Moley
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Posts posted by Moley
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Fridaaay, 8.45pm:
"Moored out in the country between bridges 63 and 64. Spag bol almost ready. Stoke Hammond tomorrow late afternoon after shopping for supplies for the next two weeks. Another very good day. Great fun and hilarity with a couple who had only just collected their very first boat and just didn't have a clue. The wife appeared to believe that locks opened magically on their own!"
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From another thread, it would appear that Graham & Jane (NB Alnwick) will be heading in our direction towards the end of June, which seems like a good opportunity for another banter.
The Lock at Wolverley, Saturday 28th / Sunday 29th June.
The Annicks should be arriving Sunday lunchtime, but I see no reason why we shouldn't start wthout them.
The Lock is a decent Banks's pub, with good food at reasonable prices, and with good moorings both above and below the lock. There's even a campsite within walking distance.
I'll try to get some more details over the weekend, but might anyone be interested?
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Sadly, we won't make Dudley Port Junction to Wolverley in a day (especially if Jane has any problem with the trains)
Maybe not, it would be a good day's work, and as you're deep-draughted you may find the lower end of the Stourbridge flight slow going.
but after all those locks we would be happy to moor there for Sunday night - in which case, we might even arrive just after midday (on 29th June) - which would be good for a Sunday afternoon Banter! Anyone up for it?
Why not? Let's ask them. I'll start a new thread.
We could always start on Saturday without you
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Today, 3pm:
"Currently approaching Braunston. Bloody brilliant!"
I haven't worked out their distances, or how hard they are pushing, but I now make them a couple of miles below Buckby.
10pm:
"Moored near Brockhall Road bridge 21. Another really good day. I could get to like this boating lark!"
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Or invite the Mole clan to join you for an impromtu banter and supply a drop of wine and a pound of mince............
If it happens don't forget my invite
Well, as Graham seems fairly certain about the date, why not declare it as an official banter?
The Lock at Wolverley would be a good choice, plenty of moorings, plenty of outdoor seating, and there's even a campsite within walking distance.
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I appreciate that moles do not like heights but I presume that you mean "up the steps" since the canal crosses the road on an aquaduct
I don't know it well myself, but I w**k with a bloke who lives very close to there. When I asked him at lunchtime he mentioned crossing the road and steps to the towpath. He probably did say "up".
We shall need to moor somewhere in the area between Netherton Tunnel and Stourport (probably near Stourton Junction) on the Saturday night (28th June) and hope to make Stourport on the Sunday. Can you can recommend a good spot with a pub that does food?Well, there's the Dry Dock at Windmill End (very close after the tunnel), then you're through Brierley Hill and down the 9-locks (all 8 of them), then start down the Stourbridge flight. Around lock 5 (from memory, that Nicholson's on the boat) there's the Samson & Lion. It might not look like the sort of place you would ordinarily choose to moor, but we have, 2 or 3 times, with no problem whatsoever. Food's decent, prices are reasonable.
There's nothing at Stourton, to my mind Kinver is over-rated (and you'll be lucky to find visitor moorings), but it's only another hour to Wolverley, good moorings either side of The Lock, and I second Paul's post.
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Can anyone advise if there is convenient access to the Birmingham Level towpaths near Dudley Port Railway Station? From Google Maps it looks as if there might be access from the aqueduct that spans Dudley Port main road.
Out of the station, across the road, down the steps to the towpath.
A minute's walk.
If you're heading for Stourport, I hope you will factor in a stop somewhere Cookley/Wolverley or Stourport itself (I wouldn't recommend overnighting in Kidderminster).
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Janet just phoned, they didn't particularly enjoy Hatton, no-one to lock share with and every one set against them, but are through Warwick and Leamington and are now at Bascote Bridge (27) on the GU, Guinness in hand and waiting for the BBQ.
There's no pleasing some folks, if anything she said it was too hot and they wouldn't have minded a drop of rain.
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is there a way to see a list of your own recent posts?
Click on your own underscored user name to bring up your profile, and top centre you should see menus for Topics, Posts, Gallery, Blog etc.
