Leicester Ring

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

I was in Leicester with one of the community health team  only yesterday.

She had spent the last two days taking bloods from all her staff, to test for COVID antibody, to assess for evidence of past infection. She was a bit guarded as to reason . Now we know why. Get ahead of the curve by finding who is immune.

Leicester was always going to have issues with covid.

Routine testing of NHS staff is becoming routine and the new 'normal'.

 

Both our family members who are NHS nursing staff have been tested over recent days. Nothing special or specific to Leicester.

[john6767]

27 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Routine testing of NHS staff is becoming routine and the new 'normal'.

 

Both our family members who are NHS nursing staff have been tested over recent days. Nothing special or specific to Leicester.

I guess that’s true, but I would not be planning on going through Leicester anytime soon, you may end up spending more time there than you planned!

[Captain Pegg]

50 minutes ago, Rickent said:

Yes, we came through Fradley and down through Birmingham, wouldn't go back through there if you paid me  it was horrendous.

Where specifically is horrendous and why?

[Guest]

Just now, john6767 said:

I guess that’s true, but I would not be planning on going through Leicester anytime soon, you may end up spending more time there than you planned!

You could say that about any major UK conurbation, or even smaller towns.

 

Yes it appears Leicester could be quite soon, where next?

 

People might as well try and avoid just about anywhere that has the potential.

 

Oxford? Leeds? Manchester? Nuneaton? Bath? and of course London and Birmingham

 

How long a list?

 

[Rickent]

8 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Where specifically is horrendous and why?

We came down the Birmingham and Fazely canal and turned onto the Grand Union at Star City, have never seen such a depressing and rubbish strewn place in my whole life, horrendous.

[robtheplod]

On reading up on this the outbreak is around a bakery, so not sure if a City lockdown would be the answer?  Will be keeping an eye on this anyway!

 

We got distracted by Covid - does anyone have nuggets of info on locks on the rivers - do you leave any gates open as i recall or leave them as you find them.... also as the Leicester ring has several rivers do people wear life jackets or is this for larger expanses of water??

Edited June 29, 2020 by robtheplod

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, Rickent said:

We came down the Birmingham and Fazely canal and turned onto the Grand Union at Star City, have never seen such a depressing and rubbish strewn place in my whole life, horrendous.

That's fairly normal for that stretch, but you never actually made it in to Birmingham so a shame to label all of Birmingham bad a place to avoid.  You should have gone up Aston, Farmer's Bridge and in to Birmingham then out via the Worcester Birmingham and Stratford.

 

I quite like the Garrison Locks though so will often leave Birmingham via that route, last time there was probably best part of 100 tyres in the cut.

[john6767]

7 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

On reading up on this the outbreak is around a bakery, so not sure if a City lockdown would be the answer?  Will be keeping an eye on this anyway!

 

We got distracted by Covid - does anyone have nuggets of info on locks on the rivers - do you leave any gates open as i recall or leave them as you find them.... also as the Leicester ring has several rivers do people wear life jackets or is this for larger expanses of water??

On the Soar you would do as you do on a canal and leave all gates shut.  There are rivers like the Warwickshire Avon where you leave exit gates open.  Life jackets is your choice, if you feel happier wearing one then do so.

[GRLMK38]

Anti-vandal keys get a mention above.  You need a BW/CRT Yale key (not the cylindrical square drive one) for some of the locks between Foxton and Leicester, Castle Gardens and Friars Mill moorings.

 

Tip 1: If you need water at Fradley, use the tap on the Coventry section after the swing bridge rather than the one outside the cafe.

Tip 2: Watch out for the sandbank about 100m upstream from Ratcliffe Lock (58) on the power station side of the Soar.

Tip 3: If you moor at Hopwas watch out for motorbikes/e-bikes doing 30-40mph on the towpath near the firing range woods!

 

The Leicester Ring is a great route (IMO) and I am convinced it would see more boats if it was called the East Midlands ring.  Leicester is a 2 hour section of a 100 hour route but its "issues" seems to influence people not to do it.

[Guest]

From this mornings news it would appear that this local 'lock down' will be a simple extension of two weeks to the current pub and restaurant closures. So unless anybody is desperate for a pint in a Leicester pub no real reason not to do the ring.

 

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by The Happy Nomad

[GRLMK38]

Just now, The Happy Nomad said:

From this mornings new it would appear that this local 'lock down' will be a simple extension of two weeks to the current pub and restaurant closures. So unless anybody is desperate for a pint in a Leicester pub no real reason not to do the ring.

Castle Gardens moorings were very quiet a couple of weeks ago due to the closure of the pubs and the lack of students returning home from them.  I also noticed that the footbridge has had its metal plate floor replaced with wood so that reduces the noise too.

[Richard Carter]

1 hour ago, GRLMK38 said:

The Leicester Ring is a great route (IMO) and I am convinced it would see more boats if it was called the East Midlands ring.  Leicester is a 2 hour section of a 100 hour route but its "issues" seems to influence people not to do it.

When I started steering camping boats from Foxton in the 80s I was told by one of the previous boatmen that he always had his shotgun ready in the cabin and an air rifle visible on the cabin top when boating through Leicester. I don't do guns, so I didn't follow suit, and I never had any trouble - towpath mooring overnight on the 'mile' did not feel 'risky'.

 

Regarding water supply and low pounds between Saddington and Leicester, I was also told that Jack Monk, when he was on the campers, regularly sat in the top lock at Kibworth with all four paddles up for an hour or so before continuing down ...

