IanD Posted August 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 1 minute ago, Goliath said: ? yes I did sorry, in that case, same in reverse? you’ll be ok Ta ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickent Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 3 hours ago, Richard T said: Moor in the first space you get to in Alrewas - it gets busy. Don't think that there may be better ones further on. If all else fails there is usually space above Bagnalls lock. A word of warning about this lock - the bottom gates swing someone needs to hold them shut until a top padle has been drawn. Another word of warning on the Soar about 150m above Ratcliffe lock is a large shoal on the offside it is important to stay on the towpath side as you approach - the prevailing wind will want to blow you onto the shoal!! Should be more visible at the moment due to low water levels, but good advice all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 3 hours ago, Goliath said: Don’t them gates have poles on hinges to keep ‘em shut? I must be thinking of further up at Fradley? I think you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Nightwatch said: I think you are. The Alrewas top lock DID have them on to start off with, but they kept getting removed. Ridiculous invention, boaters have managed for 200 years to operate locks, and adding those was daft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-M Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 1 hour ago, matty40s said: The Alrewas top lock DID have them on to start off with, but they kept getting removed. Ridiculous invention, boaters have managed for 200 years to operate locks, and adding those was daft. We were talking to a CRT guy a few years ago and he said the poles kept getting pinched from that lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 16 minutes ago, Rob-M said: We were talking to a CRT guy a few years ago and he said the poles kept getting pinched from that lock. Several times I have approached that lock from below, seen daylight in the gap, or even an open gate, and moved forward to ease gates open to find one of the silly things in place. The lock entrance and hole below are so full of leaf debris and silt it's almost impossible to get to the bank easily so having the simple solution removed by a new invention is rather annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-M Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 4 minutes ago, matty40s said: Several times I have approached that lock from below, seen daylight in the gap, or even an open gate, and moved forward to ease gates open to find one of the silly things in place. The lock entrance and hole below are so full of leaf debris and silt it's almost impossible to get to the bank easily so having the simple solution removed by a new invention is rather annoying. Could be worse, I pulled up to nudge the gates open only to find a boat in the lock. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 (edited) 40 minutes ago, Rob-M said: Could be worse, I pulled up to nudge the gates open only to find a boat in the lock. I did that very recently, they were having lunch in the lock.....and had a paddle open both ends. Hottest day of the year....he was drinking squash out of a robinsons bottle...I saw him empty it 3 times. 2 locks up, he collapsed by the lock gate spewing up orange squash in impressive amounts. I helped them get the boat out of the lock....and left them to it as they didn't want any other help. Edited August 14, 2020 by matty40s 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PD1964 Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 Here’s a quick one about lock flights to think about. Just did a lock flight of 8 Locks, started off nothing behind or in front, later met a couple of boats coming down. With 3 locks remaining I notice a boat 3 locks down, so just carried on, I’m single handed the boat behind had crew, gets out of lock No6, a person from the boat behind walks to the lock and starts to empty it as I close gates, in lock No7 a boat goes into the last lock No8, I empty the lock, open gates and wait to pass the other boat, the boat behind enters lock No6 when a member of the crew approach’s me and asks why I have not waited for them, I said I was 3 locks ahead and never thought to wait, so I goes out swaps locks with the boat and wait for the boat behind to do the last lock with them. So the question is while doing lock flights how many locks should you wait to let a boat catch and share the locks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 31 minutes ago, PD1964 said: Here’s a quick one about lock flights to think about. Just did a lock flight of 8 Locks, started off nothing behind or in front, later met a couple of boats coming down. With 3 locks remaining I notice a boat 3 locks down, so just carried on, I’m single handed the boat behind had crew, gets out of lock No6, a person from the boat behind walks to the lock and starts to empty it as I close gates, in lock No7 a boat goes into the last lock No8, I empty the lock, open gates and wait to pass the other boat, the boat behind enters lock No6 when a member of the crew approach’s me and asks why I have not waited for them, I said I was 3 locks ahead and never thought to wait, so I goes out swaps locks with the boat and wait for the boat behind to do the last lock with them. So the question is while doing lock flights how many locks should you wait to let a boat catch and share the locks? You shouldn't, unless they catch you up or approach you. I've been waiting for boats in a lock and had them moor up for lunch on the lock landing or join me and say, we're stopping after this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Lowe Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 On 13/08/2020 at 17:48, matty40s said: The Wistow garden centre and tea rooms now has an excellent Deli/fruit and veg shop too. They sell some excellent bottled beers as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 3 minutes ago, buccaneer66 said: They sell some excellent bottled beers as well. I completely forgot about that !