Article - Canals open July 4th for holiday makers

[Alan de Enfield]

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/activity/1301111/canal-boat-holidays-uk-narrowboat-waterways-best-cruise-rings-England

 

Canal boat holidays in UK to restart on July 4 - here's why they're the 'perfect getaway'

CANAL BOAT holidays are among some of the UK staycations that will be allowed to restart on July 4. Here's why narrowboat holidays offer the "perfect getaway" for Britons.

[restlessnomad]

yay.... time for some fireworks

https://www.google.com/search?q=4th+july

[Athy]

The extension of the meaning of "staycation" must be recent. The word has been around for a few years, and is presumably of American origin since, with the exception of the universities, we have "holidays" and not "vacations". It was meant "a holiday spent at home". Now it appears to mean also "a holiday not spent at home", which rather defeats the object of the word.

 

[Col_T]

'staycation' has been taken to mean not holidaying abroad for a quite a while now, I think.

[Athy]

1 minute ago, Col_T said:

'staycation' has been taken to mean not holidaying abroad for a quite a while now, I think.

It more accurately describes what many of us have being doing for the last three months (gosh, has it really been as long as that?) This new use is most misleading - after all, it's not as if most British people go to foreign countries for their holidays.

[Murflynn]

I was wondering why anyone would drive for 3 hours to Bournemouth (some of those interviewed came from as far away as Milton Keynes for the day), find the beach crowded, and not drive on to find a quieter spot.

 

then it occurred to me that for the average Brit, holidays are spent in a beach-side hotel where the beach in front of the hotel is reserved for hotel jesters who are packed in like sardines on hotel loungers   .................  those folk would not feel comfortable on a quiet beach but would have found the conditions at Bournemouth strangely comforting.

 

saddos. 

[doratheexplorer]

14 minutes ago, Col_T said:

'staycation' has been taken to mean not holidaying abroad for a quite a while now, I think.

Not in my world.  It grinds my gears when it's applied to any holiday in the UK.  Athy is right; a "staycation" is where you don't go on holiday but you do all the touristy things in your own area which you've never got round to.  Going to Cornwall is not a staycation, it's a holiday. 

 

The wrong use of the word has been popularised by the middle classes who previously wouldn't have entertained the idea of a holiday which didn't involve a plane, but now want to show off their green credentials by nobly going on"staycation", much to the bewilderment of those of us who never left the country until they were in their 20s.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by doratheexplorer

[haggis]

10 minutes ago, Athy said:

It more accurately describes what many of us have being doing for the last three months (gosh, has it really been as long as that?) This new use is most misleading - after all, it's not as if most British people go to foreign countries for their holidays.

Oh, I don't know if (before Covid 19) most folk holidayed abroad or in the UK but I have always understood staycation to mean folk who holidayed in the UK. 

 

haggis

[magpie patrick]

Apparently the English equivalent is Holistay

 

It says something about our (ridiculous) levels of expectation when staying the UK for a holiday is regarded as remarkable - I don't begrudge foreign holidays, indeed I do have them, but I do regard them as a luxury!

[doratheexplorer]

"Number one on the Trust’s list is the Droitwich Ring which covers 21 miles and passes thigh 33 locks.

The route takes 16 hours and is the only one in Europe which can be completed on a short break."

 

Eh? What?

[magpie patrick]

4 minutes ago, haggis said:

Oh, I don't know if (before Covid 19) most folk holidayed abroad or in the UK but I have always understood staycation to mean folk who holidayed in the UK. 

 

haggis

The daft thing about that though is that, where I live The Loire is rather closer than Edinburgh, I'm not especially close to the channel 

 

I know this cos I holidayed in Orleans last year - I wouldn't regard Edinburgh as "staying at home"

1 minute ago, doratheexplorer said:

"Number one on the Trust’s list is the Droitwich Ring which covers 21 miles and passes thigh 33 locks.

The route takes 16 hours and is the only one in Europe which can be completed on a short break."

 

Eh? What?

Not strictly true given the loops in the BCN but things like the Cheshire Ring need a week, short breaks in the holiday brochures are 3-4 nights

Edited June 26, 2020 by magpie patrick

[doratheexplorer]

And then:

 

 

 

what happened to Scotland?

2 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

The daft thing about that though is that, where I live The Loire is rather closer than Edinburgh, I'm not especially close to the channel 

 

I know this cos I holidayed in Orleans last year - I wouldn't regard Edinburgh as "staying at home"

Not strictly true given the loops in the BCN but things like the Cheshire Ring need a week, short breaks in the holiday brochures are 3-4 nights

Loads of nice short loops on the BCN, but I also suspect Birmingham - CathDeBarnes - Lapworth - Shirley - Kings Norton would make a nice short break too and is mostly not on the BCN.  Or a nice ring through London including the Regent's Canal and the Thames.

