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Make my first experience of narrowboating in 35 years a good one... looking for the best route CCing from the Upper Shopshire Union to the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union... June to October (Pox allowing).

 

Criteria in order:

 

Scenery
Interesting destinations
Waterpoint/Elsan Availability
Easy free parking (I'll be cycling back to collect the car)
Great marina options when necessary
Ease of Cruising (number and type of locks, volunteer staffing etc)
Avoiding scallies

 

Thanks in advance for your opinionations... and feel free to add criteria I have failed to address.

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8 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Thanks in advance for your opinionations... and feel free to add criteria I have failed to address.

Food shops

Fuel supplies

Gas supplies

 

Canal availability (Open - not under emergency maintenance)

Canal availability (Sufficient water)

Break down membership

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Go via Autherley, Great Haywood, Fradley Fazeley, Suttons, Braunston.

Much the easiest route single handed because the locks are mainly in flights and there are long lock free runs.

Reasonably well serviced apart from the gap from Penkridge to Grendon.

Plenty of marinas for fuel etc.

Ace bakers in Penkridge.

Several decent pubs.

Michael's Fish Bar  at Armitage.  Be hungry.  Be very, very hungry.

N

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3 hours ago, BEngo said:

Go via Autherley, Great Haywood, Fradley Fazeley, Suttons, Braunston.

Much the easiest route single handed because the locks are mainly in flights and there are long lock free runs.

Reasonably well serviced apart from the gap from Penkridge to Grendon.

Plenty of marinas for fuel etc.

Ace bakers in Penkridge.

Several decent pubs.

Michael's Fish Bar  at Armitage.  Be hungry.  Be very, very hungry.

N

That certainly does look like the easiest route.  I think we may have a winner. 

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3 hours ago, BEngo said:

Go via Autherley, Great Haywood, Fradley Fazeley, Suttons, Braunston.

Much the easiest route single handed because the locks are mainly in flights and there are long lock free runs.

Reasonably well serviced apart from the gap from Penkridge to Grendon.

Plenty of marinas for fuel etc.

Ace bakers in Penkridge.

Several decent pubs.

Michael's Fish Bar  at Armitage.  Be hungry.  Be very, very hungry.

N

Whats a pub? :(

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Don’t take the short route, you’ll miss such a lot. You have time.
I recommend you explore the BCN
Get yourself a BCN waterways map. 
Explore the main lines, the loops, the tunnels, lock flights, and too many canals to list but include the Wyerly and Essington which takes you out in to some lovely countryside. 
You travel under and over canals, motorways and train lines. 
It’s great, the locks are a doddle. 
People friendly. Under normal circumstances the pubs are brilliant. There’s far too much to see and do. 
If you want to learn about heritage this is the place to go. 
 

I’d go up the Wolverhampton 21,

have a spin around the BCN, leave by the Birmingham and Fazely, up to Great Heywood, turn off to Penkridge, down to Bratch Locks, down to Stourton Junction and back into Birmingham, all via beautiful scenery. Experience Merry Hell and Gosty Tunnel.  Then have a further spin around the BCN to see the bits you missed. Leave by either Camp Hill or out passed the Bournville Factory to Kings Norton. 
 

Enjoy. 
 

(Can’t help with parking)

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Over Birmingham is a great  route.  But for a first trip in 35 years, and single handed I think,  'twas my opinion that might be a bit like hard work.

 

I would route in via Stourton Jn  and Stourbridge,  up the sixteen  beer in The Vine, up the Delph, take in a little shopping at Merry Hell, visit Hawne basin to see the nice folk there, and buy their well priced diesel, go through Netherton and then out through Farmers Bridge and Aston  thus avoiding Hatton, which is hard work on your own.  Options for diversions to Walsall and Pelsall then out via the new thirteen and Minworth.   Much more fun  but not a delivery route!

 

N

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40 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Don’t take the short route, you’ll miss such a lot. You have time.
I recommend you explore the BCN
Get yourself a BCN waterways map. 
Explore the main lines, the loops, the tunnels, lock flights, and too many canals to list but include the Wyerly and Essington which takes you out in to some lovely countryside. 
You travel under and over canals, motorways and train lines. 
It’s great, the locks are a doddle. 
People friendly. Under normal circumstances the pubs are brilliant. There’s far too much to see and do. 
If you want to learn about heritage this is the place to go. 
 