I think it only shows last 5 by default, but that can probably be changed in your Controls.
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Well, they're away. The plan was to collect the boat from Stone and pootle down to Tixall Wide on Saturday night, then get down the S&W to Aldersley Junction on Sunday night, meet Cheshire~Rose first thing Monday morning, who would then spend her birthday working them up the Wolverhampton 21, then heading for Gas Street.
Anyway, the moles were also out chugabout for the weekend with no particular place to go, when it occurred to me that although it would mean quite a hard day returning on Monday, we could get up to Aldersley too.
Then I thought that it might be nicer to meet at Compton, I was sure Janet wouldn't mind the extra couple of miles, it would save us 40 minutes or so on the return, and the moorings are quite good.
Then I got in touch with Rose to ask if she might be able to join us for the evening, and I thought it might be possible to sleep 5 on our 4-berth boat. Rose had an even better idea and managed to find an ST170DWL with another boat.
So, an impromptu micro-banter was duly arranged. It turns out that the decent pub doesn't serve food, so Mrs. Mole threw together a large lasagne with garlic bread and salad, and Vickymole had already knocked up a birthday cake (sorry Bones, with cream and icing and candles), and dinner was partaken of on the towpath, together with 1 litre and 4 bottles of red wine, on top of any beers which had already been consumed (well, there were 6 of us). Even so, I would appreciate confirmation that I remained awake for the duration, until around 1am.
As we had something like an 11 hour return run on the Monday, we were away by 7.30am, my head wasn't entirely together but somehow I managed to avoid cycling into the canal while lock-wheeling.
Texts to relay:
Cheshire~Rose, Monday 1.20pm:
Through locks in 3 hours inc. delay for tree removal in one lock. Sun shining now so we can dry out. Chef in galley, awesome brunch type smells are being created.
Monday 6.40pm:
Made it! Tied up by NIA. Awesome cruise!
Janet, Monday, 7.25pm:
Safely moored just outside Gas Street Basin. Good day. Excellent team effort up Wolverhampton flight. Weather lovely all afternoon. Think Jan had a good birthday! Thanks for good evening, Janet.
Tuesday, 1pm:
Currently on Stratford on Avon Canal heading towards Lapworth. Weather absolutely glorious! Loving it!
Tuesday, 7.10pm:
On Grand Union now heading for Warwick. Best day ever!
Tuesday 9.20pm:
Moored at top of Hatton flight with nice glass of Guinness before dinner. Brilliant day. Bit sunburnt as usual!
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One of our planned stops is at The Vine in Dunham on the Bridgewater.. £1.38 a pint - Sam Smiths too!
Extortionate!
Hobgoblin (500ml bockles), currently 99p in Aldi
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I don't care where we go, and we won't be able to go far, but I hereby give notice to watch out for and give a wide berth to some demented loon on the lower Staffs & Worcs or possibly the Stourbridge & Dudley, earphones in and singing loudly but out of tune, beer in one hand, cigar in the other, steering with the tiller up his a**e, without a care in the world.
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today I went and put in a offer on a boat (subject to survey of course) . it wasnt just me of course, my little black patterdale said "go for it" The boat needs a fair bit of tlc but sometimes things just feel right.
My offer was accepted this evening and now I need to get a survey sorted asap and hopefully get "Tomorrow" up to my mooring at Norbury Junction which I took on 2 days ago. Wish me luck I'll surely be blagging advice from you all on a monotonously regular basis.
Hi Phil, and the very best of luck with your survey.
Yes, she needs "a fair bit of tlc" but seems to have great potential.
For advice on refitting or tidying her up, you couldn't be in a better place. Blag away.
Again, good luck to you (and your little black patterdale). We'll look out for you on our travels.
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How long have you to wait?
Ages.
Dad left me some money in his will specifically 'to build herself a decent and good boat' so I've commissioned a new boat. I'll start a new blog at the start of the build, which I'm hoping will be in October for the shell, completion to be in May 2010 (ish!). -
I have a BW Leisure Mooring (which is overlooked by 100s of potential busy bodies) and I understand from my lease that I can spend up to four nights per week on board.
