joe1978

AFAIK they don't blur out house names or numbers. I think the car reg thing is for criminal cloning reasons. I can't see many villains spending £6k on a respray to clone a narrowboat. Joe

We passed through here and even though it was tipping down (but warm) there were plenty folk outside enjoying a cuppa. Shame really. joe

I can confirm this too, some of the paddle gearing in missing on all of them I think. The gates weigh a tonne aswell, either through poor design, lacking in care or both. I had to help the wife a couple of times getting them open or even closing them again. Joe Oh, you'll have a great time we've just returned and had a great time, when I get the time I'll do a full trip report.

I went through foxton a few days ago and it was 6 up and 6 down. I didn't have a clue about the booking either until another boater told me. Unfortunately we were boat #7. Waited an hour at the bottom then allowed to go halfway then another 40 mins holding in the middle pound. Luck of the draw but I wasn't too chuffed!!

Having very recently moved from hiring to being a 1/12 owner in our boat (currently in the second week of our summer holiday). I think that it's a great option if you only want to spend 3-4 weeks a year on the cut for the littlest annual amount.

Probably. Suzie q has not long passed me as I was winding at meadow farm marina completing another inlaw day trip!! Thankfully we're now on our way again. Joe (NB Castleber)

I'm moored up at zouch just now again after treating the inlaws to a wee day trip to loughburgh junction, turned the boat and back again via The Plough at Normanton on Soar. Nice pub but I had to politely ask a day boat to pick an end of the mooring so I could get in!

We stopped at b43 a few days ago as we heard good things about The Moorings pub restaurant. Spot was fine, mooring rings, no noise and the food was very very good ( in a trendy pricey way but being city folk that's normal! )

My wife and I are in out early 30's and have just bought a 1/12 share so we can enjoy more time on the cut. We also have a que of friends waiting for a trip out and keen to know how it all works so all might not be lost. Joe

I see what you mean about going at it too hard, If need be we'll miss out the diversions for a instead. We've got upto 4 weeks a year to explore the network I need to keep that in mind and not try and do everything in 2 weeks Joe

I've found both useful in the past so I've ordered some off the 'jungle based book seller'. However it seems the Pearson's East Midlands book is out of print as I can't find a new copy. There are full sets on the boat for syndicate use as far as I know so we won't be stuck but I like to have my own too for notre taking etc. Joe

Not long managed to get back on here as for some some reason my netbook wouldn't access the site at all (turned out to be a TCP/IP stack problem but only after trying everything else first!) Anyway, thanks for all the help. Really looking forward to getting back out there especially if the weather holds up like this! Still looking at the Leicester ring with a few diversions, either up the Ashby and back or Erewash and back and a wee trip to Market Harbrough maybe to bulk it out. I'm still playing with the planner but the possibilities are endless! (We're heading northwards-ish as the inlaws want to visit for a wee day trip and they don't want to travel far from Mansfield) Joe

Thanks for the help guys, any more would be greatly appreciated. Ta Joe

Hi Everyone, Since I last came on here SWMBO and I have bought a 1/12 share in a narrowboat (58' cruiser stern NB Castleber ) so we can enjoy the canals more. Our first 2 week holiday is coming up in three weeks and I'm trying to decide what we can achieve in that time, so I'm hoping for a little help, I've had a good look through the CanalplanAC but the myriad of options and choices are a tad overwhelming. Basically its just me and the wife for 13 full days boating, we tend towards 8 hours moving per day and we are both fit and healthy! A ring type route would be ideal with good stops for a mix of good food pubs and quiet moorings, which is objective I know, and really that's it. We are going to be starting at the current mooring of Wigram Turns Marina at Napton Junction. Any advice would be great Thanks Joe Arrgh, just realised that probably should be in the holidays section of the forum. If a mod wants to move it then please feel free, I won't double post. joe

Myself and the good lady have just returned from a week on the Black Country Ring and had no problems really. Arrived in Birmingham too late to get moored centrally so moored up alongside another hireboat just after St Vincents St bridge near a rather dodgy looking estate but no problems and even managed to pick up some butter (which we forgot) before we set off again. The most disturbances were from the party boats going backwards and forwards! Joe

We had excellent food at the "fox and Anchor", coven on the shroppie. I can also reccomend the food at the pub at the 2nd bridge at Gnoshall (presuming your going clockwise!!). Plenty of moorings at both and we stopped overnight on both our out and back journeys last month. joe

shugbrough hall, noted!!! ta joe

Ta Jo, Yep those things are high on our list of priorities!!! Just looking for some general do's and don'ts for the week in that area. Hopefully there'll be loads of folk on here today back from their lovely bank hol break! joe

well i've eventually sorted myself out and booked my nb holiday this summer. I'm hiring one of anglowelsh's new boats out of great haywood for 7 days at the start of august. Dead excited! Now the fun/hard bit. Planning what to do, where to go etc. I did have a plan when we were leaving from wootton wawen but had to change for a mon to mon hire because my mates an idiot!! Any help advice on good routes/possibilities and of course pubs would be gratefully recieved! :-) I've been on a boating holiday too long ago in the past so i know how to operate locks but i've never "driven" one before. But should be fun. Thanks folks Joe Ps our crew are 2 able bodied women and 2 not so able men. Lol.

There are so many boat yards to choose from!! Rather than ask "who do you recommend?" Can I ask is there anyone to stay clear of?? Thanks joe

Thanks Stewey, I'll have a look. Well, talking to the rest of my friends we might be able to squeeze in a 10/11 night break instead of 7 so that opens us up to almost any kind of trip!?! joe

Daft qn but is that the same as the warwickshire ring? English counties are my worst general knowledge topic!! joe

Thanks so far everyone. Yep we're probably going for a week at the end July/start of August so plenty of daylight time!! *Most* of the companies allow dogs and the charge doesn't bother us, it's still a lot cheaper than kennels for a week!!! I'll have a look at the 5th horseman's route, and thanks bottel for your info too. Thaks for the link to chris!! I'm a sponge waiting to take on everyones advice. joe

Hi there, I've been loitering for a few weeks now and I'm taken aback how friendly folk seem to be on here. I'm wanting to organise a 7 day holiday for 3 couples (and dogs) on a narrowboat. I've been on one previous trip in my youth with the scouts but I can't recall the route we took and I've been wanting to do it again for years! I've been looking at the canalplanner utility which is ace, and been looking through various boat yard websites as reccomended by the users of this forum but I'm no further forward what to do so here I am... I'd ideally like to do a nice cruising ring (not compulsory), mostly rural with plenty of "refreshment options" on route. We're all in our late 20's/early 30's ( )and pretty fit, and there are 6 of us so plenty of locks won't be a problem and since we've all got dogs early rises and longish days won't be a problem either. So can anybody suggest a good holiday route for first timers who want a bit of exercise and want to put a bit of effort in to see a bit of countryside, have a few beers and hopefully catch the "bug" that people on here have. Ta loads Joe