Keeping Up with Keeping Up again

[Keeping Up]

We're almost ready to set off on this year's travels so I thought I'd post our intended route here.

 

We're leaving Milton Keynes on Tuesday (19th) so we can get to Napton Bridge for the Mikron Theatre Company's performance on Friday 22nd. After that we're heading up Hatton and down to Stratford. A lazy drift down the Avon and Severn should see us in Gloucester in early-mid June, then we'll be heading up to Stourport, Great Haywood, Stoke-on-Trent, and to Bugsworth basin by probably the end of June.

 

Hopefully we'll get through Standedge tunnel to Huddersfield in early July, then we'll be re-tracing our steps before tackling the Rochdale to get to Sowerby Bridge and re-trace our steps again. After Manchester we'll probably go up to Wigan and back before seeing how the time is going and deciding how many diversions we can include on our way back. We expect to return to Milton Keynes some time in September.

 

At last I've got WiFi connection (but only in public Hotspots, I haven't got a dongle) so hopefully I can check the forum and pick up my emails about once a week. But if there's a chance of meeting, do call or text me on this number.

 

I'll try and update this thread occasionally as we go (and I know a few other forum members will help with that too) so if we're likely to be passing, get in touch and we'll stop for a chat and hopefully some beer. Or if you should happen to see us just shout and wave and we'll stop then too; any excuse for a beer!

[Janet S]

We'll be ready with our windlasses when you get oop North!

 

Have fun, and I hope the weather stays good for you.

 

I'm very envious...

 

Janet

[cheshire~rose]

We are looking forward to our paths crossing - although if this rain keeps falling then your planned lazy drift down the Avon might be more like a white water ride!

[lemontoes]

Have a fantastic cruise. Hopefully will be able to give you a wave when you come up towards Bugsworth basin.

[Bigmac]

Allan,

 

We are heading down to Stockton Top Marina on Friday evening. Hopefully we will make it in time to be able to nip down to The Bridge by car to see the show and and enjoy a beer. If not, we will wave as we pass on Saturday morning as we are heading south on the Oxford for the week.

Edited May 18, 2009 by Bigmac

[gralyn]

I'll try and update this thread occasionally as we go (and I know a few other forum members will help with that too) so if we're likely to be passing, get in touch and we'll stop for a chat and hopefully some beer. Or if you should happen to see us just shout and wave and we'll stop then too; any excuse for a beer!

Watch out for NB Gralyn. Hoping to be in Gloucester by mid June Too. Coming down the Severn from Stourport after T+M Shroppie and S+W. Details of our trip will be on the blog shown below, will be using a system 3 dongle to update.

[casper ghost]

When you go up the north end of the Staffs and Worcs keep an eye out for the boat i'm building, hopefully be nearing completion, weather permitting

[cheshire~rose]

Text from Allan:

 

"We're taking it slow. Expect to be at Puddle Banks thursday night for arrival at Napton Friday morning."

 

Please see Napton Banter thread for details of propsed bantering to take place this coming Friday

 

and today:

 

"We're at Weedon so it's Frog for us tonight -Ribbit"

 

[Keeping Up]

Well here we are at Stratford. The Mikron Banter at Napton was great - even if a little cold, and we've had a lovely easy trip up Hatton and down the Stratford. After meeting up with BSP at Wootton Wawen for a Beethoven Banter (well that's the music we played on board after getting back to the boat) we proved once again that beer+BSP=hangover so made a leisurely start the next morning then all met up again in Stratford Basin yesterday evening. We're going to be here over the weekend now, before drifting (we hope) lazily down river, so if you're around these parts do come and see us.

 

More updates when we find another pub with WiFi lilke this one.

[BlueStringPudding]

So you're in Wetherspoons, then!?!?

 

It was good to see you both again, mate.

 

Tonight's project is to

a. recover from 5 day bender and

b. head back to the boat, combine wind turbine wiring with joyous new fuseholder across battery monitor shunt-doohicky and hopefully... if the wind blows... I'll be able to tell how much welly the turbine kicks out (rather than mistaking the solar panel reading for it, which is what I think I did last time!).

 

I'll keep you posted.

 

Edited to add:

In my absence please feel free to sample The Windmill on Church Street, The Old Tramway Inn on Shipston Road and The West End on Bull Street.

Edited May 28, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[Keeping Up]

So you're in Wetherspoons, then!?!?

 

It was good to see you both again, mate.

Yup, that's where we are - just watched a man carrying a couple of polystyrene sheep up the road!

 

Good to see you again too - here's to the next time

[BlueStringPudding]

Yup, that's where we are - just watched a man carrying a couple of polystyrene sheep up the road!

