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Why can't I get any ensusiasim for cruising plan this year


tagulablue

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7 minutes ago, Laurie Booth said:

Nope

Thanks Laurie..I needed a bit of encouragement!. Normally I am let's do the ribbble, let's do the Thames tidal.. let's do the wash.. the Bristol channel... this year it's what do you mean you want to leave the ashby... and I hate the ashby.. Definite tithe time tto give myself a kick up the arxe or pack in

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7 minutes ago, tagulablue said:

Thanks Laurie..I needed a bit of encouragement!. Normally I am let's do the ribbble, let's do the Thames tidal.. let's do the wash.. the Bristol channel... this year it's what do you mean you want to leave the ashby... and I hate the ashby.. Definite tithe time tto give myself a kick up the arxe or pack in

 

Set yourself a challenge.  Go and do something difficult so you feel you have achieved something.

 

The level of the challenge depends on you, but it could range from collecting an IWA Silver Propellor award for going to odd places to something far more strenuous like singlehanding the Rochdale or the Huddersfield Narrow.

 

We really enjoyed doing nearly all of the BCN last year, which is a more moderate form of challenge.

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Thanks biscuits... done the Rochdale and it hands down beaten any trip we have ever done... got problems with huddersfield narrow cos of 60' length ( the house (won't call it home because it is fast becoming the most expensive storage unit ever as we have only been there 4 weeks in last 2 yearsis only 10 miles from huddersfield .) I know once we start the engine and start to escape I will have a smile on my face and what the hell if we don't   know where we are going ... perhaps everytime we get to a junction we will just toss a coin ..who knows where we will end up and who we will meet

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43 minutes ago, tagulablue said:

got problems with huddersfield narrow cos of 60' length

 

?

 

Hudd narrow is 72ft locks, and I have shared the Hudd broad with a 60ft boat before.

 

Cabin shape/size is usually the limit (for the tunnel) but some of the locks are less than 7ft wide.

 

We may have found your challenge!

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6 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

?

 

Hudd narrow is 72ft locks, and I have shared the Hudd broad with a 60ft boat before.

 

Cabin shape/size is usually the limit (for the tunnel) but some of the locks are less than 7ft wide.

 

We may have found your challenge!

For years I have known I was the wrong shape but I was gutted to find out the boat is also the wrong shape!!

 

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Maybe target oriented is the wrong approach this year. I intended to "do" the Llangollen again but I think we're all a bit jaded - I'm now planning on just drifting a few miles a day till I find somwhere scenic, then stopping and appreciating it for a bit. 

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3 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Maybe target oriented is the wrong approach this year. I intended to "do" the Llangollen again but I think we're all a bit jaded - I'm now planning on just drifting a few miles a day till I find somwhere scenic, then stopping and appreciating it for a bit. 

Think the River Soar is about as adventurous as we will get this year B)

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6 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Maybe target oriented is the wrong approach this year. I intended to "do" the Llangollen again but I think we're all a bit jaded - I'm now planning on just drifting a few miles a day till I find somwhere scenic, then stopping and appreciating it for a bit. 

Now that's what I call a plan.?

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7 hours ago, tagulablue said:

got problems with huddersfield narrow cos of 60' length (

The problem is not the Huddersfield Narrow, with locks to suit 70' boats, but the Huddersfield Broad and the Calder & Hebble with locks for 57'6" broad beam boats. It is possible to get a 60' narrowboat through these locks going a bit diagonal. The destruction of Figure of Three locks by the winter floods means that you'll either have to go back over the Pennines via the Rochdale, or back over the Huddersfield Narrow. Other closures may also stop play, but Figure of Three is going to be out of action for a good while.

On closures, this for me is reducing enthusiasm for cruises. You never know now when you are going to be trapped somewhere with no easy escape, or have to do a long diversion. They are definitely getting more common and seem to be in place for longer, with less urgency from CaRT. Where I am, CaRT recently replaced the pumps that keep the summit pound open. Unfortunately, the over a hundred year old pipe that carries the water from them has now burst twice in rapid succession, presumably from the extra flow, so that needs fixing too. Limited openings for the locks. You can go out, but no clue when you might be able to get back.

 

Jen

 

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We had made all our plans for this year, going out for 6 months as usual. We had nearly everything set up to be adventurous this year, going down the Nene past Peterborough and across the Wash to Boston. But now, although keen to go boating as soon as possible, we too cannot find the enthusiasm to plan for any particular route - and seem to have lost the desire to do anything adventurous this year.

