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Short cruise. North or South from Acton Bridge?


Bob Irvine

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Hello, the title pretty much gets to the point.

 

Returning to the canals after 20 years for a short break with the family and dogs. None of them are boat savvy, and I would like it to go really well so that it may become a regular thing.

I would like them to be relaxed yet interested.

 

The way I see it at present is;

 

Option 1)

North onto the Bridgewater, probably as far as Pennington Flash and back.

Pros; No locks for the novices, pub every night, quieter since 1 week limit introduced(?),  Lymm and Worsley pleasant(?)

Cons; lot of urban/rundown areas , motorway noise and run by Peel.

 

Option 2)

South onto Middlewich Branch and out to Beeston Castle and back.

Pros; more rural, pub for most nights, familiar with the area.

Cons; decent number of locks for the novices, but nothing crazy (they have to get used to them eventually).

If I can get them comfortable handling the boat, I can do more lock work, or maybe I should just act single handed until they pick it up?

 

Other info: Dogs (small) will be an added complication and will be lifejacketed.  Child is a better swimmer than the adults.

I do realise as a hirer I will be the first suspect/scapegoat when one is required...…

 

All advice/points of view welcome.

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2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Well the second one is 12 hours each way with no holdups, how long is a short break

It’s about the same to Pennington, so you’ll need about 4 days in either case.

 

Much more interesting to the south, IMHO

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Avoiding locks doesn’t sound like a good plan to get a family interested. Locks, tunnels and swing bridges were all features the kids looked out for and were the landmarks of our trips through 2 generations of hire boat holidays.

 

Easily the least memorable of our trips as a family was up the Ashby and back. No locks.

 

JP

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Thanks for the input Ladies & Gents. I think my heart always said south (despite the recent thread on Middlewich locks!)

 

Both routes were calculated for 4 days, but obviously novices and dogs may slow things down.

I love a plan, but setting a punishing schedule would defeat the object in this case.  If I only get to Barbridge and back, that is fine as long as everyone is smiling.

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4 hours ago, Bob Irvine said:

Thanks for the input Ladies & Gents. I think my heart always said south (despite the recent thread on Middlewich locks!)

 

Both routes were calculated for 4 days, but obviously novices and dogs may slow things down.

I love a plan, but setting a punishing schedule would defeat the object in this case.  If I only get to Barbridge and back, that is fine as long as everyone is smiling.

 

I agree the south is a much more interesting route. With locks, remember water can only flow downhill. With this in mind you will soon get the hang of what paddles to open to fill or empty the lock. Remember to keep the boat well forward, especially when going down a lock, so that you keep clear of the cill. Going up, most boats are ok with the bow (front pointy bit) resting on the gate, however for some boats and locks it is better to keep the back of the boat close to but not touching the bottom gates. Experiment and see which works best for you.

 

Work out what is the half way point time wise and turn at the nearest winding hole before or agreed that time. Thst way if you are behind schedule you don't have to rush back.

Edited by cuthound
To remove a letter masquerading as a space
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13 hours ago, Bob Irvine said:

Thanks for the input Ladies & Gents. I think my heart always said south (despite the recent thread on Middlewich locks!)

 

Both routes were calculated for 4 days, but obviously novices and dogs may slow things down.

I love a plan, but setting a punishing schedule would defeat the object in this case.  If I only get to Barbridge and back, that is fine as long as everyone is smiling.

Had a good meal in the pub at barbidge, but the service was very slow

13 hours ago, Bob Irvine said:

Thanks for the input Ladies & Gents. I think my heart always said south (despite the recent thread on Middlewich locks!)

 

Both routes were calculated for 4 days, but obviously novices and dogs may slow things down.

I love a plan, but setting a punishing schedule would defeat the object in this case.  If I only get to Barbridge and back, that is fine as long as everyone is smiling.

We do Middlewich regularly and never had a problem, there are often a couple of Volockies on there. As for Anderson boats I have watched them giving instruction several times and I would say they are second to non.

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On 07/07/2019 at 08:48, Bob Irvine said:

Thanks for the input Ladies & Gents. I think my heart always said south (despite the recent thread on Middlewich locks!)

 

Both routes were calculated for 4 days, but obviously novices and dogs may slow things down.

I love a plan, but setting a punishing schedule would defeat the object in this case.  If I only get to Barbridge and back, that is fine as long as everyone is smiling.

I like your thinking Bob! 

 

(I'd go south too - I hope you have a fantastic time)

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