Proud Salopian

One of my favourite canal-side pubs is the Navigation on the Montgomery Canal in Maesbury Marsh, Shropshire. I'd imagine it has been a boaters' pub for a fair while. Not sure how old it is, but the Narrow Boat on the Llangollen Canal near Ellesmere/Whittington (Bridge 5W) in Shropshire is a possible..? The only other old canal-side pub that springs to mind in Shropshire (on still-navigable canals) is of course the Queen's Head, again on the Monty. The Wharf at Shebdon I believe is no longer open (hasn't been converted to a house yet, but only a matter of time) but the Anchor nearby (at Bridge 42) is still going.

Possibly - I can't remember now, but I do remember laughing out loud... loved the thought of someone sitting behind a desk at BW HQ not knowing what a towpath is: the clue after all is in the name!!

Hmm, okay. I might retain that one then in my "possible" list! Thanks (and to Richard).

Thanks. I noticed the lack of a BSS. Perhaps one to keep an eye on and see if the price drops. In any case, it's a bit long - I don't want to end up paying vast mooring fees!

Is that sign for real?

Are you referring to the Harborough (probable ex-hire) boat? (I posted yet another boat, just before you posted this!)

Hmm 'ex-hire' puts me off! This boat, out of the water (should make any surveying easier/cheaper I presume?), seems like a good idea, but £17k is a little expensive for me: http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=349246 http://www.newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boat.php?boatID=422 (the dealers' website) What could I reasonably offer for it? Would an offer of £14k result in me being turfed out the yard?

Oh I'm keeping a close eye on good old Apollo Duck! Trouble I'm getting is that quite a few of the good-looking Springers (and other makes) have petrol outboard motors, which I'm not too keen on. This has just been posted, which is "different"! http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=166716 Thoughts on this boat / the dealer?

Well if I can find such a boat for such a price I'd take it!

I saw that advert but I'm a little wary that it is completely silent as to hull condition/any recent maintenance to it. Would need a survey etc.

Ah, thanks for the info - thought there was a catch! btw, the two links I posted are for the same boat... just the gumtree advert has more photos.

I fancy a basic canal run-about and I'm looking to buy a cheap (£10-15k) small (20-30ft) nb. Priorities are: 1. hull condition ("will it float?") and 2. engine ("does it move?") (ie I'm not too fussy about looks or the interior.) Have seen a few likely candidates on Apollo Duck, but they're with outboard motors, which I'm not too keen on - would prefer inboard & diesel. Anyway - have seen this... http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=381700 http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/all-steel-narrowboat-20ft-balladore/1077749223 Obvious immediate concern is the hull age/condition (liability in the coming years?) but also I'm not an expert on engines, so what are opinions on that too? Any tips appreciated! And of course if anyone can point me in the direction of a suitable boat (perhaps one seen 'for sale' on the cut).

This reminds me of a post I read on these forums years ago - a forum member spoke to someone at BW on the phone about a towpath issue or something along those lines... the woman at BW actually said "I don't think our towpaths were designed for horses".

Yes, I think the restoration will finish with the construction of the new basin.

And another... http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/08/04/whitchurch-canal-group-starts-project-preparations/ Sounding quite promising. A better artist's impression of the basin can be seen in this PDF: http://www.whitchurchwaterway.org.uk/images/LeafletJune2014.pdf And a detailed plan of the new basin here: http://www.whitchurchwaterway.org.uk/images/canalbasin/8435-01%20REV%20P6.pdf Any bets on where boats will reach first - Crickheath Bridge (on the Monty) or this new basin on the Whitchurch Arm..?

Sorry to "bump" an old topic, but I can confirm that the name of the bridge is Pryce's Bridge.

How would the funds be raised? From what sources? I would advocate a much simpler association, with free membership, but not limited to licence holders - anyone who agrees with the aims of the association could join. The association would then campaign for boaters and generally the maintenance of navigation on the canals, representing to C&RT, and could also assist members' fund raising (and spending) campaigns (as any such campaigns would likely be fairly local).

And yet few on this forum seem to take seriously the idea of a basic (ie free to join) organisation for all boaters and like-minded people, which would represent them to C&RT.

I really don't see this as an issue of communication, rather control and organisation.

I think the bigger issue is that the C&RT is not a membership-run organisation. If each licence holder was automatically a member of the C&RT then they would have a duty to inform members what's going on and the members would have a right to steer policy and decide who governs the trust. As I posted in the other (very long) thread, until (and it may not happen) C&RT becomes membership based, the best way forward is for an organisation to be set up for boat licence holders (and any other people who agree with its aims) which can act as the intermediary between the users and the management. Otherwise - if for example the system the OP suggests was put into effect - C&RT take in loads of comments and it is then up to them to decide how to deal with those comments (or simply not to do so). Not being a membership based organisation, they presumably don't have the staff to deal with the thousands of licence holders' views. A dedicated body on the other hand (eg an organisation set up for all boaters) could do all the collating of issues and views, and then present them clearly and decisively to C&RT.

Fascinating thread. The way I see it: until (and it may never happen) C&RT becomes a membership-run organisation (and one where each boat licence = membership) then there needs to be a "users' association" (call it what you like) with a defined membership (ie not an open membership like an internet forum, but one that has a clear list of members, each signed up on a renewing annual basis, with proper contact details, etc, and membership voting rights etc) that can directly interact with C&RT. This forum can act like the seed for this new organisation - I'm sure many hundreds of members could be signed up within weeks just from this forum's membership... but of course membership should be open to all users who share the organisation's aims, including those who are 'offline'! Membership would have to be free to get the numbers, but with active volunteers and some voluntary donations, I'm sure it could work.

I don't wish to tar all cyclists with the same brush, but I do increasingly find that many have this "warrior" attitude that they can do no wrong/are better than everyone else because they're on two wheels. Certainly something I see when driving (thankfully I don't drive much in urban areas where there is a real problem with cyclists v. other road users) and I just hope that the canal towpath isn't going to become a high-speed cycle lane... it should be shared by all those who use the canals, including fishermen, walkers, boaters, etc. And unlike on the roads, cyclists are going to be the fastest and most dangerous things on the towpath. There's a speed limit for boats on the water... perhaps a speed limit for cyclists on the towpath is needed?

Thanks for the replies guys. I will consider doing two days - with some river experience too. The Stourport course's website indicates they do? http://www.cruisingschool.co.uk/advanced/advanced.htm

Ah, thanks Ally! Do you, or anyone else, know how many days training it takes to pass the course? Is it just the one day? It's not made clear on the Stourport course's website.

Hi there - I'm not a total newbie to the canals and boating on them, but am now considering taking a helmsman's training course so I can learn all the "nuts and bolts" of boating on the canals (and rivers - something I haven't done... other than in a canoe..!) This course (at Stourport on Severn) is run fairly near to where I live and I was wondering what people's thoughts are/experience of them? http://www.cruisingschool.co.uk/home.htm Are there any other similar courses available in the Shropshire/Worcestershire area?