I’d go up the Wolverhampton 21,

have a spin around the BCN, leave by the Birmingham and Fazely, up to Great Heywood, turn off to Penkridge, down to Bratch Locks, down to Stourton Junction and back into Birmingham, all via beautiful scenery. Experience Merry Hell and Gosty Tunnel.  Then have a further spin around the BCN to see the bits you missed. Leave by either Camp Hill or out passed the Bournville Factory to Kings Norton. 
 

Enjoy. 
 

(Can’t help with parking)

We did a fortnight's holiday a few years back going from Great Haywood in to Birmingham and back on a figure of eight using Wolverhampton 21, Kingswood junction via the Stratford canal, back in via Knowle and Farmer's bridge then out via Stourbridge and back to Great Haywood via the Shroppie.

 

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1 hour ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Having spent the last 9 weeks in lockdown with a bunch of wannabie bakers I need a break... one more brownie and it will be like Mr Creosote all over again.

 

Best Mr Creosote GIFs | Gfycat

Oh go on.

 

Just one wafer thin mint, perhaps?

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Thanks for all the great suggestions.  While I would love to amble my way down I think it would probably be prudent to take the shortest/easiest route this summer.  I want to get down to Northamptonshire to be nearer my family.  My brother-in-law is a retired joiner and is going to help me modify the fit-out a bit ;) There is also the spectre of a second lockdown if the virus decides it wants to play again so I think I'd rather be down south ASAP.

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47 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Thanks for all the great suggestions.  While I would love to amble my way down I think it would probably be prudent to take the shortest/easiest route this summer.  I want to get down to Northamptonshire to be nearer my family.  My brother-in-law is a retired joiner and is going to help me modify the fit-out a bit ;) There is also the spectre of a second lockdown if the virus decides it wants to play again so I think I'd rather be down south ASAP.

?

I never miss the chance to persuade someone to explore the BCN
Going around Brum is a lovely route and will possibly be the easiest. 
 


But I reckon going through Brum is the more interesting and indeed the quickest by perhaps a day or two. ?

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30 minutes ago, Goliath said:

?

I never miss the chance to persuade someone to explore the BCN
Going around Brum is a lovely route and will possibly be the easiest. 
 


But I reckon going through Brum is the more interesting and indeed the quickest by perhaps a day or two. ?

I'll definitely get around to it.  I'm continuous cruising for the foreseeable and hope to do the entire network.

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  • 2 months later...
On 19/05/2020 at 20:16, Goliath said:

Let’s hope the boozers open up in some manner or form before too long. 
Otherwise there’s nowt or little to reward oneself with after a long day. 
 

Good luck. 
Let us know how it goes. 

I've got as far as the Coventry.  Got to do the Clifford Arms at Gt. Haywood at least to meet an old friend, my first pub since lockdown.

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1 minute ago, The Gravy Boater said:

................ my first pub since lockdown.

 

Make the best of it - it looks like they will be closing the pubs again early September as a 'balance' to opening the schools. It has been decided that kids education is more important than having a pint.

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14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Make the best of it - it looks like they will be closing the pubs again early September as a 'balance' to opening the schools. It has been decided that kids education is more important than having a pint.

Yes I'd heard. Maybe if they spent the tax revenue from alcohol sales on virtual learning...

David_Brent_Interlocks_Fingers.gif

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1 minute ago, roland elsdon said:

Ok so thats the first week sorted, he is going from june to october though.

Llangollen, then shroppie, staffs worcester, seven, worcester  and birmingham, through brum, farmers bridge , b and f.

coventry, braunston, south oxford.

lunun. Grand union . Northampton.

The Llangollen was locked down when I was there... because Welsh people. 

Chose not to go through Brum this time as I wasn't in that mad a rush and I'm a relatively new solo boater... I can always do that in happier times. 

I wanted to be on the Grand Union come October to overwinter near my family but now I'm almost there I may do the Oxford first.

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Okay so far I have done...

 

Middlewich Arm to

Shropshire Union to

Staff & Worcestershire to

Trent and Mersey to

The Coventry to*

The Oxford

 

Next stop Oxford itself, then back up to Braunston and on to the Grand Union.

 

Thanks for all the tips and signposting.

 

 

*after blubbing about not having time to do the Ashby, this time.

 

 

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