Tardebigge twice in one day?

[Sea Dog]

Yesterday, with the wind abated and after a brief chat with @ditchcrawler of this parish, we set off up Tardebigge. We soon caught up with a couple in an ABC hire boat out of Worcester who were a bit on the slow side, but we're doing just fine. Eventually, late in the climb, a boat came down so, with the rest of the locks in their favour, they opened a gap.  As we approached the deep top lock we were pleased to see it emptying to finally have one in our favour at the end of an unprecedented 5 hour transit. Who was coming down? The couple in the hire boat! They hadn't meant to go up Tardebigge, so the whole exercise was  just to wind at the top and now they were going to do the return leg without pause. Tardebigge twice without a pause?  Now that's a holiday they won't forget! ?

 

[doratheexplorer]

When did they realise their mistake?  If it was within the first ten locks, I'd have sooner reverse back down than wind at the top!

[Sea Dog]

5 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

When did they realise their mistake?  If it was within the first ten locks, I'd have sooner reverse back down than wind at the top!

Yeah, me too, but I think forwards up the flight was enough of a challenge for them, as it would've for many.  I did once have to reverse a mile and 5 locks down from the Queen's Head to wind at Black Prince after being iced in, which all went pleasingly well.

 

[ditchcrawler]

12 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yesterday, with the wind abated and after a brief chat with @ditchcrawler of this parish, we set off up Tardebigge. We soon caught up with a couple in an ABC hire boat out of Worcester who were a bit on the slow side, but we're doing just fine. Eventually, late in the climb, a boat came down so, with the rest of the locks in their favour, they opened a gap.  As we approached the deep top lock we were pleased to see it emptying to finally have one in our favour at the end of an unprecedented 5 hour transit. Who was coming down? The couple in the hire boat! They hadn't meant to go up Tardebigge, so the whole exercise was  just to wind at the top and now they were going to do the return leg without pause. Tardebigge twice without a pause?  Now that's a holiday they won't forget! ?

 

We saw them coming and waited 3 locks down for them as well as setting the one behind me. I assured the lady the pub at the bottom didn't close until late. They were out for 4 nights and should have winded at Stoke Prior  but didn't. Must say they were in good spirits, but it took him for ever to transit one lock chamber to the next. They should have had a good road. We stopped for lunch in a lock to let the one ahead draw away a bit

11 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

When did they realise their mistake?  If it was within the first ten locks, I'd have sooner reverse back down than wind at the top!

And then where would you go?

 

6 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yeah, me too, but I think forwards up the flight was enough of a challenge for them, as it would've for many.  I did once have to reverse a mile and 5 locks down from the Queen's Head to wind at Black Prince after being iced in, which all went pleasingly well.

 

Which is where they should have winded

[john6767]

Tardigbigge twice in a day is a bit extreme.  
 

A month ago we met a hire boat at the top of Farmers Bridge just starting to come down.  They had just come up and turned round as they had got lost and now needed to go back down and then down Aston.  So they did Ashted, Farmers Bridge, Farmers Bridge again, and Aston, instead of Garrison!  So I think that is an additional 37 locks, because they did not have a guide book!

[Tim Lewis]

24 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Tardigbigge twice in a day is a bit extreme.  
 

A month ago we met a hire boat at the top of Farmers Bridge just starting to come down.  They had just come up and turned round as they had got lost and now needed to go back down and then down Aston.  So they did Ashted, Farmers Bridge, Farmers Bridge again, and Aston, instead of Garrison!  So I think that is an additional 37 locks, because they did not have a guide book!

 

We did this, on purpose, on my first ever hire boat canal holiday on which we had also dome Tardebigge twice. We did 200 locks in the week, not bad for an introduction to boating!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

32 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Tardigbigge twice in a day is a bit extreme.  
 

A month ago we met a hire boat at the top of Farmers Bridge just starting to come down.  They had just come up and turned round as they had got lost and now needed to go back down and then down Aston.  So they did Ashted, Farmers Bridge, Farmers Bridge again, and Aston, instead of Garrison!  So I think that is an additional 37 locks, because they did not have a guide book!

BCN Challenge Material ?

[David Mack]

12 hours ago, Tim Lewis said:

 

We did this, on purpose, on my first ever hire boat canal holiday on which we had also dome Tardebigge twice. We did 200 locks in the week, not bad for an introduction to boating!

On an early family hire boat holiday from Market Harborough, we arrived back at Foxton on the Friday lunchtime. So we just went up the locks, turned round and came straight back down again, thereby linking routes with the previous year's hire where we had turned back at the top of the locks.

I'm not sure we'd be allowed to do that these days.

[doratheexplorer]

13 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

 

And then where would you go?

 

 

In the pub!

[Tim Lewis]

15 hours ago, Goliath said:

BCN Challenge Material ?

We did this on one BCN challenge to find to find that in that year the Grand Union locks didn't count ?

[Rob-M]

We once waited for a hire boat at the top of Hatton, as we dropped down the lock I asked them where they were heading, Stratford was the answer. They had looked on a map and thought they could get back on the Avon where the aqueduct crosses. Fortunately we managed to wind them below the lock so they could head back down the Stratford canal.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Rob-M

[Big Bob W]

One day last year, we met a boat coming down the bottom lock at Buckby. He was convinced he was at the bottom of the Braunston flight. Then we worked out he turned left instead of right at the end of the Leicester Line! So he went back up the flight with us. I did ask if he thought it strange that Braunston Tunnel had disappeared!

Not a hirer BTW.