C&RT Review of 'Facilities' provision

[MoominPapa]

Since the piece cites vandalism is of buildings as a problem, I suggest making more Elsan points of the outdoor variety. They are by far the most pleasant to use anyway, since they're so well ventilated.

 

MP.

[Ronaldo47]

On my first canal holiday in 1976, one of the boats we hired that had elsan loos, was provided with a spade, which was to be used to dig a hole at a convenient towpath-side location if no emptying facilities were available. Due to the severely-restricted lock opening hours of that year's drought, and stuck in a pound with no facilities, we had to do so mid-week.  Let's hope those days don't return. 

[BEngo]

9 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

Since the piece cites vandalism is of buildings as a problem, I suggest making more Elsan points of the outdoor variety. They are by far the most pleasant to use anyway, since they're so well ventilated.

 

MP.

Well they are well ventilated but also the easiest to vandalise as the access is so easy, both to the bowl and the pipework.  I remember the one near Autherly junction, a couple of hundred metres up the Shroppie.  It was more out of order than working, now it has gone.  The one by the A45 road bridge in Braunston is similar, though that is mistreatment by users I think.

 

N

[Lady M]

There are a lot of Elsan point blockages these days, some due to wet wipes.  This makes them more expensive to operate.

[Tracy D'arth]

Last time I was in Minworth, all the facilities were nailed up.

The lack of any sort of facilities on the western end of the T&M is disgraceful.  No Elsan or pump out places, no skips, till you get to Anderton.

Last decent showers at the tunnel or Red Bull which C&RT are selling off so that will go too.

Anyone moored in Middlewich has a long way to go before the loo can be emptied or the bin dumped.

[AndrewIC]

Don’t think there was ever an Elsan at Barbridge. The tap and bins have long gone, but there are nice new signs limiting mooring to 30 mins “for access to the services”. 
 

Elsan at Plants Lock went when the Red Bull service block opened. Tyrley seems unlikely to reopen, Hurleston has gone (there was an “aspiration” to open a new one before Grindley Brook), and the drainage at Anderton is unreliable.

[ditchcrawler]

11 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

 e. There's a disused Elsan by one locks on the way in (maybe Chemistry?) but ideally something in Christleton would be best.

Thats the one I was thinking of

 

11 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

It's crazy that there's no elsan facilty in Middlewich. 

CRT will claim there is one available at the boat yard (at a cost)

[ditchcrawler]

11 hours ago, Goliath said:

Elsen at Fazeley junction was shut maybe 5 years ago?

There were bins there too.

 

We now have to go the marina.

Thankfully you dont have to pay there

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Anyone moored in Middlewich has a long way to go before the loo can be emptied or the bin dumped.

You can empty your rubbish at the Household Waste Site which is alongside the towpath just below Middlewich.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

28 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Thats the one I was thinking of

 

CRT will claim there is one available at the boat yard (at a cost)

Is there? When I broke down in Middlewich I had to bike trailer my cassette to Wheelock to empty it. I think the boatyard only do pump-outs (since that is what is on their boats) but I'm willing to be corrected

[john6767]

13 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Interesting that CRT only maintain 65 Elsan points on the entire system. I wonder how many there were ten years ago.

I was really surprised that CRT has more pump out than elsans.  I guess I don’t notice pump outs but it is hard to think of many locations with one.

[Dog]

12 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

You're maybe thinking about the rubbish point and tap at Barbridge Junction? The Shroppie around there is pretty good for facilities: it's not far between Nantwich and Calverley. I think the tap at the junction was nominally replaced with on above the first lock on the branch.

 

MP.

Yes, I think the tap at Barbridge was stopped because the nearby house owner discovered that it was coming from his property and, quite rightly, didn't like paying for boaters to use his water.

I believe the rubbish point was scrapped because of difficulty accessing the site over bridge 101(?)

 

I could, of course, be wrong.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Is there? When I broke down in Middlewich I had to bike trailer my cassette to Wheelock to empty it. I think the boatyard only do pump-outs (since that is what is on their boats) but I'm willing to be corrected

[Steve Buxton]

The Elsan at Beeston Lock is regularly blocked and out of order. Could it be that the design needs looking at to reduce this? I am not sure how you "educate" people to be more considerate in what they put down the Elsan. Alternatively it could be deliberate vandalism.

 

[matty40s]

The bins facility was removed from the Old PumpHouse below the first half of the Wilmcote flight the week after Jubilee meaning that the only ones left were at valley wharf, which was fully moored up with boats when we passed in June.

[Tracy D'arth]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Thats the one I was thinking of

 

CRT will claim there is one available at the boat yard (at a cost)

Which boat yard?  Middlewich narrowboats is non existent and Andersons will not allow, they have their own pump out only.

King's Lock has no facility at all.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

That's the old Middlewich Narrowboats site, isn't it? It looks as though it is being operated as a co-operative after Paul Donnelly acquired the vacant site, it doesn't say when it re-opened for business though. I'm pretty sure last time I passed through there was only one narrow boat hire company operating in Middlewich, and it wasn't them.

[ditchcrawler]

46 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

That's the old Middlewich Narrowboats site, isn't it? It looks as though it is being operated as a co-operative after Paul Donnelly acquired the vacant site, it doesn't say when it re-opened for business though. I'm pretty sure last time I passed through there was only one narrow boat hire company operating in Middlewich, and it wasn't them.

About 2 years

[AndrewIC]

43 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

That's the old Middlewich Narrowboats site, isn't it? It looks as though it is being operated as a co-operative after Paul Donnelly acquired the vacant site, it doesn't say when it re-opened for business though. I'm pretty sure last time I passed through there was only one narrow boat hire company operating in Middlewich, and it wasn't them.

It is the old Middlewich Narrowboats site, and they do have an Elsan point, but whether they charge I don’t know. I’ve seen it open once or twice at festival time. Although when we came through late morning today, everything was shut up.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

About 2 years

That kind of makes sense it was 2019 the last time I passed through there. I went through Middlewich in 2021 but came up the T&M from Wheelock and turned up the Wardle so didn't go past it then.

[Tracy D'arth]

5 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

That kind of makes sense it was 2019 the last time I passed through there. I went through Middlewich in 2021 but came up the T&M from Wheelock and turned up the Wardle so didn't go past it then.

Down the T&M surely?

[Wanderer Vagabond]

2 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Down the T&M surely?

OK pedant, up the country and down the T&M

[Tracy D'arth]

1 minute ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

OK pedant, up the country and down the T&M

Ha Ha. Your signature says it all!  Don't want you getting lost in Cheshire.

[rgreg]

17 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

The water and elsan at the top of Tyrley flight on the shroppie has been out of use for at least a couple of years. I don't know if it's been formally abandoned.

 

MP.

I'm pretty sure someone was filling up with water when I passed a few weeks ago. I don't know about the Elsan.

[ditchcrawler]

23 minutes ago, AndrewIC said:

It is the old Middlewich Narrowboats site, and they do have an Elsan point, but whether they charge I don’t know. I’ve seen it open once or twice at festival time. Although when we came through late morning today, everything was shut up.

I think it was £2 but may have been more as I was surprised at the time, can't remember where I read it, maybe last time I boated past