ValandPete

Very impressive start, well done and thanks to all the Friends for their efforts. I did not get on with the never-ending Nene on the way down to the Level and the Ouse when we did the trip back in April, but really enjoyed the trip back and hope to travel that way again.

This thread raises a couple of questions for me. Is it the norm to lock the sliding hatch as well as the rear doors from the inside? Are new/ish build narrowboats fitted with such a lock as standard? Thanks Val

Thanks for your time and effort. Val

Very sorry to hear about the break in, hope you get sorted out soon. Val

I do not agree the obvious answer is "yes", I answered "no". I do not understand why some boaters need mooring rings, cut back vegetation and to be perfectly aligned with the bank when they moor. My fear is that the Trust will keep providing VMs and it will become an expectation that boaters moor on them exclusively. Rather like the Shroppie where most of the beautiful lengths have become 48hr VMs with no consultation that I am aware of. Val

John, this has made us so sad. The quote from John Dodwell is dismaying.Thank you for all you have done. Val and Peter (Leeds meeting)

We have a Liverpool Boat, 2007, there is nothing wrong with the hull. It looks to me as if the boat was lined by Liverpool Boats. We have a fixed double where there is currently a sofa bed, that could be changed quite easily with the benefit of invaluable storage space underneath. The boat is being sold through Shire Cruisers, in my experience Nigel Stevens is an honest, respected and knowledgeable person so ring him and ask about the BSS. Could be a good boat at a very reasonable price, any work needed could be done over time. Do have a survey done tho. Val

As a customer of Boatmail for the three years we have been continuous cruisers I can recommend the service. Val

We have just come up Dobsons Locks, locked through by two lock keepers,one of whom is Barry from Bingley. Equipment still being moved from around the lock area and barriers still in place so lots of activity still. Lovely morning. Happy Easter to all. Val

Thanks for the feedback. And a big thank you to all who have given their time and made the effort to get involved. I think you have achieved a very reasonable outcome in the circumstances. Val

Thanks to those who have persisted in getting this information and for sharing. Val

I think there are two issues here. If it is just getting post sent on to a Poste Restante then perhaps a friend can do it for you. Our son lives in rented accommodation which he could leave with little notice and mean us changing addresses with banks etc again. We intend to live aboard for the next two/three years. He still receives general post forwarded from our old address. Minimise the amount of post by doing as much as possible on line. However we have found the need for an ordinary address to satisfy banks, in that this is the address they want to see on a current bank statement which then matches the address on your driving licence. (The DVLA will use a c/o address if thats what you choose). With my passport, driving licence and 3 months of recent bank statements I can finally open a new bank account. These are the only 3 documents we have that meet the list the bank sent me to meet the requirements of the Money Laundering Act. From memory they will also accept a credit card statement. I suspect this will always be the case as long as we are not on the Electoral Register. I am a very satisfied customer of the boatmail.co.uk service which is run by a forum member who is also a boater so understands us as continuous cruisers and also understands Royal Mail. There are other mail forwarding services available. Val

We will probably still go, but not until next year when we plan a trip to the Fens. But only because we have never been and it is very unlikely we would return due to the charges. Val

We use Boatmail and find the service excellent. We can have post sent either to a post restante as we continually cruise or our son's address if he is going to be visiting us. The address service is invaluable for official organisations such as banks, pensions etc and occasions when a PO address is not accepted. Val

No, it is not cowardly. No it is not dishonest, unless a person is using their anonymity in a cowardly and dishonest way. Val

I dont know! How long? How? Val

We were told the same last week at a post office but rang Post Office customer services ( the number at the bottom of the web site) to be told that the Post Restante service is available at all Post Offices. We were told to go ahead and arrange for the letter to be delivered, we did not have to inform the post office. We collected the Special Delivery documents the day after having ensured that we knew it had arrived through the tracking service. Had to wait for the supervisor to get back from lunch to get the packet - counter staff STILL insisting that the service did not exist (we think because she had not heard of it). She did look rather sheepish as we left. I dont know if it is any different for parcels, altho space may be an issue. Val

We found Piccadilly Basin fine for an overnight, then did the hard work locks the next day and stayed in Castle Quay, which is great for a night or three! We are on L & L Leigh Branch at the moment, wave if you pass us. Val