Pelican

We did this trip very sucessfully when our children were little (and with a set of grandparents). Our children had specified they wanted locks, an aquaduct and a tunnel and this met that requirement as well as being not too far from home. The canal through Milton Keynes is not very urban and I seem to remember plenty of pubs.

When we went down last year CRT phoned the afternoon before to ask if we could change to a morning descent of Stanley locks which suited us. We spent the night in the basin at the top of the locks. We were the only boat there and some of the CRT volunteers were dubious about it but we had no problems. Very quiet apart from extremely argumentative coots.

We've just come down the flight. We arrived at the top about 11.00 and by the time we had filled up with water we went straight into the top lock. We worked our way down in just over 2 hours passing a boat coming the other way in every pound until the last 4. We were the last boat down. All pretty chilled.

We're heading for Bossley now. My friend who is a vlocky there says there might be a queue but that everyone who arrives in the morning gets through. She recommended not arriving too close to the closing time. That mirrors our experience at the Marple flight on Tuesday.

This is encouraging - thanks. Can you explain what the rope trick going down is?

Thanks to everyone who has replied. It sounds like it is doable, if stressful, provided the boat is exactly 60' or less. I think we'll measure the boat next time we're on it and, provided it is 60' or less (without fenders) we'll give it a go. I would say that if it's too much after the first lock or 2 we'll turn round and go back the way we came - but it doesn't look like there is anywhere to turn. A walk down the towpath to suss it all out seems essential. I take the point about the smallest lock being the last one we come to - I guess if we only have inches to spare in the earlier ones we'll quit at the earliest winding point. There will be at least 2 of us on the boat and we might recruit more crew! Thanks again

Thanks that's very helpful. I think I'll be measuring the boat very carefully next time we're on it!

Hi, new member here We are thinking about doing the South Pennine ring next month in our 60ft narrow boat. We need to do it anticlockwise - so down the Huddersfield Broad Canal and up the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The CRT has a maximum length for both these waterways of 57'6" but the Nicholson guide says that the maximum length for a narrow boat is 60' - presumably because you can be diagonal in the locks. We are wondering how feasible this is in practice, particularly going down the locks. So, my question is, has anyone done this stretch in a 60' narrow boat and how was it? We are reasonably experienced narrow boaters. I haven't double checked the length of the boat - 60' is what it was sold as. We have been up and down the Tinsley flight (maximum length 61'1") doubled up with another narrow boat and we fitted OK with front and back fenders in place although we had to do a bit of a shuffle round the lock gates in some of the locks. Obviously we would take the fenders off in the 57'6" locks. We are booked through the tunnel and will do a there and back trip on the Huddersfield Narrow if the ring proves not to be possible. Thanks for your help