Reflection on our latest journey

[astalweeks]

We had a week out ten days ago doing a circuit starting and finishing at Great Haywood via Birmingham. All the family and the dog had a great time and can't wait to do it all again.

Here are the latest moans

 

Day Boats. Don't you love them! I would imagine they are desperately hard to steer, they seem to take a very interesting course when going the same way as us and when they come toward me they always go into reverse and then end up broadside on the canal. Actually this not necessarily confined to day boats, both hire boats and owned boats also do this sometimes. Previously I've had to dodge the electric boats in London and now I see they have reached Birmingham as well.

 

Paddle Boarders. This is a new menace which I have not encountered before. I caught up with one so I slowed right down to pass only to get a torrent of abuse mainly because apparently there was a bow wave at the front of the boat, when I suggested it was very hard for a boat to move forward without the bow creating a bow wave  I was told I was a 'Tocking Fusser' or something like that I think. I wished her bon voyage.

 

Wolverhampton  to Factory Locks, what a lot of weeds, luckily the water is so clear you can see how clogged up the prop is getting which it did 3 times. And then the BCN, which is now such a beautiful canal, green banks, wildlife, we saw 2 kingfishers. Compared to my first trip along there in 1972 when it still had horse drawn boats and steel works and an individual odour. Gas Street/Birmingham has had a complete makeover since my last visit. I actually quite liked it when it was still industrial and everyone spoke like Carl Chinn so it was good going down Farmers Bridge Locks and passing all these new lookalike flats with balconies and then going under the big bridge and entering a time warp with the drinkers having a garden party outside the derelict factories.

 

Holdens v Bathams. Still can't decide, went to the Great Western. Had the Holdens Bitter and then a Bathams, so had another Holdens and the another Bathams and then bought a carry out with 4 pints of each for further research. Still undecided so will have to return and carry out further tastings. I think the Bathams is stronger than the Holdens but the Holdens seemed to slip down easier. We also had the faggots and mushy peas to soak it up.

 

Global Warming. 7 days of non-stop sunshine followed by a months worth of rain once we had tied up. There didn't appear to be any water shortages but presume this will change once the schools are out. Are CRT dredging, I thought the Coventry round Hopwas was fairly shallow and I was in a hire boat. I took a partly loaded boat through there in 1980 with no problems. Yes they are dredging further along on the T&M. Whats with these sacking bolsters, won't they just rot away. 

 

Out again in October, intending to the Mon and Brec

[IanD]

16 minutes ago, astalweeks said:

We had a week out ten days ago doing a circuit starting and finishing at Great Haywood via Birmingham. All the family and the dog had a great time and can't wait to do it all again.

Here are the latest moans

 

Day Boats. Don't you love them! I would imagine they are desperately hard to steer, they seem to take a very interesting course when going the same way as us and when they come toward me they always go into reverse and then end up broadside on the canal. Actually this not necessarily confined to day boats, both hire boats and owned boats also do this sometimes. Previously I've had to dodge the electric boats in London and now I see they have reached Birmingham as well.

 

Paddle Boarders. This is a new menace which I have not encountered before. I caught up with one so I slowed right down to pass only to get a torrent of abuse mainly because apparently there was a bow wave at the front of the boat, when I suggested it was very hard for a boat to move forward without the bow creating a bow wave  I was told I was a 'Tocking Fusser' or something like that I think. I wished her bon voyage.

 

Wolverhampton  to Factory Locks, what a lot of weeds, luckily the water is so clear you can see how clogged up the prop is getting which it did 3 times. And then the BCN, which is now such a beautiful canal, green banks, wildlife, we saw 2 kingfishers. Compared to my first trip along there in 1972 when it still had horse drawn boats and steel works and an individual odour. Gas Street/Birmingham has had a complete makeover since my last visit. I actually quite liked it when it was still industrial and everyone spoke like Carl Chinn so it was good going down Farmers Bridge Locks and passing all these new lookalike flats with balconies and then going under the big bridge and entering a time warp with the drinkers having a garden party outside the derelict factories.

 

Holdens v Bathams. Still can't decide, went to the Great Western. Had the Holdens Bitter and then a Bathams, so had another Holdens and the another Bathams and then bought a carry out with 4 pints of each for further research. Still undecided so will have to return and carry out further tastings. I think the Bathams is stronger than the Holdens but the Holdens seemed to slip down easier. We also had the faggots and mushy peas to soak it up.

 

Global Warming. 7 days of non-stop sunshine followed by a months worth of rain once we had tied up. There didn't appear to be any water shortages but presume this will change once the schools are out. Are CRT dredging, I thought the Coventry round Hopwas was fairly shallow and I was in a hire boat. I took a partly loaded boat through there in 1980 with no problems. Yes they are dredging further along on the T&M. Whats with these sacking bolsters, won't they just rot away. 

 

Out again in October, intending to the Mon and Brec

You should have gone to the Bull and Bladder, then you wouldn't have been in any doubt as to which beer was better... 😉

Edited June 22, 2023 by IanD

[Victor Vectis]

Holdens v Bathams.

