Mac of Cygnet

Couldn't take a look at the stove fan in our Lidl, as they'd sold out very quickly, which rather surprised me.

Isn't it also the case that a boat flexes slightly on hard standing and after going in the water, the doors, etc won't fit properly?

However, there should be a rule about posting here without a joke! Thank you, Patrick.

I do most of that, but certainly don't block all the vents - surely you want the boat well ventilated to stop condensation? You always leave some moisture in the air unless you've avoided breathing or cooking for several hours. And please excuse my ignorance - I've thought hard but can't work out what a WMC* is. Only extra thing is if you have a raw water cooled engine like I have, make sure all the water is drained/pumped out. I also add a small dose of antifreeze to make sure (yes I know that this is toxic to the aquatic environment, but the dilution when pumped out will be 1 in many millions - homeopathic amounts). *Apart from Working Men's Club, that is.

I would also have liked to try the Jefferson Arms at Thorganby, but was warned that the riparian owner was dead against boats and may even set me adrift! In fact I visited the Boot and Shoe while moored at Cottingwith Lock - a pleasant walk across the fields. As to the Breighton Ferry, apparently the landlord there had complained to Martin the Barmby Barrage keeper because the latter had recommended boats to stop there - it seems to be bikers and caravanners only.

Well they use double sided tape in houses, and they don't often turn upside down either. Isn't it to prevent creep?

If you go on to the winter moorings booking site you can see what proportion is taken up for all of them, month by month. (No, I haven't bothered.)

