights and horn - we were on opposite sides of the canal as you are there so plenty of social distancing but no problems.

Off the top of my head the end of the Peak Forest at Portland Basin, at the end of the Ashton in Manchester, Castlefield, Sale and anywhere beyond the built-up area to Lymm.

Bosley and Marple locks are both due to open unrestricted as from today so you should be fine.

One thing to point out is that you have planned a route to the end of the Leek branch of the Caldon. That's fine if that's what you want to do, but most would go down the main line to Froghall either instead of or as well as the Leek branch. Adding on a round trip to Froghall would make the whole journey 65 hours and 36 minutes.

Have you thought about starting with the half-way house of a boat share for a few years? It would fit in very well with your plan to have 2/3 holidays a year although the long weekends wouldn't work so well. You would save a lot of money and have some time to really find out what you liked and didn't like about boat layouts.

All the locks are open but for limited times. It's all on the CRT website.

Are you aware of the time restrictions on the locks between Leeds and Skipton?

The majority of the canal, effectively from Wigan across to Leeds is currently closed. The most up to date information on the CRT website, posted last Friday 19th, confirms that it will re-open on Monday 6th July, but with time restrictions on lock flights. I think it's a rather semantic argument to say that water conservation is not the same as water shortages. They are saving water because they don't (or didn't) have enough. They have decided to concentrate on making the canal available in July and August and particularly when the lockdown is eased enough for people to stay overnight.

But they're opening from 6th July, albeit with time restrictions. And those west of the Leigh branch have never been shut.

That's right as along as the "anybody" is from a single household, or is a single parent with children under 18. It doesn't matter how many are in the second household.

Presumably Anglo Welsh from Great Heywood & Bunbury would have the advantage that you could go from one to the other in one week and then arrange for a pump out and maybe clean bedding for new guests and then back to the original base. You could easily arrange two different one week cruises between the two with some side trips off the straight route.

Black Prince in Stoke are a short taxi ride from Stoke station. There will be plenty of hire boat bases that are a taxi ride away from stations. Foe example the hire bases in Middlewich are about 12 miles from Crewe station. A taxi from there will be a small cost compared to the boat hire cost. Anglo Welsh at Great Heywood is pretty close to Stafford station, Napton Narrowboats at Autherley Junction close to Wolverhampton etc. All on the 4 counties.

I've just had a very similar email from my marina at Scarisbrick - they are now closed to anyone who is not already there on a boat.

Where are you starting from?

Our boat has been up the Caldon twice in recent weeks (once with us and then with son and wife) and it was busier than I've ever known it. Still not mega busy but noticeably more boats. We have been to the end of the Leek branch I think three times now and the last two we've been the only boat. This time there were 4 of us, the night before there was apparently breasting up and my son was warned off going up as there wouldn't be any space for him.

But is it better than a Wigan kebab? (3 pies on a stick).

According to last night's local news it was indeed overflow from the Irwell that caused it.

A number of years ago my son was planning to take our boat from Leeds up the C&H. I told him to call in the BW office and pick up a handspike but omitted to tell him what it was, other than he would need one. He was assuming it was some sort of fancy key and was a bit nonplussed when given a big piece of wood. He was then off to the pub in central Leeds with his mates....

We were there for the Morris dancing on Thursday as well, also by chance. Our boat was the one visible from the pub. We haven’t been up the Caldon for three years and this trip was the busiest we have ever seen it. Still not busy like the Llangollen but quite a lot more boats moving than any time before. At the end of the Leek branch on Wednesday there were four of us overnight and apparently the night before one boat was breasted up to get in. This morning we stopped for a late breakfast at the Emma Bridgewater factory and coming back found ourselves at the back of a queue of 4 boats going into Planet Lock. Queueing for locks on the Caldon - whatever next?