Thanks WJM, that's precisely the sort of answer I was hoping for.
Can anyone else confirm?
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Purely hypothetically of course, let's just imagine that it has come to my attention that a forum member has secured a BW "Leisure" mooring through the tendering system.
BW state "there are no local rules (Site Rules)" for this particular "Leisure Mooring".
This person doesn't yet have a boat to put on these "leisure moorings" but is actively seeking same.
He/she has access to bricks and mortar, has no intention of living aboard and will be cruising the system whenever possible. However, he/she does expect to spend some nights on the boat, at his/her home moorings.
Let us further suppose that these moorings might be overlooked by an officious busybody home-owner (the type that likes the water feature below her patio but objects to the noise and smells the boats generate) who has all of BW's contact numbers and will fully expect BW to come down like a ton/tonne of bricks upon this hypothetical boater should he/she flout the rules in any way. I further believe that this hypothetical home-owner might believe it is absolutely verboten for a boater to sleep on his/her boat at these "leisure moorings" and foresee conflict for this hypothetical boater.
I realise that some people seem to live on "leisure moorings" virtually year-round and a blind eye is turned, but let's assume that this would not be an option on these moorings. I'm sure I've read somewhere that "leisure moorings" owners are entitled to spend X number of nights aboard per year, but I'm damned if I can find it now.
Purely hypothetically, what would such an hypothetical boater's rights be? It would be good to have the same story, and I might (hypothetically) enjoy backing up this hypothetical forum member in giving this hypothetical Mrs. Woman the hypothetical middle finger.
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I have a small pix that I got off the web and reduced for the avatar. I don't know if that can be enlarged without losing the definition?
Ah .... yes, that answers my question, and no, it won't be usable.
I'm not too far from Penkridge, but unless we can find or generate good quality, high resolution artwork between us, this could be a non-starter.
Purple Fairie, are you out there?
Any other illustrators who could help out?
There are plenty of mail-order firms that will cut out vinyl lettering, google for vinyl boat names or do a search of this forum, it's been discussed often enough.
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Where are you, and would you be supplying your own artwork for the pictures? If so, what format, how big and what resolution?
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On ours, with a BMC 1.5, I have an oil light, a charge light, a temperature gauge and two voltmeters (starter battery and leisure bank).
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I'll have you know that neither Hornsby or Akroyd are foreigners - as for that chap Rudolph who thinks he can make an engine run on oil squeezed from peanuts - well that's no more than you can expect from a foreigner - I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't see his mistake and jump into the North Sea!
Brilliant!
There really are some very clever people on this forum, an excellent reply Graham (even if you can't spell Rudolf).
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Should I have one of these fancy horseless Bolinders that they are about to invent in a few years, or are they just another unnecessary complication to boating?
Dunno about that mate, some German bloke's already invented an engine like that, but I doubt if they'll ever catch on.
Mind you, I've heard that FMC are putting a steam engine in another of their boats next year. Calling it President, so I'm told.
I had some of them new Boy Scouts round today, wanted to know if they could offload 25 ton of coal for me. Expected a whole bloody shilling for the job! Cheeky young upstarts!
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I can't even be bothered to read any more of this drivel, but it strikes me as a bizarre coincidence that the protagonists in this argument all seem to share the same fundamental deficiencies in spelling, grammar or syntax. How many people are actually online here?
I'm going back to the VP
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This thread better not be closed on your word.
Not on my word, I have no authority on here, and very little anywhere else.
If you doubt it Moley and the likes, I hope you put your money forward and order a boat from thereFrom your story and various other horror stories on this forum, I seriously doubt that I would ever commission a new boat from this builder or any other. I'm not saying I doubt your story, but I don't like your methods and will not be drawn further on this topic.
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Are you sugesting this site is made up?
No, I'm sugesting (sic) that you are Pirate or one of his cronies who have already maliciously attempted to bring down this forum, we've seen those pictures before, and I hope this thread will be closed as soon as Jon or Daniel look in on it.
IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!!
in Holidays Afloat
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No word from them yesterday, I shall enquire in a short while.