Part 2 (See Part 1 for info and scoring system. The scores reveal at least as much about the pubs as the comments.) Selby Canal and River Ouse JUG, Chapel Haddlesey (Jun 2, 29, Aug 26) 3+4+7=14 A good village local which perhaps needs more imagination. Not busy on a Friday night, and closes early evening Mondays. (2016 - 3+4+9=16 Went out of their way to help me) WHEATSHEAF, Burn (Jul 1, 2) 5+4+8=17 Friendly pub crammed with interesting features, including local airfield memorabilia. GBG GREY HORSE, Brayton (Aug 11) 3+3+8=14 Pleasantly peaceful refurbished local with books and no music. SWAN, Brayton (Sept 2) 2+3+6=11 Large, bright, open but rather cold and cheerless bar. The cheapest this year. DOG HOUSE, Selby (June 30) 5+3+6=14 Trendy 'Craft Beer Cafe', outlet for Little Black Dog Brewery. Beer mediocre, so went to: GEORGE, Selby (June 30) 2+3+5=10 Large town pub next to the Abbey, with traditional unimaginative attitude, lots of tellys (even outside) but no crisps. NELSON, Selby (July 9) 2+4+6=12 Basic little local near the canal basin, rather ruined for me by deafening jukebox, but I suppose this isn't on all the time. GBG GIANT BELLFLOWER, Selby (Aug 8 ) 5+4+7=16 A superior Wetherspoons, in fact probably the best pub in Selby. Much bigger than it looks. Lots of botanical prints. GBG ABBEY VAULTS, Selby (Aug 10) 3+4+6=13 Wood-panelled retro interior. Trying to be a mini Wetherspoons. OLYMPIA, Barlby (Aug 25) 5+4+7=15 Large open plan brewpub with a good selection of its own beers (Jolly Sailor) and welcoming friendly service. 10 mins walk across Selby road bridge. GREYHOUND, Riccall (Aug 19) 5+4+7=16 Comfortable if unremarkable village pub, not accessible from the river, but excellent Selby - York bus service passes the door. GBG BLACKSMITH'S ARMS, Naburn (July 28) 4+3+6=13 Food-oriented and full of kids. Service efficient but bleak. Expensive. Extensive collection of saucy postcards in the Gents a slight redeeming feature. SHIP, Acaster Malbis (July 10) 4+4+8=16 Large attractive riverside pub with substantial pontoon moorings, Welcoming atmosphere and cheerful staff. But CLOSED MONDAYS. GBG EAGLE & CHILD, York (July 11) 5+4+6=15 Fairly new city centre pub with prices to match, but not outstanding. YORK TAP, York (July 11) 5+4+7=16 The York station bar. Geared up for a busy throughput, but quiet in the evening. 17 cask beers and 2 ciders. BLUE BELL, York (July 12) 5+5+9=19 Really old-fashioned small bar and back room. No music, telly, juke box, fruit machines, kids or mobile phones. Cash only. Welcomes all dogs and most people, but not large groups. Great at quiet times, but can get crammed, I believe. GBG MINSTER INN, York (July 12, Aug 5) 5+4+7=16 Near the Museum Garden moorings, up Marygate. Good beer selection, but expensive. SHAMBLES BAR, York (July 25) 5+3+7=15 Tiny bar and back room extending through to the market covered outdoor area - blankets provided! LAST DROP INN, York (July 25) 3+3+6=12 Basic bar, the York Brewery tap, but in the process of being taken over by Brew York, so in transition. Beer warm. BRIGANTES, York (July 26) 5+3+7=15 Large noisy restaurant and bar near the station. Prices not justified for area and ambience. GBG CORNER PIN, York (July 27) 3+4+6=13 Backstreet local found when looking for somewhere to sit down on a York Races Saturday evening. Too noisy to even tell if there was any music. HOUSE OF TREMBLING MADNESS, York (July 29) 3+5+8=16 Small 'ancient' drinking hall above a bottle shop, hidden to avoid being besieged - I couldn't find it at first. Full of strange beasts. Good staff. This is the one in Stonegate, not the much more obvious but not anywhere near as good Lendal one. TANK & PADDLE, York (Aug 5) 3+4+5=12. Large modern establishment which I went into by mistake after a difficult mooring at King's Staithe opposite. The most expensive this year. SLIP INN, York (Aug 6) 5+4+8=17 Unpretentious neighbourhood local with a good beer choice, pleasant atmosphere and cheerful service. Not overpriced for the city. GBG PHOENIX, York (Aug 7) 5+5+8=18. Blessedly quiet old-fashioned slightly shabby pub just within the city walls - well-defended! GBG SWAN, York (Aug 9) 5+5+8=18 Lovely little old-fashioned pub near the SLIP INN. Public bar with serving hatch, and 'smoke room' opening off wide corridor bar. Not expensive GBG DAWNAY ARMS, Newton-on-Ouse (July 24) 3+4+8=15 Attractive old riverside inn, food-oriented but with proper stone flagged bar. Tiny pontoon mooring at the bottom of the garden. (Confusingly, there is another Dawnay Arms in a nearby village which is in the GBG) Ure Navigation & Ripon Canal BLACK BULL, Boroughbridge (July 13) 1+3+7=11 A big disappointment (GBG 2019). Lovely traditional old coaching inn apparently under caretaker management. GRANTHAM ARMS, Boroughbridge (July 13) 3+3+7=13 The nearest to the moorings. Very food-oriented, but several rooms to hide in, with pics of Boroughbridge in its Great North Road heyday. ANCHOR,, Longthorpe (July 23) 3+4+6=13 Very ordinary roadside pub rather spoiled by annoying music. ONE-EYED RAT, Ripon (July 14) 5+4+8=17 Deceptively small frontage. A very exciting visit - the World Cup Cricket final! GBG UNICORN, Ripon (July 15) 5+4+7=16 A 17th Century Wetherspoons! On the attractive Town Square, with lots of local interest and intriguingly mixed shabby furniture. WATER RAT, Ripon (July 22) 4+4+6= 14 Riverside restaurant and bar overlooked by the Cathedral, near the moorings.. Rather noisy, with not-too-efficient staff. River Derwent and Pocklington Canal KING'S HEAD,, Barmby-in-the-Marsh (Aug 24) 2+4+7=13 For sale, and just hanging on - bar only, open Wed-Sun evenings only. Several reminders of better times (it was excellent when I was here in 2012). BOOT & SHOE, Ellerton (Aug 23) 2+4+8=14 Beautiful little old pub in a pleasant village, with small, rather dark low-ceilinged rooms. GBG MELBOURNE ARMS, Melbourne (Aug 21, 22) 2+4+6=12 Rather soul-less open plan makeover with no proper bar, in a nice village with excellent village shop. That's it! 79 pubs visited this year. Top score was the BLUE BELL in York - everything a pub should be, but a victim of its own success, being uncomfortably busy most evenings. My own favourite? Probably the MARKET TAVERN, Brighouse, although the COLLIER'S ARMS, Elland and the PHOENIX, York are close contenders. It is no coincidence that all of these are minus music, telly and fruit machines. Cheers! Mac

There's a big difference between 'single boats only' (there are a couple at the other end of the Rochdale) and one gate not opening at all. Especially for a 10ft wide boat that the OP has.

I find on looking back that the last time I was in the Sair Inn was 5 years ago, when I gave it a rather brief and lukewarm review in the 2014 Pub Cruise (see OP for link). I think it was at a low ebb at the time, as the landlord and brewer was ill (he died in 2016), and wasn't what it was on my previous visits. There was talk of community ownership - has this happened? I see it is in recent and 2020 Good Beer Guides.

Hi Mike. You must have read all that more carefully than I did! The omitted score for Hark To Mopsey was 5+3+7=15, but I can't edit that now. Perhaps you can? As to your chicken query:

Ah, yes, I can see the hogshead/pig confusion. They are the only two Sowerby Bridge pubs in the 2020 Good Beer Guide..There's also the Blue Pig near Hebden Bridge, which I think is better than either. I was talking to Colin (Dr Bradley of these forums) soon after I visited the Blind Pig, and asked him if he'd ever been there. "Yes", he said, "I was there at 3 o'clock this morning!" So I wasn't far out with the nightclub comment.