I would like then to fix the electric car charging point which has been out of service for over a year. A bit of dredging where Dotterel is moored would help too - mind you I tend to dredge that myself when Dotterel leaves the mooring. 

 

Cheers Graham 

7 minutes ago, Graham and Jo said:

I would like then to fix the electric car charging point which has been out of service for over a year. A bit of dredging where Dotterel is moored would help too - mind you I tend to dredge that myself when Dotterel leaves the mooring. 

 

Cheers Graham 

Is that the car charging point around by the pickleball court. It you read the ab&b reviews for the lock cottage one of them mentions there is no ev point.

The charging point is near the court. It is in next to the gap where you can go out of the car park into the road next to the locks marina. The problem is that Calcutt bought the charger and got vendelectic to provide the service. It was pretty good running at 11kW on AC charging and a good price. The charger was made by Rolec who then bought vendelectic and said they were no longer going to support that sort of charger. Calcutt were justifiably annoyed by this! It seems the only resolution is to throw it away and start again. In the meantime Shell at Southam have extended their charging facilities and it is so fast you don't really have time to get a coffee. Expensive though. 

 

Cheers Graham 

4 minutes ago, Graham and Jo said:

The charging point is near the court. It is in next to the gap where you can go out of the car park into the road next to the locks marina. The problem is that Calcutt bought the charger and got vendelectic to provide the service. It was pretty good running at 11kW on AC charging and a good price. The charger was made by Rolec who then bought vendelectic and said they were no longer going to support that sort of charger. Calcutt were justifiably annoyed by this! It seems the only resolution is to throw it away and start again. In the meantime Shell at Southam have extended their charging facilities and it is so fast you don't really have time to get a coffee. Expensive though. 

 

Cheers Graham 

I Moor near that but didn't know it was out of use. That explains why there are so many weeds growing up in that area. I just thought it was the lack of Pat the old groundsman

5 hours ago, Tonka said:

Think it was around the time they went with Hoeseasons. It was to bring them up to top mark spec. I am sure parking, WiFi coverage and toilet/ laundry facilities would have been high on the list. None of which have changed apart from the door is now open in the marina pavilion opening upstairs as a small lounge.

 

But we have a Pickleball court

@john6767 may remember the survey or even @Dorlan

I don’t remember the survey, they have been with Hoeseasons for a while I think, I remember the blue Hoeseasons sign going up and then quickly replaced by the “Calcutt” green one that is there now.

 

It is quite a few years ago that they added fire extinguishers and emergency ladders on the pontoon walkways in Meadows Marina, I assumed that was about a category rating.  I am afraid that I do not see the fit of the Picckleball courts though, would a marina be rated higher because of that?

 

It is a couple of years ago now but I was told, by Stephen, that they had planning permission to extend the toilet block that would extend the facilities and provide a better moorers lounge facility, nothing seems to have happened on that though.

9 minutes ago, john6767 said:

I don’t remember the survey, they have been with Hoeseasons for a while I think, I remember the blue Hoeseasons sign going up and then quickly replaced by the “Calcutt” green one that is there now.

 

It is quite a few years ago that they added fire extinguishers and emergency ladders on the pontoon walkways in Meadows Marina, I assumed that was about a category rating.  I am afraid that I do not see the fit of the Picckleball courts though, would a marina be rated higher because of that?

 

It is a couple of years ago now but I was told, by Stephen, that they had planning permission to extend the toilet block that would extend the facilities and provide a better moorers lounge facility, nothing seems to have happened on that though.

Yes I heard that too. I also heard that they were going to build piers for the big blue boat lift to use so as to lift boats out with it but because of the cost of deep piling for the piers that the cost was too prohibitive.

Just a small update for anyone coming Calcutt way.

The canal road bridge off the A425 from napton on the hill (Tomlow road) has been closed to road traffic for some reason.

You can squeeze through the barriers with a car (I just have) as gaps have been left but it will pay to come in from the other end (A426).

No idea why it's closed tho resurfacing marks on the tarmac, may have been a slight bump.

16 minutes ago, Torblimey said:

Just a small update for anyone coming Calcutt way.

The canal road bridge off the A425 from napton on the hill (Tomlow road) has been closed to road traffic for some reason.

You can squeeze through the barriers with a car (I just have) as gaps have been left but it will pay to come in from the other end (A426).

No idea why it's closed tho resurfacing marks on the tarmac, may have been a slight bump.