 

Hmmmm.......Tough call.

 

But then I'm convinced that Holden's 'Golden Glow' is brewed to the same recipe as Batham's Bitter.

 

 

[Hudds Lad]

Day Boats are great fun to watch, packed to the gills with people either enjoying it immensely or miserable as sin whilst dad steers in silence on the back. Came across one on the Shroppie doing 360's and figure 8's in a winding hole, once we got closer realised they were trying to feed some ducks but didn't have the skills to stop  

 

SUP or Subbuteo Players i've never had any trouble with, they usually stop as you approach much like kayaks/canoes/inflatable deathtraps from Aldi.

 

I've heard the sausage things are to help the water voles get out of the water?!? Not a fan.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Canoeist took me on at one of the pinch points by Bournville this afternoon. 
He was lucky to get away unscathed. 
Could have had crushed hips and legs. 
 

 

[cuthound]

13 hours ago, Goliath said:

Canoeist took me on at one of the pinch points by Bournville this afternoon. 
He was lucky to get away unscathed. 
Could have had crushed hips and legs. 
 

 

 

I had similar on the Shroppie a couple of years ago. Two canoeists decided to overtake me (one on each side) as I was about to enter a narrow section. I saw one and moved over to give him more space and would have squashed the other if he hadn't warned me of his presence by shouting.

 

They should carry flags on poles to show boaters where they are like the Sinclair C5's did.

[Nightwatch]

20 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

I had similar on the Shroppie a couple of years ago. Two canoeists decided to overtake me (one on each side) as I was about to enter a narrow section. I saw one and moved over to give him more space and would have squashed the other if he hadn't warned me of his presence by shouting.

 

They should carry flags on poles to show boaters where they are like the Sinclair C5's did.

No need to carry poles with flags, just stay out of the way of a 15-20 ton boat.

[Ewan123]

15 hours ago, Goliath said:

Canoeist took me on at one of the pinch points by Bournville this afternoon. 
He was lucky to get away unscathed. 
Could have had crushed hips and legs. 
 

 

They are remarkably good at sneaking up from behind. I do check over my shoulder regularly but some of them move rather swiftly! I had a pair do just that and suddenly appear in line with the stern where there really wasn't enough space; they also didn't appreciate that in order to give them more space in front, the stern of my boat would have likely crushed them first as the boat pivoted.

Edited June 23, 2023 by Ewan123

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Yes, I’m careful of them too. 
And I don’t particularly mind them. In the main they’re courteous and friendly. 
But occasionally you get the odd one that’s determined to push that little bit more than they should. 

I don’t think the bloke from yesterday will try it again. By the look on his face he’d shit himself. 
 

You can be as careful as you possibly can when encountering the more vulnerable on the water but there’s no guessing what mad tricks they’ll try.

 

 

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Goliath said:

Yes, I’m careful of them too. 
And I don’t particularly mind them. In the main they’re courteous and friendly. 
But occasionally you get the odd one that’s determined to push that little bit more than they should. 

I don’t think the bloke from yesterday will try it again. By the look on his face he’d shit himself. 
 

You can be as careful as you possibly can when encountering the more vulnerable on the water but there’s no guessing what mad tricks they’ll try.
 

 

I suspect some of them either think they have priority being unpowered, or are unaware how heavy and slow to manoeuvre a steel narrowboat is, or possibly both.

 

Whatever the reason, like a pedestrian-car argument there's only going to be one loser if push comes to shove -- or crunch... 😞

 

Can be annoying sometimes though... 😉

[GUMPY]

SUP are fair game in my book, any that don't crouch as you go past deserve to get tipped in the cut/river.

 

[Rob-M]

They are becoming a pain at Great Haywood, paddling past the junction with no way to respond if you are approaching the junction and sound your horn.  If I don't get a horn response I tend to come out the junction and presume there is nothing approaching but on a few occasions now there has been a group of SUPs paddling along making no effort to stop and expect me to avoid them.

[LadyG]

50 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

They are becoming a pain at Great Haywood, paddling past the junction with no way to respond if you are approaching the junction and sound your horn.  If I don't get a horn response I tend to come out the junction and presume there is nothing approaching but on a few occasions now there has been a group of SUPs paddling along making no effort to stop and expect me to avoid them.

They are optimistic.....

[ditchcrawler]

On 22/06/2023 at 13:25, astalweeks said:

We had a week out ten days ago doing a circuit starting and finishing at Great Haywood via Birmingham. All the family and the dog had a great time and can't wait to do it all again.

Here are the latest moans

 

Day Boats. Don't you love them! I would imagine they are desperately hard to steer, they seem to take a very interesting course when going the same way as us and when they come toward me they always go into reverse and then end up broadside on the canal. Actually this not necessarily confined to day boats, both hire boats and owned boats also do this sometimes. Previously I've had to dodge the electric boats in London and now I see they have reached Birmingham as well.

 

 

But did they have the BBQs alight 

[astalweeks]

good grief! how does that work??