 

Good to see you again too - here's to the next time

 

 

Teehee!

 

Yup, that's where we are - just watched a man carrying a couple of polystyrene sheep up the road!

 

Good to see you again too - here's to the next time

 

Of course, you're on Sheep Street.

 

As for Bull Street and Kissing Tree Lane...

 

Edited May 28, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[Ray]

Snip

 

At last I've got WiFi connection (but only in public Hotspots, I haven't got a dongle) so hopefully I can check the forum and pick up my emails about once a week.

 

Snip

 

Allan

 

Find a Vodafone shop and buy one of their PAYG dongles for £39 which includes £15 (1GB) of usage. You only pay for what you use. I've had mine since mid March and have only used just over £5 worth. Admittedly I don't use it every day but I'd guess that £15 should last at least a month (and maybe 2) just collecting emails and scanning the forum from time to time.

[Chris J W]

Yup, that's where we are - just watched a man carrying a couple of polystyrene sheep up the road!

Good to see you again too - here's to the next time

 

Too much Old Frog, Allan?

[Keeping Up]

Too much Old Frog, Allan?

No, it's perfectly logical. They couldn't walk up the road by themselves.

[BlueStringPudding]

I have to confess to having had a hangover on Saturday morning. I wonder how that happened...?

 

[alan_fincher]

Surely those are not la*er glasses, are they ?

[BlueStringPudding]

Surely those are not la*er glasses, are they ?

 

Okay, I confess. It was a hot day, I fancied a girly lager rather than a pint of Flowers. Then Kev came along and one pint of lager rapidly turned into forty-billion pints of lager.

 

Hangover ensued...

[alan_fincher]

Okay, I confess. It was a hot day, I fancied a girly lager rather than a pint of Flowers.

 

Shocking! Deeply shocking!

[BlueStringPudding]

Shocking! Deeply shocking!

 

[Keeping Up]

Shocking! Deeply shocking!

I was deeply shocked myself, at such a Girlie drink being consumed at our Shakespear Surprise banter. However after Pingu and I consumed an equal quantity of excellent bitter (Flowers and Purity), the benefits of beer over la*er were clearly demonstrated when neither of us had a hangover the next morning. In fact we both felt just great.

 

We had a wonderful weekend watching the antics of the weekend rowing-boat hirers on the river, all crashing into each other and into the chain ferry whilst getting in the way of the many trip boats. One guy fell in and couldn't be bothered to get back in the boat, his partner just stepped ashore and they wandered off leaving the rowing boat to drift downstream on its own (it was rescued by a nifty bit of work from the chain ferry operator).

 

We've continued lazily downstream in the glorious sunshine, we're now at the Fish and Anchor at Offenham (one good thing about NOT having a dongle, it keeps giving me an excuse to spend all afternoon in the pub). What a great pub. Good moorings, fantastic beers, and amazing food. A different theme for the food each night: tomorrow it's a fish-and-chip shop theme for example, so you can have anything that might be found in a fish-and-chip shop (fish, chips, chicken, faggots, pies, mushy peas, etc). We're meeting frends here for the day so we'll be here for that: I wish we could stay here until the end of the week for their International night with dishes from Greece, Spain, Mexico, and Italy.

 

At this rate it could be next week before we reach Gloucester.

[Keeping Up]

Well we got to Goucester easily enough and spent the weekend in the docks. On Sunday night we moved down the canal a mile or so, then had an exciting evening when the factory nearly opposite us exploded and burned out!

 

The weather forecast didn't look too good so we decided to go back up river on Monday morning. The Severn was a little bit challenging, officially closed but we went anyway. Luckily we hadn't planned on stopping at either of the two pubs on the way that have fixed mooring jetties, they were both well under water. Still our engine enjoyed the workout, and we managed to travel 38 miles upstream against a 3mph current! It was great, the water level was high enough that for once we could see over the banks,

 

So now I'm here in the library here at Kidderminster, planning a couple of banters as we head northwards.

[Chris-B]

Thanks for the updates Alan, glad you are having a good trip

C n L

[Moley]

So now I'm here in the library here at Kidderminster, planning a couple of banters as we head northwards.

So if anyone else is in the vicinity of Wolverley tonight .....

 

[Bones]

So now I'm here in the library here at Kidderminster, planning a couple of banters as we head northwards.

 

that sounds like a pretty exciting trip!!!

 

 

So if anyone else is in the vicinity of Wolverley tonight .....

 

 

sigh. If only!! Have a fantastic time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

of course you will!