C&RT's most useless signs and money wasted

[Stroudwater1]

15 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

But wide beam owners should be aware of the problems their size can cause, and evaluate if the waterway is suitable.

Sadly the forum has no identifiable irony posting sign, it’s a disgrace 🤣 

The guy was very busy running side to side whilst the ladies sipped their drinks. It was quite comical. Selling it at Dunchurch he said, but pity anyone taking it for a trial run, if prospective widebeam purchasers do such a thing. 

Edited October 10, 2021 by Stroudwater1

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

When we having a falling out one goes to the front of the boat, the other to the back cabin, with a boat like that you just go to opposite sides 😀

 

What, just like in the photo you mean??!! 😂 😂 😂

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Stroudwater1 said:

Sadly the forum has no identifiable irony posting sign, it’s a disgrace 🤣 

The guy was very busy running side to side whilst the ladies sipped their drinks. It was quite comical. Selling it at Dunchurch he said, but pity anyone taking it for a trial run, if wideneam purchasers do such a thing. 

 

Being an owner of a 14' wide 'fat-boat' and having recently decided to remove it from the unsuitable canals I 'hear you'.

[David Mack]

9 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Selling it at Dunchurch he said, but pity anyone taking it for a trial run, if prospective widebeam purchasers do such a thing. 

And are such trial runs pre-booked with CRT and continuous from the marina to Braunston without stopping?

[MtB]

38 minutes ago, David Mack said:

And are such trial runs pre-booked with CRT and continuous from the marina to Braunston without stopping?

 

I can't imagine any widebeam getting through the tricky bit between Midland Chandlers and the bridge on a busy Saturday without needing to stop multiple times! 

[dmr]

Sorry, no photo, but for years I have noticed strange wooden structures at the side of the canal, sometimes also in brown plastic, and most common near popular lock flights.

CRT have now put up a really useful informative blue sign so the mystery is solved,   Picnic Benches.

[Midnight]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

Sorry, no photo, but for years I have noticed strange wooden structures at the side of the canal, sometimes also in brown plastic, and most common near popular lock flights.

CRT have now put up a really useful informative blue sign so the mystery is solved,   Picnic Benches.

How else would you have known what they were?

[MtB]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

Sorry, no photo, but for years I have noticed strange wooden structures at the side of the canal, sometimes also in brown plastic, and most common near popular lock flights.

CRT have now put up a really useful informative blue sign so the mystery is solved,   Picnic Benches.

 

Meanwhile, 345 million people a year 'visiting' the canals have been wondering what they are, whilst sitting on the grass eating their sandwiches.....

 

 

[dmr]

Just now, MtB said:

 

Meanwhile, 345 million people a year 'visiting' the canals have been wondering what they are, whilst sitting on the grass eating their sandwiches.....

 

 

 

It was a dilemma for us, we stopped half way down Marple for bread and cheese, (we stopped in a lock but the flight was not busy, its the North you know), we could either walk 50 yards to the signed picnic bench, or sit on a very convenient but unsigned bench right next to the lock. I am not sure if bread and cheese counts as a picnic so we sat lockside 😀

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, dmr said:

I am not sure if bread and cheese counts as a picnic so we sat lockside 😀

 

It doesn't, unless you have wine with it. 

 

Hope that helps....

[dmr]

7 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

It doesn't, unless you have wine with it. 

 

Hope that helps....

 

Good decision then. We still had a fair few locks to do and they are deep tricky things so we left the wine in the boat.

We rescued a hire boat that had gone seriously aground on the Thames. I refused to take money but we did get a bottle of wine. Might share it with you next time we meet 😀

[MtB]

1 minute ago, dmr said:

 

Good decision then. We still had a fair few locks to do and they are deep tricky things so we left the wine in the boat.

We rescued a hire boat that had gone seriously aground on the Thames. I refused to take money but we did get a bottle of wine. Might share it with you next time we meet 😀

 

Yay! 