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerbeerbeerbeerbeer Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 5 minutes ago, matty40s said: You shouldn't, unless they catch you up or approach you. I've been waiting for boats in a lock and had them moor up for lunch on the lock landing or join me and say, we're stopping after this one. Same here, I’d would have said something when they first caught up and offered to wait in the next lock and do the remaining locks together. People are are odd when it comes to sharing locks. A couple of times I’ve caught up with another boat and had to sound the horn to stop them closing gates and let me share the lock. Then they make an excuse to stop, and I continue on my merry way wondering what I did to upset them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PD1964 Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 19 minutes ago, matty40s said: You shouldn't, unless they catch you up or approach you. I've been waiting for boats in a lock and had them moor up for lunch on the lock landing or join me and say, we're stopping after this one. I wouldn’t normally but as you say they approached me even though I only had one lock to do and they were 2 behind I waited, it was like they expected me to wait due to it being a flight. Lucky I have all the time in the world and other boaters haven’t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerbeerbeerbeerbeer Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 3 minutes ago, PD1964 said: I wouldn’t normally but as you say they approached me even though I only had one lock to do and they were 2 behind I waited, it was like they expected me to wait due to it being a flight. Lucky I have all the time in the world and other boaters haven’t. In that case I wouldn’t have waited. I thought they’d caught you up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob-M Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 If it was somewhere like Hatton and I was only in the 3rd or 4th lock I would probably wait but after that unless they caught me up I would keep going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PD1964 Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 24 minutes ago, Goliath said: In that case I wouldn’t have waited. I thought they’d caught you up. No I was in the second to last lock they were 2 behind, they approached me and asked why I had not waited for them. They were always at least 2 locks behind. I waited in the last lock for them, they seemed to be on a mission to try and catch me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickd Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 On this route The Bridge at Branston and The Greyhound, Sutton Stop are the 'must eats' for us. There's an excellent chippy on Atherstone High Street as well. Agree with Bagnall Lock comments, the bottom offside gate ALWAYS swings open just when you don't want it to, and as the wife leaves the other gate to shut the offside one, that slowly creeps open too! I reverse up to hold the gates in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PD1964 Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 Back to topic, anyone know if there are any issues with water levels Foxton to Leicester and beyond to the Trent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyboy Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 On 14/08/2020 at 14:28, Goliath said: Don’t them gates have poles on hinges to keep ‘em shut? I must be thinking of further up at Fradley? They did have but somebody stole them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty40s Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 38 minutes ago, PD1964 said: Back to topic, anyone know if there are any issues with water levels Foxton to Leicester and beyond to the Trent? CrT are letting water down Kibworth from about 8am daily. When we were at Foxton, one of the lockies was letting water down from the top, but didnt tell anyone down the bottom, so flooded the middle. We really struggled round South Wigston as it was very down, but this was the day after he 2nd lockdown finished so nothing had been done since Winter, it was OK on the way back up. The Soar is as low as it can get but fine from Kings Lock through, only North Lock to Belgrave Lock are the usual shit filled trench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robtheplod Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 Got a notice the Soar could be getting high - hope this subsides for our trip in two weeks...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickent Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 51 minutes ago, robtheplod said: Got a notice the Soar could be getting high - hope this subsides for our trip in two weeks...... I can confirm it is on the up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droshky Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 On 17/08/2020 at 08:13, Rickent said: I can confirm it is on the up. We might be up there on the Soar in 10 days or so. We’d plan to moor somewhere North of Leicester, perhaps Birstall area if that was ok. Then go home, come back as usual 2 weeks later. Any regular issues with security, either from hooligans or river level drama? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickent Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 14 minutes ago, droshky said: We might be up there on the Soar in 10 days or so. We’d plan to moor somewhere North of Leicester, perhaps Birstall area if that was ok. Then go home, come back as usual 2 weeks later. Any regular issues with security, either from hooligans or river level drama? Birstall, Syston are good safe moorings, river levels can shoot up over a short space of time when rain is heavy, need to keep your eye on the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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