Thursday 4 Aug Harecastle closed.

[Arthur Marshall]

The Harecastle is shut from 10am Thursday 4 Aug as boats have struggled to get through with low water. Opening tomorrow morning (I hope).

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The Harecastle is shut from 10am Thursday 4 Aug as boats have struggled to get through with low water. Opening tomorrow morning (I hope).

Good luck, I hope you get through

[Athy]

I've never been through it, but it doesn't sound like the sort of place where you'd want to get stuck halfway through.

[Mad Harold]

Try standing on the towpath with your Trombone and play The Acrobat fff and they may make an emergency opening of the tunnel just to get rid of you.

Failing that,show them your Tenor Horn, (no need to play it) and I am sure you will soon be on your way.😂

[Arthur Marshall]

46 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

Try standing on the towpath with your Trombone and play The Acrobat fff and they may make an emergency opening of the tunnel just to get rid of you.

Failing that,show them your Tenor Horn, (no need to play it) and I am sure you will soon be on your way.😂

I can't threaten them with the trombone, they've all run away. Oddly, they showed no interest in the euphemism. And when I said OK, I'll just get my squeezebox out then, they said they'd call the police.

So I just moored up quietly.

[haggis]

You have made quick time from Middlewich the long way round (via the Shroppie), unless I am mistaken about when you were at Middlewich 🙂 

[Arthur Marshall]

Harecastle not opening today (Friday) at all as water still too low. CRT now pumping water in and checking no-one has left any locks or paddles open.

Nice to get round to it after closing at 10am yesterday, with a full closure on Sunday.

[Midnight]

40 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

 

Nice to get round to it after closing at 10am yesterday, with a full closure on Sunday.

 

What else would you expect from this pea-brain of a 'navigation authority'.

[Arthur Marshall]

51 minutes ago, Midnight said:

 

What else would you expect from this pea-brain of a 'navigation authority'.

At least an 8% licence fee rise?

[JamesFrance]

How deep is the Harecastle?   I remember having to take hireboats through in the 60s because the tunnel had sunk and the towpath was not visible under water, so could have damaged the wooden boats.   I believe the towpath was removed later but don't remember how long the under water part was.   Maybe the left the remains of the towpath in the lowered section.

[Tracy D'arth]

6 minutes ago, JamesFrance said:

How deep is the Harecastle?   I remember having to take hireboats through in the 60s because the tunnel had sunk and the towpath was not visible under water, so could have damaged the wooden boats.   I believe the towpath was removed later but don't remember how long the under water part was.   Maybe the left the remains of the towpath in the lowered section.

I was told that a lot of concrete was poured into the bottom of the tunnel in places, why, I have no idea. It must be remembered that the tunnel is not only sinking but is being squeezed like a toothpaste tube so presumably there are shallow sections.

 

I tried poling a boat out once and you can find the bottom with a pole in most places.

[Arthur Marshall]

The CRT bods say it's 5 inches down, and one of the boats who came through yesterday apparently hit the bottom a few times. It seems to have gone up half an inch today so far.

[pearley]

On 04/08/2022 at 15:59, Arthur Marshall said:

I can't threaten them with the trombone, they've all run away. Oddly, they showed no interest in the euphemism. And when I said OK, I'll just get my squeezebox out then, they said they'd call the police.

So I just moored up quietly.

 What's those caravans for?

[ditchcrawler]

33 minutes ago, pearley said:

 What's those caravans for?

They do canoeing, paddle boarding and other activates there

[Arthur Marshall]

Open today, for the moment. 3 inches down.

[Tracy D'arth]

11 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

They do canoeing, paddle boarding and other activates there

That is why they sell ice-cream and a few groceries. I like mooring there overnight, its very quiet.

[Midnight]

33 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Open today, for the moment. 3 inches down.

Good luck Arthur let's hope you make it home this time.

[pearley]

12 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

They do canoeing, paddle boarding and other activates there

Can't get away from them nowadays. New since 2020 last time we were there.

[ditchcrawler]

5 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

That is why they sell ice-cream and a few groceries. I like mooring there overnight, its very quiet.

We moor there if going through the tunnel 

[Paul C]

We moored at Westport Lake and set off early to arrive at the tunnel before 8am. Were accepted into the group of boats heading north first thing, no worries. This was earlier in the summer though, when it was open from 8am-12noon for non-booked boats.

[Arthur Marshall]

11 hours ago, Midnight said:

Good luck Arthur let's hope you make it home this time.

Thank you - we made it! Much relief all round.  All the Heritage boats have escaped and I presume the Black Prince ones too. Bit of a duff boating summer and I don't hold out much hope for next year, either.

[IanD]

On 04/08/2022 at 15:59, Arthur Marshall said:

I can't threaten them with the trombone, they've all run away. Oddly, they showed no interest in the euphemism. And when I said OK, I'll just get my squeezebox out then, they said they'd call the police.

So I just moored up quietly.

When I played the squeezebox in Harecastle -- as a duet with the trumpet player on the boat behind us -- I got told off by the jobsworth at the exit in case the noise would have prevented any use of a horn as a distress signal.

 

It obviously escaped his attention that we were the last two boats, and perfectly capable of communicating with each other. 

 

Or maybe he just didn't like the Dambusters... 😉

[MtB]

59 minutes ago, IanD said:

When I played the squeezebox in Harecastle -- as a duet with the trumpet player on the boat behind us -- I got told off by the jobsworth at the exit in case the noise would have prevented any use of a horn as a distress signal.

 

 

 

You should have told him it WAS a distress signal, but nobody came to help....

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

When I played the squeezebox in Harecastle -- as a duet with the trumpet player on the boat behind us -- I got told off by the jobsworth at the exit in case the noise would have prevented any use of a horn as a distress signal.

 

It obviously escaped his attention that we were the last two boats, and perfectly capable of communicating with each other. 

 

Or maybe he just didn't like the Dambusters... 😉

I always wonder if they would hear a horn sound when they are in their hut.

[Arthur Marshall]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I always wonder if they would hear a horn sound when they are in their hut.

He obviously heard the squeezebox. I got told off years ago for playing the cornet for the same reason - you need two hands for the trombone - but the acoustics are irresistible....