Midnight

I suspect the irony of that post was lost on you - in which case I apologise - oops there I go again. :-)

The 'Bosnian Arms' so rough even Kate Adie wouldn't go there. Cracking pint, though it's been a few years since I visited

No not playing the man, playing my impression of some your recent postings. I find your post rather hypocritical considering you yourself are one for twisting and misinterpreting what others say to meet your own desire to bite back. There I just criticised you and now apologise for it so it's all okay now. PS I find this forum quite moderate in comparison to some.

Pot, kettle, black

Still here, still a fan!

"Edited 2 hours ago by AthyRemoving unacceptable language." ??????

I caught a car on there a few years ago - lady driver naturally! ?

The Harecastle Tunnel might as well be there as the average CaRT call centre operator wouldn't know any different - I'm sure they don't teach geography at school these days.

You could give them one of those 'What three words' - you know something like "clueless" "uneducated" "tosser"

I wonder if the CEO of Currys would be interested in a new job?

CaRT seem to be in utter disarray at the moment. As far as boaters go they don't seem to have a clue - from badly worded stoppage notices to a constant stream of closures up here in Yorkshire. All three Pennine routes closed again and again. It's time for change starting at the top with that useless waste of oxygen Mr Parry.

Thought you meant the flood lock? There's no stoppage notice for Greenwood lock but the CaRT website site does state flood locks are shut. The current level at Ledgard Bridge is 0.14 so I suspect you will be able to get through even if you have to open them yourself. Those gates sometimes swing shut if a passing boat disturbs the water too much. http://www.southpennineboatclub.co.uk/flood-monitoring/

"The vessel was returned to Hazleford on 29 January by C&RT, re-moored, by them, on the designated Visitor Moorings at the top end of the lockcut, and water to a depth of 6'-7' pumped into the hold, sufficient to settle the barge firmly on the river bed." - this according to TD who also states on his profile "Nothing in this post is incorrect, libelous or untrue - so, shut-up and learn to live with it !" Good enough for me shutting up now.

Seems odd to me, why would CaRT fill the boat will water until is went down?. I can see that it would stop the boat drifting off again but so would decent ropes (according to TD someone untied them previously so maybe he has made some enemies - surely not?). On the visitor moorings it wouldn't get very far anyway. The main problem is when the river floods, the boat, cabin and engine room will presumably be underwater giving TD another opportunity to take issue with CaRT.

I suggest just keeping an eye on water levels. I've often found the flood gates shut even when the flood has receded. http://www.southpennineboatclub.co.uk/flood-monitoring/

Thank you

Is it worth the effort to add a vertical header tank piped direct from the top of the skin tank? Does the header tank need to be one of those with a radiator cap?

The air replaces the water so the header tank always looks full. Check the pipe from the radiator cap boss I used to put it into a plastic bottle. There must be a vent on the skin tank when you get to it - mine is a valve I used to just lift the lever and let the air out, then the header tank would empty

For the first 4 years our Beta 43 used to run hot and occasionally the warning buzzer would sound usually when there was an air lock in the skin tank which was frequent. I used to vent the system very regularly until a fellow boater mentioned the Beta 43 required about 6 square feet of skin tank. I had a second skin tank fitted and have not had an issue and never needed to vent it since. If the fan belt is the required tension, you're certain it's not an air lock and there's no doubt that the temperature is indeed very hot, I would suggest looking at the thermostat as it's so easy to check (In my day wax thermostats failed shut). I also seem to remember someone saying Betas required 50/50 antifreeze mix to run at the correct temperature.

Assuming you go by the L&L route, at a leisurely pace I reckon about two weeks but there's so many great places to stop on the way I would double that if you can. Liverpool is a great destination too you will want to stay there at least a week. You could return by the Trent & Mersey to make it trip to remember.

That's a horrendous situation to be in Neil. If the boat was sold as 6' 10" beam rather than narrow beam I would think you have a case under "fit for purpose" legislation. Hope it works out for you.

A popular supposition to keep lefties happy. The reality is lock-downs require a fair bit of planning, I know of one local authority who were planning for lock-down many weeks beforehand.

I think many of us would agree that may easily be the case (or maybe a million pound marketing campaign). As IanD suggested moaning won't help it's the solution we need to be debating. Please send ideas on the back of a fag packet (used to work for me)

We all thought that because under BW the system was going downhill. As it's turned out under CaRT the slide is rapidly continuing - although we do have a nice blue logo, tons of nice blue signs, duck lanes and cycle paths to die for. There's not too many votes in boating and there isn't a strong lobby group to represent those who wish to actually cruise so unless there's a radical change somewhere the future is indeed bleak.

Neither will a means tested increase No one here has shot down any sensible suggestion Yawn!