The road was flooded between the bridge and Napton road last week, but I thought it was rain water as it was after one of those short heavy showers, Probably last Thursday

19 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

The road was flooded between the bridge and Napton road last week

Oh, the irony!

48 minutes ago, Wafi said:

Oh, the irony!

That's what I thought as I walked up to the Kings Head

Dropped in on Dotterel on my way home from North Wales. Much to my suprise she is floating. I had previously abandoned her on her mooring with a gap between the boat and the bank that was fine for an olympic long jump athlete but a little more trying for the rest of us. The water level above the top lock is now normal. The marina looks to be a few inches down but I didn't investigate much as the rain gods decided it was then a good time to fill the canal! 

 

Cheers Graham 

Similar when I popped in a few days ago. Too dark to take a photo of the tide gauge by the time I thought of it, but guessing Ventnor Marina is around 4" down; no stop planks, and I'm not aware of any plans to fit them. From the exposed rocks across the gap between the two halves of the reservoir, I'm guessing it's effectively empty.

 

No idea how much rain it will take to get things open again, but this report suggests England received 45% of the long-term average rainfall for the whole of September in the first 9 days of the month, so hopefully that's making a difference. 

That’s a very interesting document that you’ve accessed. Really hoping the rain is back with us!

Visiting the boat today for the first time since we got back to Calcutt at the end of August.  The marina level is down perhaps 8in on where you would expect this time of year.  Canal above to locks looks down a similar amount, but nothing that would cause an issue.

 

There are 5 hire boats above the top lock, in the lock mouth and by the water point, so there are a few of them out.

 

I asked in the office if there was a plan to remove the stop planks, and they said they would be removing them in the next few days.  If that’s the case we may have jaunt down to Stockton next week.

20 minutes ago, john6767 said:

There are 5 hire boats above the top lock, in the lock mouth and by the water point, so there are a few of them out.

 

I had one swing into Dunchurch Pools marina in front of me last week, so maybe some are there, also one of the 5 went out for a short break 

4 hours ago, john6767 said:

If that’s the case we may have jaunt down to Stockton next week.

 

As did I yesterday. If you do, don't bother walking down to The Blue Lias for a drink though, they retired and shut up shop on Sunday after 41 years. The pub co are advertising for a new tenant.

20 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

As did I yesterday. If you do, don't bother walking down to The Blue Lias for a drink though, they retired and shut up shop on Sunday after 41 years. The pub co are advertising for a new tenant.

This Summer has probably made their minds up!! A shame as it was always a cosy stopover in ideal position for a fairly long day to Stowe Hill...even in Winter you could do virtually all the locks in some form of daylight.

1 hour ago, Lily Rose said:

 

As did I yesterday. If you do, don't bother walking down to The Blue Lias for a drink though, they retired and shut up shop on Sunday after 41 years. The pub co are advertising for a new tenant.

(4) It’s time to call last orders, Sunday the... - The Blue Lias Inn | Facebook

16 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

 

As did I yesterday. If you do, don't bother walking down to The Blue Lias for a drink though, they retired and shut up shop on Sunday after 41 years. The pub co are advertising for a new tenant.

Never been a great fan of the Blue Lias, but at lest it was an open pub!  Am I correct in thinking that the Boat Inn is shut again?

15 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

(4) It’s time to call last orders, Sunday the... - The Blue Lias Inn | Facebook

oh no, will that mean no more intense grotto scenes over xmas?

Calcutt have just posted on Facebook that the stop planks are out and the marina entrance is fully open 👍

50 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Never been a great fan of the Blue Lias, but at lest it was an open pub!  Am I correct in thinking that the Boat Inn is shut again?

I read the Boat had opened again Facebook 

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I read the Boat had opened again Facebook 

that's good news, let's see how long this one lasts!

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I read the Boat had opened again Facebook 

 That’s that restaurant boozer ain’t it?

Didn’t like it in there when I went a couple of years ago

 

the Two Boats is a better pub down that way and gets my vote 👍

 

28 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

 That’s that restaurant boozer ain’t it?

Didn’t like it in there when I went a couple of years ago

 

the Two Boats is a better pub down that way and gets my vote 👍

 

It used to be good, the last people seem to have turned a success into a failure.  Although you probably would not have liked it anyway as there was a focus on food, which I think is the right strategy for that pub as it not really near anywhere, so needs to attract people who are prepared to travel for foo, in my non-expert opinion of course.

 

The Two Boats is of course good, but it’s down 10 locks for us.

Edited October 1, 20251 yr by john6767