 

Have to say, I've yet to encounter WINE in yer bote! 

 

It's a whole nother world to BEER an CIDER, but with no upper price limit. Best avoided......

 

[dmr]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

Yay! 

 

Have to say, I've yet to encounter WINE in yer bote! 

 

It's a whole nother world to BEER an CIDER, but with no upper price limit. Best avoided......

 

 

The hire boaters were rather pleased that we pulled them off as the hire company had said "sorry can't help", so they walked into town and got us the most expensive bottle of wine they could find.

 

Trouble is the only shop was a "One Stop" 😀

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

The hire boaters were rather pleased that we pulled them off as the hire company had said "sorry can't help", so they walked into town and got us the most expensive bottle of wine they could find.

 

Trouble is the only shop was a "One Stop" 😀

 

Lol, so £3.99 eh!!! 

[MrsM]

24 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

The hire boaters were rather pleased that we pulled them off as the hire company had said "sorry can't help", so they walked into town and got us the most expensive bottle of wine they could find.

 

Trouble is the only shop was a "One Stop" 😀

Nothing wrong with a drop of Blue Nun!

 

[MtB]

Just now, MrsM said:

Nothing wrong with a drop of Blue Nun!

 

 

Curiously, Blue Nun always tastes better nearer the bottom of the bottle.....

[ditchcrawler]

This one was mentioned earlier

         

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

This one was mentioned earlier

         

 

It's still the time to walk the locks, not how long it takes to get to the lock ...

[monkeyhanger]

This is on the Leeds and Liverpool canal at (I seem to remember) Hancock's swing bridge. I arrived there at 2.15pm  to find the bridge not working. After 3 phone calls to CART and being shuffled from dept. to dept,  someone eventually rang me back to inform me that the bridge is closed from 2pm until 6pm. "It's on the sign"  Well, I'm afraid it isn't.

[David Mack]

On 10/10/2021 at 19:35, dmr said:

 

It was a dilemma for us, we stopped half way down Marple for bread and cheese, (we stopped in a lock but the flight was not busy, its the North you know), we could either walk 50 yards to the signed picnic bench, or sit on a very convenient but unsigned bench right next to the lock. I am not sure if bread and cheese counts as a picnic so we sat lockside 😀

 

Is that the bench that is painted black at one end and white at the other, and slopes slightly?

[dmr]

13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 

Is that the bench that is painted black at one end and white at the other, and slopes slightly?

 

That's a very technical question. I did not notice a slope. Bench was towpath side and very close to the top gate, probably lock 6 or 8, not 7 because that leaks and needs going through quickly. More important the bread was fresh from the breadmaker and still warm and the cheese was quite a good one.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

 

That's a very technical question. I did not notice a slope. Bench was towpath side and very close to the top gate, probably lock 6 or 8, not 7 because that leaks and needs going through quickly. More important the bread was fresh from the breadmaker and still warm and the cheese was quite a good one.

New eat warm fresh bread, you just can't stop till its gone.

[dmr]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

New eat warm fresh bread, you just can't stop till its gone.

 

The battery box sits right next to the engine in the engine room and is just the perfect place for a breadmaker.

I would be vegan if not for my love of cheese, and fresh warm bread is as good as it gets. Luckily it cools quickly so its only the first slice and crust that absolutely must be eaten.

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

 

That's a very technical question. I did not notice a slope. Bench was towpath side and very close to the top gate, probably lock 6 or 8

I was thinking of this sort of lockside bench!

 

 

 

[dmr]

1 minute ago, David Mack said:

I was thinking of this sort of lockside bench!

 

 

 

 

Sorry I'm been a bit slow 😀 Getting ready for the assault on the Ashton 18/Rochdale 18 so been in that Silly Town/Silly Pub micro pub in Droylsden .

Anyway, don't  give CRT ideas or every balance beam will get a blue sign "Sit here and get some wellbeing". I am always slightly impressed by boaters who lie on the beam as the lock fills.