Where is this?

[Allie]

I was looking at the canals via satellite view on Google Earth and I saw this wonderful picture of the narrowboats. Does anyone recognize this location? It appears to be north of Coventry, but it's rather hard to tell when I zoom in so closely.

 

Allie

 

[endeva]

Hi Allie, I live in Coventry

 

could it be Sutton stop (Hawkesbury junction) where the Coventry canal meets the Oxford canal I wonder?

[Mark W]

Hawkesbury marks the junction of the Oxford and Coventry Canals (also known as Sutton Stop).

 

The lock that rises (lowers) by about 6 inches.

[Allie]

This is another view of a marina that is adjacent to that other photo. Perhaps that will help identify the exact spot.

 

Allie

 

[alan_fincher]

Hi Allie, I live in Coventry

 

could it be Sutton stop (Hawkesbury junction) where the Coventry canal meets the Oxford canal I wonder?

Yes,

 

That's definitely where it is.

 

It's the spot where the now legendary Joe and Rose Skinner lived out their days on their boat "Friendship", (which was previously mule rather than horse drawn)..

 

It is also the site of a pub I believe was called the Greyhound.

 

It was still an unspoilt canal pub 30 years ago - I wonder if anyone can say if it's still there, and what it's now like ?

 

[Edit:]

 

Answered my own question!

 

Look at this link,

 

It identifies quite a lot of what you can see there, including which canal is which.

 

Link to Hawkesbury Junction page

Edited February 3, 2006 by alan_fincher

[Liam]

I've managed to dig out a few pics of Hawkesbury Junction...

 

 

The pics below have numbers, and where they were taken, is marked out on the pic above..

 

1: http://www.cw.lkhnet.co.uk/images/hawkesbury1.jpg

 

2: http://www.cw.lkhnet.co.uk/images/hawkesbury2.jpg

 

3: http://www.cw.lkhnet.co.uk/images/hawkesbury3.jpg

[Allie]

That is absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to arrange the photos like that.

 

Allie

[fender.]

That is absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to arrange the photos like that.

 

Allie

 

If one looks at the Googles towards Longford, the old Oxford Canal course can be seen, especially between Longford Bridge and the M6. Rivalry meant the two canals ran parallel for over a mile to a junction at Longford, until an agreement was made to built a more convenient junction at Hawkesbury.

 

Joe and Rose Skinner used to keep Friendship on the Coventry Canal just past the end of the footbridge in the Coventry direction. They stayed on the boat at night for fear of it being vandalised - the area was so derelict and run down in the 1970's. But in the day time they used their house - which is in the row of cottages in the south west corner of Allie's picture. Hawkesbury today is of course so much more pleasant, after all these many years of campaigning for the retention of the Coventry canal - because lets not forget that the threat to close the five and half miles of canal from Hawkesbury to Bishop St was another factor in the neccessity for a strong camapaign to keep the canals open.

[Webchem]

Hawkesbury is also one of the more entertaining turns to watch people take, especially when they might only have picked up the boat the day before (teehee), mind you its not just the hire boaters that make an arse of it.

 

Its also one of the slowest locks I have ever been it.

 

[nbtafelberg]

Google Earth is magnificent!

 

Especially since if you look at Penton Hook Marina Tafelberg is there on Peir Y (you can see the solar panels!) BUT she's also on the Grand Union Canal Below Cowley Lock towpath side after Benbow Bridge

 

It's a Miracle!

[cheshire~rose]

Google Earth is magnificent!

 

 

I want to look at this Google Earth but it says my computer needs to be something other that steam driven to view it

[tony collins]

This is another view of a marina that is adjacent to that other photo. Perhaps that will help identify the exact spot.

 

Allie

 

 

That is Exhall basin a residential mooring spaces for twelve boats. It has been open for a few years now. It stood empty for ages after it opened as the fees were too high/too long a contract period. After the contracts and fees were adjusted, it filled quirw quickly.

 

Tony

[Allie]

I want to look at this Google Earth but it says my computer needs to be something other that steam driven to view it

 

Yes, you need XP and lots of RAM. If you have specific locations you'd like to see, give me the postal codes and I'll be happy to take "snapshots" for you. Let me know if you'd like them posted here on the site or emailed.

 

Cheers.

Allie

[John Orentas]

I think there must be a very strange micro-climate around Nantwich, 01.00 am this morning it was still broard daylight. Ghost boats too, yesterday afternoon there was a boat approaching below the bridge, when I clicked for a larger image it had disappeared.

[dor]

Que?

 

Nothing's ever quite good ebnough for you John is it, unless you have designed it, made it or rubbished it.

[John Orentas]

Que?

 

Nothing's ever quite good ebnough for you John is it, unless you have designed it, made it or rubbished it.

 

 

On the contrary, I am very impressed that they can turn night into day and make boats disappear, I am sure I couldn't manage that.

 

And now I come to think about it I don't find unfriendly comments good abnough though.

[dor]

John:

 

I'll make allowances for you posting your comment in the wrong thread, but your veiled criticism of my post recommending the Nantwich webcam should not go unanswered.

 

You may have had trouble getting images in real time, but if you look at some of the posts in the right thread, you will see that some people find the site interesting. Isn't is worth bringing it to the notice of others, without making offhand comments about the site in question?

[Allie]

If you are referring to the Google Earth satellite images, they are not in real time. I have noticed that some are many months old -- at least here in Southern California. A friend in Missouri said that his was very current, even showing the new swimming pool that he had put in recently.

