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Hello

 

Earlier in the year we were planning to do the four counties ring from Great Haywood having a week hire from Anglo Welsh at the end of June, but now with the restrictions in the Birmingham area, we are now thinking this will make the four counties even busier than first thought.

 

I know there was a suggestion of going to froghall on my previous post which we are considering, just wondering if anyone has other suggestions on destinations we can achieve crusing approx 10 hours a day.

 

Will be a crew of three with one being on the canals for the first time.

 

Woul love some suggestions of nice moorings for overnight stops if we go for froghall.

 

 

Many Thanks

 

Charles

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Is that ten hours of actual cruising or ten less time for lunch at a pub. Normally 8 hours cruising is better as it gives time if there are holdups. And round Heywood with its masses of boats and some queues at locks you can get held up. For example from Heywood to Coven is a good day - with luck you arrive at the restuant/pub/moorings there a couple of hours quicker or more than if you end up waiting around. As to how this could happen once we left minutes before a mate, had a perfect run, got in by 4pm. He, just behind was jumped at the first lock by one moving off as he came out and after that found everything against him arriving at 6-30 have done twice the work turning round locks than we did. It was the matter of a minute at the start but 2 and a half hours by the time we met again.

 

Then there are the pinch points where boats tend to move off as you approach, there are queues and so on. Some of these (on the 4 counties) are at Penkridge - where getting one in front means the next many locks against, Brewood, Wheaton Aston, Audlem - where a slow boat can really annoy some round the ringers, various locks on the Middlewich arm at various times - where boats leaving the local marinas can cause queues, Middlewich - a real nasty if around the junction is busy, Harecastle tunnel, and around Stoke and Stone (though these two tend to be OK). On the Shroppie there are miles of linear moorings to pass (and slow past?). If you do the ring do it anti-clockwise as in (for example) Stone, Harecastle, Wheelock, Nantwich, Anchor, Coven, Tixall as that way you get the slow stuff done first (as it is a race getting round rather than boating slowly and savouring the relaxation of boating which doing the ring in two weeks allows).

 

Still at what they charge for hire I can't blame you for wanting the max and if you enjoy boating buy a share in a boat with a good firm like ownerships and get up to 4 weeks for what you pay for one in June.

Edited by Tiny
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Hello

 

Earlier in the year we were planning to do the four counties ring from Great Haywood having a week hire from Anglo Welsh at the end of June, but now with the restrictions in the Birmingham area, we are now thinking this will make the four counties even busier than first thought.

 

I know there was a suggestion of going to froghall on my previous post which we are considering, just wondering if anyone has other suggestions on destinations we can achieve crusing approx 10 hours a day.

 

Will be a crew of three with one being on the canals for the first time.

 

Woul love some suggestions of nice moorings for overnight stops if we go for froghall.

 

 

Many Thanks

 

Charles

 

Froghall would be relatively easy in a week, about seven hours a day which allows some latitude for hold ups etc.

 

Places to Stop? The Star at Stone is a must, on the Canal itself the Foxley Arms was welcoming a year or two ago, the Boat at Cheddleton and the Black Lion at Consall Forge are unmissable, and the scenery on the run down is among the best on the canal system

 

We also like mooring in the open countryside just above Sandon Lock, which might be doable for your first evening

 

You're boat may not fit through Froghall Tunnel, in which case you'll have to turn about 100 yards short of it.

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Froghall would be relatively easy in a week, about seven hours a day which allows some latitude for hold ups etc.

 

Places to Stop? The Star at Stone is a must, on the Canal itself the Foxley Arms was welcoming a year or two ago, the Boat at Cheddleton and the Black Lion at Consall Forge are unmissable, and the scenery on the run down is among the best on the canal system

 

We also like mooring in the open countryside just above Sandon Lock, which might be doable for your first evening

 

You're boat may not fit through Froghall Tunnel, in which case you'll have to turn about 100 yards short of it.

 

Still undecided as to what route to take, will watch the forums here and see what everyone are saying about the four counties closer to the time.

 

Would love to do the four counties this time but if there is going to be lots of hold us I dont fancy running till almost dark each day just to reach base on time on the last morning. I know in the past we have seen a few boats running well into the dark just to get back onto Tixall on the last evening.

 

Will make the final choice when we collect the boat I guess and have a few alternate routes planned from canalplan.

 

Other than froghall is there any other suggestions as to out and back routes for a week?

 

Have done Market Drayton route a couple of times so other ideas most welome.

 

 

Thanks

 

Charles

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