The Toad in the Hole

That makes a lot more sense, although having looked at a few of the "humans of..." sites, the C&RT one does feel a bit like a corporate sanitised version (but then I suppose it is!).

I've always thought C&RT do an ok job and get a lot of stick from self interest groups and armchair critics. However...... http://humansofthewaterways.tumblr.com/ eh?

It's lovely, but my cruising is somewhat restricted as I'm on chirk marina and both tunnels are shut from today 'till Christmas. Had our last 2014 trip to Llan on the weekend and we were pretty much the only boat moving that wasn't a dayboat or the trip boat. All got a bit bit leafy, but the colours were lovely

Clothes. Boots Motorcycle. Although I can usually persuade someone to help out if I'm short. Hasta la vista, baby. PS good variable power led Headtorch.

went a couple of times, but not for a few years - it clashed with another festival. It was good, but maybe a little low key. some nice pub sessions, and a few big (ish) names on the main stage. Both times I turned up a day or so before and got moored on the Middlewich, but my boat is half length, so I can often find a space more (moor?) easily

The advice on the fairport convention website for arriving by boat could probably do with updating http://www.fairportconvention.com/faq.php

Because it's members led, they do occasionally host some flaky propositions, but it's worth remembering that 38 degrees were at the forefront of the the opposition campaign to the original forestry sell off. They've also done some good work on some of the NHS issues, so tarring the whole project as innacurate doesn't really help. They seem a lot more grounded than some of the other citizen advocate sites, like Avaas or Change.org

worse than that. Randall Munroe understands EXACTLY how this (and in fairness every other) forum operates

I suppose because not all of us have modern or retrofitted bathroom facilities. I don't have a shower and am very grateful to find proper facilities in good order.

I stepped off the stern of the boat going into a lock at Autherley. Suddenly found myself up to the nipples in the canal watching the dog sitting at the stern watching me as the boat tootled away on tickover. Jumped onto the towpath, legged it down and took a flying leap onto the stern. My wife working the lock not only didn't notice, she also didn't see I was soaking wet when the boat rose up the lock. More seriously, I helped an elderly lady back out after she'd fallen in Llangollen basin and bashed her hip on the concrete side. Apparently no major injury, but it did highlight the fact that the ambulance had no idea how to reach her - think BW put some signs up after that. The dogs have been in more times than I care to think about. Mostly intentionally off the mooring, though one did try to walk across a whole stack of blown leaves.

Go to gigs. Go to festivals. Use social media (!) get to see new bands you haven't come across before. Go to smaller independent festivals. You might not find anything at V, but you might at something like Beautiful Days. Subscribe to music feeds from people you respect with interesting musical tastes. There's lots of excellent new musicians out there doing really exciting things, but you will have to seek it out. There is life in abundance beyond x-factor, but a lot of it doesn't make playlists on national radio (and I have to include 6music there, although there is some exciting music that pops up there from time to time) Internet radio stations are good, but it depends on if you want to step beyond single genres,as they can be over-specialised. But above all go to gigs. See people play.

Where do flies go in Winter? Through Denton to Hyde... Water taxi!!!

with my smelly festival hat on (ooer!) I saw these folk at the weekend, so I thought I'd share it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVKFABVCTM Old Father Thames, Mishaped Pearls.

I'm sure there's a physics based explanation, but I'll add some anecdata - Banbury Canoe Club! I've been quite spectaculary wallopped around at cropredy before now by tiny plastic drainpipes ridden by demented elves. In contrast, the canoeists I meet on the Llangollen/ Monty are almost always very good. There's the occasional blind panic, but mostly they are very considerate - don't know if that's the difference between racing kayaks and open/ Canadian canoes, though - some analogies with cyclists there if I wanted to work on it (maybe...)

I've been with the boat a couple of times, but this year I'm camping again. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose - the bore-rock is a draw for me! Shame you've missed out on tickets, but there should be plenty of day time stuff in the village if you're close enough to still make the trip. I'll be the guy with the old black lab, the idiot retriever and the young lad constantly doing back flips!

Don't post much, but I've been lurking around here a while and I seem to remember an incident....

At a guess, they'll pile in a minibus and drive to the put in point. I've met youth groups on the Monty on occasion, so that would be my best bet (though I did meet a group (with lights and lookouts etc) coming out of one of the Chirk tunnels once - tell truth, I was a bit jealous as as it looked like fun)

There were a number that had arrived before the weekend, though some will have to move for the fireworks, I reckon

time of day (and day of the week) is going to make a difference. Base time for my boat is about 2 hours, maybe a little less, but if you get stuck on the wrong end of a stream of boats heading into the narrows, that can add anything from 10 minutes to an hour onto your journey. Similarly the stretch leading up to the Sun Trevor can be a PITA if there is a lot of of oncoming traffic, even though there are passing places. It's midweek and school holidays, so there'll be a lot of (mostly) harmless incompetency - So maybe 90 minutes with an empty canal and a tail wind (or indeed current) or worst case double it and add a bit - 4 hours wouldn't be impossible, though I think you'd be unlucky.

Lived in Nottingham for 20 something years as well. The scary stories about nottm are quite old now and also somewhat exaggerated. It's a great city for students, possibly too great - the biggest risk to little precious babies will be self inflicted from the abundant opportunites for RnR and idiot student overindulgence. As someone who occasionally lectures to them, you'll be suprised at how robust they can be in the morning after edited to remove ridiculous emoticons inserted automatically by idiot forum software.

Out of interest, how many people upset at increased taxation on diesel get exercised about continuous cruising/ unlicenced boats?

Felt like I was on a narrowboat on Sunday night as I chugged along the A1(m) at 4 mph. You'd have thought they might have cycled home...

post some photos! As an Irlam lad, I'm always fascinated by pics of the MSC and how it's changing, even though I wouldn't go near it with a boat - school did a very good job of instilling the fear of bad stuff about the canal, and it still gives me the willies just driving over thelwall viaduct! yeah, pathetic, I know....