 

I guess Google updates sections when they get good images, then piece the photos together.

 

Another thing I have noticed is where there are military bases or prisons, the images are not clear when you zoom in. That must be for security reasons. We live near 2 military bases and a prison, so the area is blurred for several miles around our house. I'm pretty disappointed about that since I hoped to share the view of our California canal here on the site. Oh well.

 

Allie

[dor]

Allie: I understand that Google Earth is not in real time - In fact much of the images are up to five years old.

 

The point I was making is that the reference to Nantwich is related to anothe thread, referring to the Nantwich webam.

 

Hope you are looking forward to your trip in the UK, and are getting lots out of this site.

[DHutch]

Yes, you need XP and lots of RAM.

Accutally, its doesnt need a very high spec PC to run at all.

- The main thing you need is a fairly rapid internet conecting, and all the images are steamed to you as you view it.

- We have a 512kb connection at home, and although its very usage, its noticably quicker when im at uni on my 10mb line (same pc)

 

Minimum configuration:

Operating system: Windows 2000 or Windows XP

CPU speed: 500 MHz (ie PentiumIII)

128MB System memory (RAM)

200MB hard-disk space

3D-capable video card with 16MB VRAM

1024x768, 32-bit true color screen

Network speed: 128 kbps (ie "Midband"/Twin ISDN)

 

Recommended configuration:

Operating system: Windows XP

CPU: 1.2 GHz

Free Hard Disk Space: 2GB

512MB System memory (RAM)

Video RAM: 32MB

Screen Resolutions: 1280x1024, 32-bit color

Internet: 768 kbps (ie "Broadband"/Cable/etc)

 

 

Daniel

Edited February 5, 2006 by dhutch

[Allie]

Yes, of course. I haven't thought about internet connection speed. We are connected at 100 mbps here.

 

At any rate, Google Earth is useful for someone like myself who hasn't been to the area before and wants to get a lay of the land. It's fun to see the basic geography and get a feel for distances.

 

And yes, the site has been very enjoyable and useful so far. I do enjoy the banter and occasional heated discussions. It is amusing to see that certain personality types are found elsewhere in the world.

 

Allie

[alan_fincher]

Another thing I have noticed is where there are military bases or prisons, the images are not clear when you zoom in. That must be for security reasons. We live near 2 military bases and a prison, so the area is blurred for several miles around our house. I'm pretty disappointed about that since I hoped to share the view of our California canal here on the site. Oh well.

 

Allie

So far as I can see for the UK maps, the degree of resolution on the images changes radically from area to area.

 

So whilst I was able, for example, to follow the Grand Union Northampton Branch in some detail, then head down through Blisworth, Stoke Bruerne, Cosgrove, Wolverton, etc, at some point in the vague Milton Keynes area nothing like the same quality of image is available.

 

Same is true where I live, and where boat is moored, and I don't think there are too many prisons or secret military bases nearby.

 

A shame, I'd have loved to see the area around where I live and worked, but fascinating none-the-less to travel other bits of the canals without leaving my chair.

 

What surprised me most about the GU pictures were how many boats were moving, and how many locks occupied. It must have been photographed in the Summer holidays, I think.

[DHutch]

Yes, of course. I haven't thought about internet connection speed. We are connected at 100 mbps here.

Yeah, thats a lot more than most people here in "broadband britton" have.

- At home uptill january of lest year we had only 64/128kbps (single/twin ISDN) for £30/month we got 100hours a month at 64k, and if we conected at 128k that used up the time a twice the rate, and lost us our phone line. great stuff!!

 

 

 

Also, just to put the above into perspective for "non-technical" people

 

My PC, which i got 2nd hand for £200 18months ago (which was built in late 2002) is as below:

Operating system: Win XP

CPU speed: 1800 MHz (Amd Althon)

512MB System memory (RAM)

200GB hard-disk space

3D-capable video card with 128MB VRAM

1280x1024, 64-bit true color screen

- Which is well over even the "Recomended" spec sheet.

 

(my moniter is actutally worth more than the PC)

 

 

Daniel

[Webchem]

At risk of going off topic...

 

 

It is quick shocking how slow BT are at upgrading exchanges, I get the feeling we must be getting a long way behind the rest of the Internet connected world.

 

All the ads for 8Mb connections are intensly irritating as we cannot get more that 1Mb, and even at work (school) connection is only 2Mb. Oh those with 10Mb and 100Mb I am insanely jealous.

[Liam]

All the ads for 8Mb connections are intensly irritating as we cannot get more that 1Mb, and even at work (school) connection is only 2Mb. Oh those with 10Mb and 100Mb I am insanely jealous.

 

ADSL and Cable are quite different. ADSL uses the existing copper telephone lines. Cable, however, is different in the way that it uses coaxial cable. Unlike ADSL, the cables need to be laid especially. Cable is not as popular as ADSL due to this.

 

You can get faster speeds on Cable. 10 meg is the fastest at the moment I think, with both NTL and Telewest being the only residential providers.

 

ADSL's fastest speed upto now is 8meg. You can get faster connections, such as SDSL, and leased lines etc but these would cost more a month than your average mooring costs per year!

 

Also, people who have 10 meg normally won't be able to see that much of a difference than say 2Mb due to the fact that the servers you're 'contacting' cannot upload constantly at 10Mb - and a web pages are only something like 20 - 50 kb anyway, so it's within a second whether you're on 2 meg or 20 meg! If you're on a network, then it's a different story all together.