 

Re the Huddersfield Narrow, a few years ago we crossed the Pennines on the HNC and back (being too long for the Broad) and then on the Rochdale and back (same problem, too long for the Eastern end). So after 4 Pennine crossings within a month we were exhausted by the time we got back to Manchester!

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8 hours ago, tagulablue said:

Normally I have a plan in my mind by October of the previous year... this time round I must have known something was wrong..... no plans ... no ideas... is it time after 20 years of boating to call it a day

20 years!! The trouble with you newbies is you give up too easily.

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Oh to be retired! (or in another financial position to be able to take months off).

 

Planning on going as far as Skipton, perhaps a little bit beyond that to Gargrave. Alas, I'm starting a new job at the end of July so asking for two weeks off to go on holiday would probably be turned down. I am champing at the bit to go for a cruise though. I think it'll be the odd weekend here and there but that'll limit me to where I can go. Oh well. Maybe next year.

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18th July can’t come soon enough for me. That’s when we head off on the first leg of a trip that will involve a week from Droitwich to Langley Mill via Stourport and Great Haywood at the start of the school holidays, a week down the Leicester section to Stowe Hill at the end of the school summer holidays, then after Vulpes has had a roof repaint and some modifications to the front deck a week back home again via the GU Birmingham line and Camp Hill at October half term.

We’ll have a newly refitted galley and saloon with 240 volts and WiFi to keep the family happy. Just got to finish it off. Very pleased to see it raining so there might be water on the Leicester section in August. Otherwise it’s via the Coventry.


JP

Edited by Captain Pegg
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10 hours ago, tagulablue said:

Thanks Laurie..I needed a bit of encouragement!. Normally I am let's do the ribbble, let's do the Thames tidal.. let's do the wash.. the Bristol channel... this year it's what do you mean you want to leave the ashby... and I hate the ashby.. Definite tithe time tto give myself a kick up the arxe or pack in

I'm moored at Fazeley and seriously planning Rugeley and back.  Will 6 locks prove too much, time will tell. Hoping next years BCN challenge finishes at Fazeley :)  

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11 hours ago, tagulablue said:

Thanks Laurie..I needed a bit of encouragement!. Normally I am let's do the ribbble, let's do the Thames tidal.. let's do the wash.. the Bristol channel... this year it's what do you mean you want to leave the ashby... and I hate the ashby.. Definite tithe time tto give myself a kick up the arxe or pack in

What's wrong with the Ashby?  It's lovely.

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38 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

What's wrong with the Ashby?  It's lovely.

Boating is funny. My two least favourite canals that I will probably never bother with again are the Ashby and the Llangollen, both massively overrated. It takes all kinds innitt.

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10 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

?

 

Hudd narrow is 72ft locks, and I have shared the Hudd broad with a 60ft boat before.

 

Cabin shape/size is usually the limit (for the tunnel) but some of the locks are less than 7ft wide.

 

We may have found your challenge!

Are you sure?  I have read somewhere that one or two are strictly 70foot.  We still dream of doing the HNC but we are a fraction over 6'11" at the back which I think  means we can't.

 

Anyway we also have no enthusiasm for cruising this year, whats the point in going cruising if the pubs are shut? Going to find a quiet place to hide for the rest of the year and continue with the lock down maintenance frenzy.

 

...............Dave

 

 

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8 minutes ago, dmr said:

Are you sure?  I have read somewhere that one or two are strictly 70foot.  We still dream of doing the HNC but we are a fraction over 6'11" at the back which I think  means we can't.

 

Anyway we also have no enthusiasm for cruising this year, whats the point in going cruising if the pubs are shut? Going to find a quiet place to hide for the rest of the year and continue with the lock down maintenance frenzy.

 

...............Dave

 

 

Sad innitt :(

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11 hours ago, tagulablue said:

Thanks biscuits... done the Rochdale and it hands down beaten any trip we have ever done... got problems with huddersfield narrow cos of 60' length ( the house (won't call it home because it is fast becoming the most expensive storage unit ever as we have only been there 4 weeks in last 2 yearsis only 10 miles from huddersfield .) I know once we start the engine and start to escape I will have a smile on my face and what the hell if we don't   know where we are going ... perhaps everytime we get to a junction we will just toss a coin ..who knows where we will end up and who we will meet

I had loads of advice telling me that 57'6 is the longest boat that could do the Huddersfield, and the Salterhebble, but I had no problems at all at 59'3".

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