LoneWolf

I'm on my way - eta Wed or (more realistically) Thurs Do i feel a mini banter coming on?

oh yes it will! the wind has blown all the clouds away and is now dying down Being new to it, we r not proper boaters you know cos we are still up wasting electricity. We should be adapting our sleeping patterns to daylight hours

If Janet haddn't been coming to help I would have stayed in bed also tomorrow will be sunny

Not the best day to be doing it for the first time. We were revved up to 17k rpm at one point to prevent being blown sideways into the bank - it was quite fun

so what happened did you not get the gossip? Skipton eh? I'm catching up (I think)

It's kind of a joke

Have an adventure. But have fun too - dont get yourself into a position where you have only 3 days. If you're unused to what look like some pretty heavy lock days then it could turn into a chore rather than the first happy days on your boat.

Cheers for the info Matthew. Have noted pubs. Had a good pint of Bluebird @ top lock while taking a good long rest at the waterpoint. No curries to be seen but the lockie gave me a flounder he'd caught in Preston Dock that morning which i had for my tea later The folks up here are good at the casual banter as well. When i remarked to a chap sitting on the wall at top lock what a lovely bit of country it was up here he replied "well it will be when you get into Yorkshire"

A very enjoyable day. At 17 miles and 6 locks probably a pb as well - I would have given up long before We could have a 'spot the mistake' competition with the photos

humm.. not sure i could stand in the pissing rain and howling wind trying to figure out unfamiliar lock workings and wanting to stop for more than 39 minutes in the whole day for 3 days in a row. But then i probably could if i had to my advice is still: Give it a week

to be more helpful i would say give it a week if you can - dont rush

9 hours a day in late October - lol!

If you look in the blogs section & have a read of Honey Ryder's blog that may help get an idea of what it's like

hurrah! I pm'd you about half an hour ago - lol leaving Riley green by 8.30 so should be locking by 10. (all times are approximate)

Already on my list dude. My plan is to moor up super quick & then go birdwatching until it's nearly dark. If i'm not there to ask to move... Then I'll show the cottage owners what lovely people boaters are by being all happy & cheerful, complimenting them on the garden or whatever. I may even offer them my ashes* for their roses. I shall endevour to make them feel good about themselves some way and then hopefully they will associate this feeling with the next boat to come by who will hopefully be as pleasant & considerate. it's the only way if you think about the long term... * edited to say: the ones from my fire, I'm not thinking that long term!

Cheers Dalesman have made notes on the map. Visited the Dales (by car & walking) a few years ago & found them beautiful...

ok thanks for the clarification - thats useful info. I'm looking forward to doing that bit. Reckon i'll be using the pole a lot there then. Judging by the watermarks it's a bit shallower than normal where i am at the moment anyway Any info re Blackburn to Leeds is not considered off topic by me ;-)

Indeed it seems i did, apologies. I think it was the "Ray is extremely good a conveying the message that women can handle a boat at least as well as any man" that led me astray. Sadly there probably are some women who would benefit from this paticular aspect of the training.

You may be surprised to learn that not all females believe that gender is a factor in boat handling skills. I dont mean this personally but it seems you're suggesting that women are all thinking 'oh no I cant stear cos I'm a woman'. Actually come to think of it I've had several 'you drive that well for a woman' comments all from men but I've assumed they were all joking. The only time i've seen the stearer shouting instructions at the lock wheeler was some guy shouting at his poor partner because he wanted her to open a particular lock of a duplicated set because he couldn't manage the outflow next to the other lock despite the locks being set the other way. Do you often hear this? Are you sure it's not just a stock response to the 'why are you doing the hard work' question which I understand to be somewhat irksome to those who are constantly hearing it.

1st q: I'd say it depends on pervious experience. Personally I'm happy that I can move the boat around on canals safely (due to previous holiday experience) but I've never done rivers & think it would be wise for me to have a bit of training before attempting them. Especially since I'm mostly on my own. 2nd q: I'm not bothered about bits of paper. It's the knowledge & hands on application of it that's important

Thanks everyone, very reassuring I always try & do locks (and most travelling) in the morning Plank? I have no plank (I've been hoping the cut will deliver one to me eventually) but I reckon that if i can get the boat near enough in to moor then I'll be ok jumping on & off. I'm already perfecting my technique of testing mooring depth & backing off if too shallow Probably tomorrow or Sunday Janet - i'll pm you my number if you're about. Weather looks like being rubbish though

My plan is to show my face in Leeds sometime this month then turn round & find somewhere reasonable but near to spend the lockdown months. I tend to get through towns & cities fast as i can then hang out in the countryside for a couple of days before moving on so a meeting is probable. You have power tools! I'll PM you when i'm through the badlands I must say I'm liking this canal. The lockie geezer gave me a flounder today that he'd caught this morning - it was delicious

or on other rivers i guess - cheers