Midnight

Luxury! I haven't seen my kids since 3 years before they were born, we live in a cardboard box on the bottom of the Rochdale Canal, and eat grass except for Sunday when we have blackthorn spikes. So I claim the prize for the most hardest done by lockdowner.

3.37 metres - luxury! The good people of Brighouse have real problems

Another stoppage? 'bout time CaRT scrapped their 'stoppages' page and replaced it with a 'which canals are open' page- wouldn't require too much space.

Only 3 months to fix a bit of loose rendering - lord help us if the Aire & Calder, Trent & Mersey or the Shroppie were to ever suffer breaches or land slips.

Wow that's a lot of water. We seem to have got away fairly lightly here on the Calder Navigation. Can't work out if the flood alleviation works up the valley are a help or hindrance. Maybe the rain just stayed mainly West and North of the South Pennines.

I'm sure they are doing their best.

It is a bit like Thunderclap in so much as it's unbelievable some of the stuff that they write. I'm off to the naughty step now hoping to avoid a "Calling Arthur Marshal (sic)" type of response over there. PS At least we can spell his name right here. "INCOMING!"

After reading the Narrowboatworld article "Northern canals suffer in flood" https://www.narrowboatworld.com/12851-northern-canals-suffer-in-flood I was left with some confusion. I was on flood monitoring duties on 21st and can report to the my knowledge the River Calder didn't reach critical levels. I rang around various people in the area but nobody has seen or heard of damage to locks or Elland bridge or even any sunken boats. My colleague Big Jimmy is currently locked down in Todmorden and he reports same - no major issues. Does anyone here know of such catastrophe or did 'Victor' just regurgitate old news from 2015?

There's a lot of speculation, guesstimating and conjecture but I would like to see the figures when it comes to the argument between "fix it when it's broken" and "preventative maintenance". Looking at the total cost of repairs to Toddbrook, Middlewich, Aire & Calder, regular breaches, failed locks etc. Throw in the cost of signs, Facebook managers, media men bean counters and that amounts to a lot of £millions. The cost of employing and training lengthsmen will also amount to many millions but would be good to see a comparison. As I see it CaRT are supposed primarily to be a navigation authority, but keeping the system open seems to be at the bottom of the list. Unless you are a boater or live near a canal or reservoir that's about to breach, it could be said CaRT have been very successful at everything bar keeping the system open for navigation.

Midnight is 57ft (go anywhere) but if I had a new shell build I would settle on 55ft to give a bit more room in Yorkshire locks. If I was based in the Midlands/south with little intention to visit the north 60ft would be fine

Lake? Luxury mate! We lived in a bramble bush with a Woolworth's biscuit tin for a bed.........................

I think Lady G would have to pull them out of the canal long before they walked into her sticks

If I remember correctly BW closed the towpath at Braunston (probably elsewhere too) when foot and mouth was killing cows. Seems the pandemic killing people isn't as high on the agenda.

Eeeeek! You can beat me, rub me down with sandpaper and pour boiling oil over my parts but please, please don't make me join Thunderboat - I'm scared.

Hey Dude (see what I did there folks) The good folk of Canalworld Forum are very protective of the waterways and on the odd occasion may sound a little brusque. There is an alternative and very friendly boating forum where I'm sure you will be afforded an appropriate welcome. Google 'Thunderboat Forum'.

Doesn't move very far or very often. Usually seen on 2 day visitor moorings for weeks if not months.

Not read the WW feature but years ago I knew a chap from the black country who told me he often spent school holidays helping his uncle on the run between London & Birmingham. He said the horses were treated a lot better than the boatmen and if you gave a horse back that had a sweat on you got fined.

Well my gasts have never been to flabbered for aged - get in!

What do I need to text to get rid of a Chief Executive?

Please help save aging boaters from beer famine by sending £3 to my bank account.

A notable post on another Facebook page is this pic of Pollington taken on 23rd Dec by David Armitage. Anyone still think bank staff are a waste of money?

I find them mostly very boring but I did like the one by Robbie Dodah when he did the tidal Ouse but only because Fred the lockie asked if we would pen out in front of him and we got two seconds of fame. The one with those two dipsticks that think Bingley 5-rise should be shut down was mildly interesting if just to see how stupid they really are.

ho, ho ho!

Yes fine and dandy ho, ho , ho but "you intend to refuse to sign the T&C declaration" as Arthur asked?