[Arthur Marshall]

3 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

And then:

 

 

 

what happened to Scotland?

Midges.

[magpie patrick]

4 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

 

Loads of nice short loops on the BCN, but I also suspect Birmingham - CathDeBarnes - Lapworth - Shirley - Kings Norton would make a nice short break too and is mostly not on the BCN.  Or a nice ring through London including the Regent's Canal and the Thames.

I should know that - I've done both of those ? 

 

[doratheexplorer]

4 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

I should know that - I've done both of those ? 

 

I suspect that Autherley - Bratch - Stewponey - Dudley - Wolverhampton would work nicely for a short break too.

[ditchcrawler]

8 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

"Number one on the Trust’s list is the Droitwich Ring which covers 21 miles and passes thigh 33 locks.

The route takes 16 hours and is the only one in Europe which can be completed on a short break."

 

Eh? What?

Its quite fun, people who have never hired just hire a boat for 3 days and then out on the river, a quick thrash up the Droitwich and back to base. https://nbharnser.blogspot.com/2015/08/droitwich-wednesday-5-august-2015.html

14 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

 

Not strictly true given the loops in the BCN but things like the Cheshire Ring need a week, short breaks in the holiday brochures are 3-4 nights

 

14 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

 

 

Loads of nice short loops on the BCN, but I also suspect Birmingham - CathDeBarnes - Lapworth - Shirley - Kings Norton would make a nice short break too and is mostly not on the BCN.  Or a nice ring through London including the Regent's Canal and the Thames.

But where can you hire from to do the London ring in 3 days? or the BCN?

[magpie patrick]

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

But where can you hire from to do the London ring in 3 days? or the BCN?

I did london from Adelaide Marine but that's a good few years back

 

The Stratford - GU one I did from Anglo Welsh at Wooton Wawen

 

I've only even done the Stourbridge-Bratch ring on my own boat but I think there is a hire base at Autherley? 

[Mike Tee]

Its all very well being told we can go on holiday, but have they opened the toilets at any of these places yet? All those awayday people on the beaches - where did they 'go' either during the journey, or on the beach?

Actually, I know one answer - my granddaughter plus partner and children took a portable toilet with them on a recent day away - at least they have a large enough vehicle to carry it in, and use when necessary. But I bet the majority of travelers had no facilities.

(And I probably know the answer to where most of the rest went............... just keep your mouth shut when swimming).

[Murflynn]

1 minute ago, Mike Tee said:

 

Actually, I know one answer - my granddaughter plus partner and children took a portable toilet with them on a recent day away - at least they have a large enough vehicle to carry it in, and use when necessary. But I bet the majority of travelers had no facilities.

 

what use is a portapotti in a vehicle if the vehicle is parked a mile away from a crowded beach in Bournemouth?

 

I'll bet that most of the folk braving the cold sea were surreptitiously  ..................................   well, I don't need to go into details do I?

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

15 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

Its all very well being told we can go on holiday, but have they opened the toilets at any of these places yet? All those awayday people on the beaches - where did they 'go' either during the journey, or on the beach?

Actually, I know one answer - my granddaughter plus partner and children took a portable toilet with them on a recent day away - at least they have a large enough vehicle to carry it in, and use when necessary. But I bet the majority of travelers had no facilities.

(And I probably know the answer to where most of the rest went............... just keep your mouth shut when swimming).

According to the radio reports the toilets were open but people were not willing to queue so some chose to defecate on the grass by the beach huts. 
 

 

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

And then:

 

 

 

what happened to Scotland?

 

Who gives a ...

It's not open yet, and I have no doubt foreigners will not be particularly welcome seeing as the Scottish have got quite close to eradicating the  virus, so probably dont want the English hordes bringing it back up there.

[Mike Todd]

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

"Number one on the Trust’s list is the Droitwich Ring which covers 21 miles and passes thigh 33 locks.

The route takes 16 hours and is the only one in Europe which can be completed on a short break."

 

Eh? What?

Depends on what you mean by a short break.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Athy said:

It more accurately describes what many of us have being doing for the last three months (gosh, has it really been as long as that?) This new use is most misleading - after all, it's not as if most British people go to foreign countries for their holidays.

Nope.

 

Staycation has never meant being locked down at home. It has meant staying in the UK for your holidays since pre 2016.

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

And then:

 

 

 

what happened to Scotland?

 

Perhaps ask Ms. Sturgeon?

Edited June 26, 2020 by The Happy Nomad

[Jerra]

noun

INFORMAL

 

1. a holiday spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.

    

   It would appear it means both staying at home and in your own country.

[haggis]

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

And then:

 

 

 

what happened to Scotland?

It fell off the top