[Tuscan]

14 minutes ago, Richard Carter said:

 

 

Regarding water supply and low pounds between Saddington and Leicester, I was also told that Jack Monk, when he was on the campers, regularly sat in the top lock at Kibworth with all four paddles up for an hour or so before continuing down

The last time we went through (a couple of years ago) there was little water in the pounds below Kilby bridge CRT came down ran water and said it was ok. We couldn’t get out the lock and ran water for another 45 minutes and we were then able to churn through, no wonder Saddington is always low. Once through the mile a couple of locks up there is a very silted up pound we had to rock the boat through took nearly an hour to plough through the few hundred metres of black silt. Ok we are deep drafted but we now stick to the Coventry.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Tuscan

[Keeping Up]

9 minutes ago, Tuscan said:

The last time we went through (a couple of years ago) there was little water in the pounds below Kilby bridge CRT came down ran water and said it was ok. We couldn’t get out the lock and ran water for another 45 minutes and we were then able to churn through, no wonder Saddington is always low. Once through the mile a couple of locks up there is a very silted up pound we had to rock the boat through took nearly an hour to plough through the few hundred metres of black silt. Ok we are deep drafted but we now stick to the Coventry.

We found ourselves in company with a deep-draughted boat a couple of years ago (it wasn't you, was it?) and for one long shallow pound where they couldn't make any progress on their own, we found that it was extremely effective for us to tow them because not only could we, being shallower, make slow but steady progress, we also sent enough water back to lift them over the shallowest parts.

[Flyboy]

In case it's not been mentioned, the Welford arm and the Market Harborough arm are worth a visit with good moorings. Market Harborough town centre is a 10-15 min walk from the basin.

[Scholar Gypsy]

9 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

In case it's not been mentioned, the Welford arm and the Market Harborough arm are worth a visit with good moorings. Market Harborough town centre is a 10-15 min walk from the basin.

Indeed so. It's a pleasant walk up from the basin in Welford to walk around the reservoirs above the village.

 

[Richard Carter]

1 hour ago, Tuscan said:

The last time we went through (a couple of years ago) there was little water in the pounds below Kilby bridge CRT came down ran water and said it was ok. We couldn’t get out the lock and ran water for another 45 minutes and we were then able to churn through, no wonder Saddington is always low. Once through the mile a couple of locks up there is a very silted up pound we had to rock the boat through took nearly an hour to plough through the few hundred metres of black silt. Ok we are deep drafted but we now stick to the Coventry.

Seemingly, twas ever thus - none of the pounds is really long anough to act as an intermediate reservoir, and there's no other feeder, so any shortage has to be run down from Saddington, which means through over 20 locks, if the problem is down near Leicester. On one trip the pound above King's lock - the last pound on the canal proper - had been pretty nearly emptied into the river to try and flush away dead fish after a pollution incident (that was the explanation we got), it took nearly two days to properly restore the levels. Meanwhile the river below Belgrave lock was so high it was not safe to continue north either!

[john6767]

So with Matt’s announcement, will CRT lock off the locks either side of Leicester.  I believe they should or else what’s the point of a local lockdown, discuss. 

[Keeping Up]

1 minute ago, john6767 said:

So with Matt’s announcement, will CRT lock off the locks either side of Leicester.  I believe they should or else what’s the point of a local lockdown, discuss. 

It's only a local lockdown, not a total lockdown, so it just means the pubs in Leicester will be shut and all the Covidiots from Leicester will be driving out to the first pub outside the zone - and thereby spreading the virus to a wider circle.

[john6767]

Just now, Keeping Up said:

It's only a local lockdown, not a total lockdown, so it just means the pubs in Leicester will be shut and all the Covidiots from Leicester will be driving out to the first pub outside the zone - and thereby spreading the virus to a wider circle.

No non-essential travel in or out of Leicester, that to me says CRT should stop boat traffic.  You would presume the police will be stopping road traffic, so I guess we will see how well set up they are to do this successfully, or if people will be able to find ways through.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, john6767 said:

So with Matt’s announcement, will CRT lock off the locks either side of Leicester.  I believe they should or else what’s the point of a local lockdown, discuss. 

Why exactly would Matt's announcement necessitate the closure of the waterway through Leicester, are they closing the main roads too?

 

Answer, no.

[john6767]

1 minute ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Why exactly would Matt's announcement necessitate the closure of the waterway through Leicester, are they closing the main roads too?

 

Answer, no.

So what does no non-essential travel in or out of Leicester mean?

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, john6767 said:

So what does no non-essential travel in or out of Leicester mean?

I think you missed the bit about it being a 'recomendation'. 

 

As I said they are not actually 'closing' the roads.

[john6767]

1 minute ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I think you missed the bit about it being a 'recomendation'. 

 

As I said they are not actually 'closing' the roads.

Everything is a recommendation now, but I would have thought they need to demonstrate that that can make a local lockdown work, or we just keep sliding.  Perhaps the good people of Leicester will be responsible and stay at home, but I think too many will still travel outside the city if there is not enforcement.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Everything is a recommendation now, but I would have thought they need to demonstrate that that can make a local lockdown work, or we just keep sliding.  Perhaps the good people of Leicester will be responsible and stay at home, but I think too many will still travel outside the city if there is not enforcement.

How do they enforce a 'recommendation'?